Dinner and a Show and Ethics CPE for Westchester Chapter

By Robert L. Ecker

The past 12 months have been a very active year for the Westchester Chapter, as we encourage more local members to participate through a mix of educational programs and social events.

The biggest success in terms of raw numbers took place last November during our annual New York State Society of CPAs’ officers visitation event that included continuing professional education (CPE). The CPE session featured John Raspante, a CPA from the New York office of liability insurer Camico, who spoke on how to avoid malpractice. The occasion marked the first time the chapter has offered CPE specifically geared toward ethics issues during an NYSSCPA officers visit. The program drew more than 200 members to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Plains.

The event’s informal cocktail hour provided members with ample opportunity to speak to Society President Nancy Newman-Limata, President-Elect JoAnn Golden and Executive Director Louis Grumet. Members, these officers and NYSSCPA representatives discussed a host of issues, including the then topic of the hour—the global business credential vote—as well as recent developments in multidisciplinary practice rules, and the economy after Sept. 11 but before the Enron collapse. Members were pleased to meet with the NYSSCPA leadership, and commented on how useful the ethics program was for their practice.

The visitation followed on the heels of a successful all-day tax conference on Oct. 28 at the Ramada Inn in Armonk, which attracted about 80 members. The conference featured a number of nationally known CPAs and attorneys who spoke about the 2001 Tax Relief and Reconciliation Act and other tax issues affecting business. Members commented that this too was a useful program.

At about that same time, approximately 50 members enjoyed a strictly social event at the Westchester Evening Dinner Theater, where they enjoyed a presentation of “It’s A Wonderful Life.”

This spring we continue to focus on interesting, informative and exciting events, beginning with the Feb. 7 morning program addressing human resource issues. This is a topic that affects all our practitioners—particularly our members working in industry—but it’s an area that is generally ignored. As of the writing of this article, we hope to have a large turnout for this event, also held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Plains.

Upon completion of the tax season in April, we have planned another evening at the Westchester Evening Dinner Theater for our members. The following month is particularly active, with an all-day financial and estate planning seminar scheduled for May 3; our President’s Reception on May 16; and a May 23 networking cocktail party at the Doral Arrowwood resort conference center that will focus on new members. Finally, our year concludes with our annual Golf Outing on June 3, at the Scarsdale Country Club, and a Hudson Valley Renegades Minor League baseball game.

The chapter also continues with successful public service partnerships, such as our one-day tax hotline set in conjunction with Gannett Newspapers, in which members take questions about taxes from local residents. The chapter held a similar volunteer effort in November, and we plan to continue to take these projects on annually.

These activities, coupled with our active committees, should continue to encourage active participation in our chapter.