Our Superpower: Engagement through the Washington Society of CPAs

by Sarah Funk, CPA, CGMA

illustrations: © iStock/avgust01, © iStock/Svetlana Shamshurina

I have had the fortunate opportunity to engage with our CPA community on a local, state and national level for more than 20 years, thanks to my membership and participation with the WSCPA. It has been immensely rewarding, allowing me to develop great relationships with colleagues and make some great friends along the way.

It is truly an honor and privilege to be this year’s WSCPA Board Chair and be able to contribute to creating a sustainable future for the profession. A sustainable future is very much needed, especially during this time of exponential change.

If I were to sum up my CPA journey in a Venn diagram, the intersection of student pipeline initiatives, career support, leadership opportunities, and advocacy to protect the public and CPA licensure would be the WSCPA.

After graduating from Washington State University and beginning my career in public accounting, it became clear that alongside serving clients and speaking the language of business, building trust and developing a professional network early on were essential requirements, not just aspirations. This led me to become a WSCPA member.  

I resolved to proactively seek out ways to volunteer and attend events in person. As a result, to this day, WSCPA participation continues to be a great way to grow my network, skills and professional reputation.

My journey with the WSCPA began with the local Bellevue Area Chapter Board of Directors. I worked with an amazing group of leaders who welcomed my participation, enthusiasm, ideas and ability to execute. Our focus as a board was largely on planning monthly CPE meetings. While the speakers and topics of these meetings were engaging, I noticed that other new professionals were missing from these and other WSCPA events.

My service continued, and in 2004, Kimberly Scott, current WSCPA President & CEO, was in charge of Membership at the WSCPA at the time. Recognizing the need and opportunity to increase engagement of new professionals, the WSCPA formed a New Professionals Committee, which I was invited to chair in 2005.

To gain support and commitment for new professionals to participate in this committee, we asked the managing partners of CPA firms to identify their standout new professionals to join the committee. This received more support than I could have imagined, and firms were committed to bringing forward their next round of leaders.

This reinforced to me, a relatively new leader, that the power of asking is as important as the power of engaging.  

For me, one of our most memorable New Professionals Committee networking events was an Argosy cruise which drew more than 100 attendees (double the attendance numbers of previous networking events). We harnessed the momentum to create engagement with the WSCPA and increased participation in various WSCPA volunteer opportunities throughout the Society with students, chapters and committees.

By this time, I had pivoted from public accounting to industry, working in the international telecommunications space. In 2007, this led me to an interesting and engaging move to south Florida.  

As you are probably aware, the WSCPA champions the CPA pipeline, conducts essential advocacy for the profession in our state, and actively encourages CPAs to become and remain members. I have benefited from another aspect of membership in the WSCPA as well: Engagement in the WSCPA has afforded me the opportunity to connect with others that I likely would not have met in a professional capacity.  

Because I found great value in my WSCPA membership, even during my time working in industry, once settled in Florida, I joined the Florida Institute of CPAs (FICPA). I became active in the local chapter and, taking what I learned from my volunteer service with the WSCPA, established a local new professionals’ group. Through this service I moved into a role on the FICPA Board of Directors and a seat on the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Council. AICPA Council allowed me to stay connected with the WSCPA through our three annual national meetings.

AICPA participation provided an expanded view of the need for advocacy and the voice the CPA profession maintains with the legislature and elected officials as trusted advisors.  

I relocated to southeastern Washington in 2018 and joined the WSCPA Board of Directors in 2020. Following a series of telecommunication business divestitures in 2023, I moved to the role of Chief Financial Officer for Ben Franklin Transit, a local transportation agency.

It is remarkable how the WSCPA has been alongside me through my entire professional journey. My WSCPA membership delivers immense value and there’s never been a better time to engage in our profession through the WSCPA.

I encourage you, if you’re not already, to get involved today!  

• Attend an upcoming Retain & Reign Tour / Members’ Reception 
• Join a committee or resource group  
• Attend an upcoming in-person event  

If you need help finding a way to get involved, email memberservices@wscpa.org or call 425.644.4800.