Caleb L. Jenkins, EA, CQP – 2018 40 Under 40 Honoree

Professional Associations/Memberships

• Intuit ProConnect Customer Council: Group of 12 forward-thinking tax professionals who collaborate to lead and shape positive change in the industry and regulatory environment. We meet in Washington, DC in the spring and Plano, TX in the fall and various times throughout the year via webinar format to discuss various topics and to provide insights that help accountants and their customers prosper.
• Leader of SF Bay Area Woodard Group: Group of Accountants, Bookkeepers, & Tax Professionals who meet regularly in person and via webinar to discuss items that are relevant to growing & managing our tax & accounting firms.
• Woodard Advisory Council: Group of 6 ProAdvisors who advise Woodard and 3rd Party companies in the latest & cutting edge technologies.

Highlights: It was a privilege to begin my career at an early age because of the opportunities that arose by working for my Father’s tax & accounting firm. It has been an honor to receive numerous awards over the past 4-5 years from CPA Practice Advisor, Insightful Accountant, Accountex USA, and others. It’s also been an honor and privilege to serve as a Leader of the SF Bay Area Woodard Group, member of the TSheets PRO Council, member of the Woodard Advisory Council, and member of the Intuit ProConnect Customer Council.

What are you doing to make a difference in the profession, your community, the world? There are three areas that I spend most of my time as a volunteer to make a difference outside of my firm: 1) Christian Aid Ministries: S.A.L.T. Program – I work with the S.A.L.T. Program in Haiti and other developing countries around the world on their accounting & technology systems, 2) LAMB Services: Prison Ministry – I work with LAMB to manage the chaplain program and volunteer programs to send resources to inmates in the state of CA, 3) Church Denomination Website: Webmaster – I work with our church website and manage multiple volunteer groups to provide content to our church group and others who are interested.

Favorite books/websites/speakers:
A favorite business book: The Intentional Accountant by Darren Root is one of the most practical books on a modern tax & accounting firm. A favorite non-business book: Ishmael & Self-Raised by EDEN Southworth are powerful historical fiction books about a young man who grew up in dire material poverty and went on to become a very successful lawyer. However in spite of his success, Ishmael never compromised in his integrity, justice, and character as he ascended from material poverty to prominence. 

What do you see yourself doing professionally in 10 years? I see myself working primarily as a business advisor who leverages technology to automate the back-end and front-end accounting processes and then take that data to provide valuable insights to my clients. With the advent of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain, and other disruptive technologies we will be able to eliminate doing the mundane/repetitive tasks that have consumed a good chunk of our time in the past.

What accounting conferences do you normally attend? I attend Scaling New Heights & QuickBooks Connect ever year. I also have attended Accountex USA, Accounting & Finance Show LA. Other meetings that I have attended include the Intuit ProConnect Customer Meetings on Capitol Hill with CERCA & with Congressman/Congresswomen, and the CPA Practice Advisor 40 Under 40 Symposium.

What websites/magazines do you use to keep up on news of the accounting profession? I read Insightful Accountant & CPA Practice Advisor daily, Accounting Today & AcoountingWEB regularly, and other channels like the Intuit ProConnect Tax Pro Center, QuickBooks Firm of the Future, & Accountex Network whenever there is new content posted. I feel like it is important to stay abreast of the rapid changes within the accounting profession so that I can intelligently and effectively lead our clients into the future.

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See more of the 2018 40 Under 40 Honorees, and the 20 Under 40 Vendor Stars.