By Jessica Salerno-Shumaker, OSCPA senior content manager
OSCPA is running a series of stories in honor of Black History Month highlighting the impact our members are making for Black professionals in accounting. Keep reading CPA Takeaways this month for more.
Despite not knowing any CPAs or accountants growing up, Ron Reed, CPA, felt passionate about succeeding in the accounting profession.
Reed, now a tax managing director at BDO, chose accounting because he enjoyed math, and said he was surprised when he found the subject was more about formulas than math. He became actively involved with the profession at Mount Union College, from tutoring students to serving as the treasurer and eventually president of the accounting club. He also became a Becker CPA representative on campus.
He credits his immersion within accounting to a professor who encouraged him to get involved, and said he found other mentors in the partners and managers who took an active interest in his career as public accounting and gave him an opportunity to interact with clients.
“They listened to what I would say, and in turn that provided a lot of confidence in my career and a lot of confidence within myself,” he said. “I had exposure to some complex matters that my counterparts probably weren't exposed to, and you know, really, really helped guide my career.
Now being in a leadership position as a Black CPA is meaningful to him, Reed said, especially because it gives him the opportunity to be a role model for other diverse colleagues and students.
“It's not always something that's visible within our profession,” Reed said. “But I take great pride in being that example, that somebody can make it to a director level or a partner level, if they choose to do so. Being in leadership also allows me to be a part of things like interviews and recruiting, which is key for diversity.”
Outreach and education are critical to increasing the number of Black CPAs in the profession, Reed said, and while efforts have improved in recent years there is always more that could be done. He pointed out the extra hours required to earn the CPA as a barrier he hears regularly from students.
“It’s also important there are mentors and leaders available that that look like them and are representative of the profession,” he said. “That's going to help with recruitment and also with retention, because most firms that I'm hearing have had more success with recruiting than retention.”