State CPA Societies in Action: Alabama Society of CPAs

[State CPA Societies in Action is a series of articles spotlighting the varied educational, advocacy, networking and professional activities of the state CPA societies across the U.S.]

The Alabama Society of CPAs was formed in 1919 and adopted its recent bylaws on June 25, 1975, with the last revision completed on March 1, 2018. The purpose of the organization as stated in the bylaws, is “To unite the profession of accountancy in the State of Alabama; to promote and maintain high professional, ethical, and moral standards; to promote the professional interests of Certified Public Accountants; to advance the profession of accountancy; and to develop and improve accounting education.”

ASCPA is governed by CEO Jeannine Birmingham and current has 15-member board of directors chaired by James White Jr.

ASCPA currently has 11 chapters:

Birmingham
East Alabama
Huntsville
Montgomery
Mobile
North Alabama
Northeast Alabama
South Central
Southeast Alabama
Tuscaloosa
Wheeler Basin

Each chapter organizes its own events, CPE opportunities, and social gatherings, with some chapter events available online as well.

The Alabama Society of CPAs like many other societies, has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. “Like many societies, we’ve remained somewhat flat since the pandemic, but are seeing some strengthening in our numbers and are working hard to increase and maintain a relevant resource for our members,” says CEO Jeannine Birmingham.

The ASCPA also has an educational foundation. The ASCPA Educational Foundation’s mission centers on providing educational scholarships to accounting students who plan on becoming Alabama CPAs, with scholarships available for both high school and college students considering a career in accounting.

Looking towards the future

With the start of the new year, ASCPA is looking to increase initiatives geared toward students. “One of our current priorities is strengthening the accounting pipeline, says Jeannine Birmingham “We have strategic goals and initiatives to get in front of middle- and high-school students. We want them to be aware of accounting as a profession and keep our collegiate students engaged and involved.” Other objectives for the upcoming year include:

Strengthening the accounting pipeline
Strengthen the value of ASCPA membership
Advocate for the accounting profession

Long-term strategies

Along with their short-term objective, the Alabama Society of CPAs also have some long-term objectives they expect to begin addressing in 2024. The objectives include:

Growing the number of students of color as Alabama CPA
Helping CPA firms with developing new business models that include higher salaries and more flexibility
Continuing the progress in advocacy with Alabama Department of Revenue, Alabama Board of Accountancy, and Alabama Legislature.

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