By Emily Wetsel
Once again, the Women’s Steering Committee is busy putting on educational (but FUN) events around Charlotte, NC. Who doesn’t like getting together with the best and brightest CPAs for great discussion on building your network and tasting delicious summer wines? It’s a great start to the summer.
In May, the committee held a working lunch at Maggiano’s in South Park to discuss Keith Ferrozzi’s book Never Eat Alone. We had a diverse group of ladies with various backgrounds (controllers, public accounting, consulting), which made the discussion very interesting. One of the biggest takeaways I had from the book is to first find your passion, and then write down your goals to reach that passion. Sure, I have about 100 goals in my head (with about 100 other things I need or want to get done) as it relates to my networking “family” and career, but I never really considered writing them down. Ferrozzi alludes to the fact that you must have conviction to put your actual intentions on paper (or in Excel if you are a CPA). Then, you can clearly determine a plan for accomplishing those goals. Also, these goals should be reevaluated every so often (as often as 3-6 months). An hour-and-a-half lunch is not enough time to fully discuss the book in its entirety; however, it was very valuable to hear the interpretations and experiences of others when it comes to networking.
Look for another book discussion luncheon in August/September! We will be discussing a new book (to be announced) on more hot topics for female CPAs!
What is one way to beat the summer heat and humidity that wreaks havoc on ALL of our hair (curls out)? Summer wine tasting. Educational? Absolutely. On June 1, about 30 women gathered for this sold-out event at Dressler’s. The group enjoyed champagne and a selection of three other white wines. As an avid red wine drinker myself, I was not expecting to be converted to white wine. However, the sommelier picked out some fabulous wines that I really loved and even included some general price points to expect if you went out to a grocer or Total Wine. I’m ready to show off some of my basic white wine selection skills at my next barbecue! The sommelier also provided some lovely food pairings (outside of the standard cheese pairings) that included beef tenderloin, sushi, and Thai chicken (yes, you can successfully pair white wine with steak!).
Now that we know how to select a tasty white wine, don’t we need something delicious to cook to pair with that wine? Well, our next event for the NCACPA Women’s Initiative is a cooking class at Sur la Table on July 14. All skill levels are invited. In an effort to support our community, we ask that all attendees bring a canned good to the event to benefit the local food bank, Loaves & Fishes.
The Women’s Steering Committee has so many more great events to look forward to this year, including the Professional Women’s Conference on October 21, 2016 at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, NC. If it is anything like last year’s conference, you do not want to miss it!
I hope to see you at one of our upcoming events. If you have any questions about our initiative or want to join our committee, please feel free to email the head of the Women’s Steering Committee, Melisa Galasso, at [email protected].
Emily Wetsel, CPA, is a Healthcare Reimbursement Manager at CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP, in Charlotte, NC. She currently serves on the Membership Engagement Team (MET) and has previously served on the Young CPA Cabinet.