OSCPA donates $20,000 to Friends of Breakthrough Schools

By Jessica Salerno-Shumaker, OSCPA senior content manager  

OSCPA is continuing its commitment to attract and retain diverse accounting professionals with a $20,000 investment in Friends of Breakthrough Schools. 

“Our focus is how we are continuing to grow talent for the profession,” said Tiffany Crosby, CPA, OSCPA chief learning officer. “As well as helping to develop and retain the talent already in the profession with the skills needed in this rapidly changing environment.” 

In 2020, Society President & CEO Scott Wiley, CAE, announced a three-part commitment to fight racism and help create a business environment that offers equal opportunity to all. The plan consists of CEO leadership, organizational commitment – which includes a $100,000 pledge for initiatives distributed over a five-year period – and advancing public policy.  

For the third year of the pledge, The Board of Directors has approved a $20,000 investment in Friends of Breakthrough Schools to be designated toward the Beyond Breakthrough: Alumni Success Network in supporting this commitment.  

Breakthrough Public Schools is a nationally recognized network of free public charter schools in Cleveland that has five K-8 campuses serving nearly 3,100 students. Once the students enter high school, they become Breakthrough alumni, making them eligible for mentoring opportunities, scholarships, career prep courses, connections to local employers and more. The alumni network ranges from students in ninth grade to working adults in their mid-twenties.   

“This fits into each part of our pipeline that we're continuing to try and grow,” Crosby said, noting the alumni network allows OSCPA the chance to highlight the opportunities within the profession to students considering careers after high school and college.  

OSCPA has a portal page on the alumni site, where visitors can learn more about accounting and consume OSCPA resources, such as videos, articles and more.   

“We're finding these amazing programs that already have existing infrastructure, and we're able to partner with them and solidify relationships,” Crosby said. “And we get more of an acceleration of sending out our message and expanding our reach within different regions in Ohio.”  

This commitment fits into the workforce development coalition pillars of messaging and curriculum, she said.  

“We are trying to make sure that the right message is being told to the right people, so not just to students, but to the career influencers for those students,” she said. “That includes parents, guidance counselors and career centers who might visit the site.”  

This gives OSCPA the opportunity to reach students and influencers before they hear misconceptions about the profession, and even potentially change minds.   

“With these resources, accounting is easier to understand, and it’s easier to envision yourself in this career,” she said. “We want students to know about accounting early on, and these organizations are helping us do that and tying directly into our workforce development goals.”  

If your organization is interested in being considered for a future investment through OSCPA’s pledge, please contact Tiffany Crosby.