• If your username is your email address, it remains the same.
• If your username is your CalCPA member ID, it will change to your primary email address.
• Your password will not change, BUT you will be forced to change it at first log in. Your default password, if you did not previously change it, is your last name with a capitalized first letter.

Co-hosted by Ascend and presented at eBay’s North San Jose campus, this event will bring you the latest insights, plus a great networking opportunity.

Topics include Asian investment in the United States, intellectual property issues in China, banking and finance in China and Hong Kong, and a comparison of the business environment in India and China.

Date: Saturday, May 19

Register online.

Download a registration flier.

Date: June 7

Register online.

Register online.

Thank you to our generous sponsors:
Armanino McKenna LLP
Bell Investments Advisors
Bridge Bank
Burr Pilger Mayer Inc.
Fitzgerald Abbott & Beardsley LLP
Mechanics Bank
Mowat Mackie & Anderson LLP
Oto Bailey Fukumoto & Mishima, Inc.
Union Bank
San Francisco Business Times

As I begin my term as your 2012-13 chapter president—the Year of the Dragon—I find myself reminiscing about the truly impressive individuals who have preceded me, many of whom I consider mentors and friends. I wish to thank past president AJ Major for showing me the ropes as I now follow in his big footsteps. My active involvement in the chapter started many years ago with a nudge from Chris Yahng, a former chapter president and CalCPA chair, and an individual whom longtime chapter members will remember.

What a blessing to start my career under his tutelage. One day Chris said, “Mary, I think you will make a great director for the chapter, which would also increase diversity on the board.” So I joined the board. A year later, Chris said, “Mary, I think you should join the Oakland Rotary Club and be more active in community service.” I joined the Rotary Club and later served on its board. After finishing two terms as a CalCPA Board member, Chris next said, “Mary, I think you will make a great officer for CalCPA.” And so I became the secretary and ascended upward to become chapter president today.

For the past 18 years I have worked at the Franchise Tax Board in the Oakland Field office as an auditor, supervisor and program specialist in various programs, including Personal Income Tax, Partnership and Multi-State Corporation units. Being from the FTB, I am one of the few CalCPA chapter presidents from the state government sector. The Los Angeles Chapter, by the way, has had a chapter president from the federal government sector (IRS).

I have interacted with many CPAs in my professional career and we have treated each other with mutual respect—even when the taxpayer has to pay the state additional taxes.

Prior to the FTB, I worked in the banking industry for 10 years. After joining the FTB and working with many CPAs, I decided to take and passed the CPA Exam to become a licensed CPA. Fortunately for me, The FTB had a CPA committee that helps auditors become licensed CPA with the attest functions back then. I wish to share a funny story with you on how I got my inventory audit hours.

Luckily for me, the FTB had a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Corrections, which allowed us to do inventory counts of merchandise in their prison stores to satisfy the inventory audit hours requirement. I was assigned to do inventory count at the Madera Women Prison for two days. I was advised not to wear a blue shirt or blue denim jeans for the inventory count. When I asked why I couldn’t wear blue jeans, since it will be dirty and dusty counting merchandise in the store and in the warehouse, I was told, “Because blue shirt and blue denim jeans is the women’s uniform at this prison and we want to make sure you stand out among the masses.”

I wore a brown shirt and khaki pants to do my inventory count on those two days. It was a surreal experience talking to some of the inmates, but CPAs are creative and innovative people and do what we need to do to become licensed. Today, I am on the same CPA committee at the FTB to help other auditors become licensed CPAs under the Form G format.

Part of my vision as chapter president includes strategic planning with our local and state Financial Literacy Committee. I believe strongly in providing financial literacy education to youths, those recently immigrated here and seniors. I have participated in VITA, sponsored by the IRS, Tax-Aid and KPMG, to provide pro-bono income tax preparation services for low-income groups. I have participated in CalCPA financial literacy ventures at high schools, nonprofit organizations and state financial literacy seminars sponsored by Betty Yee from the Board of Equalization and State Controller John Chiang.

