Riding to new plateaus.

• Author: Wheeler-Chandler, Nancy
• Position: From the Chair

The hit movie "The Perfect Storm" was about a New England fishing crew forced by economic necessity to go out late in the season when the threat of storms was immense. In a way, the accounting profession is like that fishing crew.

We are being forced onto a turbulent sea of change and public turmoil in search of nothing less than our destiny as a profession. But our perfect storm of bad publicity, political grandstanding and corporate trouble doesn't have to swallow us. In fact, there is a lot of energy in this storm that we can ride to new plateaus if we are able to focus on our priorities.

REFORM ON ITS WAY

As I write this, our state is in the throes of processing legislation that would forever change the way you and I do business and relate to our clients. We still have a number of weeks before the current legislative session ends, but even if we are able to withstand this challenge, we are likely to be faced with another barrage of reform legislation in the next session.

If Congress fails to come through with meaningful reform this year, next year's legislative session in Sacramento will make our current storm seem like a picnic.

This past year has been filled with change and challenge and I congratulate CalCPA Chair David George on his success in dealing with the continuing and constantly emerging issues facing our profession.

In my years in this profession, I have never seen such turmoil in corporate America or the CPA profession, but I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked though this with David and CalCPA's chief executive, Susan Waters.

It has helped prepare me for the challenges that lie ahead. I am confident that with the help of our talented leadership and management teams, the profession in California will weather the storm.

EMBRACE CHANGE

Perhaps our biggest challenge is to hold fast to our core values while expanding our horizons and focusing on the future. Our profession is facing unprecedented complexity: constantly changing pronouncements, laws and regulations; volumes of information in real-time online and in print; and rapidly changing technology.

The profession's commitment to lifelong learning has taken on a new dimension. CalCPA recognizes the need to assist its members in meeting this challenge of change and has identified needed programs through its strategic planning process.

IDENTIFY, ENCOURAGE AND TRAIN FUTURE LEADERS

Identification of true leaders at the chapter and committee level is essential. We have...