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A word from Celia Lau, San Francisco Chapter President

Fellow members of the SF chapter of CalCPA,

I am honored to serve as your chapter president for the upcoming fiscal year.

A little about myself: I am a tax partner at Navolio & Tallman LLP, headquartered in Walnut Creek. Our CPA firm provides tax, audit, consulting, and family office services. I specialize in high-net-worth individuals and real estate partnerships, and I enjoy researching complex tax issues. I joined the firm as its first tax manager 14 years ago, when we only had 6 people. Today, we have over 60 people and a second office in Reno, NV. What I love about this profession is that there is always something new to learn, and I get to combine my love of teaching, reading, writing, and figuring out puzzles. Yes, I’m a CPA, and I didn’t mention a love of numbers. Numbers are fun too (especially when they balance), but after almost 20 years in the profession, I’ve realized that it’s only a small part of what I do.

Through my involvement with CalCPA over the years, I have met many other members who have welcomed, encouraged, and supported me, and my hope is that our chapter can continue to provide opportunities for everyone in the profession to come together and share with and learn from one another.

To the seasoned professionals, I encourage you to come and impart your wisdom to the emerging professionals, take someone under your wing and be a mentor, and/or connect with others in the profession to exchange ideas on practice management or expand your network of technical resources. To the aspiring CPAs or professionals finding your way in the profession, come to our events and meet others going through experiences similar to yours, and/or meet experienced professionals who are willing to answer your questions and help you navigate the profession.

If you have never been to a chapter event before or it’s been a while since you’ve attended one, I want you to know that our members are very friendly, down-to-earth, and approachable. I share this because I know that attending “networking” events can sometimes feel intimidating. As I joined the board of directors in 2016 and pushed myself to attend one event after another, I’ve found that each time became easier, and really all I’ve been doing is meeting others in the profession, learning what they do and maybe what they struggle with, sharing the same, and later finding opportunities to help each other out. For me, this definitely did not happen overnight, and I can tell you that I never would have considered volunteering to be the chapter president if it hadn’t been for the encouragement of our past chapter president a few years ago. I didn’t think of myself as a candidate, because I’m most comfortable navigating the tax code and talking about tax law, not necessarily coordinating a board to drive the direction of a chapter. When I shared this with another past president a couple years ago, she connected me with CalCPA’s Committee on Taxation, which I’ve now happily served on for the past two years. This opportunity to leverage my strength to contribute to the profession and meet other members outside our chapter has given me more confidence as a leader, and with the help of my board and committee members, I want to pay it forward.

Looking back, I am grateful to CalCPA – the SF chapter in particular -  for providing a safe space for me (and I’m sure many others) to develop leadership skills, build confidence, and learn from other members’ experiences. What I hope to achieve this term is to have more members engaged and participating in our chapter, whether it be attending events, joining a committee, or even just reaching out to start the conversation of how you can get involved.

Keep an eye out on our website for upcoming events, but here are a couple to mark on your calendars:

If you would like to be notified of future events and aren’t sure if you are on our mailing list, please email our program manager, Tommy Thach at 

Chapter President Welcome

Fellow members of the SF chapter of CalCPA, 
I am honored to serve as your chapter president for the upcoming fiscal year. 
A little about myself: I am a tax partner at Navolio & Tallman LLP, headquartered in Walnut Creek. Our CPA firm provides tax, audit, consulting, and family office services. I specialize in high-net-worth individuals and real estate partnerships, and I enjoy researching complex tax issues. 

Tax Partner 

Program Manager

Director of Chapter Engagement & Operations

Celia Lau

Dear Members of CalCPA San Francisco Chapter,

The board had our first meeting of the current fiscal year last month. We had some great discussions and are aligned in our collective priority to promote a safe space for our members to come together and to foster leadership and networking skills.

We are aware that the term “networking” can have negative connotations, particularly with emerging professionals. Many accountants are introverted by nature, and the thought of attending an event full of strangers can feel daunting.

Having been on the board and involved with the SF chapter for the past 8 years and being an introvert myself, I can tell you our members are friendly, approachable, and eager to share knowledge and learn from each other.

Our goal for this year is to get more members to attend events and see this for themselves, then keep coming to more events and perhaps get more involved by joining a committee or the board. 

For our members who have built a strong network over the years, we encourage you to attend and help support and mentor our next generation of professionals. Making connections and building relationships is a crucial skill that can’t be taught in a class, and doesn’t happen overnight. Taking the first step may feel intimidating, but it gets easier with each event. I, along with the board and committee members, are committed to providing you with opportunities to connect, learn, and grow within our professional community.

Thank you for being a part of the CalCPA San Francisco Chapter. We look forward to seeing you at our events and working together to develop our next generation of professionals.

The board had our first meeting of the current fiscal year last month. We had some great discussions and are aligned in our collective priority to promote a safe space for our members to come together and to foster leadership and networking skills. We are aware that the term “networking” can have negative connotations, particularly with emerging professionals. 