The New York State Society of CPAs announced that Rumbi Bwerinofa-Petrozzello, senior director of consulting at Seramount, began her one-year term as president of the state society on June 1. Bwerinofa-Petrozzello is the 102nd president of NYSSCPA, as well as the first woman of color to be elected to the position.
“The past 15 months have been a time of upheaval, uncertainty, and exponential change," said Bwerinofa-Petrozzello, in a statement. "As we move forward and our profession evolves, I seek to have all members of the New York state CPA community make the NYSSCPA their professional home."
Bwerinofa-Petrozzello said she hopes to make the NYSSCPA a center where professionals can "come together and leverage their many talents, skills, backgrounds and experiences to innovate, develop and grow." Bwerinofa-Petrozzello also said she is committing to boosting diversity and representation efforts within the CPA profession.
“We are at a moment where it may seem tempting to fall back into the ways of the past, but one of my goals is to work with CPAs to be ready for the future and look to it with anticipation and excitement," Bwerinofa-Petrozzello added. "One hundred years after John W. Cromwell Jr. became the first Black CPA in the United States, in 1921, I am now the first woman of color to serve as president of this organization. As our organization works to grow the pipeline, a goal of mine is to get out the message that this profession and the NYSSCPA are for all of us, regardless of our backgrounds, age, gender or race. The CPA profession can only excel and be futureproofed if we are a profession that welcomes, includes and celebrates the value that each of us brings to the table.”
Bwerinofa-Petrozzello previously served on the NYSSCPA’s board as a director-at-large and on the Moynihan Scholarship Fund Board of Trustees. She currently serves on the NYSSCPA's Diversity and Inclusion, CPA Careers, and Business Valuation and Litigation Services Committees. Bwerinofa-Petrozzello joined the NYSSCPA in 2012 and is a member of the Queens/Brooklyn Chapter, which she served as president.
