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:

• Wednesday, May 15 – Chapter installations at Chandlery at the Shore in Brisbane

• Thursday, June 13 – YEP: Sip & Swing Mini Golf at Stagecoach in San Francisco

• Thursday, June 20 – ABC event at Pinstripes in San Mateo

• Tuesday, Aug. 6 – YEP: Prosperity Pathways at Spott, Lucey and Wall in San Francisco

• Thursday, Aug. 8 – Marin Midsummer Mixer at Sotheby’s in Greenbrae

• Saturday, Oct.19 – YEP: Hiking Bonds at Twin Peaks and Sutro Loops in San Francisco

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 Tommy.Thach@calcpa.org.