The Heart of a CPA

The Heart of a CPA

By Michael Garibaldi, Nassau Chapter President

Our proud profession continues to make headlines, so much so that all of the good that we do threatens to be overshadowed. CPAs do a lot of wonderful things. We’re involved on boards, with charitable organizations, and in civic associations. We hold blood drives, fundraising runs and walks, toy drives, and yet the community hears very little of this. We must let the world know that there is a human face, a person with a heart and soul, behind the profession.

The chapter is continuing in its charitable efforts within the community this year, with our 2005 Annual Run/Walk being held on Sept. 16 at Eisenhower Park. Benefiting Island Harvest, the proceeds from the event will go toward distributing food to those in need on Long Island. CPAs need to be out there, continuing to make our society a better place. We are The Trusted Professional. We aren’t just accountants, bean counters, the numbers people. We’re advisors, consultants, handholders, and sometimes even psychologists. Our clients come to us with all kinds of issues, and we help them. We help people!

With the public eye on us, we continue to be proactive with new legislation so that it helps our communities, yet at the same time we must encourage young people to follow in our proud tradition. On June 20, our legislative breakfast was well attended and included members of the New York State Legislature, Assembly and Senate. It was eye-opening and educational for both sides, as we discussed current issues surrounding the profession as well as current legislation pending in Albany. Lawmakers were given new insight on the nuances of the profession, and on how many of these bills will impact the profession and the CPA as an individual.

The youth are the future of our profession. While we continue with our strong committee structures and the educational programs the committees provide for chapter members, we must also listen to and appeal to the mindset of tomorrow’s CPA. By reaching out to the high schools and colleges, we can bring future generations into the fold.

We must listen to the needs of our work force and respond to them, whether that means becoming more flexible in working with those who need reasonable accommodations, or championing those efforts by reaching out and working with other organizations that share our common ideals. In doing so, we will be able to bring other achievers into the profession. At the same time, our committees must continue to expand their programs to include other professionals. Our June program for accountants and attorneys, held at the Nassau Bar Association, was a huge success, for both its educational content and its networking opportunities. Over 40 lawyers and accountants listened to a great speaker on a topic that was relevant to all in attendance.

The Nassau Chapter continues to be a strong advocate for the profession, and will hold a number of community and business-related events in the near future. We are looking forward to our Cooperation with Attorneys dinner meeting on Sept. 28, which promises to be another networking success. Watch for details on this event and other events in future issues of The Trusted Professional and on our Web site at www.nysscpa.org/chapters.html.

In the meantime, the summer is supposed to be a time to kick back, relax and recharge your batteries. I encourage you to reacquaint yourselves with your family, rest and do some things just for fun. Enjoy these last lazy days of summer. Remember, September is right around the corner, and we’ll all be in high gear once again.

Michael Garibaldi can be reached at 516-240-3300, extension 268.