The Best of the Best:
CGA-BC Member Award Winners
In a year when CGA-BC celebrated its 60th anniversary and welcomed its 10,000th CGA into membership, it seemed only fitting that the Association dazzled its members with a fireworks display at the Chair’s Banquet & Awards Gala.
The Awards Gala presentations were hosted by Past Chair and Treasurer John Pankratz, FCGA.
The J.M. Macbeth Award
"One of the key strengths of our Association comes from our chapters, the grassroots structure of our Association,” Pankratz said. “It is through the dedication of these individuals that CGA-BC continues to experience its growth and expansion."
Recognizing the important role of the chapters, the Association honours individuals who have provided outstanding service to their chapter in the name of J.M. Macbeth. Jim Macbeth was the first CGA-BC president from outside the Lower Mainland and was a key proponent of Chapter development.
For 2011, the J.M. Macbeth Award winners are:
Adriana Ruso, CGA (Burnaby/Royal City Chapter)
Spencer Andrews, CGA (Okanagan Chapter)
Jacqueline Leung, CGA (Surrey/Langley/North Delta Chapter)
Donella Robb, CGA (Richmond/South Delta Chapter)
Debra Timm, CGA (West Kootenay Chapter).
(No photo available)
The Harold Clarke Award
The Harold Clarke Award winners embody the CGA spirit of getting things done. “Harold Clarke was part of the original small group of founding members,” Pankratz said, “and we are proud to recognize individuals who continue in that same vein of superior accomplishment and decisive action.”
The award was conferred to Candace Nancke, CGA. Nancke is Managing Partner with the firm of Loren, Nancke & Company, Certified General Accountants in North Vancouver. After receiving her CGA designation in 1999, she joined CGA-BC’s Tri-Cities/Ridge Meadows Chapter, eventually progressing to the position of Chapter Chair. She received the J.M. Macbeth Award in 2004.
Since then she has served as Chair of the Chapter Advisory Group, Chair of the Discipline Committee, Trustee for the CGA-BC Educational Foundation and Member of the Association’s Strategic Planning Committee. She has served on the Board of Governors since 2009 and she was recently elected as Second Vice-Chair.
The Chair’s Award for Education
For 2011, the Chair’s Award for Education was bestowed upon Stephen Spector, FCGA. Stephen’s involvement with education began in 1980 when he served as one of the original instructors for what was then the new CGA Accounting Theory course. During the next 30 years he served as an in-class and online instructor, an author of course module notes, and a member of the primary exam review committee for advanced management accounting.
Spector has always had a passion for teaching and so after working for 20 years at CGA-Canada he joined the faculty at Simon Fraser University. He has since been consistently named to the School of Business’ Teaching Honour roll and in 2008 he was awarded the TD Canada Trust Distinguished Teaching Award, as selected by his peers and by students. He was further recognized for his teaching accomplishments at SFU when he was named as a Faculty of Business University Teaching Fellow in 2009.
He was granted the FCGA designation in 1999 and served as the Association’s President in 2009.
The CGA Ambassador of Distinction Award
In essence, all CGAs serve as ambassadors for our designation and Association. Some, however, display exceptional leadership in their efforts to positively promote the CGA designation in the areas of student recruitment, the business community, academia, or government. This year’s Ambassadors of Distinction are Erica Knutsen and Joanne Pulis.
Erica Knutsen, CGA, has organized and participated in many local volunteer events to raise the profile of CGA in the community. She has attended local career fairs and spoken to high school students about the benefits of the CGA program and a career in accounting. She was one of CGA-BC’s first mentors in partnership with the Immigrant Services Society of B.C. Knutsen served as Secretary and later as Chair of the Tri-Cities/Ridge Meadows Chapter and she received the J.M. Macbeth Award in 2008.
Joanne Pulis, CGA, joined the Board of the Richmond/South Delta Chapter in 1994 and has since carried the CGA flag at countless chapter functions, recruiting events, as well as business and community events. She received the J.M. MacBeth Award in 2003 for her work at the chapter level. She has also worked hard to assist students facing financial challenges, working for the CGA-BC Educational Foundation from 2005 to 2008 as a Trustee and as Chair from 2006 to 2008. Her community volunteerism includes work with the Hastings Sunrise Community Police Centre, which promotes safety and community involvement in northeast Vancouver.
The Fellowship Award
The CGA Fellowship designation recognizes members who provide exceptional service to the Association, the profession or the public, or achieve prominence through a variety of means. This year, CGA-Canada granted this honour to four members from British Columbia.
Cindy Choi, FCGA, CGA-BC First Vice-Chair, was first elected as Liaison Governor on the CGA-BC Board of Governors in 2007. She is heavily involved with the Southern Vancouver Island Chapter and she received the J.M. Macbeth Award in 2001 and was later awarded the CGA Ambassador of Distinction. Choi is also a member of the Small Business Roundtable with the provincial Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation.
Brian Friedrich, FCGA, who has been a member of CGA-BC’s Board of Governors since 2008. He has served on numerous committees and is currently a member of CGA-Canada’s National Professional Standards Committee. He has authored or co-authored numerous articles and research papers and still serves as a lecturer for the Association’s professional development program. He has received the President’s Award for Education, the Chairman’s Circle Award, the J.M. Macbeth Award and the Ambassador of Distinction Award.
Laura Friedrich, FCGA, is a course developer, lecturer, presenter, researcher, and author. Her contributions to the advancement of the profession include serving as a developer and instructor at an instructional techniques workshop for university professors in Beijing, and developing and authoring a public sector accounting framework in connection with a World Bank-funded project for the Republic of Azerbaijan. She received the Ambassador of Distinction Award in 2004, the J.M. Macbeth Award in 2007, and the Chair’s Award for Education in 2010.
Casey Langbroek, FCGA is well-known in the Fraser Valley for his outstanding leadership in local and regional government, along with many business and community organizations. While serving the community he also built a sizable accounting firm which has employed many accounting students. He is proud that four former employees and students are now his partners at Langbroek Louwerse & Thiessen LLP. In addition to assisting students in the professional world, taught the CGA-BC seminar "Public Practice Management" for several years.
The Life Membership Award
Life Membership is the highest honour that CGA-BC can bestow upon one of its members and is granted in recognition of meritorious service to the Association and the profession over a period of many years.
Gordon Clissold, FCGA, obtained his CGA designation in 1995, and soon after he joined the Tri-Cities/Ridge Meadows Chapter as the Secondary School Visit Coordinator. Over the next five years he served as the Chapter’s Professional Development Chair, Communications Chair and Vice-Chair.
He has been an integral member of the Governance Review Task Force, Education Appeals Committee, Finance Committee and Audit committee. He has also chaired the Appeals Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee. In 2002 he was elected to CGA-BC’s Board of Governors and in 2007 he served as CGA-BC’s President. He worked tirelessly to raise the profile of the designation, promoting the idea that CGA was the leading accounting designation with the best trained business and finance professionals.
The R.W. Caulfield Award for Leadership
The R.W. Caulfield Award for Leadership was created to honour those who exhibit leadership and insight. The award recognizes leaders who encourage others and facilitate boldness in thinking. It pays tribute to leaders who are ethical role models, setting the highest standards of integrity. See our article of on the 2011 R.W. Caulfield Award winner Wynne Powell, FCGA.
CGA-BC honours those members who have made outstanding contributions to their communities, their profession, and their designation. The Association recognizes this hard work and commitment as vital to the growth of our communities and to our reputation. While the 2011 awards were just presented, it’s not too early to start thinking about nominating someone for 2012.