Hoops Holding Court
New Society President Puts Strategic Plan in Action

By Kate Prouty

Jeff Hoops wants to practice what the Society is preaching.

One of his goals and perhaps the resounding theme of his tenure as the newly elected president of the New York State Society of CPAs is to make tangible advancements in each of the areas designated by the strategic plan implemented exactly one year ago.

His presidential goals address each of the components of the strategic plan, which NYSSCPA leaders drafted at the annual leadership conference in July 2002 and further refined through comments added in subsequent weeks (a final version of the strategic plan can be found online by clicking on the “About Us” link at www.nysscpa.org). By focusing on advocacy, education, professional development and the recognition and visibility of the CPA, Hoops wishes to further advance steps that immediate past president Jo Ann Golden has already taken in that direction.

Golden’s attention to advocacy serves Hoops well as he looks to stimulate “meaningful and effective accounting reform legislation,” he said. Although accounting reform legislation recently passed in the New York State Senate, it has not passed in the Assembly, thus leaving Hoops the task of helping to get laws officially established. Listed as one of the Society’s eight top priorities, advocacy is professional in nature, focusing on licensure, regulation, standards and law, among other things, according to a report by the NYSSCPA’s Strategic Planning Task Force.

The Society recognizes education as the second most important activity among its priorities because it is one of the top reasons members choose to continue their membership with the Society. Hoops supports this notion and hopes to continue to provide meaningful and affordable CPE, he said.

A new initiative Hoops has seen into fruition is the revival of the Foundation for Accounting Education Study Conferences. After a hiatus of about a decade, the three-day conferences are being held this summer across New York state, at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, Hofstra University in Hempstead and SUNY/New Paltz in New Paltz. While serving as president-elect, Hoops heard from members that they missed the all-in-one weekend conferences that originated at Skidmore College in the early 1970s. He took the initiative and worked with FAE staff to once again offer members the chance to get all of their 24 hours of CPE credit in one fell swoop.

In addition to continuing the education of professionals, it is important to encourage college freshmen and sophomores to pursue accounting majors, and support the college juniors and seniors who have already done so, Hoops said. He also recognizes the importance of recruiting minority students.

In what he calls a “win-win situation,” Hoops’ Recognition and Visibility initiative aims to attract people from minority groups and underprivileged backgrounds into the profession. Through existing programs like Career Opportunities in the Accounting Profession, the Society has the chance to respond to the “pretty big hits” the profession has taken recently and to ensure that the positive image of the trusted professional is upheld, Hoops said. To maintain the momentum launched by the strategic plan, the Society will form a task force to review, coordinate and improve its many recruiting activities.

At its core, Hoops’ advocacy goal embraces the Society’s mission to define and promote the professional interests of both the public and private sectors. And so does his role as a member of the American Institute of CPAs’ task force that was formed “to examine the governance and structure of the AICPA to ensure responsiveness and accountability to the membership.” Recognizing the Society’s “obligation to try to address all of its members,” whether they are sole or large, private or public practitioners, Hoops said he thinks this task force is “definitely a step in the right direction.” The task force has already met several times and will report its findings back to the AICPA this month.

In addition to surveying the Society’s needs, Hoops also recognizes that the Society’s leadership now boasts members from all sectors of the profession. For the first time, two members of the Executive Committee, Neville Grusd and Richard Piluso, represent private industry. Their presence on the committee hopefully demonstrates that the Society is well represented, Hoops said.

While commenting on other leadership roles, Hoops identified each of the four vice presidents’ focal designations. Vincent Love will concentrate on advocacy, Sandra Napoleon-Hudson and Raymond Nowicki will focus on chapters and Steven Rubin will handle peer review, ethics and professional issues. Although there currently are four vice presidents in office, bylaw changes to be voted upon this month would change the number to three in the future.

Hoops’ presidency occurs at a critical time for the Society’s implementation of its strategic plan. Although the plan focuses on the direction the Society will take over the next 30 years, its actions in the next three to five years will identify priorities and constitute the Society’s future successes. Hoops aims to establish initiatives that will be a significant part of that ultimate goal.