American Woman's Society of CPAs to join AICPA

The American Institute of CPAs announced this week that the American Woman’s Society of CPAs will transition into being part of the institute and their Women’s Initiatives Executive Committee.

A Sept. 19 vote saw the AWSCPA — consisting of fewer than 1,000 members — agree to transfer their name and intellectual properties to the AICPA, in turn dissolving the current organization. The AICPA will create a special taskforce on the WIEC, comprised of former AWSCPA members, to help further develop female leadership and diversity programs in the accounting profession.

"We came to the conclusion it was no longer cost-effective to operate as a small, mostly volunteer organization," said Cynthia Cox, president of the AWSCPA National Board. "With that decided, it was obvious the AICPA offered the best fit for our members. We’ve had a long history of working with the AICPA ... so there really was only one choice for us."

“This agreement allows the AWSCPA influence to continue to be felt through our shared goal of promoting women’s leadership in the profession,” stated Melissa Hooley, chair of the WIEC.

Founded in 1933, the AWSCPA has striven to be a constant voice for women in the profession. The Woman's Society has had a prior working relationship with the AICPA, including the development of the Women’s Global Leadership Summit - the annual Fall meeting inviting women leaders to discuss best diversity practices.

"We are very excited about the opportunity to pair the passion of our AWSCPA members with the resources and goals of the AICPA,” stated Cox.

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For more on the AWSCPA, head to the group's site here.

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