CPE, Mr. President?

• Position: Final entry - Interview

The CalCPA Education Foundation has a new CPA at the helm for 2015-16: Gregory M. Burke, CPA, M.S. Burke is one of only a handful of members who has served as both CalCPA chair (2008-09) and president of the Education Foundation board of trustees. We talked with Burke, a shareholder at John Waddell & Co., CPAs in Sacramento, about his new position and what the Ed Foundation has in store for members in 2015-16.

Why did you get involved with CalCPA leadership?

My firm has been committed to supporting CalCPA since the days of our founder, John Waddell. In 1991 the outgoing chair of the local committee on taxation asked me to succeed him. I've been involved ever since as a way to support CalCPA and the CPA profession. I owe a debt of gratitude to those who have served before me.

What does the balance between your involvement with CalCPA leadership and your job look like?

It's been complementary. My experience as a CPA informs my participation in CalCPA. My CalCPA activities have made me a better CPA. The time commitment to CalCPA has varied depending on the position I've served, which provided the incentive to become more efficient.

What is the Education Foundation Board of Trustees' job?

As fiduciaries, the board has oversight responsibility with respect to the operations and assets of the Foundation. More importantly, to quote past president Barbara Rosenbaum, "We need to keep our eye on the horizon." We have responsibility for strategic planning and policy. This requires foresight.

What has changed in the Education Foundation over the past five years, and why?

Two seismic trends have impacted the foundation: demographics and technology. We are transitioning from being a Baby Boomer dominant organization to a millennial centric organization. In addition, technology has profoundly changed our delivery channels. Now, more than two-thirds of our revenue comes from digital products. Five years ago, only about 25 percent of our revenue came from webcasts. Further, partnerships with other state CPA societies have allowed us to leverage our digital content.

What do these changes say about where the Education Foundation is going?

We are re-engineering our business model, shifting from live courses and conferences to, ultimately, more innovative on-demand products in shorter increments. Our delivery infrastructure will have to accommodate mobile devices to meet the preferences of our evolving...