How Are You CPAing?

No matter which chapter of your career you’re in, don’t wait to innovate or explore your entrepreneurial spirit.

“New Ways to CPA.” What does this phrase spark for you? For me, it brings forward a lot of positive thoughts about our profession and the opportunities available to those of us with the certified public accountant (CPA) credential. While the phrase originally referred to the new pathways to earn one’s CPA licensure that are being explored nationally, I see it as a phrase we can adopt to turn our coveted credential into a verb.

With all the changes in our profession being driven by technology, corporate governance, ownership structures, regulation, and more, it’s not a time to be passive or pessimistic. On the contrary, it’s a great time to be a CPA, and I’m very excited about the future of our profession. After all, there are so many ways to CPA, and I'm excited to explore and share these with both current and prospective Illinois CPA Society (ICPAS) members as this year’s chairperson.

In many ways, my career has embodied the “New Ways to CPA” phrase. I always wanted to do something in business, but coming out of a small high school in central Wisconsin, I didn't really know what that meant. I’m grateful Sister Susan suggested I take a self-study accounting course she moderated. Who would’ve known that one small decision would set the course of my career?

After attending St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis., I completed an internship with Wipfli’s client accounting services (or client advisory services) practice. This turned out to be the best internship I could’ve had, as I learned about all the financial areas of a small business. This experience gave me an appreciation for where the future of advising clients was headed.

Since then, my full-time career has had three distinct chapters.

I began as an auditor in Wipfli's financial institution practice. Being industry-focused during a time when focusing on just one industry was uncommon had unique advantages. Not only did I become an expert in that industry quickly, I also gained opportunities to help Wipfli venture into adjacent advisory services that clients were demanding, such as loan review, internal audit, regulatory compliance, and IT auditing. These were new ways to CPA back then.

The second chapter began with a big move, trading the security of Green Bay, Wis., for the opportunity to move my family to Chicago to start Wipfli's new office from scratch. With a focus on financial institution clientele, I learned through experience what it meant to start something from nothing. I coined the term “Intrapreneurism” as I learned the ins and outs of growing the firm. During this time, I also joined ICPAS’ board of directors thanks to the recommendation of my good friend and your former chairperson, Sara Mikuta, CPA, CGMA, CIA, CRMA.

This board service, along with a term on Wipfli’s board, led to my third chapter as Wipfli's chief growth officer. I spent the last eight years in that role, helping grow Wipfli on the national stage from a firm generating $200 million to $600 million in revenue.

In the spirit of finding new ways to CPA, I’m currently an independent consultant helping private equity and accounting firms achieve their growth and value creation aspirations.

As you can see, I’ve truly embodied new ways to CPA. Now, as I embark on serving as this year’s chairperson, I look forward to helping ICPAS elevate the CPA brand, assisting students and young professionals realize the benefits of obtaining their CPA licenses, and encouraging seasoned CPAs to find new ways to CPA in this ever-changing and evolving profession. As I interact with you this year, I look forward to hearing how you’re CPAing!

Reprinted courtesy of Insight, the magazine of the Illinois CPA Society. For the latest issue, visit www.icpas.org/insight.