'We need to band together'

New MACPA Chair Pat Reese emphasizes unity, member involvement

By Bill Sheridan
MACPA E-Communications Manager

Pat Reese has a vision.

In it, she sees a profession of like-minded CPAs whose designation unites them in ideology. Sure, their jobs are different — remarkably so, in some cases. But they are more than auditors, more than CFOs, professors, tax advisors and accountants. Beyond all else, they are CPAs, and their profession comes first.

A pipe dream, some would say, but Reese doesn't think so. As the MACPA's chair for 2003-04, she intends to prove the vision can be real.

"I want to focus on bringing all of our member segments — public accounting, industry, education and government — closer together in the wake of Enron, WorldCom and Sarbanes-Oxley," she said. "We need to remember that this is our profession and we are all in it together. It is at this time particularly that we need to band together for the good of our profession."

A new perspective

Reese is uniquely qualified to be the messenger. She is chief of staff for the Office of Air Traffic Systems Development at the Federal Aviation Administration — not a typical title for a CPA. She is one of only a small handful of government CPAs to chair the MACPA's Board of Directors and is just the fourth woman to hold the job. That fresh perspective highlights both the diversity of CPAs and the benefits of unifying the profession.

"I do work in a different environment and have challenges that other CPAs might not have," she said. "I think I bring a different perspective to the (MACPA) board. Not that it's right or wrong, easier or harder — it's just different. When you combine all of our segments, all of those pieces, you end up with a better product. And in the end, we're really not all that different — we're all CPAs."

At times, that diversity can work against the profession. Reese points specifically to instances of in-fighting in the wake of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in which different segments of CPAs blamed each other for the embarrassment suffered by the profession — small firms blamed the Big Four, practitioners blamed industry CPAs, CFOs blamed their auditors, government CPAs blame the private sector, and so on. In fact, Reese says, these aren't Big Four issues or auditing issues. They are CPA issues, and CPAs must present a united front to deal with them.

"If we don't unite as a profession, we could lose even more than we already have," she said.

Mobilizing members

Unity won't be the only issue on Reese's plate this year. Given her background in government, she is eager to promote the work that government CPAs do. "My hope is that I can provide some insight into this segment of our membership and the contributions it can provide," she said.

She also would like to help the MACPA find new ways to effectively communicate with its members. These might include more "high-touch" opportunities for the board of directors "to get out in front of the members and let them know we care about them."

More important, though, Reese would like to see more members realize the benefit of actively supporting their profession, in a way that works best for them — and there are many ways. Doing volunteer work for the association does more than benefit the MACPA. It promotes the CPA brand, lures new students into the profession, protects the profession and the public in the legislative arena, and offers some rewarding personal benefits as well — not the least of which is the opportunity to develop new leadership and professional skills that can be applied on the job.

"It's hard to say what the most rewarding part of my work with MACPA has been," said Reese, whose volunteer experience includes stints with the MACPA's Members in Government Committee, Capital Area Chapter and now its Board of Directors, as well as with the AICPA Council. "All of it has been rewarding and very helpful to me, both personally and professionally. Every time I think I've had the most rewarding experience of my life at MACPA, something else comes up."

Mostly, Reese wants to help the MACPA continue to do what it does best — doing for its members what they cannot do for themselves. The association's recent legislative victories are a perfect example of "our ability to recognize the critical issues to our profession and mobilize our members around those issues," Reese said.

The coming year promises to be a busy one, and Reese has a number of questions as the work begins. "Will I do well as the MACPA's chair?" she asked. "Will I add value?"

But she already has some of the answers.

"I'm ready," she said, "and I will certainly do my best."

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