9 minute read
VSCPA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
Shapiro gets his shot as Foundation chair
Randy Shapiro, CPA, is in something
of a unique position entering his term as chair of the VSCPA Educational Foundation. Shapiro has sat on all three VSCPA boards — the Society and Educational Foundation Boards of Directors and the VSCPA Political Action Committee (VSCPA PAC) Board of Trustees — but he’s never been a VSCPA chair until now.
In addition to that wealth of board experience, Shapiro is also wellversed in raising money for the Foundation. He’s managing principal at Falls Church firm MJW, formerly Murray, Jonson, White & Associates, which established a Foundation scholarship in 2009 as part of its 50th anniversary celebration.
“We decided, as a firm, to go out to our clients in celebration of our 50th anniversary and raise $50,000,” Shapiro said. “Not knowing how successful we would be, the partners decided to fund the difference. As it turned out, we had a great experience and raised roughly $75,000 within a matter of months. It was a really good outpouring from our clients.”
One of Shapiro’s major goals as Foundation chair is to oversee an uptick in firm giving, and he also wants to get the board together in the same room more often instead of relying on phone calls. But it’s also a learning experience for him as he adjusts to his first chair experience.
“I’ve been chair or president of different volunteer groups, and I think until you’re the actual leader, you can sit back, even as a vice chair, and not have the full responsibility,” he said. “Since busy season has ended, I realize that it’s here and I need to get my thoughts together, really produce and take a leadership role.” Shapiro has a wealth of experience as a VSCPA volunteer, moving onto the Society board in part because of his term as president of the VSCPA’s Northern Chapter. It’s part of the culture he inherited and tries to maintain at MJW, where firm founder Carl Jonson also served as chapter president.
He has tried to carry on that tradition by encouraging younger employees to get involved with the VSCPA and other industry groups.
“I’ve encouraged people at my firm,” he said. “One of my newer partners went through the Northern Chapter and was recently president. Trying to get younger people involved, that’s the way to do it — have the firm support it and have firm leaders committed to giving people the time and the resources to do it.”
Shapiro got involved with the VSCPA soon after graduating from the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce. His favorite benefit from his extensive volunteer work, both with the VSCPA and outside of it, is the connections he’s made with colleagues across the Commonwealth.
“One of the things that I think I find is the networking and knowing people in the profession,” he said. “You don’t do all your networking to try to get clients. It’s networking to know people and be friends with associates.
“If I walk into a leadership conference, I’ll probably know a third of the people there and have crossed paths with them. On a professional level, I feel free and comfortable calling people throughout the state. It’s that camaraderie of knowing people.”
One of the Foundation’s main objectives is to protect the pipeline into the accounting profession. Shapiro aims to fulfill that mission by helping students defray the cost of education — something he says became more important when the 150-hour requirement to sit for the CPA Exam went into effect — and by emphasizing the diverse array of options within the profession.
“It’s a job that gets you talking to people, working with people,” he said. “You’re not the guy in the green eyeshade working with numbers. You’re out there working with people, consulting and helping.” n
>> CONTACT RANDY
rshapiro@mjwcpas.com connect.vscpa.com/RandyShapiro
VSCPA educational foundation
Congrats, 2015–2016 scholarship recipients
VSCPA GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000) Trenton Walker of Charlotte, N.C., College of William & Mary Kaylor Nichols of Chester, University of Virginia
VSCPA MINORITY SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000) Sarah Courtney of Forest, Virginia Tech Katelyn Gough of Dillwyn, Longwood University Shai Sumpter of Newport News, College of William & Mary
VSCPA UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000) Tiffany Antognozzi of Williamsburg, Virginia Tech Kathleen Logsdon of Powhatan, Virginia Commonwealth University James Mastria of Leesburg, Virginia Tech Avery Trent of Roanoke, Radford University
VSCPA PH.D. SCHOLARSHIP ($5,000) Ed Lynch, CPA, of Arlington, Virginia Commonwealth University
VIRGINIA TECH DOCTORAL SCHOLARSHIP ($2,500) Trent Henke, CPA, of Christiansburg, Virginia Tech
THOMAS M. BERRY JR., SCHOLARSHIP ($2,500) Allen Au of Charlottesville, University of Virginia Ryan Polk of Mechanicsville, University of Virginia
VSCPA PAST PRESIDENTS/CHAIR SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000) Aaron Holloway of Roanoke, Virginia Tech
CST GROUP SCHOLARSHIP ($2,250) Cory Greczyn of Bristow, George Mason University
DIXON HUGHES GOODMAN SCHOLARSHIP ($2,000) Laura Fox of Hampton, Old Dominion University Paige Hogan of Atlanta, University of Virginia
H. BURTON BATES SCHOLARSHIP ($2,000) Elena Dorogy of Macon, Ga., University of Virginia KEARNEY & COMPANY SCHOLARSHIP (2,500) Isabella Hur of Fairfax, George Mason University McKenna Shirey of Mechanicsburg, Pa., Virginia Tech.
MICHAEL E. MARES SCHOLARSHIP ($3,500) Rachel Johnson of Richmond, College of William & Mary
MJW SCHOLARSHIP ($3,500) Nicholas Altman of Abingdon, Radford University
VERUS FINANCIAL PARTNERS SCHOLARSHIP ($2,500) Timothy Shenk of Harrisonburg, James Madison University
WALL, EINHORN & CHERNITZER SCHOLARSHIP ($2,250) Matthew Guendert of Lovettsville, College of William & Mary
YOUNT, HYDE & BARBOUR SCHOLARSHIP ($2,250) Charles Archer of Midlothian, James Madison University n
>> 2015–2016 EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION BOARD
CHAIR Randy Shapiro, CPA
CHAIR-ELECT Rick White, CPA
VICE CHAIRS Thomas Crutchfield, CPA Kristin White, CPA
SECRETARY/TREASURER Tina Lambert, CAE
AT-LARGE DIRECTORS Courtney Barrack, CPA Whit Broome, CPA Dale Burgess, CPA Holly Caldwell, CPA Melinda Coley, CPA Brian Deibler, CPA Chris Ekimoff, CPA Heather Flanagan, CPA Dan George, CPA Chrissie Goodrum, CPA Nick Harrison, CPA Clare Levison, CPA Thomas Lyden Jr. Carolyn Menzie, CPA Vugar Shahtakhtinskiy, CPA Randy Spurrier, CPA Laura Tate-Smith, CPA
I AM the vscpa
A FOCUS ON INDEPENDENCE >> Two minutes with Nancy Miller, CPA
Nancy Miller, CPA, works in the independence group at KPMG in Washington, D.C., where she focuses on independence matters under American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and U.S. Governmental Accountability Office standards. She was previously a managing partner of a small CPA firm in Fredericksburg. Miller recently finished 13 years on the AICPA Professional Ethics Executive Committee Technical Services Subcommittee (TNS), which investigates violations of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and Generally Accepted Accounting Standards of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct. At the VSCPA, she has served on the Professional Ethics Committee, Peer Review Committee and Board of Directors, and has spoken at numerous conferences.
I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT… Fixing what isn’t broken. We live in a world where you either embrace change or you will be left behind. I am always looking for ways perform my job both more effectively and more efficiently. I am a strong believer in continuous learning as a lifetime process.
PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THIS, BUT… I used to referee soccer games. I played when I was young, my son played travel soccer and I started refereeing when he was a teenager. It requires split second decision making and it’s great exercise. But it also requires very thick skin.
IF I WEREN’T AN ACCOUNTANT, I WOULD BE… Doing something that requires lots of creativity and is constantly changing. I really don’t do accounting anymore. I spend all my time researching, developing guidance and creative problem solving. I have a low tolerance for boredom so I like to be constantly challenged. In my role in the independence group at KPMG, I am always faced with something new to evaluate. I never have the same situation twice and many of the issues are very complicated. I also love training and public speaking and have been fortunate to have had many opportunities to speak at conferences for the VSCPA and AICPA.
MY ADVICE TO FELLOW CPAs IS… Do what you love. We spend too much time at work not to be passionate about what we do. I can’t imagine having a job that you aren’t excited to start the day. And some days, I don’t want to leave.
I NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT… Technology. If I have my laptop and a cell phone, I can work anywhere. And my Kindle — seriously, that goes everywhere.
I WISH CPAs KNEW… How important relationships are. At the end of the day, people are the only thing that really matter. While I am pretty introverted, I am most successful when I engage directly with people.
I’M A CPA BECAUSE… My uncle was a partner with Peat Marwick in Greensboro, N.C. I also was a math geek and thought that working with numbers seemed pretty cool. When I got to college, I loved all my accounting classes (well — maybe not cost accounting). I spent 30 years working for small firms and now I’m at KPMG! So I have come full circle back to my uncle’s firm. n
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