NJCPA Sets Organizational Vision
By Brent Ashton, CPA, EY LLP and chair of the NJCPA Strategic Planning Committee –
June 11, 2019
The NJCPA has a long-standing tradition
of serving its members and the business
community while helping to foster the
next generation of accountants and CPAs.
As the largest professional organization
serving the needs of Garden State CPAs
and aspiring CPAs, we have a lot on our
plate. So, how do we become nimbler
and more responsive to the needs of a
changing market while still fulfilling
our mission? It begins with a bold
organizational vision:
TO EQUIP AND EMPOWER
NEW JERSEY’S ACCOUNTING
AND FINANCE PROFESSIONALS
TO THRIVE IN THEIR CAREERS
Those are not just words — they mean
something. As the chair of the Strategic
Planning Committee, I have observed firsthand
how we can work together to embrace
our colleagues, help the profession
grow and encourage the next generation of
aspiring CPAs.
This new organizational vision will
serve as a beacon for the NJCPA, providing
a framework within which strategic
decisions and plans are made. We will
continue to provide exceptional learning
experiences, an inclusive welcoming
community, tools and resources for our
members and customers, while serving
as the voice for New Jersey CPAs and the
accounting profession.
What’s changing? What we deliver and
how we deliver it. Dissecting the vision
statement, we see several supporting
programs to help carry out this vision.
These include:
- Professional development. We will
enhance the flexibility of our programming
and supplement in-person
training with anytime, anywhere
training options that meet CPAs’ time
and location constraints. The NJCPA
also realizes that we need to extend the
reach of our educational offerings to
serve the entire profession. Staff from
throughout the accounting and finance
profession will partake in NJCPA’s
professional development offerings,
including analytics, information
systems and professional skills, which
will become as important as traditional
technical training.
- Market assistance. The NJCPA will
offer a suite of programs and firm benefits
around pressing and evolving firm
and company needs, such as marketing,
technology and talent management.
Through this new suite of business services,
NJCPA will provide solutions
to the challenges members and their
businesses face, while assisting
members to advance in their careers.
- Advancing public policy. Members
and staff will play a more active role
within New Jersey government, assisting
legislators and regulators to make
more informed decisions on tax and
regulatory policies.
- Information sharing. We will strive
to provide more in-depth guidance
and best practices to help CPAs stay
abreast of changes in the profession
that impact them, their organizations
and their clients. CPAs, in turn, will
receive news and information in real
time directly to smart devices based
on their interests and what we know
about each user. Greater use of new
and existing information sharing/
innovation techniques will improve
collaboration and engagement and
build broader, better-connected
CPA communities.
- Community building. CPAs will
choose from a variety of modernized
membership options, offering individuals
the ability to create a customized
collection of member benefits to
match their needs and interests at a
particular point in their life or career.
They will also be able to attend
smaller, targeted events designed to
bring together individuals around a
common interest. On a broader scale,
firms and companies will be able
to take advantage of organizational
memberships, in which an organization
can purchase a group membership
for its qualified staff.
- Partnerships and alliances. Tighter
collaboration between the NJCPA and
firms, companies and related professional
associations will facilitate insight
sharing and provide CPAs with access
to new resources and expertise.
Our intent is for this vision statement to
guide us in helping you grow, innovate
and continue to thrive in the CPA
profession. Learn more about the vision by watching this short video:
 | Brent M. AshtonBrent Ashton, CPA, is an assurance services partner at EY LLP. He is the chair of the NJCPA Strategic Planning Committee and a member of the Student Programs & Scholarships Committee. |