2009 - 2010 NYSSCPA Nomination Center

Welcome to the NYSSCPA Nomination Center. This part of our website provides information regarding the Society’s nominating process.
This is the sixth consecutive year that the Society’s nominating process generated so much interest that a membership election is required. By the Aug. 14, 2009 5:00PM deadline, we received 15 completed petitions in support of nominees to serve as members of the Nominating Committee. Society membership will be voting to reduce that number of nominees to nine. Two additional members of the eleven-member Nominating Committee will be designated by the Board of Directors from its elected members, according to the Society’s bylaws.

Ballots will be mailed to CPA members on Sept. 8, 2009, with a return date of Oct. 8, 2009. When it arrives, please take the time to study, complete, and return the ballot to Prompt Mailers, the independent ballot-counting agency specified. The results of the election will be announced to the entire membership via e-mail, the website, and The Trusted Professional.

The Purpose of the Nominating Committee

This year’s Nominating Committee will nominate a president-elect, four vice presidents, five at-large directors, and directors from the Mid Hudson, Northeast, Queens/Brooklyn, Rockland, and Utica chapters. Members interested in serving as an officer or at-large director should contact the Nominating Committee when its composition becomes final, or, if interested in a chapter representative vacancy contact their chapter president. For each chapter with a representative vacancy shall submit at least two, but no more than five nominations, for consideration by the Nominating Committee. To qualify for these offices, the Society bylaws state that a candidate must be a CPA member and have been a member of the Society for at least five continuous years, including at least two years of statewide committee participation or chapter executive board service, or some combination of both.

Why Participation in This Election is Important

The Nominating Committee election is an important exercise in member democracy. It is important because you will be choosing the nine people who, together with two individuals from the Board of Directors, will compile the ballot for the 2009-2010 Society officers and a third of the Board. In recent history, the ballot presented by the Nominating Committee has been voted on by the Society membership, and the Committee’s nominees were selected.
NYSSCPA direction comes from its Board of Directors. The Board is chaired by our president, who works with an executive committee of the Board and the Society staff to manage the Society. It is of great importance that we have a diverse and committed group of people on the Nominating Committee each year to ensure the best candidates from among us are nominated to the Board.

The Candidates

This year, we received timely, completed petitions from the following 15 individuals:

  • Steven Baum
  • Shari E. Berk
  • Samuel M. Bronsky
  • Andrew Cohen
  • Ann Burstein Cohen
  • Barbara S. Dwyer
  • Stephen Franciosa
  • Jeffrey Hoops
  • John Lauchert
  • Stephen H. Lepselter
  • Sherwood Levitan
  • Mark R. Levy
  • Kevin O’Leary
  • Victor S. Rich
  • Edward Torres

Below is a fair summary of accomplishments for each of the candidates:

STEVEN BAUM, Managing Partner Emeritus, Marks, Paneth & Shron, LLP, New York, NY. Member since 1971. STATEWIDE: Previously served as Society President. Previously served as President, President-Elect, Vice President, and on the Board of Directors. Prior committee service includes the Executive (President), Nominating, Large & Medium Sized Firms Practice Management, Member Benefits (Chair), Medium Sized Firms Practice Management, Professional Standards Task Force, Interactive Online Resource, Awards (Chair), Managing Partners, Annual Leadership Conference, Finance, Task Force on Member Firm Involvement (Chair), Task Force on Scholarships (Chair), Members of the Task Force on the Evaluation (Chair), Cooperation With Government Officials, General Committee on Members in Public Practice, Management of an Accounting Practice (Chair), and Professional Ethics Committees. OTHER: Prior service includes FAE President and Vice President, on the FAE Board of Trustees, and on the COAP Statewide Advisory Board.

SHARI E. BERK, S E Berk & Associates, P.A., New City, NY. Member since 1988. STATEWIDE: Current committee service includes the Membership Committee. CHAPTER: Currently serves as Rockland Chapter President; previously served as President-Elect, Treasurer, and Secretary.

SAMUEL M. BRONSKY, Bronsky & Company CPAs, Buffalo, NY. Member since 1986. STATEWIDE: Current committee service includes the Peer Review Committee (Chair). Prior committee service includes the Peer Review Administrative Committee (Vice Chair). CHAPTER: Previously served on the Buffalo Chapter Executive Board.