As a result of the diligent efforts of our committee chairs and board members, we have an outstanding year of events planned for our chapter members and guests. As we kick things off in the new fiscal year beginning May 1, please mark your calendar for the Oakland ABC event scheduled for Tuesday, May 22 at Scotts Seafood in Oakland. The Tri-Valley ABC event will be June 26 and the Walnut Creek ABC event is scheduled for Sept. 20. These three events provide tremendous opportunities for social and professional networking among the three professional groups.

We will also install our 2012-13 chapter leadership June 7 at the Legendary Palace in Oakland Chinatown. You will experience a special installation event that includes an eight-course Chinese banquet (arranged by yours truly) along with a murder mystery play, all at an attractive low price. Are you going to pass up gourmet Chinese food and your detective skills to guess who done him in? Of course not, so save that date!

I am looking forward to meeting and working with each of our chapter members.

Officers
President: Mary M. Geong, Franchise Tax Board
First Vice President: Patricia J. Mayer, Patricia J. Mayer & Associates
Treasurer: Thomas V. Bret, Cederborg & Bret LLP
Secretary: Thomas P. O’Sullivan, CPA
Past President: A.J. Major, Vavrinek Trine Day & Co. LLP

Chapter Directors
(First year of a two-year term)
Charles A. Burak, Glenn & Dawson LLP
Wilbur Chan, Ernst & Young LLP
Jenise S. Gaskin, Burr Pilger Mayer Inc.
Iryna Oreshkova, CPA

(Second year of a two-year term)
Elaine L. Kawasaki, Timpson Garcia LLP
Joseph C. Kovar, Sweeney Kovar LLP
Thomas J. Parry, Benson & Neff CPAs
Joy T. Soulier, Joy T. Soulier & Associates

• Excellence in teaching and mentoring, as evidenced by receiving various awards or citations;
• Educational innovation, including developing curriculum, case studies and new programs;
• Published articles in professional or academic journals or written textbooks for use in accounting classes; and
• Significant involvement in professional or academic societies and related activities.

Download nomination criteria and a nomination form which is due May 1.

As my term as your chapter president winds down, I find this past year was definitely the quickest of my life. Serving as president was a sincere honor and pleasure. With the assistance of program associate Soco Davenport, aka the East Bay angel of mercy, it was quite manageable. Soco can make anyone look like they know what they are doing. Words can never convey the gratitude I feel toward this outstanding individual. A heartfelt thanks will have to do.

Abundant gratitude also goes out to chapter board members and committee chairs for their tireless efforts. It definitely takes a strong team to maintain the impressive level of performance this chapter achieves year after year in serving its membership. I am blessed to have worked with so many of you directly and look forward to continuing the relationships we have forged. Of course I am very much looking forward to the best position in the chapter: Immediate past president.

You can take solace in the fact that the nominating committee has come up with another capable group to take the reins. Led by your new president, Mary Geong, I am confident that the great reputation of our chapter is in good hands. The list of officers and directors is below. Please join us in welcoming the new team in at the installation dinner June 7 at Legendary Palace in Oakland.

I would also like to thank Vince Chin for his 22 years of service to our members. Congratulations to him and his wife Tiffany on the announcement of their baby on the way. Vince will be missed as he leaves to face some medical issues. Our thoughts and prayers are with Vince and his family.

As a practitioner in the assurance and tax areas, both government and private, I find it tougher to keep up than at any other time in my 25 years. But don’t think you are rid of me just yet. You will see me at technical committee meetings, as I attempt to stay up to speed on the myriad of changes inherit to our industry. If you are feeling overwhelmed by all the changes as well, join me in participating in one or more of the technical committees at the local or state level. It is a great way to hedge on the learning curve that change brings.

In closing, a final thanks to all for the support, guidance and encouragement you have so graciously provided to me. I am looking forward to facing the challenges the future brings as a member of the best chapter in the best state CPA society in the country.

Together we can inspire and motivate California’s educators to fight financial illiteracy.

Be part of the solution—empower your community.

Download a flier to share with your local educators or register online.

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