News & Updates

One major part of the VSCPA’s advocacy efforts has been to position CPAs as experts on economic and tax issues on a national level, with a specific goal of getting more CPAs into public office. Member Gerald Geddes, CPA, attacked that goal head-on.

First and foremost, VSCPA member Larry Hurt, CPA, is a people person. That’s a necessary trait in the line of work (commercial banking) in which he spent his entire career. Now it’s serving him well in his current role as the chair of the VSCPA Political Action Committee (VSCPA PAC) Board of Trustees. Hurt, who retired from his last job at Franklin Community Bank in Rocky Mount in 2012 is unusual among VSCPA members in that he never worked in public accounting and got his CPA license after he

The call from the governor’s office came as something of a surprise for VSCPA member Jim Holland, CPA. The answer he gave was no surprise at all. Holland wasted no time in accepting his appointment to the Virginia Board of Accountancy.

It’s now nearly three weeks into retirement for Jimmy Strickland, CPA. Thirty years after he started his own practice out of the sun room in his house in Norfolk, he and his wife, Gale, the firm’s administrator, stepped away from Strickland & Jones.

It’s not an easy thing to maintain a career as a technology consultant. The rapid pace of advancement makes it harder than ever to stay current on current best practices and future trends. It’s the kind of work environment that leads even a successful practitioner to refer to herself as a “perpetual student.”

Accounting and parenthood are extremely fulfilling in different ways, but when you list the benefits of each, "Lots of spare time to pursue creative outlets" probably isn't near the top of either one. That hasn't stopped VSCPA member Clare Levison, CPA, from indulging her love for the written word.

VSCPA member Toni Lee-Andrews, CPA, began her career in 1990 even before she graduated from Mount Olive College in Mount Olive, N.C.

A person's career is determined largely by his or her skill set, but personality plays a big role, too. And when it comes to the audit profession, Lindsay Andrews, CPA, is a perfect fit on both counts.

If you wanted to create the perfect individual to demonstrate the wide range of career paths that come with the CPA credential, you might look to Lori Overholt, CPA, as a model.

As often happens with Virginia Board of Accountancy (VBOA) members, Marc Moyers, CPA, pulled back from the VBOA and his day job at roughly the same time. That timing had him in a reflective state of mind when he recently spoke with the VSCPA.

If there’s a concept that encompasses the career of VSCPA member Melinda Coley, CPA, MBA, it’s helping others find and take advantage of opportunities. From her day jobs in health care finding a way to connect accounting indirectly to helping others to her time on the VSCPA and VSCPA Educational Foundation boards of directors and community volunteering, she’s focused on helping others throughout her career. Coley is the finance director for the government business division at

Editor&rsquo ON CONFLICT DO NOTHING;sNote: This is part of a series of profiles highlighting the diverse interests and careers of VSCPA members. Know a member (including yourself) who would make for an interesting profile? Email VSCPA Communications Manager Chip Knighton .   On the surface, narrowing down a career path from “any job” to “fraud examiner” seems like a daunting task. But that’s exactly what John Merchant, CPA, did. Merchant, a principal at Bond Beebe in Bethesda, Md., graduated

At first glance, accounting and classical music wouldn’t seem to have that much in common. Maybe that’s why Mike Wagner, CPA, made the decision to switch majors at the University of Illinois. Either way, he’s been happy with his decision.

VSCPA member Andrea Kilmer, CPA, is no longer the chair of the Virginia Board of Accountancy (VBOA). Don’t think that means she’ll be taking it easy.

As a licensed CPA and attorney, new VSCPA Board of Directors Chair Lisa Germano, CPA, is well versed in the importance of experience and expertise. Now she’s focusing on the importance of volunteering not only as a way to give back to the profession, but also a way to build both of those qualities with the help of others.

Nishon Evans Finds a Home and a Career in Virginia Nishon R. Evans, CPA, CGMA, is used to moving around, both personally and professionally. But he’s found a home, a community and a cause in Northern Virginia. Evans, a former VSCPA Board of Directors member, is a senior principal analyst at General Dynamics, a Herndon information technology firm that serves the government, defense and commercial sectors. He’s bounced around numerous employers in his career — a normal career path in

Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of profiles highlighting the diverse interests and careers of VSCPA members. Know a member (including yourself) who would make for an interesting profile? Email VSCPA Communications Manager Chip Knighton . Few VSCPA members can speak to the respect the CPAcredential draws than Ryan Losi, CPA. He&rsquo ON CONFLICT DO NOTHING;s only participated in CPA Assembly Day once — hey, that’s today, and you can participate virtually here ! — but his General Assembly

Councilor, Buchanan & Mitchell (CBM) is returning to Washington, D.C., and VSCPA member Pete Reilly, CPA, is in charge of the move. It’s not the first time he’s jumped into unfamiliar waters.

Financial literacy has been a national focal point for the CPA profession for the past decade, and in Virginia, few VSCPA members have been as active in that movement as Phil Umansky, CPA.

When Sallye Williams, CPA, makes a career move, deep down, it’s all about fit. Money and lifestyle are nice, but work based solely on those factors just isn’t as fulfilling. She explains it best using a comparison she heard when she was starting out in public accounting.