In 1969, only 136 of the nation’s 100,000 CPAs were Black. Nine African-American leaders in finance and accounting set out to change the statistics. Their meeting to address the challenge led to the formation of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA).

While the needle has moved on the number of Black CPAs in the country, it hasn’t moved much; the AICPA estimates only 1–3% of current CPAs identify as Black.

More than 50 years later, NABA’s work to “engage, empower and educate Black Business Leaders” is perhaps more critical than ever as accounting and other fields navigate talent challenges.

“We know that when you look at talent shortage as a whole, it's not just in accounting — it's everywhere,” said Guylaine Saint Juste, NABA’s president and CEO. “We have a talent and workforce issue in the United States.”

Saint Juste explained that the value of potential Black talent is not only impactful to the accounting pipeline, but also to the national economy as a whole. McKinsey research projects that increasing Black graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) can have a $1.2 billion impact on business profits. But getting Black students into higher education and skilled professional fields like accounting isn’t without roadblocks. According to Saint Juste, some common approaches to address the issue can fail for Black students.

“People are different, and the history of Black people in this country is very different,” she said, noting that many of the complex issues Black communities face aren’t always fully understood when developing solutions. Having a stronger understanding of these issues is one of the many strengths NABA seeks to bring to the table as a potential partner to organizations, including state CPA societies, working to address pipeline issues.

Saint Juste sees each partnership opportunity as unique. “For us, we've never thought it should be a one size fits all,” she said. This means NABA seeks to be “extraordinary” partners by strategically determining the best ways to work together and create joint impact while advancing NABA’s interests.

NABA’s goals for 2024 and beyond

Developing partnerships is just one tactic of NABA’s overall goals. The organization is currently focused on three key areas: students, programs and outcomes.

Student chapters are a high priority, especially when it comes to meaningfully engaging students and growing chapters in the post-Covid campus environment.

Next, NABA is looking for ways to scale their existing programs. The organization already has a successful track record with programming like the Accounting Career Awareness Program and Accelerated Career Awareness Program (ACAP), a week-long accounting and business career exploratory program for high school students hosted on college campuses, and the Pathways to College (PTC) program that provides Black community college students a path to select HBCUs. Continuing to build upon these foundational programs and scale across geographies is key for increasing impact.
When it comes to outcomes, Saint Juste is focused on overall organizational value. “When we say to people, ‘you should be a member of NABA,’ we make sure we can quantify the value proposition and have ways to measure the outcomes of our programs.”

How local NABA chapters lead the way

While the national organization plays a role in vision and partnerships, local chapters are the hubs of NABA’s work.

“We've said from the beginning we aspire to be an organization that thinks globally, but then acts super, super locally,” Saint Juste said. “We know our professional chapters will have to play a really big role in engaging with our student chapters, in being part of the institution of higher learning where our chapters reside, in being in the classroom and engaging other nearby members and other volunteers to deliver those outcomes we seek to deliver.”

Indiana’s sole professional chapter is the Greater Indianapolis chapter, led by president Aurmaudra Bradley, CPA, who is also an INCPAS member.

For Bradley, the key is focusing on how to best engage and support the state’s two established student chapters at Ball State University and Indiana University Bloomington.

The chapter is also focusing on opportunities for high school students. In the works: bringing ACAP back to Indiana after a hiatus and connecting students with opportunities like KPMG’s high school internship program.

Outcomes and providing a valuable member experience are also important.

 

A voice for the workplace experience

As Saint Juste reminds, the talent pipeline doesn’t end at the entry point. “We need to look at the whole continuum,” she said, including the lack of representation of Black professionals in leadership roles.

INCPAS Board member ZeNai Savage, CPA, who serves as the central regional president and national director for NABA, reminds that piquing high school students’ interest in the profession and training college students to enter it only goes so far.

“Once they step foot into your corporate culture, that's when we need corporate partners to take care of them and provide them opportunities,” she said. “What we see a lot of time is that's not happening.”

Data consistently shows Black professionals are underrepresented and underpaid; just 7% of all managers in the United States are Black, and Black workers make 30% less annually than white workers.

“NABA is uniquely positioned to independently challenge some of those things and break down some of those barriers, and to just be unapologetically open to having that conversation,” Savage said.

She credits Saint Juste’s leadership with “pushing the needle and being more vocal,” a move that has made some uncomfortable but has also led to historical amounts of financial investments in NABA programming.

“We’ve grown a lot because people are trusting what we have to say and the work we’re doing,” she said.

While Indianapolis and the Midwest might be one of the smaller regions for the organization, Savage notes that being backed by the power of the national organization still allows for them to be a strong voice and represent Black business leaders across the state.

The interpersonal connections membership can offer is also a key part of navigating these workplace challenges. Bradley views her membership as a source of personal growth.

“What NABA gave me was a safe place to be my full self and still learn the things I needed to learn to be successful and professional, but to do that in a way where I didn't feel like I had to shrink,” she said. This growth has often come with being able to connect with others who have had similar lived experiences and can offer a meaningful perspective.

Growing NABA’s impact together

NABA’s work relies on continued investment of time, energy and resources of both individuals and corporate partners.

Financial investments in programming are helpful, but it’s not the only need, especially on the local level. Aside from becoming a member, Bradley said the Indianapolis chapter is always seeking individuals who want to give their time and help move the needle. As they plan for the return of ACAP, they need individuals able to lead sessions, participate in mock interviews, network with participants and more.

On the national scale, Saint Juste underscores that it’s “a time of collaboration.” As a whole, the organization doesn’t want to reinvent the wheel and develop new programming that replicates what others are doing. Instead, they seek to develop relationships with other organizations already doing the work and creating successful outcomes.

“NABA wants to collaborate and partner,” she said. “It’s a really, really great vehicle to invest in.”

Connect with NABA, Inc. via their national website and learn more about the Greater Indianapolis chapter here.

 

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