National Association of Black Accountants, Inc.

Our theme is “Power, Passion and Possibilities,” said Gwendolyn D. Skillern, talking about the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA), as she described the organization’s mission for her two-year presidential tenure. “So, we’re looking at a number of initiatives to utilize the power of our organization, driven by the passion to create new possibilities.” 
            Gwendolyn D. Skillern, Senior Vice President and General Auditor at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, is NABA’s National President for 2007 and 2008. “I’ve been affiliated with NABA my entire professional career, which is a span in excess of 30 years,” she said. 
            NABA has been the premier organization for African American finance and accounting professionals since its inception in 1969. As it continues its mission to “lift as we climb,” several new initiatives are being undertaken this year and will be highlighted at the 2007 National Convention.  
            “Two initiatives that we are working on in 2007 are our financial literacy program and CPA Bound,” said Skillern. The financial literacy program is a partnership with the AICPA. “We have developed a branded money literacy program called ‘MoneySense’ under NABA’s name, in collaboration with the AICPA’s 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy,” Skillern revealed.   
            “CPA Bound” is a brand new initiative aimed at increasing the numbers of African Americans earning the CPA. “The CPA is the highest level of certification for our profession, so in line with our strive for excellence, we want to encourage all of our members to attain that highest level.”  
            To support this initiative, the 2007 National Convention will offer a CPA summit where members from academia, public accounting and industry will develop strategies to help increase the number of African American accountants who are ready to attain a CPA. 
            CPA Bound is one of a number of attractions that will be part of the 2007 National Convention. According to Skillern, “The benefits of the conference are just multi-fold.” The corporate sponsors find it a great opportunity to address a large body of diverse candidates for recruiting, brand advertising, and for increasing their exposure in the general population. For NABA members, there are excellent continuing education and leadership development programs for all stages of professional and career development.              An often overlooked, but highly important, part of the annual conference is the Student Case Competition, which is being sponsored by KPMG this year. “I don’t think it gets the publicity that it really deserves,” commented Skillern. Every year NABA brings in teams of college students. They each are given a complex accounting problem and they have to develop, analyze, and present the solution to a panel of judges. Upon completing the presentation, the students have to answer questions and are evaluated on accuracy, completeness of the information, how well they analyzed the problem, and how well they presented it.  
            “We have been doing this quite a number of years. Last year we had six teams. This year, KPMG will sponsor ten teams,” said Skillern.  
            The case competition gives students who participate a huge developmental opportunity, because “it’s honing in on their technical skills, their oral, their verbal, and their presentation skills. It’s just an excellent, all-around opportunity,” added Skillern.  
            The Student Case Competition offers benefits to its sponsor, KPMG, as well. “The main thing is to get exposure to the highest caliber students for recruiting purposes and to expose them to your company, and other people that work in your company,” commented Skillern. “This will hopefully make the students more comfortable considering the sponsor for employment opportunities.” 
            As NABA continues to explore its power, passion and possibilities as an organization, its mission extends beyond the boundaries of the United States . “We have had a relationship with The Association of Black Accountants of South Africa and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica,” revealed Skillern. In 2006, NABA representatives went to South Africa and presented training for the first time for South African firms doing business with USAID. This year, a large delegation will be coming from South Africa and from Jamaica to the National Convention. 
            Whether it is the National Convention, CPA Bound, Financial Literacy, or any other of NABA’s initiatives, there is an underlying theme of creating opportunities for others. In commenting on the organization’s motto, which is “Lifting as we climb,” Skillern said, “There are so many stories that are just all over the country about members working so hard to create opportunities for folks coming behind them. For us, this is what NABA is all about.”