chair's corner.

• Author: Eddy, Kathy G.
• Position: Column

At the time of this writing, President Bush is talking about his first 100 days, and I am finishing my first 180 days as Chairman of the AICPA Board of Directors. It seems unbelievable to me that I have been Chairman for six months. And judging from e-mails, I am happy to say people actually do read this column. So, because my background is a bit different from that of many of our past Chairmen, I decided to use this mid-year column to write about coming from a small local firm to hold this position.

First, the misperceptions about this position amaze me. I do not live in New York City; I live in Parkersburg, W. Va. That is a minimum of two airplane flights to Anywhere, USA. I am not on staff of the AICPA. Like the thousands of members who volunteer their time for and on behalf of the membership, Chairmen also are volunteers.

Even though I come from a small firm (16 professionals, 20 people including our support staff), I must now represent the interests and concerns of all our members. I think what amazes me the most is the correspondence I get, most often from smaller firms and practitioners, saying the AICPA has lost touch with the membership. I have to tell you, nothing can be further from the truth. From advocacy efforts on behalf of our members and their clients to new services, from state-of-the-art lifelong learning to new accreditations, from technical assistance to a commitment to self-regulation, the AICPA is dedicated to serving ALL our members. I know our small firm has benefited from membership in the AICPA.

It is an incredible honor to be asked to do this job. It is even more astonishing when I return to my office in Parkersburg and look at the commitment the members of my firm have made to enable me to take this incredible journey. It is proof they recognize the importance of this position...