Celebrate Change

At IMA, our global membership has grown to more than 130,000, we have an incoming Global Board of Directors that reflects our changing membership demographics and includes more corporate representation, and we’re providing an increasing number of CPE offerings for our members worldwide. Those are only part of the list.

Change at IMA often means expanding our most popular programs to reach even more of our global membership base. When I wrote this column, I was preparing for my April trip to meet our members in UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and India and to participate in Women’s Accounting Leadership Series events as well as technical sessions on Six Sigma, ethics, and servant leadership. I couldn’t be happier to have my longtime role model and friend Sandra Richtermeyer, IMA Chair in 2010-2011, join me in Jordan to share her perspective on servant leadership. Sandy is known around the world for her passion on this topic and for serving the accounting profession. I feel lucky to call her my friend.

I’m also in the middle of significant personal changes. My husband, Scott, and I are relocating to Sarasota, Fla., where I have accepted the position of chief operating officer of the American Accounting Association (AAA). I’m so excited about this new opportunity and the AAA team I’m joining effective May 1, 2019. Serving the accounting profession has been a longtime passion of mine, and I’m happy to extend this further as I work with the amazing AAA team.

Change often brings about what I call “sweet-tart” moments. So while I’m excited to continue my service to the profession by joining AAA, it’s difficult to leave behind family, friends, colleagues, and employees in Indiana and at Cummins.

One way to address that sadness is to think about the many positive changes I helped implement throughout my more than 21 years of service at Cummins that will continue well after I’m gone. Recently I was excited to learn that three Six Sigma projects I sponsored in 2018 were just announced as Cummins Business Impact Award winners. These projects collectively led to more than $40 million in free cash flow improvement to the business. Congratulations to my colleagues, the belts who led these projects: Patricia Fields, David Beed, and Phaneendra Chinta! I hope to remain in touch with them and quite a few of my Cummins friends as we continue our career journeys.

How is change impacting your life? How can IMA help you with your transitions? I would like to hear from you about your life-changing events at gwhite@imanet.org.