Aloha

By Rusty Roy, CPA

Aloha is a Hawaiian word that has many meanings, depending upon the context. When greeting someone, it means hello. When departing, it means goodbye. Perhaps most significantly, it is also the word that Hawaiians use to express love, affection, compassion, sympathy, grace, charity and much more!

And so I greet you, aloha kākou (greetings—may there be friendship between us). This is my final “President’s Message,” and the time has come to pass the gavel to our new president, Kevin Jackson. Kevin and the chapter leadership will meet in May to plan and develop the 2009–10 meetings and programs. If you have any ideas or suggestions, I encourage you to add your ideas at the end of this message (note that these messages are in blog format so all can comment and participate—join in!)

I want to thank the following officers and directors for their tireless efforts to deliver quality speakers and programs to our chapter during the past year:

Officers: Dana Senes, past president, (Lloyd & Eggen LLP CPAs); Kevin Jackson, vice president, (CygNet Software, Inc.); Tania Arnold, secretary, (SLO Regional Transit Authority); and Terri Harris, treasurer, (Lapp, Fatch, Myers & Gallagher).

Directors: Sue Cosper (Longcrier & Associates, CPAs), Phil Hasel (Philip Hasel, CPA,), Polly Mead (Polly Mead, CPA), Greg Peters (RRM Design,), Karan Pohl (Coast National Bank) and Brooke Salvini (Brooke A. Salvini, CPA/PFS).

I also want to acknowledge and thank other leaders who have represented our chapter and provided valuable content in discussion groups:

CalCPA Council: Margaret S. Hesse and Dana Senes.

CalCPA Leadership Identification and Development Committee Chair: Margaret S. Hesse.

CalCPA Committees: Accounting Education: Janice L. Carr; Accounting Principles and Auditing Standards: Allen E. Eschenbach; Estate Planning: Cynthia K. Bayless; Financial Literacy: Phil Hasel; Governmental Accounting and Auditing: Gere W. Sibbach; Personal Financial Planning: Jan C. Jensen; and Taxation: Debra A. Wacker.

Central Coast Chapter Discussion Groups: North San Luis Obispo County: Kathleen E. O’Connor; SLO Tax Roundtable: Debra A. Wacker.

If you see any of these people at chapter events, please thank them for their service. And feel free to jump in and help in our activities. It’s a lot of fun and a great way to meet people, and, most importantly, volunteering is the engine that makes our chapter run so well.

I would be remiss if I didn’t offer a special mahalo (thank you) and aloha to Sherri Parkinson (retired and now a CPA at GBP&B) and Rita Williams, our CalCPA program associates, and Vince Chin, our program director. These people are our connection to the “mother ship” and are invaluable in making our chapter a great community.

From my perspective, the most significant accomplishments of this year were the continued success of the ABC Night (Attorneys, Bankers, and CPAs) and Student Night. These were our most heavily attended events, and I extend congratulations and deep appreciation to Karan, Greg, Sue, Debbie, Polly and others who worked so hard to make these signature events happen in our chapter.

And now, one more Hawaiian language lesson: i mua—onward.

Aloha and i mua!

— Rusty Roy, CPA

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 at 11:44 am and is filed under President's Message. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.