Accounting Educators Workshop: Pathway to CPA (E1704308)

Henrietta Fuchs serves as the co-leader of CohnReznick's Manufacturing and Distribution Industry Practice in the Roseland office. She is also a member of the Public Company Audit Practice and Employee Benefit Plan Audit Practice. Henrietta was named as one of NJBIZ’s Best 50 Women in Business in 2017. She was also named among the 2012 and 2016 Women of Note by NJCPA Magazine, the publication of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants. She currently serves as president of the NJCPA Scholarship Fund.

Richard Gallagher joined the AICPA Examinations team as Director of Content on December 1, 2014. Rich will be leading the Exam’s team of CPAs on the development and monitoring of the current Exam, as well as playing a key role in the Practice Analysis initiative, whose goal is to ensure that the next version of the CPA Exam assesses the knowledge and skills required of newly licensed CPAs. Rich has worked as a CPA for over 35 years. He retired from Ernst & Young’s New York based National Professional Practice Group in June 2014. In this role, Rich supported engagement teams and their clients in resolving complex accounting and auditing issues. He also served as Engagement Quality Review Partner on many of EYs New York and New Jersey based clients. Prior to National Office, Rich was a client handling partner based in the firm’s MetroPark New Jersey office. Rich also has been a frequent instructor focusing on new accounting pronouncements, evolving audit matters and IFRS. Rich began his career in Arthur Young’s Newark office in 1976. Rich attended Villanova University from 1972 through 1974 and graduated from St. Peter’s College in 1976. Rich also was an Adjunct Instructor in St. Peter’s Accountancy program in the 1980’s.

Yvonne Hinson is the Academic in Residence with the AICPA; a newly created position to foster closer relationships with universities and faculty. She began her accounting career with Arthur Andersen in Charlotte, NC. After returning to the University of Tennessee to pursue her Ph.D. she accepted a position with Wake Forest University. During her 18.5 year career at WFU she served as a faculty member, Director of Graduate Studies, Director of Accountancy and Dean of Charlotte Programs. Yvonne has served as President of the Federation of Schools of Accountancy, Chair of the AAA Membership Advisory Committee and served on the AICPA National Business Valuation Committee and Conference Committee. She has served on numerous nonprofit boards and is currently Chair of the Carolina Raptor Center Board. She earned her undergraduate degree in accounting and MBA from UNC Charlotte.

Dr. Florence Holland is an educator and diversity professional with over 19 years of experience firmly grounded in areas such as diversity, inclusion belonging, underrepresented minority recruitment and retention. She serves as the head of consulting for The Diversity Movement.

From February 2014 to September 2020, Florence served as the lead manager, pipeline initiatives – diversity and inclusion with the Association of International CPAs. There she managed the Diversity and Inclusion Pipeline Initiative through profession awareness, program development and implementation and research, analysis and reporting.

Her work revolved around a profession-wide and profession-funded initiative to improve the quantity and quality of underrepresented minorities in the accounting profession and ultimately securing their CPA licensure.

Florence holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics with a minor in psychology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), a Master’s of Arts in education in educational administration (K–12) from Ball State University, an Executive M.B.A. from Auburn University and a Doctorate of Education in higher education administration from Argosy University, Sarasota where her research focused on the persistence of underrepresented minorities at predominately white institutions.

Prior to her work at the Association, Florence was the special assistant to the associate provost for diversity and multicultural affairs at Auburn University. There she managed and coordinated diversity, inclusion and equity programs related to students, faculty and staff. She was responsible for over $3 million dollars in National Science Foundation diversity related grants focused on increasing the representation of minorities in STEM fields. At Auburn, she coordinated diversity training programs, collaborated with campus offices related diversity events and strategic planning, and organized national, regional and local events and conferences focused on student and faculty recruitment and retention, persistence of STEM underrepresented minorities, and diversity strategic planning.

Florence is a certified mathematics middle grades teacher in Georgia where she taught middle and high school mathematics for five years. She also holds certifications in the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, the Wiley Everything DiSC and the National Coalition Building Institute. She is currently enrolled in the Cornell University Certified Diversity Professional/Advanced Practitioner program, on track for completion in November 2020. She also currently teaches in the Education and Business graduate degree programs for Southern New Hampshire University where she teaches courses in action research, nonprofit organizations and education factors of diversity.

Despite all her educational pursuits and professional career her main focus always remains her passion for children and their ability to find their calling and purpose through exposure and opportunity. Therefore, she is committed to giving back and serves in her community through her church (Greenwood Missionary Baptist Church) and youth ministry involvement, tutoring middle and high school students in mathematics and ACT preparation and serving as a Den Leader for Troop 170 of the Boys Scouts of America, Inc. in Tuskegee, Ala. She also serves as the church clerk and choir director at her church. She is a board member for the Alabama Prison Birth Project, member and officer of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. – Tuskegee Chapter, and during the 2020-2021 school year will serve as president of the Auburn Junior High School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO).

Her ultimate pride and joy are her three sons — Michael, Miles and Major — with whom she parents with her amazingly supportive husband, Michael.

Evelyn is an associate professor and chair of the Accounting Department at Rider University. After extensive experience in public accounting, she joined Rider University in 2005. A CPA since 1987, she teaches primarily U.S. taxation. She played a role in establishing the CPA Apprenticeship Program at Rider University. This innovative program is designed for accounting professionals seeking to complete their 30 additional credits to qualify for the CPA licensure. Her commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within the professional community has been recognized with the prestigious NJCPA Ovation Award in 2019. She is also a member of the New Jersey Society of CPAs, the American Institute of CPAs, and the American Accounting Association.

Ralph is the CEO and executive director of the New Jersey Society of CPAs. He was appointed to AICPA’s National Commission on Diversity and Inclusion and the AICPA Foundation Board. Ralph is a former national and chapter president of the National Association of Black Accountants, was chair of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy’s State Society Relations Committee and is a member of the accounting advisory boards of Lehigh, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Montclair State, Felician and Thomas Edison universities and Middlesex County College. In January 2018, he was invited by Senate President Steve Sweeney to join his bipartisan Economic and Fiscal Policy Working Group. Additionally, Ralph was selected for the last eight years by Accounting Today as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting.”