Half of accountants believe that diversity is important. Half do not. Meanwhile, efforts to increase diversity in accounting firms have had disappointing results. Todd Shapiro and Kari Natale of the Illinois CPA Society join to discuss why and what the profession should do about it.Many thanks to our sponsor, LiveFlow!To learn more about LiveFlow, visit https://earmarkcpe.promo/liveflowSign up to get free CPE for listening to this podcasthttps://earmarkcpe.comDownload the Earmark CPE App Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app
(00:00) - Preview: Coninue to talk about the diversity issues
(00:54) - How to earn FREE CPE
(01:16) - Overview of the diversity problem in the CPA profession
(04:34) - Tell us about your internship program
(10:02) - Why are accountants leaving the profession?
(14:17) - Things firms can do to help these employees be better preprared
(24:39) - Launching 2.0 version to ensure success once they are at a job
(28:13) - 36% of accounting profession doesn't think DEI is important
(32:09) - Organizations make better decisions when employees are diverse
(41:12) - What can universities and schools do to prepare accounting majors better?
(42:45) - What is it that alumni felt like they were unprepared to do?
(45:09) - Should schools be teaching more soft skills
(51:18) - Wrap up and where to reach Todd and Kari
Show NotesAccountants and DEI: By the numbers | Accounting Todayhttps://www.accountingtoday.com/list/accountants-and-dei-by-the-numbersRead "A CPA Diversity Report: Uncovering the Barriers to Success"https://www.icpas.org/information/professional-issues/cpa-diversityConnect with Our GuestsTodd ShapiroLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-shapiro-536b6b1/Kari NataleLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinatale/Learn more about the Illinois CPA Societyhttp://icpas.orgConnect with Blake Oliver, CPALinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliverTwitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/