Meet 2026–2027 VSCPA Chair Andrew Martin, CPA

“I am not sure I was ever driven specifically to become VSCPA chair,” he says. “I see it as becoming involved with an organization that I deeply respect and enjoy being a part of and wanting to further its mission in whatever way I could.”

Martin brings that relationship-centered perspective to a year when the CPA profession is navigating rapid change, from workforce development to technology and shifting client needs. It’s a perspective shaped by a career that began in audit at a Big Five firm, continued through the upheaval of the Enron era and eventually led him to a Chesapeake firm where accounting truly became a family affair.

A Career Built Around People

Martin’s path into accounting started with a practical instinct. “I always knew I had a business-oriented mind and enjoyed working with money,” he says. Once he was exposed to accounting in college, he found both an aptitude for the work and a profession that could offer stability, challenge and opportunity. The combination of strong career prospects and the likelihood of securing a job after graduation, he says, made accounting an easy choice. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in accounting from the College of William & Mary.

He began his career in Northern Virginia with Arthur Andersen, one of the Big Five accounting firms at the time, working in the audit practice. When Andersen dissolved following the Enron scandal, Martin moved to KPMG, where he spent another two years before relocating to Chesapeake in 2004 to join the CPA practice founded by his father-in-law. “I have been there ever since,” he says. Today, he helps lead Corbin & Co. as president and managing principal, alongside his wife, father-in-law and two other principals. Together, they operate a public accounting firm of about 10 people.

The CPA Exam: Then and Now

Martin took the CPA Exam when it was offered only twice a year over two days, with all four sections taken in person. He sat for the Exam in Northern Virginia in fall 2001 and passed three of the four sections, missing the fourth by just one point. Ironically, the section he did not pass on his first attempt was auditing, the very area of accounting he was working in at the time.

By the time he retook the final section the following spring, he had spent nine more months working in audit and was able to pass it easily without much additional studying. After fulfilling his experience requirements and passing the ethics exam, he became licensed in 2003.

The process also looked very different from today’s Exam prep. Candidates attended in-person review courses and studied from four large textbooks filled with practice questions. Not long after that, preparation moved online, and eventually the testing process did, too.

A Credential Built on Trust

For Martin, earning the CPA designation represented more than passing a rigorous exam and completing licensure requirements. It reflected the discipline, perseverance and reliability that have long defined the profession. “It says something about anyone who earns the designation,” he says, “but even more importantly, I believe it speaks to how much that person can be trusted and relied upon.”

That sense of trust is one reason the profession has felt like such a natural fit. The values and qualities commonly associated with CPAs, Martin says, align closely with who he is as a person, giving him a sense of comfort in belonging to a profession that matches his own internal makeup.

The work also has given him what he values most: meaningful relationships, variety and the chance to solve complex problems. In public accounting, those professional connections can become deeply personal over time. While the work can be stressful, Martin says the rewards — both the relationships and the sense of accomplishment — make the trade-off worthwhile.

A Practice Rooted in Relationships

Looking back over his career, Martin points not to a single engagement, board chairmanship or individual achievement, but to the personalized, high-quality service his firm provides and the long-lasting, partnership-like relationships it has built with clients.

“Our goal is for clients to feel they cannot imagine anyone else serving as their CPA,” he says. “I believe that approach is what creates lasting loyalty and trust.”

That philosophy, he says, is also central to the firm’s culture and extends to its staff. Strong retention among both clients and team members reflects intentional, disciplined growth designed to preserve that culture and maintain those relationships.

The Profession’s Next Big Challenge

For Martin, the accounting profession faces no shortage of challenges, from regulatory change and workforce development to rapid technological advances. The biggest challenge, he says, is making sure the profession focuses on the right priorities at the right time.

That means continuing to attract talented individuals to keep the future strong while embracing new technologies and tools that enhance existing services. Those advances also can create opportunities for CPAs to expand into additional service areas that are a natural fit for their skills and expertise.

Answering the Call to Serve

Martin says he was not necessarily driven specifically to become VSCPA chair. Instead, his leadership path grew out of involvement with an organization he deeply respects and enjoys being part of, along with a desire to further its mission in whatever way he could.

His involvement began early in his career with the VSCPA Tidewater Chapter, where he served on the chapter board and eventually as its president. Through that experience, he gained exposure to the broader organization, first serving on the VSCPA Educational Foundation Board and later on the VSCPA Board.

At its core, Martin’s involvement comes from a genuine love for the CPA profession and a belief that it has provided tremendous opportunities for success in life and business for him and his family. Volunteer service, he says, is one of the best ways to share that message and help others find similar opportunities.

In 2010, the VSCPA Board selected him as one of its “Top Five CPAs Under 35,” recognizing his professional accomplishments and contributions to the CPA profession in Virginia.

Guiding VSCPA Through the Year Ahead

As chair, Martin’s overall goal for the coming year is to be prepared for whatever unexpected challenges arise and to help leave the organization in as good a place, or better, than when he stepped into the role.

The VSCPA staff and Executive Committee play central roles in that work, he says, while task forces focus on specific priorities. One area that has always been particularly important to Martin is the profession’s pipeline, or workforce development. He is passionate about connecting with future CPAs in high school and college, sharing his experiences and serving as a resource as they navigate their own paths into the profession.

Life Outside of Work

Much of Martin’s time is spent with his wife Holly and children, 14 and 16. He and Holly both played golf for their college team, so he still likes to keep his golf game in shape. They also focus on maintaining an active lifestyle outside work that includes travel and working out.

Reach out to Andrew at any time at amartin@corbinandcompany.net with questions or feedback on the VSCPA and its priorities.