Knowing the man, he probably wouldn’t want me to say anything, but I’m going to anyway. After all he’s done for this profession, and for Maryland CPAs in particular, this occasion is worth noting.

Today is Tom Hood’s 20th anniversary as CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs.

Tom is that rarest of association executives: He is actually a member of the profession he serves. His experience as a CPA means he’s vested in and passionate about making the profession he loves better.

His work goes beyond mere service, though. Tom decided early on that the MACPA’s members needed more than affordable CPE and legislative advocacy. They, like all CPAs, needed a guide to the future — someone to help them make sense of a changing a complex world.

Tom has been more than happy to lead the way.

• He has helped create the Business Learning Institute, an MACPA affiliate designed to deliver the evolving skills and training that CPAs will need to succeed going forward.
• He has vowed to help CPA firms and finance departments nationwide solve their most pressing problems through cutting-edge strategic planning sessions that he helped create through a process known as Insights To Action.
• He has committed himself to help train the next generation of CPA leaders through a series of Leadership Academies that he has delivered to young professionals not only in Maryland, but throughout the country.
• He is one of our profession’s most sought-after thought leaders on the future of accounting and finance, and what CPAs can do to become more future-ready — and how they can help their clients become more future-ready at the same time.
• He has been recognized annually as one of the most influential people in accounting.
• Perhaps most important, he has turned Maryland into Ground Zero for accounting innovation and future-readiness.

And that’s just what he does for you.

As a boss, Tom makes work fun, and purposeful, and educational. I was a sports editor before I joined the MACPA. Sixteen years later, and against all odds, I’ve been recognized as a thought leader in this profession. Why? Because Tom Hood took the time to teach me everything he knows. He does that for every member of the MACPA team. I wouldn’t be where I am today, and the MACPA wouldn’t be where it is today, without Tom Hood.

And you, Maryland’s CPAs — and this nation’s CPAs, for that matter — are better, too, thanks to the work he does and (we hope) will continue to do for many more years.

So let’s raise a glass in Tom’s honor. After all he’s given us, we owe him that much … and much more.

Thanks for 20 amazing years, Tom … and congratulations!