CPE Event: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

When:  Apr 22, 2021 from 12:00 PM to 02:00 PM (MT)
Associated with  Denver - Centennial Chapter

We are so excited to offer a 2 hour CPE event on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion on April 22nd from noon - 2 PM MT. Please see more information about the sessions, learning objective and speaker biographies below.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

Session
 #1: Reducing Data Bias Risk through Diversity and Inclusion

Session Description:

Biased data models can limit credibility with stakeholders, and they can actively discriminate against select groups. It’s easy to forget that technology is only as good as it has been designed and could reflect the designers’ biases. Therefore, the awareness of biases is critical for ensuring that decision making based on data is accurate and reliable.

This interactive session immerses the audience in a discussion about Data Bias Risk Considerations related to Diversity and Inclusion. Attendees will gain an understanding of data biases, learn about some examples and the related risk as well as ways to reduce through diversity and inclusion

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Identify the potential origins of data bias at different stages of the data life cycle.
  2. Discuss the risks associated with data biases in a Digital Age.
  3. Recognize the benefits of a diverse and inclusive environment to reduce data biases.

Speaker Biographies

Bernice Jenkins has spent the last 10 years in multiple roles as a senior accountant and finance analyst for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama. She has worked as a management accountant for close to 20 years across multiple industries and geographical regions. Jenkins began her career with the General Electric Company (GE) as a graduate of two of GE’s financial leadership development programs: Financial Management Program and Corporate Audit Staff. Jenkins serves on the IMA Global Board, in addition to two of IMA’s standing advisory committees: Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee and the ICMA Exam Review Committee. As part of the IMA Global Board, Jenkins serves on the Volunteer Leadership Standing Board Committee. Jenkins graduated from Tuskegee University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and has also earned an MBA and MAcc from Samford University. 

Kenya Matsushita is an advisory senior consultant at Deloitte & Touche. He has worked in global-scale engagements, such as M&A transaction at the largest global pharmaceutical company, and system implementation at a federal agency. Prior to Deloitte, Kenya has served clients in various industries in audit, tax, and consulting at a local Japanese firm in NYC. Kenya has been a member of IMA since 2016 and serves on the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee. He has recently contributed to the Strategic Finance Magazine an article titled “Data Bias and Diversity and Inclusion” to promote the D&I in the lens of data bias. Kenya graduated from Roberts Wesleyan College with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting & Information Management.   

Dana Whitted is a number whisperer, data dominator, and Excel guru disguised as a corporate controller for a privately held land surveying company. She has "big company" experiences that she brings to smaller organizations to help position those companies for success. With more than 20 years as an accounting professional, she has worked in publicly traded and privately held companies, as well as on government contracts. She taught accounting classes for students studying to be chefs, nurses, and corrections workers as well as advanced finance students and IT professionals. She teaches Excel tricks to both the uninitiated and the life-long converts and prides herself on finding a way to get at the data with or without the right software for the job. She has been a career-long member of IMA, serving on chapter and council boards and global committees. She is currently serving on the Diversity & Inclusion subcommittee of the IMA Global Board of Directors. She holds an MBA from The University of Akron and an Ohio CPA license, and she recently became an amateur radio operator.



Session #2: Metrics and Findings of the IMA and CalCPA report: “Diversifying US Accounting Talent: A Critical Imperative to Achieve Transformational Outcomes” by Loreal Jiles, Shari Helaine Littan, JD, CPA, and Diane Jules, CPA, CGMA.

Did you know that for every 10 of accounting’s most senior leaders, nine are white? Out of the 10, eight are male. And very few openly identify as LGBTQ1 . While there has been some progress diversifying the profession in junior positions, the make-up of senior accounting professional has not changed. So, what does this mean for the profession’s long-term sustainability?

Please join us as we welcome Sandra Richtermeyer to discuss the “Diversifying US Accounting Talent: A Critical Imperative to Achieve Transformational Outcomes” report published by the IMA and CalCPA. Sandra served as a research advisor for the authors and will be discussing the metrics measured, findings discovered and how we can compel our organizations to prioritize DE&I.

1 AICPA, 2019 Trends in the supply of accounting graduates and the demand for public accounting recruits

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand the metrics used to build the “Diversifying US Accounting Talent: A Critical Imperative to Achieve Transformational Outcomes” report
  2. Discuss some of the revelations and findings the authors uncovered
  3. Review solutions to change and how you can actively promote DE&I at your own companies.

Speaker Biography

Sandra Richtermeyer, Ph.D., CMA, CPA (inactive), is dean of the Manning School of Business at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She works actively with a variety of professional organizations and is a frequent speaker on professional development, governance, risk management, internal control, and anti-corruption.  Her teaching and research interests are in the areas of corporate governance, accounting information systems, and nonprofit and governmental accounting. She has authored many articles in academic and practitioner publications. Her research publications have featured many topics including technology enablement, enterprise systems, nonprofit accounting, and professional issues for accountants.


In addition to her academic background, she worked as a CPA for many years in Denver, Colorado, with a practice focus on compliance, assurance, and systems implementation. Prior to becoming dean at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, she was professor and chair of accountancy and associate dean of the Williams College of Business at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior to that, she was an assistant and associate professor at the University of Wyoming, where she also completed her B.S. degree. She is proud to be a fourth generation Wyomingite, as well as a “Triple Colorado Alum” as she received her M.S., MBA, and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado.


Richtermeyer has held many leadership roles in a variety of organizations over the past 20 years. She is an active board member in a variety of organizations and regularly consults with and provides training for boards on governance best practices and leadership challenges. In addition, she coaches CEOs with an emphasis on improving working relationships and communications between board members, the CEO, and their senior management teams.


Over the past 20 years she has held many roles at IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants) at the local, regional, national and global level.  She continues to serve as a director on the IMA global board where she served as Global Chair from 2010-2011.  From 2012-2018 she represented IMA® on the Committee on Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). She also currently serves on IMA’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee and Volunteer Leadership Board Committee. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Society of CPAs and also the Educational Foundation for Women in Accounting.  She previously served as chair of the Ohio Society of CPAs Executive Board (2017-2018), President of the American Accounting Association (AAA) Accounting Program Leaders Group (2016-2017), President of the AAA Ohio Region and President of Beta Alpha Psi International (2017-2018).   She served on the U.S Comptroller General’s Green Book Advisory Council from 2013-2018 and currently serves on the United Nations Internal Control Advisory Committee.  


Program Level Knowledge: Beginner

Prerequisite/Advanced Preparation: None

Field of Study:  Behavioral Ethics

Method of Learning: Webinar (On24)

CPE Credit Hours: 2 CPE Hours