Looking ahead to another event-filled year, with a big role for the NextGen Committee
By Sonia Chopra
Manhattan/Bronx Chapter President
As we at the Manhattan/Bronx Chapter of the NYSSCPA closed one “chapter” and are beginning another, I would like to take the opportunity to thank our past president, Carnet A. Brown, for all his hard work and dedication during the past fiscal year. Carnet has devoted his time and energy to upholding the ideals of our chapter, while also playing an instrumental role in introducing new ideas that have enabled the Society to keep growing. We have come a long way since 1897—the inception of the NYSSCPA—and this growth would not have been possible without the contributions of all the past presidents of the NYSSCPA.
Our success is also largely attributable to the efforts of the chapter’s board of directors. Each board member helped ensure that the Society’s objectives were met during the past fiscal year. The members have all played a role not only in developing new ideas—they also helped to bring those ideas to fruition. Special recognition must be given to J. Michael Kirkland, who has served as president of the chapter—and of the Society—and who continues to make significant contributions to the Society. I also want to extend a special thank you to Barbara A. Marino, who has served as chapter president twice and who continues to serve as a mentor to board members who are following in her path.
This past fiscal year, the chapter held a variety of educational, networking, and mentoring events designed to keep topics balanced and members engaged. Our “Sustainability Accounting and Reporting” event last September provided members with an opportunity to stay current with trends. The success of our “Pizza, Poetry and Music” event last summer proved that you can mix fun with accounting. Yet, perhaps the most significant of all was our biannual Career Day, held last November and this past April, which provided valuable career advice that students interested in accounting might not be able to obtain elsewhere. With the proper mentorship and guidance, they can become the next generation of industry leaders, and that is why this is a very important community event. We will host Career Days again this fiscal year, in November and April 2019.
Speaking of future CPAs, we will continue to provide support to our NextGen Committee, which serves as the backbone of membership recruitment and retention. Its work is crucial not only to recruitment and retention but also to keeping members engaged and inspired throughout the year. The committee’s events provide opportunities to network, meet other members, learn from each other and have a lot of fun in the process. During the past fiscal year, the NextGen committee hosted many interesting events, including a happy hour, a brunch and an ice cream social—and helped organize volunteer initiatives.
We will certainly continue to encourage would-be CPAs and members to attend the events the NextGen Committee has planned for the upcoming fiscal year: our “Holiday Wine Tasting & Dinner” in October; “New York Cares Day” (a volunteer event) in October and April 2019; our “Fall Happy Hour” in November; and our “Toys for Tots Collection Happy Hour” in December. This is just a snapshot of what we have planned. For any additional details on our upcoming events and initiatives, please revisit this page.
After closing yet another successful year, we look forward to what the next fiscal year will bring.
Why you should become more involved as a member
By CARNET A. BROWN
Manhattan/Bronx Chapter President
There are numerous reasons for becoming more involved as a member of the NYSSCPA.
The Mendelow Matrix is a tool that classifies stakeholders based on the power they hold and their likelihood to show interest in a particular activity or strategy. There are two axes (power and level of interest) with four stakeholder groups mapped:
1. Stakeholders with high power and a high level of interest are considered to be key players, and the strategy must be acceptable to them.
2. Stakeholders with high power and a low level of interest should be kept satisfied.
3. Stakeholders with low power and a high level of interest should be kept informed.
4. Stakeholders with low power and a low level of interest require only minimal effort to be expended.
Our level of interest will always be high for any strategies that will affect our profession, whether in a positive or negative way. With a large membership, our power is likely to be high. This means that instead of merely being kept informed about a legislation that will affect our profession, it must be acceptable to us. One way to become more involved would be supporting the NYSSCPA’s Political Action Committee, which advocates for the profession in Albany.
There are many other benefits to becoming more involved. Increased involvement can provide not only leadership opportunities, but also a tremendous opportunity to help shape this remarkable profession that you belong to. You will be in the position to assist the NYSSCPA in achieving its goals and objectives.
Becoming more involved by joining one of our committees will allow you to benefit from the expertise of committee members on new are or emerging issues. Finally, you will get to experience the fulfilling feeling that comes with providing community service.
We will be hosting three events at the NYSSCPA offices at 14 Wall Street, after tax season. On Friday, April 20, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., we will be hosting our “Spring Career Day” event. On Monday, April 23, from 8 to 10 a.m, we will host our Legislative Breakfast. On Thursday, May 17, from 6 to 8 p.m., we will host a two-hour CPE event, “The Real Estate Industry—The Current State and Career Path.” We are grateful for your continued support and are looking forward to see you at these events.
Our chapter is continually looking for members to get involved or more involved. With more, we can achieve more. Whether it is an event that you want us to host on a particular topic or whether you would like to speak on a particular topic, we will be more than happy to partner with you. Are you ready to make your contribution? If so, please visit the Manhattan/Bronx Chapter website at www.nysscpa.org/membership/chapters/manhattan-bronx, or contact me at the email address below.
carnet1020@yahoo.com