Chrislynn Freed, CPA, Installed As New CalCPA Education Foundation President

During last Friday's CalCPA Virtual Council Meeting and Annual Meeting of Members, Chrislynn Freed, CPA, was installed as the new president of the CalCPA Education Foundation. Freed shared her strategic priorities for the coming year which focus on finding opportunities:

• Enhancing the community and support for CalCPA faculty,
• Following diversity, equity and inclusion best practices,
• Driving innovation in professional education product development, and
• Finding opportunities to meet new education needs of CalCPA members.

Freed indicated that the current pandemic has created both challenges and opportunities for the CalCPA Education Foundation that she is prepared to tackle in her tenure as president.

"Right now, our country is contending with a pandemic, civil unrest, businesses closing and rising unemployment, yet it is not the time to despair; it's the time to recognize new opportunities and rebuild," said Chrislynn Freed, CPA, president of the CalCPA Education Foundation. "The CalCPA Education Foundation is poised to flourish in the future as we rebuild to increase value and drive growth for our members."

Freed will support CalCPA initiatives to promote competency and learning among members, develop innovative new learning products that differentiate CalCPA in a crowded market, enhance existing products that leverage CalCPA's reputation for uniqueness and quality, and design new commercial-strength business models that will meet future business challenges head-on.

"Chrislynn Freed assumes her role as president of the Trustees at a crucial time for CalCPA," said Anthony Pugliese, CPA, CGMA, CITP, President & CEO of CalCPA and the CalCPA Education Foundation. "Her perspectives and experiences as a CPA, top educator and engaged volunteer leader will help guide us along our strategic path to greater success. This path includes upskilling the profession, enhancing their competencies and creating more value for our members and customers through relevant, timely professional education."

Freed is a professor of clinical accounting at the Leventhal School of Accounting at University of Southern California (USC). Prior to joining USC, she was a senior manager at an international CPA firm specializing in the hospitality and financial services industries. She is a member of USC's Committee on Academic Policies and Procedures, the advisory board of University of Florida's Fisher School of Accounting, and the UF Foundation National Board.

Freed received numerous awards during her career, including the CalCPA Outstanding Accounting Educator Award in 2013; Golden Apple Teaching Awards in 2010, 2012 and 2014; USC Mellon Award for mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in 2008 and 2009; and USC Parents Association Teaching and Mentoring Award in 2008.

She is actively involved in CalCPA as a member of the Accounting Education Committee (former co-chair), Public Service Award Selection Committee. She previously served on the board of directors of CalCPA. Freed received her master's degree in business administration from the Marshall School of Business at USC and her bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Florida.

In other news, CalCPA Education Foundation announced that Kathleen Wright, CPA, JD, LLM, MBA was the winner of this year's 2019-2020 CalCPA Award for Faculty Excellence. Kathleen Wright is the Director of the State and Local Tax Program at Golden Gate University School of Taxation (San Francisco).

About CalCPA

CalCPA traces its heritage to 1903 when the California State Society of Certified Public Accountants was organized. In 1909, it merged with two other state CPA associations to form CalCPA. CalCPA serves more than 43,000 members in public practice, private industry, academia and government, and has 14 chapters across California. CalCPA also offers more than 1,400 live courses, conferences, webcasts and on-demand self-study courses annually. More information is available online.