News

CTCPA Announced its Accounting Scholarship Foundation's (ASF) scholarship winners and will hold a Recognition Reception for those individuals on Thursday, June 1.

The Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants (CTCPA) honored Bradley D. Kronstat, CPA of Guilford with the 2023 Jack Brooks Leadership Award recently at the CTCPA Annual Meeting.

The Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants (CTCPA) has elected and installed its Board of Directors for the 2023-2024 activity year.

If you own a business with 5 or more employees and do not offer a qualified retirement savings plan, state law requires that you provide a retirement savings option. Initial registration deadlines have passed, but you can still take action by August 31, 2023. Employers can register with MyCTSavings at no cost to the business, or provide a private retirement plan to comply with the law. Learn more and register at https://myctsavings.com/employers/program-details.

Thomas Comer, CPA chuckles when he talks about his family. “I just wanted an exit strategy!” And an exit strategy he got – in spades. The managing member of Comer & Company, CPA’s, LLC currently works with his son Jonathan – also a CPA – while his wife Anne – also a CPA – works as Director of Operations with CRC Insurance Services, Inc. The couple’s eldest son, Evan, is currently a Senior Manager in KPMG’s Mergers & Acquisitions Tax practice ... and, yes, he also happens to be a CPA.

Our organization’s strength and accomplishments are thanks to the engagement and leadership of our members. In our annual report issue, we bring you our top membership benefits, latest resources, and what’s to come.

CohnReznick LLP, one of the leading advisory, assurance, and tax firms in the United States, elected Andrew Sciarra to its partnership in the Hartford Office, effective February 1, 2023. “As CohnReznick continues to expand its capabilities and market presence, recognizing the talents and achievements of outstanding professionals is critical to our growth strategy,” said David Kessler, CEO of CohnReznick. “Our newly promoted partners will serve as key leaders across our industries and service lines – each having demonstrated a strong commitment to our clients, our people, and our communities. Our 19 new partners represent the future of CohnReznick and will play a critical role in helping to advance our clients’ goals, and our own, for many years to come.”

In the field of cybersecurity, most things we do to increase security have an equally significant “opposite” effect on productivity. Simply put, they make your life harder.

The Connecticut Society of CPAs (CTCPA) will honor eight outstanding women at the CTCPA Women’s Awards event on January 18 at the TPC River Highlands. The program recognizes excellence in leadership and management in the accounting profession.

Alina is an Audit & Assurance Senior Manager at Deloitte & Touche LLP (“Deloitte”), with more than 11 years of experience serving large public and private clients within Deloitte’s financial services group in Connecticut. She specializes in the banking and capital markets and investment management industries. In addition, she is active in many other activities such as facilitating technical trainings, serving as a coach to several mentees, and co-chairing Deloitte’s Talent Advisory Council in Stamford.

Amber is a partner with FML CPAs, a regional accounting firm headquartered in Glastonbury, where she leads the Not-for-Profit Assurance and Tax practice alongside colleague Brian Kelleher. Amber helps guide the team of 20 professionals as they develop the skills necessary to best serve not-for-profit clients in all their accounting and advisory needs.

Isabelle is the owner of Isabelle V. Curtiss, P.C., CPA. As both a CPA and a Personal Financial Specialist (PFS), she has amassed a long list of accolades throughout her career. A former CTCPA Board member, she served as a member of or liaison to many committees and was founder of the CTCPA Personal Financial Planning Committee.

Jeanna is a partner at Ernst & Young LLP (EY), where she has worked since graduating from college 28 years ago. She is the firm’s Americas Assurance Operations Leader. She works with assurance leadership on planning, budgeting, talent, and process optimization. She also serves as coordinating partner for health clients and leads the firm’s assurance audit environmental efforts, helping more than 800 audit clients prepare for proposed new SEC rules on climate disclosures.

Kimberly is a partner in the Audit Department at Whittlesey, concentrating on nonprofits and credit unions. She co-founded and co-chairs the firm’s women’s leadership group, Women of Whittlesey (WoW), and is the firm’s Quality Control Director. She is also a member of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce Nonprofit Resource Council.

Melissa Braun, CPA Whittlesey Melissa is a Manager in the Whittlesey Tax Department, providing tax and consulting services to commercial, residential, and affordable housing real estate entities, financial institutions, construction, manufacturing and closely held businesses, and high-net-worth individuals.

Noelle’s professional life today evolved from a varied journey as a CPA in public accounting, Fortune 100 corporate, and education. She now combines her passion with her experiences and shares them as a college professor, career advocate, and accounting coach for the Travelers EDGE (Empowering Dreams for Graduation and Employment) program.

Teresa currently serves as Independent Trustee and Audit Committee Chair for SSGA Select Sector SPDR Trust, an ETF complex of 11 funds covering the sectors of the S&P 500. She also serves on not-for-profit boards, including her alma mater, Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania, and Girl Scouts of Connecticut, and on the CTCPA Investment Committee.

CironeFriedberg, LLP welcomed Dylan Walker as a Supervisor managing audit and assurance and client accounting service engagements for business and individual clients. Walker started his accounting career with global accounting firm PwC developing cash flow models utilizing detailed analytics to assess risk for clients. Prior to joining our Firm, he directed client accounting and advisory services for business clients throughout Fairfield County in Connecticut. A graduate of Central Connecticut State University, Walker holds a master’s and a bachelor’s degree in Accounting. He serves as President & Founder of the Scott T. Walker Foundation. Tony Cirone, CironeFriedberg’s managing partner, says “We extend a warm welcome to Dylan and are confident that he will make an immediate impact to enhance our client service as well as being a key contributor to our growing firm.” CironeFriedberg is a leading regional CPA firm serving middle market, closely held and family-owned businesses, high-net-worth individuals, and not-for-profit organizations in Fairfield and New Haven Counties, in Connecticut, and the neighboring New York counties of Duchess, Putnam, and Westchester. The firm provides a full range of tax, audit and accounting, and business advisory services from three offices in Bethel, Shelton and Stamford Connecticut. Learn more at https://cironefriedberg.com.

The Connecticut Society of CPAs (CTCPA) is warning business owners about pop-up companies offering incorrect and misleading information regarding claiming the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). These third parties may be charging exorbitant fees, claiming to be able to pay employers the credit up-front, or providing incorrect filing deadlines, eligibility requirements, or credit computation information.

The Connecticut Society of CPAs (CTCPA) is sending CPAs and accounting professionals into classrooms across Connecticut from November 7-11 as part of Accounting Opportunities Week, a nationwide initiative to inspire high school students and help them learn about everything a career in accounting has to offer.