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Dear Elizabeth:

I'm thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2015 MSCPA Women to Watch Awards! Created by the AICPA, the Women to Watch Award recognizes outstanding women in accounting. With many deserving nominations, the selection panel was flooded with remarkable success stories, and narrowing the nominations down to just six winners was certainly a difficult job.  In the end, winners were selected based on a mix of their leadership in their organizations, mentorship, contributions to their communities, as well as their dedication to promoting women’s leadership in the accounting profession. Congratulations to this year’s winners:

Emerging Leaders
• Melyssa Brown, CPA, MBA, Senior Manager, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.
• Lynne Coviello, Partner, Advisory Services, EY
• Kara Stevens, CPA, MBA, Director, Accounting Programs & Assistant Professor of Accounting, Bay Path University

Experienced Leaders
• Theresa Brockelman, CPA, Audit Partner, Deloitte    
• Catherine Latham, CPA, MBA, Shareholder, CBIZ Tofias
• Margery Piercey, CPA, CGMA, Member of the Firm, Wolf & Company, P.C. 

We will celebrate these outstanding women at the 2015 Women's Leadership Summit. Mark your calendars to join us on October 29 at the Westin Waltham Hotel. Final event details will be announced shortly.

Amy A. Pitter
President & CEO

NETWORKING:

Committee Meetings
• Federal Taxation (8/18)
• Nonprofit Accounting & Auditing (8/18)

MA South Shore Breakfast Forum (7/30)
Sharpen your networking skills by learning the "art of the schmooze" with Robbie Samuels. His signature training has helped hundreds of people each year.

Eat, Drink & Network (8/25)
Kick off a great year of marketing your firm with the MSCPA! Join our Marketing Committee at Vintage Restaurant & Lounge in Boston on August 25. RSVP to Brendan Sullivan.

Karter Kup Tennis Tournament (8/27)
Join the MSCPA on the grass courts of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, RI for the Annual Karter Kup Tennis Tournament! Participants will be entered into a round-robin doubles tournament and play throughout the afternoon, with dinner at a nearby restaurant for those who wish to stay. All levels of players (men and women) are welcome.

Women Partner Roundtable (10/27)
Take advantage of this opportunity to network with your peers and share your experiences and issues. Space is limited to 25 attendees! This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with other female partners in the profession.

MEMBERSHIP:

Follow Us on Instagram, Meet Chauncy, Win Money!
Did you know that we are on Instagram? Did you know that we have a new mascot? Well, we do! Meet the newest member of the MSCPA team, Chauncy the Chipmunk, by following us at @MASocietyofCPAs. Follow us to be entered to win a $50 gift card, and tag a friend or colleague in the comments to double your chances of winning! Three winners will be drawn on Friday, August 21 at noon!

Demo New Tax Software with the DOR
The DOR is looking for CPAs to demo their new tax software for business taxpayers, MassTaxConnect. The program will launch in November, but the DOR is seeking feedback from CPAs for an article they are writing for the Fall issue of SumNews. Whether your clients are large businesses or small to medium sized ones, they're looking to interview those with experiences across the business spectrum. If you're interested, email Elizabeth Emanuelson ASAP.

Call for Panelists - Emerging Leaders Summit
By the year 2020, there will be five generations in the workplace. What challenges and opportunities does this bring, what motivates employee engagement, what are the best ways to communicate across generations and how can each generation work together? We’ll cover these topics and more through a panel discussion at the Emerging Leaders Summit on November 13. We are looking for members from various generations to participate in the panel. Email Kara Kieran for more information.

NEWS & RESOURCES:

New Tax Due Dates Create More Logical Information Flows
On July 31, President Obama signed into law a short-term highway funding extension that contained important due date modifications for several common tax returns, including partnerships and C corporations. PL 114-41 is the culmination of a longstanding effort by the AICPA and state CPA societies to eliminate the awkward chronology for many returns.

10 Proven Ways to Stay Happy All the Time
How do you stay happy all the time? Is it possible and is there any proof that these ways can work? Here are 10 ways that are scientifically proven. 

Accounting Hiring and Enrollment Reaches All-Time High
According to the AICPA report Trends in the Supply of Accounting Graduates and the Demand for Public Accounting Recruits, hiring at public accounting firms jumped 7% to reach record levels in 2013–14. Ninety-one percent of all firms said they expect to hire accounting graduates at the same or higher levels in 2015.

CPE:

Reading, Understanding and Structuring the Roadmap: LLC and Partnership Agreements from a CPA's Perspective (9/29)
The devil is in the details when it comes to the tax implications of how LLCs and partnerships are structured. Develop a checklist approach to reviewing partnership agreements and gain critical information on how to prepare partnership and LLC tax returns.

Save the Date! 2015 New England Practice Management Conference (11/18 - 11/20)
What are you doing to lead your firm to success? From the high level practice management sessions, to breakout sessions on specific problem-solving and informal networking and information sharing, the New England Practice Management Conference has sessions for managing partners and their peers from CPA firms of all sizes. Join us to share best practices, and leave with the revenue-growth potential needed to take your firm beyond 2015.

Legislative Update:

DOR Encourages Taxpayers to Complete Tax Refund Return Process
With the filing season winding down, the DOR is reaching out to taxpayers who were asked to verify information online or send additional information, and asking them to complete the process to receive their refund.