Encouraging and lifting a new generation of Black accountants
In celebration of Black History Month, we’re taking a closer look at the future of Black professionals in accounting, finance, tax, and auditing. Today, only 2 percent of all Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) are Black, and just 1 percent of firm partners, so there is a huge opportunity to broaden the talent pool, recruit more young Black professionals, and diversify more wealth through the industry.
We’re turning to the voices of experts featured on Balancing the Future, a Becker Accounting Podcast, to hear first-hand about the current representation of Black individuals in the profession, as well as the how to lift up the new generation and the benefits this will bring to the future of accounting.
Earn CPE credits while you listen to conversations that count and learn about the latest topics in tax and accounting!
Becker Accounting Podcasts released weekly
The current need
Our experts share what the profession needs in order to grow both more inclusive teams and better overall business.
#1 More diversity
Just 2 percent of CPAs is shocking. But numbers can’t tell the whole story of what it’s like to be a Black professional in the industry.
Herschel FriersonPartner at Crowe, Chair of NABA Excerpts from Strategies to Broaden the Accounting Talent Pool |
“I quickly learned that there was not a lot of people that looked like us [ in accounting]. And sometimes, that can scare you. I didn’t run away from it. Somebody had to be the first. That really drove me harder. As I continued in my journey, I wanted to help other people that looked like me to not go through the same things that I went through.” “You want to over-perform and over-deliver. And sometimes you get asked to overperform and overdeliver—just to prove your worth.” |
#2 Supportive infrastructure
Currently, there aren’t enough intentional systems in place that recruit, support, network, and ultimately bring Black accountants to advance in the profession. Not only can individuals suffer and feel stunted in their careers, but also the industry misses out on a huge source of new talent that would make a big positive impact on the dwindling pipeline.
Guylaine Saint JustePresident & CEO of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) Excerpts from A Seat at the Table: Creating and Establishing Paths for Black Business |
| “I absolutely believe that there are a lot of really, deeply talented people in this country who do not have the systems to engage and persist.” |
Herschel FriersonPartner at Crowe, Chair of NABA Excerpts from Strategies to Broaden the Accounting Talent Pool |
“For most of the times when people didn’t go forward this credential or that credential, it was because they didn’t have the support system around them. It wasn’t because they didn’t have the ability to pass.” “We need to be doing everything we can to bring young people into the profession. Human capital: We need them in order to make the business function.” |
Bill BradshawCDO at Withum Excerpts from Invitation to Dance: An Agile Approach to Connecting & Keeping Top Talent |
| “We have to look at the accounting pipeline different than we ever have in the past. We can’t get students. Period. So how do we change that? How do we make accounting sexy?” |
#3 Mindset evolution
It’s vital to remember that change and adaptation allow industries to thrive. Our experts remind us how an openness to evolving the profession will help source new talent, as well as open opportunities that don’t take away from anyone, but add growth for everyone.
Herschel FriersonPartner at Crowe, Chair of NABA Excerpts from Strategies to Broaden the Accounting Talent Pool |
“Even the market is asking for it—we as a profession need to evolve. We can still get our work done and provide for your clients without a tie, and with tennis shoes on.” “When you talk about ‘a seat at the table’ a lot of people get scared that you’re taking food away from me…[But] everything in life doesn’t mean someone loses. We can all win. We forget about that—especially in this profession. If we add more partners in the firm, it doesn’t mean someone else has to go. That means you’re expanding as a firm. We’re not taking, we’re just adding to. It’s not subtraction, it’s adding. We just keep adding. We need to really hone that in.” |
Kimberly Ellison TaylorFounder & CEO of KET Solutions Excerpts from Rethinking the CPA Pipeline |
| “We can encourage one another without being a threat.” |
Guylaine Saint JustePresident & CEO of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) Excerpts from A Seat at the Table: Creating and Establishing Paths for Black Business |
| “Economic freedom and economic justice is a way to move our people forward and this country forward.” |
What can business leaders do?
As a people leader within your organization, there are real steps you can take to support Black professionals and encourage your teams’ success.
