MACPA restructuring begins to take shape

After a year-and-a-half process to streamline MACPA's Governance and Structure, a new, more flexible structure is starting to take shape.

As the only organization exclusively serving Maryland CPAs, MACPA is committed to protecting and enriching the CPA franchise here in Maryland as well as providing the resources to help you fulfill your role as strategic business advisor.

Guided by the CPA Vision, which was created in 1998 by CPAs all across the country, MACPA has been reinventing itself to better meet your needs. Part of this process required that we take an objective look at our governance and structure to ensure that MACPA is positioned to respond quickly to the demands CPAs face in the marketplace.

Since January 2000, MACPA has undergone a multi-tier approach to design the organization that will take the profession into the future. Our goal is to provide more resources, more information, more representation, more member involvement and more networking than ever before. Our core products and services will continue, but this new organization is expected to be dynamic and ever-changing with the needs of our diverse membership.

Much work has been done, but MACPA is still evolving. The process began with the creation of two Task Forces — an Over 35 group of seasoned CPAs and an Under 35 group of CPAs who could bring a fresh perspective to our 100-year-old organization. These groups worked independently to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the existing governance and structure.

Both groups presented their recommendations to MACPA's Board of Directors in May 2000. Upon approval of the Task Forces' recommendations, a Design Team was created to develop a process for implementing the changes. Some of the changes involved streamlining the structure of the Board of Directors from a 20-member body to a 14-member body to speed up the decision making process.

In addition, each committee and chapter was invited to undergo a strategic planning process to determine its future goals and relevance to MACPA. Using Grove Consulting strategic planning facilitation tools, several chapters and committees have gone through this process with eye-opening results.

Some committees, such as the Federal Taxation Committee have determined that their focus should be broader to reach a larger, but targeted, segment of the membership that shares their interests and concerns. Therefore, the Federal Taxation Committee will transform into a "community" based on interest, using physical and electronic environments to facilitate information sharing, networking and resource sharing among tax practitioners. MACPA's other tax-related committees will also participate in this community.

In addition, several chapters, including the Central Maryland and Capital Area chapters have completed their strategic plans. The Central Maryland Chapter determined that much of its activities were redundant or competing with other MACPA activities in the Central Maryland area, and therefore, was not strategic to the organization. The Central Maryland Chapter recommended that it be dissolved. The Capital Area Chapter, however, discovered that it served a vital purpose in keeping Capital Area members connected to each other, to MACPA and to the profession. This chapter has done some member research to tailor its products and services to its membership.

At the same time, MACPA has made some internal changes to provide the level of support these new structures will require to complete their work. An electronic communications manager was hired to help communities and committees reach out to the greater MACPA membership through targeted electronic newsletters and e-mails that provide only the information members want and need.

All of these developments are designed to add greater value for MACPA members and the businesses you serve. We encourage you to find new and meaningful ways to enrich your membership by getting involved and taking advantage of all the value MACPA offers.

To participate in a committee, task force or community, please see the brochure inserted in this issue of the Statement.

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