Part 5 of 10
In honor of Black History Month, NCACPA would like to celebrate the diverse individuals who contributed to the success of the accounting profession and the association. Please join us in recognizing these trailblazers through a 10-part series of posts being published throughout February.
By D. Scott Showalter, CPA, CGMA, CGFM, Immediate Past Chair, NCACPA Board
The individuals highlighted in this series of posts represent minorities and have all made significant contributions to the accounting profession during their careers despite the many challenges they faced.
I’ll introduce everyone by asking a question that describes their respective contribution. I apologize in advance for any factual inaccuracies in this article. While researching, I ran across conflicting dates and proofs, settling on the facts that seem best supported. Either way, I don’t think it distracts from their significant accomplishments.
What is ALPFA and who founded it? ALPFA (Association of Latino Professionals for America) was the first national Latino professional association in the United States. It was originally founded in Los Angeles as the Association of Hispanic Certified Public Accountants in 1972 by this individual. Today, the association has more than 92,000 professional and student members across the country. ALPFA offers its members professional leadership development, cross-functional and cross-generational networking, career opportunities, and advancement through its hundreds of Fortune 1,000 corporate partners. There are 171 student chapters (6 in NC) and 43 professional chapters (1 in NC). This individual received his Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, with an accounting option from California State University, Los Angeles in 1964. He was an executive board member of the 1984 Olympic Organizing Committee, and is a past president of the California Board of Accountancy. He is currently the managing partner of the firm Vasquez and Company LLP. Who is he? His name is Gilberto Vasquez.