“Investment” can mean cultivating capital of many kinds—money, time, effort, energy—with the expectation of a positive result. As we approach the third annual Moynihan Scholarship Fund Gala, to be held this year on May 24 in New York City, the NYSSCPA is again asking firms and businesses to make a wise investment in the next generation of CPAs—and in a program with a long track record of proven results.

The Moynihan Scholarship Fund supports two longstanding NYSSCPA programs that provide educational opportunities, financial aid, and career guidance to future CPAs. Over the past 10 years, our Excellence in Accounting scholarship program has issued more than $1.3 million in scholarships to more than 500 college accounting majors, studying at New York colleges and universities who demonstrate high academic performance and financial need. The fund also supports Career Opportunities in the Accounting Profession (COAP), our free college readiness program founded in 1987 to increase diversity in the accounting profession, where high school juniors can experience life on a college campus, live in a college dorm, and be exposed to a tailored curriculum of business and personal development courses that include mock interviews, resume writing, dressing for success, and banquet etiquette, while also visiting corporations, accounting firms, and government agencies to gain exposure to the day-to-day business world.

The Moynihan Scholarship Fund Gala is the primary fundraiser for these two programs. This year, we will be honoring three individuals who, throughout their careers, have supported and advocated for the next generation of CPAs. Receiving the NYSSCPA Trailblazer Award is AICPA Past Chair Kimberly N. Ellison-Taylor, global accounting strategy director for the financial and professional services industries at Oracle America, who tirelessly mentors and challenges young talent—in fact, she served as the keynote speaker at our own NextGen Conference in 2016. Kelvin Joseph, a COAP Class of 1996 alumnus, is not only a CPA but also the CMO and COO of sports marketing company Steiner Sports. He's receiving the COAP Promise Award for fulfilling the mission of COAP. Finally, this year's David J. Moynihan Award, given to an individual who has provided continued financial support to the programs that nurture the next generation of accountants, will go to EisnerAmper CEO Charles Weinstein for his longtime support of COAP (and now the Moynihan Scholarship Fund).

The gala will also continue the tradition of annual dinners past, when we vote in our new slate of officers and board members, by honoring the presidential year of Harold L. Deiters III, celebrating incoming president Jan Herringer, and honoring the achievements of this year's NYSSCPA Award winners—Scott M. Adair, who will receive the Outstanding CPA in Government Award, and Victoria Schoaf, winner of this year's Dr. Emanuel Saxe Outstanding CPA in Education Award.

As always, the gala also promises to be a fun night out on the town. This year, the gala will be held at the Prince George Ballroom in New York City's Flatiron District. It will again feature a networking cocktail hour, dinner, dancing in the ballroom, and open bar all evening, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. Attire is black-tie optional, but wear your dancing shoes—entertainment will be provided by Rob Paparozzi and the Hudson River Rats, a blues rock outfit from New Jersey.

Become a sponsor and join the firms and businesses that have already made a commitment to support the next generation of CPAs in New York by going to http://www.moynihangala2018.org. You can contribute in many ways—by buying tickets to attend the gala, becoming a sponsor, or making a contribution. Remember, each of those contributions is a capital investment—not only in the next generation of CPAs, but also in the profession itself.

See you at the gala!