Public Service Award winner: Mel Kohn.

• Position: News & Trends; accountants

For a lifetime devoted to improving the CPA profession and community, Mel Kohn is CalCPA's 2004 Public Service Award winner. Kohn, managing partner at Kirsch, Kohn & Bridge LLP, has served in numerous capacities for CalCPA, including a stint on the board of directors and as chair of the Members Insurance Committee.

"I appreciate my peers giving me this award, but when I'm doing my community work, I feel I'm a representative of all CPAs," Kohn says. "I feel very strongly that every CPA should give back, whether it's to a religious organization, a charity, a nonprofit or the community. The CPA brand has an aura, it invokes trust. We as CPAs do make a difference in the community."

Kohn's leadership positions in the Los Angeles Chapter include being a member of the board of directors and chair of the MAP Committee. He was the founding member and initial chair of the Los Angeles Chapter's Financial Planning Committee.

"Mel has taught us to recognize that we all benefit if we can find solutions to improve our business and social communities," says Michael Bridge, partner at Kirsch, Kohn & Bridge. "He has committed himself to improving the society in which we live."

Kohn's contributions extend far beyond CalCPA into his community. He is vice chair of the Valley Industrial Commerce Association, and has served as co-chair of the organization's Local Issues Committee board of directors and its executive committee.

Kohn also is a board member and treasurer of the Valley Economic Development Center and a member of its executive...