The profession’s evolution continues
Association's values-focused ‘member promise’ serves as blueprint for building a future-ready profession B Y BI L L SH E RIDA N , CA E In the beginning, there was MACPA 1.0, a membership organization dedicated to the protection and professional development of Maryland’s CPAs. Then in the early 2000s came MACPA 2.0, a forward-looking association that built upon its foundation with a commitment to helping its members become more future-ready. The association’s 120-year evolution continues today with what new MACPA Chair Lexy Kessler is calling “MACPA 3.0.” It’s an organization that’s as committed to its membership, development, and future-readiness roots as ever while focusing increasingly on community, inclusion, and the pipeline of future professionals. “I believe we’re talking about the future of our profession in many ways,” Kessler said. “What are the things we need to be doing going forward? What will our members need? How do we reimagine our communities of members? We need to focus on building that pipeline, because that will be critical. We have a lot of people who are retiring. How we do business is changing. We won't see those effects tomorrow, but we will absolutely see them in the next five to 10 years. In order to support ‘MACPA 3.0,’ we must work on building a strong pipeline for the future.”
A NEW ERA The origins of MACPA 3.0 have been years in the making, but they took on a sense of urgency in February when longtime MACPA President and CEO Tom Hood joined the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (or the Association) as its executive vice president of business growth and engagement. At the same time, the Association acquired the MACPA’s training affiliate, the Business Learning Institute. The resulting structural changes freed new MACPA CEO Jackie Brown and her staff to sharpen their focus on Maryland CPAs and the roles they play in strengthening the profession. In January and again in March, the MACPA’s volunteer Board and staff Leadership Team took two half-days to re-imagine what’s possible for the association over the next three years. The goal, in Brown’s words, was to “look at what the MACPA would like to be doing, saying, and celebrating in 2024.” That story reads as follows: “It’s 2024, and the MACPA has successfully implemented the vision it set for itself in 2021. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
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