Message from ASCPA CEO, Jeannine Birmingham

Has your summer been busy? I hope that it has been a great one. The ASCPA has definitely had a busy summer, which is a good thing. Your membership organization has been swimming with programs and events since June. The Summer Education Conference was a blast, we’ve held multiple chapter events, staff has been leading high school education sessions, the board has been actively working on our strategic plan, and the annual audit has been completed. There is a lot of work that goes into planning and managing the variety of programs we offer Alabama CPAs, but it is worth it. We thrive on your energy as well as the feedback you share, both positive and constructive. Please continue to share your thoughts, ideas and questions with ASCPA staff and leaders.

The ASCPA recently completed its annual audit. Aldridge, Borden & Company, P.C. performed the audit for the year ending April 30, 2022, which is managed by the ASCPA Audit Committee, an operating committee of the ASCPA Board charged with oversight of the annual audit. The audited financials are consolidated: ASCPA, Educational Foundation, and Alabama CPA Political Action Committee. The Auditor’s Report indicates an Unmodified Opinion. There was an adoption of a new accounting standard as illustrated in Note 1 to the financial statements, and all proposed adjustments were agreed upon by management. You can see related graphs as well as a condensed Schedule of Activities on page six. The ASCPA is a membership dues driven organization. Annual dues make up approximately 50% of the annual revenue which allows the organization to launch and maintain programs and services such as pipeline and legislative initiatives. If you have any questions about the financial health of the ASCPA, please reach out to me or current ASCPA Board Chair Jon Heath.

The ASCPA Board recently held the August Board meeting which included quarterly reports and program updates, but more importantly focused on the future. It is most obvious with the amount of discussion the Board, committees, YCPA, and strategic groups have all had around student pipeline — that the organization has a lot to do to help you find the talent you need to be successful. For example, have you considered ESG services in your firm or organization? The profession believes, as does the educator community, that ESG has potential to be a interest factor for current and future accounting students. In fact, the ASCPA Education Committee has planned its fall conference, and ESG will be one of the sessions offered. If you are interested in learning more about what is happening with Alabama accounting educators, please stay tuned for information about the upcoming conference.

Finally, I would like to thank the ASCPA Tax Committee for its incredible involvement with the Alabama Department of Revenue (ALDOR). Before the pandemic, the committee met yearly with ALDOR leaders to discuss tax filing and legislative issues. Our conversations with them over the past two years have been handled more like the firehose process. We were fortunate to be able to sit down with ALDOR leaders in mid-August with a committee-prepared agenda. It is everyone’s hope that we can strengthen our relationship with ALDOR such that we can help each other and ensure that Alabama returns are accurately completed with all resources necessary. To aid in that process, ALDOR has launched a new website with a couple of features that should help CPAs. There is a practitioner community, soon to be launched, as well as a help section complete with FAQs and DORa, a real-time chat feature. For more information about our committee’s recent work, please find the committee minutes on the website at alabama.cpa/committees.

Join us in welcoming Kristi Gates, APR. With nearly 20 years of experience in public relations and strategic communication in the private, non-profit and public sectors, Kristi joined the Alabama Society in July as Member Communications and Events Manager. She holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Auburn University at Montgomery in marketing and public administration, respectively. She has volunteered for Hospice of Montgomery, is a former board member for Montgomery based nonprofit Child Protect, and has served in several board positions with Public Relations Council of Alabama’s Montgomery Chapter, including President. She currently serves as Secretary on the board of the Southern Public Relations Federation. She lives in Wetumpka and is an avid lover of animals, playing pool and traveling.