Two outstanding female Michigan CPAs – Peggy Haw Jury and Leslie Murphy – took center stage at the Members Advisory Forum on Sept. 29, 2005, in Livonia.

The first Michigander in nearly six decades to lead the prestigious 350,000-member association, Leslie Murphy of Plante & Moran, PLLC, was welcomed with a standing ovation. Just days away from taking the helm as chair of the AICPA, Murphy talked about CPAs’ positive ratings in a recent study that looked at how general business decision makers, investors and C-suite executives viewed CPAs.

Murphy also told members about the impact of recent hurricanes on 2,500 firms in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. She thanked members for their support and talked about additional ways CPAs could be involved in the rebuilding efforts, including providing firm resources to affected CPAs.

She also discussed moving toward greater transparency of peer review results saying, “We need to raise the bar. It is the right thing to do.”

A special task force is exploring how to address member concerns about peer review transparency, such as how to make the reporting format understandable for the public and how to ensure consistency in reviews. A report from the task force is anticipated in December. (Read a related peer review article in this issue of Leaders’ Edge.)

Though student recruitment efforts have shown remarkable success, Murphy expressed concern about the need for more accounting PhDs and bringing more minorities into the profession. Other key issues Murphy addressed included risk assessment in auditing, audit quality centers and enhanced business reporting.

Another highlight of the day’s events included induction of the 2005-2006 MACPA Officers. Peggy Haw Jury formally began her term as MACPA Chair of the Board with the ceremonial passing of the gavel from John Higgins. In her remarks, Jury spoke about the value of the MACPA’s strategic partnerships with other organizations. She also commended members on their dedication to serving the profession and the public.

In her presentation, MACPA Making a Difference, MACPA President Peggy Dzierzawski noted the completion of the resource booklet developed in conjunction with Hospice of Michigan to assist social workers in giving financial guidance to their end-of-life patients. Part of MACPA’s financial literacy efforts, task force members spent countless hours and provided remarkable talent developing the booklet.

She also discussed the MACPA's new partnership with Crain's Detroit Business. In addition, Dzierzawski talked about the impact the expanded High School Leaders Conference will have on high school juniors and seniors, and particularly on minority students. This year's program will be held at a record five locations.

Other highlights of the Members Advisory Forum meeting were David Sowerby’s Michigan business update and lobbyist Tom Hoisington’s perspective of the Michigan legislative scene.

For more on the event, including downloadable PowerPoint presentations, visit the MACPA web site.

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