MOVE Like This!

On this episode, I catch up with Trevor Williams, DEI Director with GRF CPAs & Advisors. He and his firm were recently featured in an Accounting Today article for their DEI efforts and the transparency report they released that talks about the strides made, but also points out the areas where more work is needed and how they are going to get there. We dig into current DEI skepticism, the many...

In this episode, we take a break from accounting and talk about something that impacts all of us: healthcare. As the CEO of Magee-Womens Research Institute & Foundation, Michael has a front row seat to what is going on in women's healthcare and is one of the strongest advocates in the area. We talk about what brought him to this role, why women have only been included in clinical and pharmaceu...

On this episode of MOVE Like This, Bonnie is joined by Jessica Hekmatjah, Chief Marketing & Corporate Development Officer at BPM. We discuss the firm's substantial increase in women partners between 2022 and 2023 and how leadership support is important to any DEI initiative. We also learn the valuable role BPM's colleague resource groups play in its strategy and culture and learn what advice J...

On this episode, we have our first return guest! Our very first guest, Mary Maguire, formerly of SAPRO and currently CEO of MJM Talent Solutions, returns to talk about the state of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in the accounting profession. We dive into what programs need to succeed, why firms should not pull back on their efforts, and the myriad benefits businesses experience when DE...

On this episode, we are joined by two women from the Accounting and Financial Women's Alliance (AFWA), Cindy Stanley, Executive Director and Shane Schaefer, Events & Education Director. We learn about AFWA's 86-year-history and how the organization and the Accounting MOVE Project started working together 15 years ago. Cindy shares her observations about the role of women in the accounting prof...

Priscilla Hammonds, DEI Director at BerryDunn joins MOVE Like This to share her unique perspective as someone who has worked in the DEI space for 20+ years. We learn how BerryDunn has embraced diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and access and committed time, resources and energy to creating a firm of choice for all potential employees. Priscilla also shares her thoughts on why firms that may...

Reema Patel, accounting practitioner, financial advisor and co-director of D-PATH, CBM's diversity and inclusion initiative, talks about how the firm has created policies that attract and retain women, how she addresses DEI skepticism, and why she helped create a financial planning service targeting Millennials. We also learn why she would choose teleportation as her superpower. To learn more abou...

Angie Grissom, CEO of The Rainmaker Companies and one of the most influential people in accounting, joins Bonnie to talk about the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in today's profession. Topic discussed range from what firms can do to find and retain talent, how a "people-first" approach is vital to today's workforce, and what successful firms are doing to meet and exceed the needs of...

Amanda Pontow, partner, and Megan Geissinger, Human Resources manager, at Bland & Associates join Bonnie to discuss how they are supporting local high schools to fight the talent shortage, discuss their Leadership training program, called BLING, and share how they are invested in cross training team members to ensure clients are always served at the highest level possible. Learn more about Bla...

Jen Cryder, CEO of the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs, joins Bonnie to talk about the talent crunch, the core reasons why fewer young people are entering the professions, and how some firms are addressing it. We also discuss some ways firms need to adjust to retain the people they have, particularly women, and where they need to invest their money to become firms of the future. Learn more about th...

Arianna Savoca, Human Resources Manager with Grassi talks about how training and mentoring is built into the culture at Grassi, the great work and impact that the Women's Council and other ERGs have on the firm, and how bi-annual employee reviews help ensure pay equity at the firm. We also learn about the unique superpower she would like to have and how Bonnie would find it valuable too. Learn mor...

Lanelle Herink, a partner at HBE, talks about the challenges of instilling culture in a remote working environment, how important it is to provide training and transparency for rising leaders in the firm, and offers advice for other firms looking to recruit, retain and promote women. We also learn that she'd head to Italy if given the opportunity to travel anywhere and what unique superpower she'd...

