Addressing member needs top priority for Ohio Society Board chair.

• Author: Spieker, Sandy
• Position: Member spotlight - Interview

With an engaging personality and passion for the CPA profession, James G. Haubrock, CPA brings both character and commitment to the position of Chair of The Ohio Society of CPAs Executive Board.

As he begins his term, Catalyst editorial staff sat down with the new chair to capture a glimpse of what members can expect in the coming year.

You're a shareholder with Clark, Schaefer, Hackett & Co. in Dayton. What type of clients do you work with and what's your area of specialty?

My focus is in accounting and auditing, which involves dealing with all sizes of organizations from large public companies to entrepreneurs. I have a strong concentration on employee benefits plan audits, even co-chairing my firm's Employee Benefit Plan Audit practice group. I also work with a lot of nonprofits.

What do you consider the biggest issues confronting the CPA profession and the members of The Ohio Society of CPAs?

There are several issues, but I see them falling into four major categories:

* Talent

We need to make sure we have talented individuals entering and staying in the CPA profession, otherwise we have a bleak future as a profession. We need to be diligent about recruiting minorities and students, building future leaders, addressing work/life issues, etc.

* Advocacy

It is necessary to keep a watchful eye on both the Ohio and national legislative fronts to protect and defend the profession from harmful legislation or exploitation by other special interest groups.

* Quality and integrity

We cannot take the quality and integrity of our profession for granted. The mechanisms in place to ensure quality in all we do, such as peer review and ethics, need to be taken seriously and continually improved. As CPAs we also need to appreciate the importance of quality education and training instead of reducing it to a grudge task that must be endured.

* Financial literacy

As a profession, we have an opportunity to make a difference by improving the financial literacy of Ohioans. The AICPA's 360 degrees of Financial Literacy has already enacted several successful programs, including the Feed the Pig campaign. Society programs, such as Accounting for Kids Day and Operation CPA, need to grow and continue impacting the lives of Ohioans.

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What are your goals as chair?

My primary goal is to ensure that The Ohio Society is addressing the needs of members. I want to make sure that we are listening to the membership about what is really impacting them...