W hen people think of CPAs, they think of unbiased, responsible, trustworthy advisers. But more and more, we need to add another adjective to our skill set: nimble. Our profession has undergone a tremendous amount of change in the last decade—the kind that leaves no room for rigidity or small thinking. Success today is tied to the ability to be adaptable, to interpret and navigate shifts even as we stay true to our core principals. 

Nowhere is this truer than in our relationship with technology. From real-time audits to cloud computing and smart phones, technology has transformed the way CPAs do business. It’s helped us to be more responsive, faster and innovative in our approach. And just as you’re evolving and adopting new technologies to offer better client and employer services and experiences, the NYSSCPA is too. 
With an eye toward the future and the new ways in which information is delivered and used, the Society has been improving its digital interactions with members. This includes a completely redesigned website, nysscpa.org, which will feature much improved navigability; a new, sleek design; and a more personalized user experience. The new site will be launched in the spring of next year. 

Moreover, we’ll soon be unveiling a new member benefit, Mentor Match, through the Society’s online social networking platform, Exchange. Mentor Match is a user-driven mentor matching resource; once you’ve enrolled, you’ll be able to register as a mentor or find one for yourself. You’ll also be able to take advantage of special tools that allow you to track your mentoring relationships, participate in discussion forums on mentoring topics, and search for helpful mentoring resources.

In addition, NYSSCPA members are now able to get involved with the Society’s government affairs program through a new interactive legislative agenda section on our homepage at nysscpa.org. Among other things, it includes a custom portal for reaching out to specific legislators on key issues, and the ability to more quickly and easily sign up for the NYSSCPA’s Key Contact Program. Key Contact, which we launched in recent years, helps the Society to utilize member connections in order to open the flow of communication with relevant lawmakers or state officials, and submit timely legislative issues to the Society’s government affairs team.

As the profession changes with the times, it’s important that we who represent it be willing and ready to change as well. I’m excited about what’s to come, and hope you are, too. 

president@nysscpa.org