CHAIR’S COLUMN

The secret of life in a world of change? Keep moving.

BY LEXY KESSLER, CPA / PARTNER, ARONSON LLC

“Life,” said Albert Einstein, “is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” We don’t have much choice in the matter, do we? The world keeps moving, faster every day. We’ve got to keep moving just to survive. And so we do, in so many ways. Let’s count a few of them, shall we? The list of trends that are impacting our profession starts and ends these days with COVID-19. So many people -- in our profession and elsewhere — want to be done with the pandemic. The pandemic, though, is not done with us. As soon as we think the worst is behind us, another surge surfaces. So we keep living with it, and learning new lessons along the way. As heartbreaking as the crisis has been, though, there’s a strange paradox at play here. The pandemic offers us a rare opportunity to alter our profession’s trajectory. We get to decide, from this point forward, how we work, where we work, and with whom we work. It’s a bit scary and terribly exciting at the same time. We’ve never had an opportunity quite like this one. It’s our chance to build a profession and a workforce of the future. It’s not our only opportunity, either. The hard trends that are impacting our profession are tools with which we can build a blueprint for tomorrow. New technologies, laws and regulations are joining unprecedented demographic shifts to create an inflection point for our profession. We know these things are going to happen. They are happening, in fact. There’s nothing we can do about it. How we respond to these unprecedented changes will define us going forward. That’s why the MACPA is here. Change is our purpose. We’re your lookout post. We scan the horizon for weak signals of disruptive change, try to figure out what those changes mean, and help you take advantage of them. Our promise to you — something we call MACPA 3.0 — was created with that purpose in mind. That promise includes four parts: • Community: MACPA members are connected to each other. We help members grow their professional networks and learn with — and from — each other. • Advocacy: MACPA members are protected. We promote the value of the

CPA profession and support positive legislative outcomes for our members and the public. • Professional development: MACPA members achieve more. We help our members stay future-ready with meaningful professional learning and resources. • Resources: The MACPA scans the horizon to keep our members informed and aware, and to assure a futureready profession. CPAs are more important than ever, but only if we embrace change. This is what the MACPA does for you, every day. It’s what MACPA CEO Jackie Brown has done for you every day for the past 42 years. Her career comes to a close at the end of June, and while Jackie is not a CPA, she has devoted her entire professional career to working on your behalf. That level of commitment and devotion demands your respect. I hope you’ll join me in thanking her and wishing her well as she writes the next chapter of her life’s story. Given the exponential changes our world is facing, we need more people like Jackie working on our behalf. We need a community of allies committed to helping us become more future-ready. That community is the MACPA, and our journey toward that future-readiness starts now.

It’s been my honor and privilege to serve you for the past year as the MACPA’s chair. To paraphrase Steve Jobs, I think we’ve made our own little ding in the universe over the past 12 months. With the MACPA’s help and leadership, I’m confident you’re ready to make a few more.

Change is our purpose. We’re your lookout post. We scan the horizon for weak signals of disruptive change, try to figure out what those changes mean, and help you take advantage of them.