WSCPA Membership Summit 2023: A Resounding Success
July 20, 2023
by WSCPA
On June 12-13, 2023, WSCPA members from all stages of their careers converged upon Bellevue, Washington, for the inaugural WSCPA Membership Summit. The event proved to be a remarkable platform for networking, knowledge exchange, and celebrating the accounting profession. With a diverse range of sessions and engaging discussions, attendees had the opportunity to deepen their professional insights, earn complimentary CPE credits, and forge lasting connections with like-minded peers.
Educational Highlights
The WSCPA Membership Summit kicked off with a networking reception on the evening of June 12. The following morning more than 200 in-person attendees and 300 online attendees gathered for the WSCPA Annual Meeting. Following an introduction of the newly-appointed WSCPA Board, President & CEO Kimberly Scott, along with WSCPA Chair Andrew Brajcich and Immediate Past Chair Sara Bailey, reviewed the latest happenings affecting the profession, including recent updates made to the WSCPA strategic plan and challenges affecting the growth of the profession. They shared details on potential solutions being discussed at the national level and in Washington state as well.
After saying goodbye to the online attendees at the conclusion of the 2-hour Annual Meeting, a ground-breaking interactive workshop, facilitated by the WSCPA Board of Directors, was held to discuss the issues affecting the accounting profession and its pipeline. During this portion of the program, participants contributed their perspectives and exchanged ideas to address these challenges.
Throughout the day, a multitude of informative sessions captivated participants. Notable topics included "Creating Safe Spaces for Employees to Thrive - Psychological Safety" by Jeannine Brown, "Following the Legislative Trail: A Journey from the Capitol to Your Client" featuring a panel of WSCPA Governmental Affairs Committee members, and "Scaling New Heights: The Latest Technological Advances and Cybersecurity Measures in Accounting" presented by Donny Shimamoto.
Moreover, the event explored thought-provoking subjects such as breakthrough thinking in a competitive world with captivating speaker Bill Stainton, the implications of sustainability and ESG on the role of the CFO with Barry Payne, and emerging business risks to monitor and manage with leaders of the Institute of Internal Auditors.
Praise from Attendees
The event received glowing reviews from attendees, who praised the event's content, speakers, format and networking opportunities:
"This was one of the best events I've been to that incorporated interconnected session topics (without being repetitive) and a large amount of interactivity... congratulations to the WSCPA staff on a job well done. Really enjoyable event!"
"... a flawless summit with a robust discussion addressing the issues facing the accounting profession.”
"A very well-organized summit along with inspirational speakers."
"It was a great event for networking and learning!"
"It was one of the best conferences!"
If you couldn’t attend, be sure to catch an upcoming WSCPA conference and be on the lookout for next year’s event!