ANDREW COHEN, Partner-in-Charge, Weiser LLP, Lake Success, NY. Member since 1981. STATEWIDE: Previously served on the Board of Directors. Current committee service includes the Quality Enhancement Policy Committee. Prior committee service includes the Bylaws Revision Task Force, Executive, and Accounting & Review Services (Chair) Committees. CHAPTER: Previously served as Nassau Chapter President and on the Executive Board. Prior committee service includes the Accounting & Auditing (Chair), Management of Accounting Practice, and Furtherance (Chair) Committees.

ANN BURNSTEIN COHEN, Associate Professor, S.U.N.Y. at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY. Member since 1984. STATEWIDE: Previously served on the Board of Directors. Current committee service includes the Quality Enhancement Policy Committee and the Legislative Task Force. Prior committee service includes the COAP Fundraising (Co-Chair) and the Nominating Committees. CHAPTER: Previously served as Buffalo Chapter President, President-Elect, Secretary, and on the Executive Board. Currently serving as Buffalo Chapter COAP Coordinator (Chair) and on the COAP Buffalo Advisory Board (Chair). Prior committee service includes the Cooperation with the Bar, Chapter, and Chapter Publications Newsletter (Chair) Committees. OTHER: Prior service includes FAE President, President-Elect, on the FAE Board of Trustees, and on the COAP Statewide Advisory Board.

BARBARA S. DWYER, Barbara S. Dwyer, CPA, Lake Placid, NY. Member since 1986. STATEWIDE: Previously served as Vice President and on the Board of Directors. Current committee service includes the Professional Ethics, Legislative Task Force, and Public Schools Committees. Prior committee service includes the Executive, Awards, Political Action (President), QEPC Task Force on Peer Review Whitepaper Applications, Nominating, Board Selections Subcommittee, and Advancement of Women in the Accounting Profession Committees. CHAPTER: Currently serves on the Adirondack Chapter Executive Board; previously served as Adirondack Chapter President, Secretary, and on the Executive Board. Prior committee service includes the One-on-One (Chair) and Steering (Chair) Committees.

STEPHEN FRANCIOSA, Stephen E. Franciosa, CPA, City Island, NY. Member since 1979. STATEWIDE: Current committee service includes the Agri-Business Committee. Prior committee service includes the International Operations, Emerging Technologies, and Not-for-Profit Organizations Committees. CHAPTER: Previously served as the Westchester Chapter President, President-Elect, Vice President, Treasurer, and on the Executive Board. Current committee service includes the Local Practitioners (Co-Chair), Sponsorships, and Past Presidents (Co-Chair) Committees. Prior committee service includes the Annual Installation Dance (Chair), Local Practitioners (Co-Chair), Accounting Principles & Audit, Newsletter (Chair), Budget (Vice Chair), and Education & Programming Committees. Previously served on the Westchester Chapter COAP Advisory Board.

JEFFREY HOOPS, Tax Partner, Ernst & Young LLP, New York, NY. Member since 1977. STATEWIDE: Previously served as Society President. Previously served as President, President-Elect, Vice President, and on the Board of Directors. Prior committee service includes the Awards (Chair), Nominating, COAP Fundraising, Executive, Finance, Political Action, Legislative Task Force, Committee Operations, Tax Division Oversight (Chair), Firm Coordinators, Taxation of Financial Instruments & Transactions, Taxation of Individuals, Annual Leadership Conference (Chair), Taxation of Mergers & Acquisitions, Publishing & Printing, Consolidated Returns, Affiliated & Related Corps (Chair), Task Force on Member Firm Involvement, Chapter Operations, Legislation, and Depreciation & Investment Tax Credit (Chair) Committees. CHAPTER: Previously served as Nassau Chapter President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, and on the Executive Board. Prior committee service includes the Federal Taxation Committee. OTHER: Prior service includes FAE President, on the FAE Board of Trustees, and on the Benevolent Fund Board (President).

JOHN LAUCHERT, Chief Financial Officer, Horizon CFO LLP, Clinton, NY. Member since 1981. STATEWIDE: Previously served as Vice President and on the Board of Directors. Current committee service includes the Bankruptcy and Financial Reorganizations and the Chief Financial Officers Committees. Prior committee service includes the Executive (Vice President), Awards, Bylaws Revision Task Force (Chair), Membership, Industry Oversight, Chief Financial Officers, and Financial Executives in Closely Held Co. Committees. CHAPTER: Currently serves on the Utica Chapter Executive Board. Previously served as Assistant Treasurer and on the Buffalo Chapter Executive Board. Prior committee service includes the Utica Chapter Industry (Chair) and the Buffalo Chapter Members in Industry (Chair) Committees.

