During remarks today at the California Society of CPAs Council meeting, newly elected Education Foundation President Joseph A. Forlenza, CFP, CPA, identified his priorities for the coming year. He will focus on broadening the competencies and specialized knowledge of CPAs to include newer technologies, such as blockchain, robotic-process automation, machine-learning, as well as data science, and advanced analytics as a way to ensure the continued value of CPAs as the most trusted advisors in business.

“The CalCPA Education Foundation is the competency and learning team for CalCPA —– we have always focused on bringing quality, timely and relevant learning programs to the profession to arm them with the knowledge they need to deliver value in their various professional roles,” said Joseph A. Forlenza, president of the CalCPA Education Foundation. “Given the increasing complexity and evolving needs of business today, coupled with the pressure to increase value and drive growth, CPAs must broaden their skill sets to include knowledge in areas like technology, data science, data visualization and automation that will help solve these complexities and deliver value. The foundation is here to help them do that through our national webcast platform, thousands of education programs and industry leading conferences.”

CalCPA continues to invest in people, technology and products to ensure that members and customers have access to innovative solutions to meet the learning expectations of our members and their employers.

“We’re implementing systems that will empower CPAs to learn 24×7 whenever and wherever they want,” added Forlenza. “Members want to access education on any device, in any time zone, on any relevant topic. We aim to provide a customized mix of education resources that addresses each member’s personal needs, and having the right technologies in place is crucial to make this happen. This is why we are investing in things like our national platform and alternative formats such as ‘nano’ learning.”

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Forlenza was elected as President of the Board of Trustees for the CalCPA Education Foundation during the CalCPA Council meeting this week in Santa Barbara. Forlenza has been a trustee since 2011 and most recently held the position of first vice president. Forlenza is the founder and managing partner of Skycity Advisors LLC, located in San Diego. He is a financial advisor holding both the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and specializes in retirement planning. Mr. Forlenza is a member of CalCPA, past 2008-2009 president of the San Diego Chapter and serves on the American Institute of CPAs California Council Delegation.