OSCPA brings home national learning prize

By Molly Ryan Kowaleski, OSCPA PR & Engagement Manager

Association TRENDS has awarded The Ohio Society of CPAs with the 2018 Most Innovative Education Program Learnie.

“Several years ago, the Society began investigating how we could be of greater value to the companies who employ CPAs, our members who are business owners or those who supervise teams,” said Josh Goldman, MA, CAE, vice president of learning at OSCPA. “This award is a great honor.”

OSCPA’s entry, which was one of 20, was deemed “stylish and innovative” by the panel of judges. It centered on the Society’s service line called “Vested Learning^SM,” which is “part training entity and part consulting firm,” Goldman said.

“Our Vested Learning service is completely focused on helping companies develop their people and grow their business,” he said. “In the sample custom consulting engagement we submitted, we partnered with a CPA firm to understand their needs and outcomes, crafting a plan that bridged the gap between where they were and where they wanted to be.”

The 2018 Learnies were awarded Oct. 16 during Association TRENDS’ Learnapalooza event in Washington, D.C.

“What I loved most about your entry was that it truly focused on coaching your members,” wrote one of the judges, Jamie Herring of Association TRENDS. “It wasn’t just information thrown at a member, but rather useful, practical and hands-on guidance. It is an educational program that provides information, sure, but it also allows the member to become immersed in your program in a way where they can track their progress and see their growth. It was a toolkit for success!”

OSCPA’s Vested Learning service is intended to help organizations realize their full potential. After discussing your goals and opportunities, the team will manage design, delivery and implementation, using internal core assets as well as appropriate vendors.

“[This award] is a credit to our management team’s willingness to experiment and innovate, and our learning team’s ability to work hard and execute the vision for our Vested Learning program,” Goldman said. “I think the success of this program also speaks to the opportunity associations have to reconsider their core competencies and value propositions to become learning organizations.”

Contact Goldman via email or at 800.686.2727 to learn more or to see if your organization would be a good fit for this service.

PHOTO: Pictured, left to right, are Amber McAuliffe, CPA, accounting learning manager; Candice Hayes-McInnis, CPA, corporate learning manager; Tiffany Crosby, CPA, CGMA, CTP, MBA, director of learning; Kelley Grooms, learning operations supervisor; Kari Lux, CMP, CTA, senior manager of learning operations; Cynthia Agyeman, Ph.D., learning developer; and Josh Goldman, MA, CAE, vice president of learning.