Four state CPA societies — the Florida Institute of CPAs, Georgia Society of CPAs, Montana Society of CPAs and South Carolina Association of CPAs — have collaborated to form Five Storm Systems, a technology company aimed at strengthening professional learning.
The company's first developing initiative is named Captured Learning and Reasoning Knowledge Engine. CLARKE is an AI-powered evidence system that will capture evidence of professional learning as it occurs during real professional work. It is designed to complement, not replace, existing professional education, firm training and regulatory oversight by organizing evidence that can be reviewed by employers, organizations and even regulators.
"Technology is transforming virtually every aspect of the accounting profession, and professional learning should evolve alongside it," FICPA president and CEO Shelly Weir said in a statement. "CPAs learn every day as they research complex issues, interpret changing standards and apply professional judgment on behalf of clients and organizations. Five Storm Systems was created to explore how technology can help make that learning more visible, more evidence-based and more valuable to the profession."
"Throughout the history of our profession, advances in technology have changed how CPAs work and how they learn," SC.CPA CEO Chris Jenkins said in a statement. "Our responsibility is to explore those opportunities thoughtfully while keeping competency, quality and public protection at the center of every decision."
Five Storm Systems named an advisory council, representing accounting firms, professional learning leaders, regulatory experts, public policymakers and more, to help guide the development of CLARKE. The initial members include:
- South Carolina Rep. Shannon Erickson, chair of the South Carolina House Education and Public Works Committee;
- David Knight, former Georgia state representative;
- Julie Kirsch, talent development at Baker Tilly (after it
acquired Berkowitz Pollack Brant ); - Mindy Rankin, partner and member at Warren Averett, former member of the Florida Board of Accountancy;
- Rick Reisig, past chair of NASBA, past chair of the Montana Board of Accountancy;
- Eric Robinson, managing partner at Robinson, Gruters & Roberts, former member of the Florida Board of Accountancy;
- Yuliya Salostsina, learning and development director at Kaufman Rossin;
- Roger Scarborough, former executive director of the Florida Board of Accountancy; and,
- Beth Spencer, director of licensure and CPE at CLA.
"The composition of this Council is intentional," FICPA's Weir said. "If we're going to explore new approaches to documenting professional learning, we want the people responsible for protecting the public, developing professionals and shaping policy involved from the very beginning. We want their questions, their expertise and their scrutiny built into the development process — not after it's complete, but while it's being built."
