Thank You for the Privilege of Serving

BY DIEGO J. BACA, CPA, CHAIR

As I’m sure most past COCPA chairs would agree, our year as Board chair goes by in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, my involvement with the board will continue as immediate past chair, and I’m looking forward to the passionate and strategic leadership that our next chair, Toby Clary, will bring to the table.

I recently took some time to reflect on everything that I’ve learned about the COCPA, our membership, our profession, and myself.

The Organization

When Alicia Gelinas took over as CEO from Mary Medley in 2022, she stepped into some very big shoes. I worked with Alicia years ago when I was a young staffer at EY and she was a manager, so I knew that she would bring a lot of positives to the CEO role. I don’t know that I have met anyone who is more passionate, knowledgeable, and articulate when it comes to representing the profession. Traveling with Alicia during the Better Together Tour late last summer and hearing her amazing ideas solidified my view that the COCPA is in very good hands. I encourage you to talk with Alicia and listen to her vision for the COCPA and why she is so passionate about the profession. You’ll be inspired, excited, and proud to be part of our profession.

Last November, Alicia wrote an important letter to one of our key stakeholders, the Colorado State Board of Accountancy. (To read the letter, visit cocpa.org/Pipeline-Challenges-Letter.)

was proud of Alicia and proud to be a COCPA member.

I’ve not seen a more helpful and willing group of professionals than our COCPA team. I’m struck by just how passionate the whole group is about supporting our membership, working on several projects at once, dedicating long hours, and making personal sacrifices to ensure that members receive what they need. This year, I watched new CFO Josh An take the reins, and witnessed the growth of our new Director of Operations, Lindsay Moore. To see the hustle of people like Derrol Moorhead, Tiffany Carson, and all the other wonderful COCPA employees makes me appreciate the hard work that they put in every day.

Our Members

This year, I met many of you, some for the first time, and had the opportunity to hear your stories. During the Better Together Tour, the discussions and feedback on the issues facing our members provided me with new insight.

NewsAccount is available online at www.cocpa.org

Alicia put tremendous thought and research into her response, and in a world where one’s personal opinions can drive an agenda, it was refreshing to read her balanced and informative viewpoint. Her exemplary leadership showed through in her response. I

I live in a Big 4 audit bubble, and while I love it in here, it was refreshing to get out and meet those of you who have your own practice, practice at a small firm, or are in education. I was reminded that despite our diverse backgrounds, we share the same passion for the profession. I learned so many lessons, and I thank you for helping me to become a leader with a higher awareness of the many different issues that we all face.

A visit to the Colorado State University campus provided one of my most vivid memories. A member shared her career journey: returning to school as a non-traditional student to earn her 150 credit hours and sit for the CPA exam. I asked why she decided to come back and continue her journey to CPA licensure. She replied, “I wanted to have a seat at the table.”

She had observed that CPAs were respected, valued, and held in higher esteem than other professionals, and that CPAs influence their organizations and drive organizational change. Her comments renewed my own appreciation for the profession and my role. I’ve been blessed to have a career where I’ve been at the table – figuratively and literally – from a fairly young age and with some of the smartest and brightest financial minds that our world has to offer. We all have unique stories and inspiring paths, which we’ll continue to share through the See Me Series and other COCPA initiatives. Listening to longtime CPAs discuss what the designation has meant to them and how that meaning hasn’t changed over the years affirms my view that this profession is special.

I ask each of you to find one simple way to get more involved with the COCPA this year. Whether it’s joining a committee; speaking on a technical topic; helping young, aspiring accountants navigate their own path; or just popping into the office to hang out, we need your influence now more than ever!

The Profession

I’ve talked a lot about how being a CPA changed my life for the better and how important and relevant our profession remains today. While there are a lot of potential changes happening that could significantly impact our profession, your voice is key to helping us get to the right place.

Our profession is unique in that 1) we’re trusted more than most, and 2) we are united. Let’s keep both of those legacies going in 2024 and beyond. Our communities need fiscally responsible leaders now more than ever. Hopefully we can look back at this time and be grateful for the actions that we took to make our profession more accessible and appealing to future generations.

“SO, WHAT DID YOU LEARN?”

Tom Buchman, one of my accounting professors at the University of Colorado, always asked a question that I still hear every time I reflect on a subject. “So, what did you learn?”

The first thing I learned is that being chair of the COCPA is a job that you’ll never feel you fully completed! I also learned about the tremendous range of resources that the COCPA provides its members. However, many of these resources go untapped by the membership. I encourage you to get more involved in the Society and learn about all that is available to you. This organization is dedicated to the entire spectrum of accounting professionals that make up its membership: from sole practitioners to the Big 4 to corporate accountants and to those in the government, education, and nonprofit realms. There are resources and benefits for all, right at our fingertips.

My reflections on this past year remind me how important it is to hear differing viewpoints. I learned something new at every COCPA Board meeting. Whether information was coming from an academic or small firm leader or a corporate accountant, all of the different insights helped me to grow and realize how much more learning I have ahead of me. These are all great lessons that transfer very easily into my role at EY.

Thank You

So, thank you for this incredible opportunity. I never thought that my story would include an opportunity like this. Thinking about all the incredible past chairs of this Board, and now being able to say that I’m a past chair myself, is humbling. I’m proud of my year spent helping the organization feel confident in being innovative, thinking differently about how we do things, and being an advocate for organizational change. I hope that if we crossed paths, or you heard or read anything from me during the year, you were inspired. My goal every day is to personally and positively impact those around me in any way that I can. I’ll never forget this opportunity, and I’m looking forward to what’s in store for 2024 and beyond!

Contact Diego J. Baca at Diego.baca@ey.com

The views reflected in this article are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ernst & Young LLP or other members of the global EY organization.