#1 Recruit Black students into the profession
Guylaine Saint JustePresident & CEO of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) Excerpts from A Seat at the Table: Creating and Establishing Paths for Black Business |
“Math is a universal language, so I also think accounting is a universal language. It is the language of money. It’s the language of business. It is the language of wealth. And if we seek to equate the scales, in this country by having a role to play in closing the black wealth gap in this country, I think we should inspire every black business leader to study this language.” “A career and a profession in this dynamic industry field…has proven to lead more black business leaders from literal poverty, not to livable wages, but to middle to upper-middle class.” |
Herschel FriersonPartner at Crowe, Chair of NABA Excerpts from Strategies to Broaden the Accounting Talent Pool |
“We don’t talk about how good our life is in the profession. And I’ve changed that. I tell people that I have designer bags and drive nice cars. We need to talk about the good life we live…We need to not gloat, but talk about it do that young people say, ‘That’s what I want to do.’” “If we continue to ignore the lifestyle of the profession, it will go away. We’ve got to talk about the beautiful life of accounting and talk about it in a way that relates to young professionals.” |
Kimberly Ellison TaylorFounder & CEO of KET Solutions Excerpts from Rethinking the CPA Pipeline |
| “We should be screaming from the rooftop how excited we are to be CPAs. I think it’s our responsibility to showcase the things that we do. I talk about my family. There are people who think that you can’t have a family and a successful career. We have to be able to share our vulnerabilities, show emotion, and be excited about the things that really gets us out of bed in the morning and push it out and communicate it. So that people aren’t thinking that some other profession is better than this one.” |
Bill BradshawCDO at Withum Excerpts from Invitation to Dance: An Agile Approach to Connecting & Keeping Top Talent |
“You have to start at a younger age. And you have to expose people to what accounting is.” “People say: ‘I have to be great a math to be an accountant.’ No, you don’t!” |
#2 Support multiple career paths
Herschel FriersonPartner at Crowe, Chair of NABA Excerpts from Strategies to Broaden the Accounting Talent Pool |
| “We can focus more on entrepreneurs. There are so many minority entrepreneurs that are accountants. That have their own accounting firms…It’s something we never really thought about. They’re CPAs that have their own firms. They’re entrepreneurs. How can we not only promote the profession, but also entrepreneurs.” |
Kimberly Ellison TaylorFounder & CEO of KET Solutions Excerpts from Rethinking the CPA Pipeline |
| “We also need to make sure that people understand that they have choices, and that there are other things that they can intersect their passion, their way, and make a really good living at the same time.” |
Bill BradshawCDO at Withum Excerpts from Invitation to Dance: An Agile Approach to Connecting & Keeping Top Talent |
| “What we need to focus on from a talent perspective is asking people what they want and what we can do to support them.” |
#3 Build networks
Herschel FriersonPartner at Crowe, Chair of NABA Excerpts from Strategies to Broaden the Accounting Talent Pool |
| “It’s not your responsibility to lift others up. But you got to your position because someone helped you get there.” |
Kimberly Ellison TaylorFounder & CEO of KET Solutions Excerpts from Rethinking the CPA Pipeline |
| “If we’re the ambassadors: are we doing a good job? We all have to look ourselves in the mirror and say, ‘Am I doing my part’?” |
#4 Know your team
Kimberly Ellison TaylorFounder & CEO of KET Solutions Excerpts from Rethinking the CPA Pipeline |
“I don’t know if you can adequately lead if you don’t know your people. We’re not generic. We know our kids are not the same. Any people we know that have two kids know that they are not treating their kids 100% the same. They can’t. Because you have to give people what they need in order to thrive, survive, and be the best version of themselves.” “If you want to lead the people, you have to know who they are, what’s important to them, and how to get them on the journey to do this new transformation, to do operational excellence, to figure out top and bottom-line growth.” |
Bill BradshawCDO at Withum Excerpts from Invitation to Dance: An Agile Approach to Connecting & Keeping Top Talent |
“If they don’t feel that inclusion, if they don’t feel a sense of belonging, if they don’t feel that their voice matters, they walk out the door.” “We also have to recognize that a lot of underrepresented individuals within our organizations need the ability to…navigate what it means to come to corporate America.” |
What can young professionals do?
If you’re a Black professional in the industry, you can elevate your career to great success—and help others do the same.
#1 Stand on your values
Herschel FriersonPartner at Crowe, Chair of NABA Excerpts from Strategies to Broaden the Accounting Talent Pool |
| “Foundation of values. We all come from a community where we have to lift each other up.” |
#2 Tell your story
Herschel FriersonPartner at Crowe, Chair of NABA Excerpts from Strategies to Broaden the Accounting Talent Pool |
“What I love about accounting is that numbers can tell a story. And it’s important for us to tell our story.” “Accounting doesn’t know color. You get reminded every day that you're a black man. But wen you dive into the numbers and you lay out what those mean, that color goes away.” |
#3 Find your network
Kimberly Ellison TaylorFounder & CEO of KET Solutions Excerpts from Rethinking the CPA Pipeline |
| “Mentors talk to you. Coaches talk with you. Sponsors talk about you. 100% true.” |
Herschel FriersonPartner at Crowe, Chair of NABA Excerpts from Strategies to Broaden the Accounting Talent Pool |
| “Get mentors that don’t look like you and get mentors in other professions.” |
#4 Be the network for others
Herschel FriersonPartner at Crowe, Chair of NABA Excerpts from Strategies to Broaden the Accounting Talent Pool |
| “I believe everyone should be a mentor—even in college. Because you learn as a mentor.” |
#5 Exceed your own expectations
Herschel FriersonPartner at Crowe, Chair of NABA Excerpts from Strategies to Broaden the Accounting Talent Pool |
| “Don’t get comfortable in what you’ve already accomplished. We always have to better ourselves, we have to better the profession.” |
Kimberly Ellison TaylorFounder & CEO of KET Solutions Excerpts from Rethinking the CPA Pipeline |
| “You have to be coachable. And at the same time, you also have to be willing to work for it.” |
Learn more with Becker Podcasts
Earn CPE credits and learn more about supporting your team, finding new talent, and the future of the profession—from the convenience of wherever you stream your podcasts!
Earn CPE credits while you listen to conversations that count and learn about the latest topics in tax and accounting!
Becker Accounting Podcasts released weekly
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