July 1999 Issue

Board Approves New Committee Structure

18 in Industry Division

By Nereida Gomez

At its June meeting, the board of directors unanimously approved a new committee structure proposed by the Committee on Committee Operations (COCO). The most significant change is the creation of an Industry Division that comprises 18 committees. COCO's recommendation to change the committee structure is an effort to make committees more viable.

"The change makes committees more relevant to the world today," COCO Chair Carol C. Lapidus said. "It looks toward the future with a structure that will serve the needs of the new CPA and the changing profession."

The proposal calls for six divisions--four reflecting the current specialty areas of CPA firms. These include a broadened Consulting Division to accommodate fast growth and a newly restructured Industry Division to reflect the needs of a large segment of the Society's membership. One division focuses on the future enhancement of the profession, emphasizing recruitment and higher education, and one will focus on Society operations.

The six divisions are accounting and auditing, consulting services, future of the profession, industry, operations, and tax. Except for the Operations Division, all committees within a division will report to the oversight committee responsible for their division. Each of the Operations Division committees will report directly to the Executive Committee of the board of directors. Each oversight committee will have at least five committees under its umbrella. As in the past, COCO will oversee the operations of the oversight committees.

The Society hopes that the new structure will encourage members to be more active in committees. Now that the board has approved the structure, COCO will work with Member Relations Division Director Lorrie Lamazor and her staff to finalize the setup.

Members interested in serving on any of the Society's committees can contact NYSSCPA Manager, Committee Relations, Nereida Gomez at (212) 719-8358, (800) 633-6320, or ngomez@nysscpa.org. *