STEPHEN H. LEPSELTER, Accounting Partner, Jaeckle Kearney & Lepselter, Garden City, NY. Member since 1980. STATEWIDE: Previously served on the Board of Directors. Prior committee service includes the Annual Leadership Conference, Advisory on Appointments (Chair), Legislation, Chapter Relations, Task Force on Assessment of Members’ CPE Needs, Professional Employment Network of New York, Firm Coordinators, Medium Sized Firms, Professional Ethics, Continuity of Practice, and Management of An Accounting Practice Committees. CHAPTER: Previously served as Nassau Chapter President, President-Elect, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and on the Executive Board. Prior committee service includes the Furtherance Committee.

SHERWOOD LEVITAN, Partner, Levitan Yegidis & Associates LLP, Middletown, NY. Member since 1972. STATEWIDE: Current committee service includes the Legislative Task Force. Prior committee service includes the Legislative Task Force, Finance, Annual Leadership Conference, Continuity of Practice, Task Force on Professional Liability Insurance, Management of An Accounting Practice, General Committee on Members in Public Practice, Government Relations Director, Medium Sized Firms (Chair), and Chapter Operations Committees. CHAPTER: Previously served as Mid Hudson Chapter President, President-Elect, Vice President, and on the Executive Board. Prior committee service includes the Government Relations Directors (Chair) and the Continuity of Practice & Emerge Committees.

MARK R. LEVY, Auditor, RSM McGladrey Inc., New York, NY. Member since 1989. STATEWIDE: Current committee service includes the Stock Brokerage Committee. Prior committee service includes the Stock Brokerage and Young CPAs Committees.

KEVIN O’LEARY, Manager, Marvin & Company P.C., Latham, NY. Member since 2000. CHAPTER: Previously served as Northeast Chapter President, President-Elect, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Prior committee service includes Golf Day & Installation Dinner (Chair), Cooperation with Educators, and Young CPAs (Chair) Committees.

VICTOR S. RICH, Director in Public Accounting, McGladrey & Pullen LLP, New York, NY. Member 1966. STATEWIDE: Previously served as Society President. Previously served as Vice President and on the Board of Directors. Prior committee service includes the Large & Medium Sized Firms Practice Management (Chair), COAP Fundraising, Practice Management Oversight, Furtherance (Chair), Managing Partners, Public Relations, Membership, Management of An Accounting Practice (Chair), Accounting & Auditing Services Practice Management, Consulting Practice Management, Medium Sized Firms Practice Management, Small Firms Practice Management, Tax Practice Management, Medium Sized Firms, Task Force on Specialization, Public Relations, Domestic Relations, CPA Firms Management Council, Partnerships and LLCs, Professional Ethics, Firms Coordinators, Awards, Public Relations (Chair), Advisory on Appointments, and General Committee on Members in Public Practice (Chair) Committees. OTHER: Prior service includes on the FAE Board of Trustees.

EDWARD TORRES, Edward Torres, CPA, Forest Hills, NY. Member since 1992. STATEWIDE: Previously served as Vice President and on the Board of Directors. Current committee service includes the Personal Financial Planning Committee. Prior committee service includes the Executive (Vice President), Committee Operations, Professional Ethics, COAP Fundraising, Public Schools, Leadership Academy, Membership, Small Firms Practice Management, Government Relations Director, and Tax Practice Management Committees. CHAPTER: Currently serves on the Queens/Brooklyn Chapter Executive Board; previously serve as its President, Vice President, and on the Executive Board. Current committee service includes the Queens/Brooklyn Chapter Historian Committee (Chair). Prior committee service includes the Queens/Brooklyn Chapter Taxation (Chair), Continuing Professional Education, and Budget Committees. Prior committee service includes the Nassau Chapter Government Relations Directors, Young CPAs (Chair), State & Local Taxation, and Federal Taxation Committees.

For Additional Information on the Nomination Process
• View the Nomination Process at Nomination Process
• Nominating Committee petitions and instructions:
• contact NYSSCPA Secretary/Treasurer Joseph M. Falbo, Jr. at secretarytreasurer@nysscpa.org or NYSSCPA Deputy Executive Director Joanne S. Barry at jbarry@nysscpa.org.
• view a copy of the bylaws at www.nysscpa.org/society/bylaws.htm.