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A Profession Reflecting Life:
Bringing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
to the Accounting World
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) continue to rise
in importance across society and business, including within
the accounting profession. The greater social consciousness
has expanded to understand that DE&I has real value and
importance, and that each of us have the opportunity to ensure
that we don’t just talk about it, but that we actually do something
to drive positive change.
There have been decades of talk around DE&I and significant
efforts pushing legacy solutions that don’t seem to have made
much progress, as a recent joint research paper from CalCPA and
the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) illustrates.
Select findings from “Diversifying U.S. Accounting Talent: A
Critical Imperative to Achieve Transformational Outcomes” are
presented here and the full report is available at
imanet.org/diversifying-accounting-talent.
The report finds a significant diversity gap exists between
senior leaders and the broader accounting profession. Of 10
leaders in accounting, nine are white, eight are male and a small
number openly identify as LGBTQIA. After decades of talking
about DE&I practices and solutions such as scholarship programs,
these stats have not changed much among those who lead us.
A lack of diverse role models and sponsors in senior positions,
poor DE&I practices and a lack of a supportive DE&I cultures are
among the reasons why underrepresented groups are leaving
their employers or the profession altogether. Lack of diverse role
models at leadership levels also negatively impacts the ability to
attract underrepresented students into the accounting pipeline.
And it also undermines the ability of organizations to retain diverse
accountants to groom them for senior positions.
This presents an opportunity for our profession to make a
real difference—the time for change is now. The CalCPA Diversity
Equity and Inclusion Commission (CDEIC) was recently formed as
a means to do something, not just say something, so that we can
be part of this change, part of something bigger than us, bigger
than California, to improve DE&I across the profession and around
the world. We like to think big!
As the saying goes, there’s strength in numbers. We believe
there’s also strength in diversity of ideas, experiences and
perspectives—the mix. There’s strength in a safe, inclusive
environment on which those ideas can be shared and
collaborated—how well the mix works together. There’s strength
in ensuring everyone has equitable access to the sharing and
collaboration—belonging to the mix.
So what does this mean? We’re calling on you to be part of
the mix and work with us on real solutions that improve DE&I
across the profession. In the coming months, the CDEIC will
add a recurring column to this magazine that will focus on the
doing, the actions of you and others in our inclusive community
to affect change. If you know about efforts that are making real
progress to close the diversity gap, to improve DE&I for a longterm
sustainable profession, we’re all ears! Send us the details to
inclusion@calcpa.org. We’ll keep the light on for ya!
Kathy Johnson, CPA, CGMA
Chair, CalCPA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission
Key Focus Areas for DE&I Action
Raise Awareness
by identifying and mitigating
unconscious bias so people of
all backgrounds are recognized
and valued
Drive Career Choices
by taking specific steps to ensure
that people of diverse backgrounds
have equitable access to the factors
that enable career advancement
Attract Diverse Talent
by promoting the profession as a
desirable career path for people
regardless of gender,ethnicity,race
or LGBTQIA identification
Increase
Accountability for
Progress
by defining, transparently reporting,
and linking performance to
DE&I metrics
www.calcpa.org
MARCH/APRIL 2021 CALIFORNIA CPA 15
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