Baker Tilly Hosts Virginia Society of CPAs Leaders’ Institute
CEO Tim Christen Serves as Keynote Speaker

BLACKSBURG, VA – For the fourth year in a row, accounting and advisory firm Baker Tilly partnered with the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (VSCPA) to host the Leaders’ Institute, a conference that gathered Virginia’s best and brightest accounting students, which was held at Virginia Tech University.

The Leaders’ Institute, which took place from June 25 - 27, is a unique leadership program for rising college seniors pursuing a degree in accounting. The Institute is designed to assist these students in transitioning into the competitive accounting marketplace after college. The weekend-long workshop teaches the students leadership skills and team-building techniques. Also, seasoned industry professionals were on-hand to offer their advice to the region’s top accounting students.

Baker Tilly CEO Tim Christen served as the keynote speaker of this year’s program. Christen, who also serves as the chair of the AICPA’s Major Firms Group, challenged the students to make a difference with their own careers. He also discussed what it takes to be a leader in today’s ever-changing world and used a personal account of his career path to illustrate the success and growth he’s experienced with Baker Tilly.

Baker Tilly, which was known in the state of Virginia as Beers + Cutler prior to a merger in December 2009, was the founding sponsor of the Leaders’ Institute in 2007 and continues to be the presenting sponsor of the event. Christen commented on the true value of supporting an event that has the goals of the Leaders’ Institute.

“Any opportunity to help teach, advise, and communicate with the leaders of tomorrow is an important one," Christen said. “No matter how the business world evolves with new technology and business tools, the core principles and industry knowledge in the accounting field will remain the same. It is the people who understand these principles and utilize them in the current marketplace who will be the future leaders in the accounting profession. At Baker Tilly, we are committed and invested in recruiting and training these talented, forward-thinking individuals each year."

Bradford R. Jones, CPA, the chair of the VSCPA Board of Directors, was once again appreciative of Baker Tilly’s involvement in this important event.

“With Baker Tilly’s continued commitment and support, I’m confident that the Leaders’ Institute can gain awareness over time and encourage young people to look toward the accounting profession with its wealth of opportunities and resources, Jones commented."

About Baker Tilly
With staff totaling more than 1,400, Baker Tilly provides a wide range of accounting, tax, assurance, and consulting services. Ranked as the 13th largest firm in the country, Baker Tilly serves clients from offices in Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, New York, Washington D.C., and throughout Wisconsin.

Baker Tilly is an independent member of Baker Tilly International, a worldwide network of 147 high quality, independent accounting and business advisory firms in 114 countries, with more than 26,000 professionals. The combined worldwide revenue of independent member firms exceeds $3.13 billion.

About VSCPA
The Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (VSCPA) is the leading professional association dedicated to enhancing the success of CPAs. Founded in 1909, the VSCPA has approximately 9,000 members who work in public accounting, industry, government and education. For more information, please visit the Press Room on the VSCPA website at www.vscpa.com, e-mail vscpa@vscpa.com or call (804) 612-9424. To search for a CPA in your geographic region, visit www.FinancialFitness.org and click on “Find a CPA."

1 -- Ranking based on Inside Public Accounting’s “2010 Top 100 Accounting Firms"

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