Dave Roberson, president of RoseRyan, talks about why they decided to merge with ZRG and how it has gone in the last 18 months as well as the unexpected benefits of having a 100% remote workforce. We also discuss how having managers take on greater responsibility for the firm's strategic initiatives has better equipped the next generation of leaders for the future and led to exciting new insight a...

Robin Matthews, partner and shareholder at Jones & Roth in Oregon discusses the supportive culture at her firm and their philosophy of "one size fits one." With women comprising 42% of their partner group, Jones & Roth is well above average at retaining women into leadership positions, and Robin shares some of the reasons behind their success. She also shares advice for other firms looking...

Sharon Bhalaru, partner with Armanino, shares how one moment with a firm leader changed her trajectory and gave her the encouragement she needed to work toward her current role of partner. We also discuss the firm's B-Corp certification, how it embraced and expanded on BrownSmithWallace's The Bridge women's program and how having customized partnership options has allowed them to retain so many mo...

Lori Leutwyler, HR Manager at Kerbering Barberio in Florida shares what her firm does to retain women so much better than other accounting firms, how they are extradorinarily selective about the clients they choose to serve and what they do to maintain connections in an environment where 65% of their staff employ a remote or hybrid schedule. We also learn about her incredibly brave great-grandmoth...

Jina Etienne, CEO of Etienne Consulting which exists to help clients all break through unseen barriers to see and create what is beyond. On this episode we learn more about Jina's work with firms, discuss some of the biggest changes impacting the accounting profession, and learn how she defines and helps firms create "fearless inclusion." To learn more about Jina and her firm, visit https://www.et...

On this episode, you get two for the price of one as I talk to both Karen Mattull, COO and principal, and Kim Paskal, tax department COO and principal, from BeachFleischman in Arizona. We discuss how the firm has incorporated greater flexibility into its structure, how they have been successful recruiting and retaining women and people of color, and the advice they have for other firms with simila...

Avani Desai, CEO of Schellman, talks about her firm's unique service offering, how they intentionally recruit women and people of color, and many of the ways they create a culture where people want to work. We also learn about some of the interesting ways they encourage employees to truly unplug to avoid burnout, and Avani offers advice to other firms searching for a similar work-life cohesion. Le...

Becky Guenther, Director of Total Rewards at Rehmann shares all the reasons why her firm has been named one of the Best CPA Firms for Women for the last 10 years. Topics include how they are weaving DEI into all parts of the firm, the importance of ensuring pay equity and all the ways the firm managed to avoid the "Great Resignation" too. We also determine that we should all have "positivity rays"...

Donny Shimamoto, the visionary behind the Center for Accounting Transformation, joins MOVE Like This to talk about the work he is doing to help accounting firms become more inclusive and what he has learned from his recent DEI research. We discuss how there are so many ways to think about diversity, and that no firm is too small to embrace it. Toward the end, we learn why he'd love to travel back...

Tricia Bencich, Inclusion & Social Responsibility Associate Director at Moss Adams, discusses the policies and initiatives the firm is undertaking to create an inclusive work culture where team members want to stay and how they are measuring their efforts so they know what is working and what may need adjustment. We also talk about Moss Adams' original and continued support as MOVE's founding spon...

Lori Kaiser, founder and CEO of Kaiser Consulting, talks about her firm's unique model of all employees working part-time hours, their recent acquisition by a private equity firm, and why traveling to Antartica is on her bucket list. 

Scharrell Jackson, an accomplished international keynote speaker and leadership coach with decades of firsthand public accounting experience, joins MOVE Like This to talk about Juneteenth and so much more. We touch on the changes firm leaders must embrace to compete in today's market, how to bring more diversity to the profession, and the importance of creating a work culture of inclusion so every...

Corinne LaRoche, Nonprofit Partner, James Moore & Co. shares some of the reasons her firm has nearly reached partner between men and women, her thoughts on how firms can approach work differently to adjust to fewer students entering the profession, and why she wanted to be a weather girl when she was 5 years old.  Visit https://www.jmco.com to learn more about James Moore & Co.