August 2018 Newsletter
President's Message
AUGUST 2018
FY18-19 Theme: Influencing Our Pipeline
August in Alaska is upon us when we try to figure out summer went and how did we not get anything done we meant to? Or maybe that is just me? If you were at the annual meeting this year, you heard me present a message on Influencing Our Pipeline and I presented some goals I have for this year as Chair of our great society. To keep me accountable and you, our members, in the know, I’m going to list these out monthly and provide updates in our newsletter so you can see where we are going and how we are getting there. These last months the focus has been on freshening up the committees and I invite you to please review the actions below that we have already been able to accomplish to reach these goals.
FY18-19 Goals:
- Make personal visits to each of the major universities to talk to students
- We are waiting for fall semester to start to get scheduling confirmed
- Interact with firms by having office visits and find out what you want and need from our society and how we can help meet those needs (including industry)
- Office visits, including with industry partners, are being scheduled currently
- Freshen up committees
- The Board chose to combine the Financial Literacy and Relations with Education Committee
- The Board chose to combine the Leadership and NextGen Committees
- Committee chairs have each revised their committee description
- A Committee Chair meeting was held to discuss revisions and the final edits are being made with the expectation for the board to have revisions to approve at the August meeting
- Offer professional updates CPE where you have access to your board and council reps
- Scheduling for an hour CPE to be available through webcast and at office visits is being prepared
And, as always, if you want to get involved and help the society, be on a committee, or influence our pipeline, contact Crista Burson or me at any time. I’m so looking forward to this year of serving you and watching our society continue to grow and prosper!
Kelly Ward, CPA, CGMA
State of Alaska Board of Public Accountancy Report
Marge Kaiser, CPA – Board Liaison
On August 2, 2018, the Governor signed into law HB 147, making certain changes to the statutes governing certified public accountants. HB 147 incorporated many of the changes sought by the Society in its final version.
The Alaska State Board of Public Accountancy met in Anchorage on August 2nd and 3rd, chaired by Leslie Schmitz. I reported to the Board the success of this year’s Society Annual Meeting in Fairbanks, the recently completed Leadership Academy that graduated seven people, and also that the Society is in the midst of CPE season.
The Board is interested in forming a joint committee with the Society to address further regulation changes, as well as some additional statutory changes. While the Society is willing to participate in this process, the drafting of statutes and regulations is primarily the function of the State Board. I reported to the Board that we, the Society, would be happy to provide input, but that we did not feel it was our role to lead this project. The Board will work with the Society’s legislative committee to solicit input on proposed changes to the regulations.
Jeff Johnson pointed out that his term on the Board expires in March 2019. This seat is traditionally held by an interior-Alaska CPA. Any interested parties are invited to apply by going to the state website. The state will begin reviewing applications for this seat fairly soon, so candidates should apply immediately.
Cori Hondolero, the Executive Administrator for the Board reported on her attendance at the NASBA executive directors’ conference. She reported that NASBA is cool to the proposal by the AICPA to create an alternative route to becoming a CPA. This AICPA initiative is new, but they are exploring ways to allow persons who have not engaged in traditional accounting roles to become licensed as CPAs.
A broad discussion of the State’s limit on meeting travel ensued. As a further means of limiting travel costs, the State directs that the February 2019 meeting, which would have traditionally been held in Juneau, will be held in Anchorage, since the accounting board has no active legislation this upcoming session.
James Cox, representing the AICPA, attended the Board meeting to assist with further statute and regulation changes, and provided an annotated look at our statutes and regulations and where they differ from the UAA. The most frequent change identified was the use of the term “peer review” to replace numerous references in our regulations to “quality review”.
The experience requirement in our statutes was discussed at length, since the UAA refers to one year of experience “verified” by a CPA. In working on HB 147, the Society’s opinion was that we retain our two-year experience requirement. Additionally, we found “verified” to be too indefinite, hence our statute requires that such verification come from the candidate’s supervising CPA.
Some jurisdictions have changed some of the criterion to sit for the CPA exam, such that the candidate could qualify to sit for the exam either by having the requisite amount of work experience, or accounting class credits. This change makes it easier for students to begin sitting for the CPA exam while they are still working toward their accounting degree.
