RKL partner elected president of state CPA association, says recruitment is ‘essential’ to profession

Jill E. Gilbert, an Elizabethtown CPA and partner with the Lancaster-based consulting firm RKL LLP, was elected president of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) for the 2020-21 fiscal year at the institute’s June 12 annual meeting.

A partner with RKL’s audit services group, Gilbert specializes in government and nonprofit auditing and employee benefits plans. Gilbert said her goal as PICPA president will be to promote the importance of accounting in a time of financial uncertainty to the next generation of CPAs, as businesses have relied on accountants to navigate federal loan programs to mitigate the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It has become evident over the past months how important the accounting profession is, from guiding clients through the Paycheck Protection Program application and forgiveness calculation to just being there to listen and provide reassurance,” Gilbert said in a statement released by the PICPA.

To reverse the trend of aging demographics among CPAs, Gilbert, who noted the average age of PICPA’s membership is 51, said it’s incumbent upon accountants to encourage individuals in their professional and personal networks to consider entering the accounting profession.

“Obtaining and retaining younger members is essential to the association’s and profession’s continued success,” she said.

While enrollment in accounting programs has increased year to year, the number of successful CPA candidates in Pennsylvania has not kept pace, said Megan Killian, vice president of member relations for the PICPA.

“The problem is that while enrollment was going up, people weren’t taking the [CPA] exam as much. People were taking different paths in their careers,” Killian said.

Gilbert, president of the board of directors of Willow Valley Retirement Communities of Lancaster County, sits on four PICPA committees — employee’s benefits plans, government accounting and auditing, budget and finance and CPA-PAC committees. She serves as a board member of the Pennsylvania CPA Foundation, whose mission is to “inspire students to pursue careers in accounting” and “provide educational, motivational and financial support” for CPA candidates.