It's July 1 — time again to welcome another slate of volunteer leaders to the MACPA's Board of Directors.

At the top of the list is Chair Allen DeLeon, who is keeping his eye on a number of looming issues — private company standards, XBRL, and a special autumn session of Maryland's General Assembly that promises to keep the MACPA's legislative volunteers hopping.

At the end of the day, though, “I’m sure the issues will find us to a large extent,” he said.

That's been the norm recently, hasn't it? Chaos reigns, and the fantastic rate of change makes it diffuclt to plan for that chaos. The issues find us.

The MACPA's volunteers often save the day, but there's more in it for them than just heroism.

“It wasn't until later in my career that it dawned on me how important it was to contribute my time and efforts to various organizations and the benefits you get from that,” said DeLeon, founding partner of DeLeon and Stang in Gaithersburg. “What inspires me is trying to help young people understand that earlier in their careers, not just for their own benefit but for the benefit of others. I tell them, ‘Don't worry what you can get. Concentrate on what you can give, and the rest will take care of itself.’”

Read more about DeLeon's agenda, then meet the rest of the MACPA's 2011-12 officers and directors.

And think about joining our team of volunteers. Something tells me we're going to need during the next year.