5 minute read
Vol. 16 No
Amanda Farley Tanner Hayes Kaitlin Kubiak Justin Kudick Nicole Malueg Emily McGuire Holly Muehl-Pett
Heather Acker, CPA, a partner with Baker Tilly Virchow Krause LLP, successfully ran the Boston Marathon — in Waunakee and Westport. The persistent COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a virtual race, and Acker was among some 15,000 runners who ran the race on their own during an allotted time frame in September.
Amanda Farley, CPA, has been promoted by Hawkins Ash CPAs to tax supervisor in the firm’s Green Bay office. Farley began her career with the firm as an intern in 2014.
Todd W. Gray, CPA, PhD, a senior consultant with von Briesen & Roper s.c., will serve as interim superintendent of schools for the Palmyra-Eagle School District. Prior to joining von Briesen & Roper, Gray was superintendent of the Waukesha School District for 12 years.
Tanner Hayes, CPA, has been promoted by Hawkins Ash CPAs to senior associate in the firm’s La Crosse office. Hayes has been with the firm since 2017.
Kelli Keys, CPA, has joined Vrakas CPAs + Advisors as an audit principal. She has 15 years’ experience providing assurance and consulting services, primarily to construction contractors and nonprofits
Kaitlin Kubiak, CPA, has been promoted by Hawkins Ash CPAs to senior associate in the firm’s Green Bay office. She started as an intern with the firm in 2017.
Justin Kudick, CPA, has been promoted by Hawkins Ash CPAs to supervisor in the firm’s Green Bay office. Kudick joined the firm in 2015.
Kyle B. Mair, CPA, has been named partner by Baker Tilly Virchow Krause LLP. He currently works for Baker Tilly Advantage, a team that offers payroll and human resources solutions for small businesses.
Nicole Malueg, CPA, has been promoted by Hawkins Ash CPAs to supervisor in the firm’s Manitowoc office. Malueg began her career with the firm as an intern. Emily McGuire, CPA, has been promoted by Hawkins Ash CPAs to supervisor in the firm’s Green Bay office. She joined the firm in 2016.
Holly Muehl-Pett, CPA, EA, has been promoted by Hawkins Ash CPAs to senior manager in the firm’s Mequon office. She joined the firm in 2018.
Isaac Pooler, CPA, has been promoted by Hawkins Ash CPAs to senior associate in the firm’s La Crosse office. Pooler has been with the firm since 2017.
Marcus Schmidt, WICPA member and accounting major at Carroll University, is one of 50 recipients of a $1,500 AICPA CPA Exam Scholarship.
Mary Jo Stahl, CPA, MST, has joined Prairie Trust, a division of Waukesha State Bank, as fiduciary tax administrator. She has more than 25 years’ experience and was previously accounting and tax manager for Elite Sports Clubs.
Peggy Stebbins, CPA, has been appointed chief financial officer for Ixonia Bank. She previously served as chief accounting officer and controller for a large, publicly traded regional commercial bank and as controller for two regional banks.
ORGANIZATION NEWS
Berndt CPA LLC made Inc. magazine’s annual Inc. 5,000 list, ranking No. 3,842. The list is the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies and represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment: its independent small businesses. “Berndt CPA LLC is proud to be recognized as the 39th fastest-growing private company from the state of Wisconsin on this year’s list,” said Bruce D. Berndt, CPA, CGMA, managing partner.
Want your new job, promotion or award mentioned in Kudos? H Email your announcement and photo in JPG format to mtzinzow@icloud.com. H
CPA Evolution
In 2018, stakeholders across the profession — including CPAs working in firms of all sizes across the country, CPAs working in business and industry, members of the accounting academic community, volunteers, students, technology experts, state boards of accountancy and others — provided feedback on evolving CPA licensure. In May 2020, a joint effort of the AICPA and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) was approved to design and implement a new approach to CPA licensure. The goal is to transform the CPA licensure model to recognize the rapidly changing skills and competencies the practice of accounting requires today and will require in the future in a technology-driven marketplace. As many processes and procedures become automated, entry-level CPAs are now performing more procedures that more experienced staff previously performed and that require deeper critical thinking, problem solving and professional judgement. The “new” Uniform CPA Examination is still expected to be four sections: Candidates must pass three core sections and one discipline. In the model, all candidates would be required to demonstrate knowledge of a strong core in accounting, auditing, tax and technology. Then each candidate would choose a discipline in which to demonstrate their deeper skills and knowledge. Regardless of discipline, this model leads to full CPA licensure, with rights and privileges consistent with those of any other CPA. A discipline selected for testing would not mean the CPA is limited to that practice area.
CPA Licensure Model
This is progress toward the goal of positioning the CPA profession for continued strength and relevance in a constantly evolving business environment. The new CPA Exam is expected to launch in January 2024.
1. Strong core with accounting, auditing, tax and technology 2. Deeper knowledge in three primary disciplines 3. Reflects reality of practice 4. Adaptive and flexible 5. One CPA license 6. Enhances public protection
Tammy J. Hofstede is president & CEO of the WICPA. Contact her at 262-785-0445 ext. 4518 or tammy@wicpa.org.
No more closed testing windows! Effective July 1, 2020, Wisconsin — along with over 40 other jurisdictions — began offering continuous testing to CPA candidates.
Continuous testing allows candidates to sit for the CPA Exam anytime during the year. The only restriction is that candidates must wait to receive scores from prior attempts of the same section before sitting again.
Check out our featured member benefit providers
Becker
Since launching its CPA Exam Review over 50 years ago, Becker Professional Education has been committed to providing students the tools they need to prepare, pass and be empowered to excel – on exam day and at every level of their professional careers.
Schneider Wealth Management Group
Schneider Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo works extensively with CPAs, individual investors, attorneys and business owners on wealth management, investment planning and estate strategies.
West Bend Mutual Insurance
For more than 125 years, West Bend has been providing valuable insurance coverages and services to home and auto owners as well as business owners. Members can receive a discount on West Bend’s Home and Highway® program and be rewarded for going claim-free for the year.
These affinity partners and more can be found at wicpa.org/discounts.
