May 2001

Society’s New Chapters Form with a Flourish

NEW YORK—The six new chapters of the New York State Society of CPAs have been hard at work and are determined to be up and running by the proposed start date of June 1. By the look of things, they are right on track.

Come next month, a Society initiative that began three years ago will be completely realized as chapters in Kings County (Brooklyn Chapter), Richmond County (Queens Chapter), New York and Bronx counties (Manhattan-Bronx Chapter), Rockland County (Rockland Chapter), Clinton, Essex, Franklin, and Warren counties (Adirondack Chapter), and Chumung, Cortland, Steuben, and Tompkins counties (Central Southern Tier Chapter) officially open their doors to local NYSSCPA members.

A task force charged with examining the Society’s chapter structure recommended the locations of the new chapters, which bring the total number of NYSSCPA chapters to 17. The Society’s board of directors approved the formation of the new chapters last October.

Since then, the new chapters and their steering committees have met several times to lay the groundwork and discuss member needs. The following is a brief synopsis of those meetings:

Queens Chapter

In Queens, where members say they are pleased to be able to enjoy Society services without traveling to Manhattan or Nassau County, the chapter steering committee has been focusing on involvement with the Career Opportunities in the Accounting Profession (COAP) Program and is looking at ways to assist young CPAs and CPA candidates.

In addition to soliciting volunteers to develop a chapter website, the steering committee has elected members to the following posts:

President, Edward Torres
President-Elect, Robert Sypolt
Vice President, Tom Casey
Treasurer, Mary Maury
Secretary, Yaakov Sebrow

Committee chairs include:

Meetings, Sypolt
Budget, Torres and Maury
Continuing Professional Education (CPE), Melvin Feit
Young CPAs, David Youngwood
Cooperation with Professionals, Aaron Deitsch

Feit and Youngwood have also been elected to the chapter’s board of directors.

Brooklyn Chapter

Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Chapter has expressed a strong interest in creating CPE courses and is developing a survey to ensure that member educational needs are met. The chapter has selected several CPE dates through 2002 and has elected the following officers:

President, Myrna L. Fischman
President-Elect, Jerry Overeem
Vice Presidents, Stanley Person and Pat Wright
Treasurer, Marlene Colman
Secretary, Michael Smith

Manhattan-Bronx Chapter

In April, members of the Manhattan-Bronx Chapter steering committee agreed that one of their primary challenges will be to differentiate their programs from the statewide events and programs that frequently take place in Manhattan. The committee has discussed programs focusing on young CPAs, international issues, accounting standards, and helping CPAs evaluate the services of other professionals.

The steering committee also formed a chapter activities subcommittee, which will suggest events for the upcoming year. And the Manhattan-Bronx Chapter, like several of the new chapters, plans to send a survey to its members to gather feedback on activities desired by membership.

On May 16, the steering committee elected the following officers:

President, William Aiken
President-Elect, Richard Lawlor
Vice President, Robert Brauer
Treasurer, Marcy Bajusz
Secretary, Anil Kumar

Board members include:

Vincent Love
Walter Primoff (chair, CPE/Activities Committee)
Judy Seidman
Theodore Wilson

The board will meet June 26 at the Society’s headquarters.

Rockland Chapter

The Rockland Chapter steering committee certainly is making the most of its incorporation: Members braved a snowstorm earlier this year to discuss the formation of the new organization. Recently, the steering committee elected the following officers:

President, David Evangelista
President-Elect, Steven Kaplan
Treasurer, Phyllis Graybow
Secretary, Frank Marino

In addition, the following persons agreed to chair committees:

Public Relations, Lenore Robins
Recruitment/Education, Daniel Hoffman and Robert Vallone
Young CPAs, Nelson Rivera
Industry, William Shum
Social/Networking, Mela Garber
Cooperation with Bankers, Brian Wasser
Government/Nonprofit, Robins
State and Local Taxation, Glenn Albin
Cooperation with the IRS, Allan Stein

Adirondack and Central Southern Tier Chapters

The Adirondack Chapter steering committee held its first meeting in late April and is proceeding according to plan. The committee also met on May 16 and elected the following officers:

President, Barbara S. Dwyer
President-Elect, Mary MacKrell
Vice President, Daniel Fordham
Secretary, Gary Benware
Treasurer, Patrick Dowdle

The Central Southern Tier Chapter steering committee is scheduled to convene on May 31.