Frazer, Evangelista & Company, LLC congratulates Ralph Albert Thomas on 23 years of service to the NJCPA.

Best wishes in any and all future endeavours. Thank you for enhancing our profession and all of your support throughout the years.

Ralph, Marylee and team

www.frazerevangelista.com

Ralph wanted to become CEO, but he asked Don to run the concept by various past presidents and other NJCPA leaders to make sure he would be accepted. He also checked in on the valued opinion of Barry C. Melancon, CPA, CGMA, president and CEO of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), who convinced Ralph it was also the right time for much-needed diversity in the profession. As Ralph explained, “Barry said, ‘You won’t get those stock options you were getting at Citibank, but we’re trying to get more people of color interested in the profession. You would be a great role model.’”

Looking back, Melancon, who worked with Ralph on various committees and boards through his early involvement at the AICPA, noted, “To say Ralph will be missed is a tremendous understatement on his overall impact.” To Melancon, Ralph was “a leader on the profession’s national diversity efforts and quality enhancement activities and has remained committed to impact higher education for future CPAs. He has embraced a dynamic vision for the profession and individual CPAs.”

First Order of Business: Engaging Young Professionals

Under Ralph’s leadership, the NJCPA scholarship program, which has surpassed $7 million in distributions to students since its inception in the 1960s, was expanded to help increase the number of minorities and women who enter the accounting profession. Recognizing that aspiring CPAs need to be made aware of the many rewards and perks of a CPA, he led the charge in engaging with these groups. From attending scholarship awards dinners to speaking with professors and members about curriculum changes and job opportunities, Ralph was always front and center with the next generation of CPAs.

Ralph himself was decidedly on board with running the NJCPA, though Citibank was not keen on losing him. According to Ralph, upon informing them of his intentions to leave, he vividly recalls his immediate boss saying, “We need you to stay. Why do you want to go to a nonprofit?” At that time, Ralph headed up the largest segment of the due diligence unit and had a big bonus on tap, but he replied, “I always wanted to run an organization.”

Effective Nov. 29, 1999, Ralph became CEO of the NJCPA — one of the most important choices of his career. At the helm, he wasted no time in getting to work on many initiatives but focused his efforts on three very important orders of business: in forming and connecting with the next generation of CPAs; improving the accessibility of people of color, women and other minorities to the profession; and advocating for New Jersey CPAs in the business community and state and local government.

“Academia takes such a long time to change curriculum. We need to have a collaborative effort between all the various communities to effect real change,” admitted Ralph. He supported many internship programs for students to garner first-hand knowledge of accounting jobs but also from his own experiences. Having had one of the first paid internships in the profession himself years ago, Ralph acknowledges how companies can, and should, assist students along their path to becoming a CPA.

Several NJCPA programs under his tutelage were enhanced, such as Deloitte Foundation’s NJCPA Scholars Award, the introduction of sophomore awards to attract interest from students attending two-year colleges, and other awards in conjunction with the AICPA and the Northern New Jersey Chapter of NABA.

Top Left: Ralph and his “Dancing with the CPA Stars” partner at the 2011 NJCPA Convention

Bottom Left: Ralph with Senator Corey Booker in 2014

Top Right: Ralph with Congressman Josh Gottheimer

Bottom Right: Ralph with 2021 New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli