The California Society of CPAs named Tayiika Dennis, a principal at Top 100 Firm CliftonLarsonAllen in Los Angeles, as the new chair of the CalCPA board of directors, during the society's annual members' business meeting, while Adam Blitz, founder of Streamline CPA Accountancy Corp. in Fresno, was appointed chair of the CalCPA Education Foundation at a recent CalCPA Council meeting.
Dennis plans to focus during her term on increasing diversity, resilience and the pipeline of students entering the accounting and auditing profession. She was Los Angeles chapter president from 2015-16 and has been a member of CalCPA since 2005.
"To me, CPA doesn't just stand for Certified Public Accountant — it also stands for the "Coolest Profession Around," she said in a statement Monday. "As CPAs, we're inspirational trailblazers, have earned the public trust, are objective, diverse and inclusive, and I can't think of anything cooler than that."
Joint research studies from CalCPA, the Institute of Management Accountant and the International Federation of Accountants indicated a lack of diversity in senior leadership roles in the accounting profession, which in turn is inhibiting Black and Hispanic accounting graduates from entering. "While CalCPA has long focused on the student pipeline, we also need to seek new ways to expand the accounting pipeline through enhanced networking opportunities, vibrant social gatherings and unique volunteer events," Dennis stated.
Blitz, as 2022-2023 CalCPA Education Foundation chair, plans to concentrate on reinvigorating some of the fundamental elements of the profession as it emerges from the pandemic.
"The difficulties our profession has faced the last two years have underscored the importance of our need as a community to come together to support each other in meaningful ways," Blitz said in a statement. "I'm honored to be elected chair of the foundation this year, and I urge my fellow CPAs to join me in reinvigorating the fundamental things that make us, us. These fundamentals focus on relationship-building and networking with each other, engaging with CalCPA to get value out of our membership and be best prepared for what the future holds, and enhancing our professional competencies through quality education and training from the foundation so we can meet the needs of businesses."
Blitz has been as CPA since 2008 and a member of the CalCPA board of trustees since 2017.
