Association builds new community-based model to serve unique needs of members in public and management accounting

The accounting and finance profession is changing faster than ever.

Technology and AI are reshaping how work gets done. Talent challenges are forcing organizations to rethink how they attract, develop, and retain people. New business models, regulatory changes, evolving expectations, and a complex economic environment are creating increasingly specialized challenges.

Navigating that kind of change is hard to do alone. Professionals need trusted peers who understand their challenges, can share what they’re seeing and learning, and can help one another figure out what comes next.

That’s why the MACPA is launching a new organizational model that doubles down on its greatest strength — its communities of members.

At the heart of that evolution are two broad member communities: Public Accounting and Management Accounting. Each represents a distinct professional environment with its own challenges, opportunities, and priorities. By bringing members together around shared experiences, we can create stronger connections and more opportunities to learn from one another.

At the same time, the MACPA will emphasize the ties that bind all CPAs. Public and management accounting professionals share many of the profession’s biggest challenges — from AI and talent to leadership, trust, ethics, and the changing nature of work. Part of the MACPA’s value is creating opportunities for these communities to come together, share perspectives, and tackle issues that affect the entire profession.

“Community has always been at the heart of the MACPA, but today it’s more important than ever,” said MACPA CEO Rebekah Olson, CPA. “Our members are navigating extraordinary change, and no one has all the answers. Our goal is to create communities where members can learn from one another, share what’s working, surface emerging challenges, and help shape the resources and experiences the MACPA creates. Ultimately, the value of these communities will come from the people who participate in them.”

That engagement is central to the new model. The MACPA isn’t simply creating more customized content. We’re creating opportunities for members to shape the conversation — identifying emerging issues, sharing expertise, learning from peers, and helping the profession respond to change.

Your community: Get connected and involved

Central to this new model are two board-led Leadership Councils — one each for Public Accounting and Management Accounting. These councils will bring together members from across Maryland to share their perspectives, identify emerging needs and opportunities, and help shape the strategy, experiences, resources, and connections that will serve their communities.

We’re looking for members who are engaged in the profession, willing to share their perspectives, and interested in helping shape what comes next. No previous MACPA committee or volunteer leadership experience is required.

Supporting that member-led strategy will be two dedicated Community Partners who will help turn the councils’ insights and priorities into meaningful action while serving as members’ primary points of contact for community-related content, programs, resources, and opportunities to get involved.

Lauren McDonough is our Public Accounting Community Partner and can be reached at Lauren@macpa.org or (443) 632-2328.

Natalie Antonakas is our Management Accounting Community Partner and can be reached at Natalie@macpa.org or (443) 632-2326.

Learn more about getting involved here.

Communities built with members

Ultimately, this evolution is about knowing our members better so we can serve them better — making membership more personal, relevant, and valuable while strengthening the connections that unite us as one profession.

The more complex the profession becomes, the more valuable those connections become. Most important, these communities won’t simply be built for members. They will be built with them.

Because the MACPA’s greatest value isn’t simply what the association provides. It’s what becomes possible when our members come together.