Ohio CPA Society Receives Award For Diversity

The Ohio Society of CPAs has been presented with the Corporate Diversity Award from The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business.

The award recognizes the efforts that OSCPA and The Ohio CPA Foundation have made over the past 20 years to diversify the accounting profession through innovative programs including the Accounting Careers Awareness Program (ACAP-Ohio), the ASCEND Leadership Conference and ASPIRE: Opportunities in Accounting.

OSCPA joined esteemed company including fellow nominees Abercrombie & Fitch, Cardinal Health, the BRIGHT Program, Deloitte, Nationwide and Procter & Gamble.

Stories like ACAP-Ohio alumnus Jason Grant’s are evidence that diversity and inclusion programs do drive results.

Grant wasn’t planning on majoring in accounting when he entered ACAP-Ohio in the summer of 2015 as a high school student. In fact, his opinion of accounting was lukewarm at best. After completing the week-long residency program presented by The Ohio Society of CPAs and The Ohio CPA Foundation in partnership with the Ohio chapters of the National Association of Black Accountants, Grant entered The Ohio State University as a declared accounting major.

“Going into ACAP, I knew I wanted to be in business and do consulting work, but I didn’t know how to get there,” Grant said. “Talking it over with some of the coordinators and recruiters, they told me if you really want to get there, major in accounting, get your CPA and add a finance degree if you can.”

David Harrison, director, Fisher College of Business Office of Diversity and Inclusion Student Services used the word ‘longevity’ to describe OSCPA’s ongoing dedication to diversity and inclusion initiatives.

“At The Ohio Society of CPAs, our commitment to diversity and inclusion is a steadfast part of who we are and what we stand for, said Scott D. Wiley, CAE, president and CEO, accepting the award.

“I think about all of the organizations who are being recognized and the honor is truly ours. We are an organization who won’t just accept that diversity and inclusion is important, we expect diversity and inclusion to be a part of a thriving business community.”

It was the second time OSCPA received recognition for efforts to diversify the CPA talent pool. In 2014, ASAE, the organization supporting associations across the U.S., awarded the Society’s ACAP-Ohio program a “Power of A” Silver Award for advancing diversity in accounting.

Reaching younger and non-traditional students are critical component of OSCPA’s diversity initiatives. Thanks to encouraging results, plans are in place to expand several programs and develop new outreach opportunities for high school and college students with the addition of a Diversity & Inclusion Manager this spring.

“The event was about recognizing those already doing something and encouraging them to keep up the good work,” Harrison said. “OSCPA received the award because we felt over the years OSCPA has gone above and beyond and should be recognized.”