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An Interview with Stephen P. Valenti, Chair of the Society’s Tax Division Oversight Committee

When asked what he tells CPAs who’ve recently joined the Society, long-time NYSSCPA member and leader Stephen P. Valenti encourages them to get involved at the committee level. The benefits of committee participation, he feels, are substantial. In addition to valuable networking opportunities and the ability to seek advice and share knowledge on practice issues, Valenti points out that active committee service helps members become experts on specific accounting matters and ambassadors for the profession.

He should know. Valenti is a veteran authority on NYSSCPA committee service who’s chaired the Higher Education, Interactive Online Resource, Closely Held and S Corporations, Computers in Tax Practice, Taxation of Individuals and Tax Division Oversight committees. A past member of the Society’s board of directors, Valenti attributes his ascension through the ranks of the NYSSCPA in part to the underlying commitment to the profession and the member camaraderie that committee involvement engenders.

“You have to build a personal relationship with everyone you come in contact with, from clients to students to professional peers and Society members. When you show them respect, you’ll earn theirs,” Valenti says.

Of course, success in any situation is also dependent on good teachers and mentors who can provide useful guidance. When he served as a committee chair for the first time, Valenti says he looked to fellow Society member Abbigail Winawer as a role model whose leadership style he wanted to emulate. He continues to be impressed by the skills and qualities of other chairs and by all members who volunteer their time to help better the profession.

He is also pleased to have participated in the Tax Division Oversight Committee that serves as a valuable resource for the public on technical accounting issues and makes technical contributions to the profession.

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