PBN Diversity Equity & Inclusion 2023 Awards
Accounting: CLA
MICHAEL UNG VIEWS diversity, equity and inclusion in three ways. Ung, assurance signing director at national accounting firm CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, which has a Cranston office, says diversity is a celebration of people’s different strengths and collectively makes a better world than any one person could alone. Equity, he says, is each person sharing their biggest strengths and giving the right amount of support to others to enhance their own perspectives and experiences, and in turn also learning from and relying on others.
“Inclusion means bringing as many ideas and perspectives to the table as possible,” Ung said. “At CLA, we promise to know you and to help you. A diverse workforce brings a wide range of perspectives, experiences and ideas, leading to better decision-making, problem-solving and outcomes, and we can better serve our clients and communities by creating a more innovative and collaborative work environment.”
As a company, CLA views promoting diversity and inclusion as more than a lofty corporate human relations policy. It values and celebrates every team member’s personal experiences as a critical pathway to making the entire organization stronger.
To measure progress toward clearly defined goals and benchmarks, as well as make plans for the year ahead, CLA prepares affirmative action plans annually. The firm implements policies that emphasize inclusion, fair employment practices, diversity, equal opportunity, affirmative action, anti-harassment, reasonable accommodation, and other diversity- and inclusion-driven strategies.
Along with releasing an annual DEI transparency report, CLA also created nine virtual belonging communities that meet monthly, creating opportunities for employees to find others like them within the firm and share experiences. The groups focus on leadership, education, community and client impact. They also have one DEI ambassador and several DEI enthusiasts at each CLA location working to help others raise their own voices and celebrate their differences. Such communities include Generationally Indigenous, Pride at CLA, Sankofa, CelebrAsian, Una Familia, Parents and Guardians, Women at CLA, Military Connections, and Abilities at CLA.
Ung says CLA has also created and shared a DEI Watch Party Playbook, which allowed the office to gather and listen to stories from each other, encouraging conversation on topics and growing its overall DEI acumen as an office.
One example of how these efforts effected real change was CLA’s donation to and support for NABA Inc. – formerly the National Association of Black Accountants – to help identify a new generation of accountants.
CLA CEO Jen Leary says one significant challenge the accounting profession faces is building and attracting the next generation of diverse talent. The number of college students taking the certified public accountant exam, she says, has fallen significantly in the past several years, particularly among minority students.
To address this, Leary says, CLA recently expanded its partnership with NABA. This includes actively participating in its annual conference with firm members attending, speaking on panels, as well as to students at historically Black colleges and universities.
Leary and CLA’s executive team visit each community to show support and discuss what is happening around the firm. They also hear directly what virtual belonging communities members may need or want to share to enhance employee engagement and ensure all voices are heard.
Because CLA focuses on clients that are small to medium businesses, local governments, universities and nonprofits, Leary says it’s critical that the firm be representative of the communities it serves and that it is actively creating opportunities within those communities.
In 2020, 1% of CLA’s firmwide leaders were people of color, Leary said. In 2022, that increased to 8%.
“From a leadership perspective, one of the most challenging aspects to overcome [disparity] is making inclusion a foundational value that we live and breathe,” Leary said. “When we fall … we pick each other up. I’m proud to say that we are making progress.”
