Associate professor and chair of Mercy’s accounting program Denise Stefano was recently elected to serve a one-year term as President of the Foundation for Accounting Education (FAE), which is the continuing education arm of the New York State Society of CPAs (NYSSCPA) — one of the largest state accounting organizations in the country.
The FAE delivers continuing education to CPAs throughout New York State, offering a wide selection of educational content on accounting, auditing, taxation and other industry-specific topics in multiple formats, including online courses and in-person seminars.
One of the initiatives that Stefano hopes to expand this year is offering continuing education virtually. She explained that when the FAE began offering events virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization was able to reach more accounting professionals throughout the state, even non-members.
Stefano’s new role with the FAE gives her unique insight into the accounting field, which directly informs her work at Mercy, both as she teaches classes and as she leads the accounting program: “Through the FAE, I hear from practitioners what they feel they need to learn about. If that knowledge is important in the marketplace, it’s certainly important in the classroom because our students are going to need the same knowledge and skills when they go out to get jobs.”
Stefano’s long involvement with NYSSCPA — she previously served as an FAE Trustee and Vice President of NYSSCPA, and she currently serves on the NYSSCPA Board of Directors — has supported Mercy’s accounting program in many ways over the years: “It’s more than just helping our students get jobs through my expansive professional network. I also learn about relevant issues and information such as what's going on with the CPA Evolution initiative and the new CPA exam, which is scheduled to launch in 2024. That firsthand knowledge makes me a better educator and enhances the value we provide for students within the Mercy College accounting program.”