A half year of events focusing on charitable giving, ethics and educational initiatives
By Doreen M. Inserra
Staten Island Chapter President-elect
The first six months of my year as chapter president were a busy time; we had multiple chapter events and CPE sessions. We’ll most likely offer more than 20 CPE events locally, to our chapter’s members—including CPA, student and associate members—during the current fiscal year. By opening some events to nonmembers, we are reaching out to professional associates who might benefit from the educational events of our chapter. In the fall, we held our annual networking event with bankers and attorneys to learn from each other, expand our business relationships and clientele, and make new friends and colleagues.
On the charitable front, our members are very active. For example, on Nov. 4, 2017, Gerard J. LoVerde (past president, 1996–97), continued the chapter’s efforts in supporting the annual Bowl-a-Thon for Batten Disease research. This year’s Bowl-a-Thon helped to raise more than $13,000 for the Metro NY/NJ Chapter of the Batten Disease Support and Research Association (BDSRA); over the past 17 years, this event has raised about $300,000, according to Jerry, who coordinates the fundraiser each year.
Rosemarie A. Giovinazzo-Barnickel (past president, 1998–99), along with chapter board member Mark A. Fappiano, helped to promote our chapter’s CPA Ethics Update on Nov. 27, working with the Northwell Health Foundation, which provided a free educational outreach center at the Regina M. McGinn, M.D. Education Center of Staten Island University Hospital.
In addition, Sharon Sica-Costanzo (past president, 2016–17) is shaping the chapter’s first formal education scholarship with member contributions through the Foundation for Accounting Education’s Excellence in Accounting Scholarship, administered by the Moynihan Scholarship Fund. The Staten Island Chapter will offer this scholarship annually to the next generation of CPAs. To qualify, candidates must be accounting students with more than 72 college credit hours, who are enrolled in one of the three colleges on Staten Island: the College of Staten Island, St. John’s University and Wagner College.
The members’ efforts described above do not include the countless hours contributed by members who planned the World of Accounting and Education Night events, including Dennis N. Annarumma (past president, 2012–14) and Rosemarie Giovinazzo-Barnickel. Volunteers such as Orumé Hayes swiftly coordinated with the presenters at the Society’s NextGen Conference and invited some of them to speak at the World of Accounting event; Orumé captured the highlights of these events on social media for the chapter. Also, John J. Liguori presented at Education Night. In addition, every autumn, Education Committee co-chairs Cynthia A. Scarinci (past president, 2010–11) and Frank J. DeCandido, chapter treasurer, promote these events to Staten Island high school juniors and seniors as well as upcoming Staten Island college graduates in an effort to reach out to these students about the accounting profession.
This year, for the first time, Frank DeCandido has developed a financial literacy program for New York City public schools, sourced from his presentation, “The College Planning Process,” which he unveiled at our chapter’s Annual Taxation Conference on Nov. 17, held at the College of Staten Island. Frank is working with the Society to make his college financial planning presentation available to the 14 other
NYSSCPA chapters, in light of the burdens college students face when looking for financial aid when planning their college education.
As current chapter president, I support Frank, and I would like our chapter to take the initiative in supporting the Society’s position that financial literacy courses need to be offered to public school students throughout the state. These courses should be offered not just in specialized programs, such as the New York City Department of Education’s Career and Technical Education program (CTE)—of which I am an active committee member at a Staten Island public high school—or the Specialized High Schools Institute at one of the city’s public high schools, but at all public schools throughout New York City and New York state. Reaching out on financial literacy is one of the key core values a CPA in New York state can provide to help our next generation of leaders in the workforce.
With this, I look forward to tax season and the remaining chapter events and programs as we get closer to our 66th Anniversary Installation Dinner in May, when we will recognize the Chapter Hall of Fame and Above and Beyond award recipients. In late April or May, I wouldn’t mind possibly holding our chapter’s first legislative breakfast—time will tell. So, while we wait, here’s to a prosperous 2018 to all!