2018 Leadership Academy Graduates
Congratulations to the 2018 Alaska Leadership Academy Class! From left to right: Joseph Rugger (facilitator), Rajeev Modi, Aurora Cokerland, Laura Knowles, Karen Courtney, Rene Bergeron, Margaret Hernandez, Hayden Nilson, Amy Cooper (facilitator) & Donna Salter (facilitator).
2018-2019 Election Results
Congratulations to the new and continuing Board members!
Election results:
- Mark Schneiter, President-Elect
- Evelyna Kuhr, Treasurer
- JoLynn Blancher, Secretary
- Nicole "Nico" Herbert, Director
- Errol Russell, Director
- Mike Richards, Director
- Therese Sharp, Director
Continuing their terms:
- Kelly Ward, President
- Kara Moore, Past President
- Kristine Kennedy, Director
- Stasia Straley, Director
Also, congratulations to Kara Moore who was elected to serve as a Director of the Hagelbarger Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Renew your AKCPA Membership Dues Today!
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Click On The Above Picture To View CPE Calendar
Ryan Johns, CPA from Altman Rogers & Company - Selected to Attend AICPA’s 2018 Leadership Academy
Ryan John, CPA was one of only 41 CPAs honored by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) as a member of the Leadership Academy’s tenth graduating class. Ryan was selected based on his exceptional leadership skills and professional experience for the four-day Leadership Academy program, which will be held from October 7-11 in Durham, N.C.
The AICPA Leadership Academy was designed to strengthen and expand the leadership skills of promising young professionals while they network with a peer group of talented and motivated CPAs. Participants were selected from public accounting firms of all sizes, business and industry and consulting firms.
The 2018 Leadership Academy attendees were recommended by their employers, state CPA societies or both. Candidates submitted resumes and a statement explaining how participating in the Leadership Academy would impact them personally and professionally. They also wrote an essay on the topic “The future will bring significant changes to the accounting profession. What do leaders have to get right in order to successfully lead?”
To date, 310 CPAs have participated in the AICPA Leadership Academy, many of whom have gone on to take on leadership positions in their firms, businesses and volunteer organizations. More information about the AICPA Leadership Academy is available online.
Congratulations to Gerald Haugeberg, winner of the 2018 Alaska Society of CPAs Public Service Award! Jerry is flanked by his partners, Kara Moore and Kathleen Thompson, who presented him with his award at the Annual Meeting.
CPA Practice Advisor 40 Under 40 Awards Includes AKCPA Chair Kelly Ward, CPA, CGMA, EA
Each year, CPA Practice Advisor recognizes professionals who are under 40, and are emerging as the future leaders in the profession, or those leading the development of technology that serves the profession.
The 40 Under 40 Awards spotlight the top practicing public accountants, educators and thought leaders who are leading their profession by visibly and incrementally changing the accounting profession through their exemplary leadership, their innovative thinking, their collaborative efforts to provide unity to the profession across the generations, and their community outreach which extends the visibility of the profession outside the workplace. Click Here To Read The Full Article
Congratulations to newly licensed Alaskan CPAs:
RYAN MASNERI, ADAM LINCOLN, ALEXANDRA BLAKE, CARRIE PETERSON, HEIDI HOOKER, HEATHER GRAY, MICHAEL SIMS, ROBERT KELLEY, JANE SHERBROOKE, CHRISTOPHER SIS, ANNA SHCHEGLYUK, TRAVIS WERBA, KYLE MILLER, YOON WOO, KRISTEN KRIMMEL, KIRSTEN HERSCHLEB, BRITTNEY FLOWERS, DOMINIQUE KURTH, HANNAH GRILLIOT, TATIANA PROKOFYEVA, DANIEL MORSE, CHAZ LYONS, AMY ISAACSON, EMILY KROEKER, JASON HUGHES, ERIK PEARSON, ROBERT LAWSON, TUCKER LANGEL, JANELLE ANDERSON, LAURA KNOWLES, SUNG-IL KIM & BRYCE MANASAN!
Do you know of an AKCPA member that should be featured in our Member Spotlights section?! Email details to akcpa@ak.net.
AKCPA Member Benefit Resources from CPACharge
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Alaska Practitioner Liaison Meeting
Alaska Practitioner Liaison Meeting Minutes 06262018
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