Emerging Professionals

Ready to take the next step in your accounting career and expand your professional circle? Whether you're just starting out or building momentum, the AICPA offers emerging professionals a variety of ways to engage, connect, and make your mark on the profession. Whether you're looking for leadership experience, technical knowledge, or to grow your professional network, the AICPA provides engagement opportunities for everyone. Here are some general highlights, and additional information can be found at Emerging Professionals Community | Resources | AICPA & CIMA

Volunteer Committees

AICPA offers several committees where you can collaborate with others and contribute to the profession in areas that are of interest to you. Volunteer committee applications are typically open from August 1 to October 1 each year. While the current application window is closed, now is a great time to review the current listing of committees and identify committees of interest. The number of committees is vast and covers the key areas below:

• Conference Planning Committees: These committees help organize and shape upcoming AICPA events. Volunteers gain event-planning skills, collaborate with seasoned pros, and learn unique perspectives.
• Technical Committees: These committees dive deep into accounting topics, and volunteers contribute to technical discussions and guidance.
• Emerging Professionals Initiative Committee: Had to make special mention of this committee! The mission of this committee is to actively promote and enhance the experience of emerging professionals by providing leadership and development programs and networking opportunities.

A full listing of committees can be located here: Volunteer Opportunities - AICPA and CIMA. If you have any questions regarding committees, feel free to ask the Engage365 community!

AICPA Leadership Academy

For those looking to develop leadership skills, consider applying to the AICPA Leadership Academy. The four-day leadership program for emerging accounting and finance professionals engages candidates in a self-examination of leadership-what it means and how it impacts their personal life, career path, and the accounting profession. Applications typically open in January each year. The AICPA Leadership Academy has a highly active alumni community, so the benefits of the program last throughout your professional journey. For more details about the program, check out the information page at AICPA Leadership Academy | Resources | AICPA & CIMA.

AICPA Conferences

Attending conferences is a great way to meet like-minded professionals and stay up to date on industry trends. This is also a great opportunity to network with emerging professionals, as the conferences all have ample time allocated to attendee networking. A few notable AICPA conferences (and there are plenty!) include:

• Digital CPA: Focuses on emerging technologies and digital transformation in accounting. The current year's conference will be held in December in Washington, DC.
• Women's Leadership Summit: Focuses on networking and professional development to support the growth of women in the accounting and finance profession. The current year's conference will be held in November in Nashville.
• ENGAGE: The annual flagship event held in Las Vegas in June each year provides a broad array of learning tracks, with networking events throughout the conference for attendees, vendors, speakers, and sponsors. This is my favorite conference of the year, and with 2026 being the 10th anniversary for ENGAGE, expect next year's conference to be one for the ages.

A full listing of conferences can be located here: AICPA & CIMA Learning Products | Conferences | AICPA & CIMA. If you are attending a conference feel free to share on Engage365, as this will lead to great networking opportunities.

Engage365

Engage365 creates communities by topic area and makes collaboration and connectivity even easier for emerging professionals:

• Engage365 is your year-round hub for member engagement.
• Reach out to other members attending conferences and events, join discussion threads, or collaborate with peers on professional topics.
• The platform makes it easy to ask questions, share insights, and continue building relationships beyond in-person gatherings.

No matter your interests, there's a place for you to grow and connect with other emerging professionals at AICPA. Don't hesitate to get involved-whether it's through committee work, attending a conference, or starting a conversation right here on Engage365. You'll discover a welcoming network ready to support your career, answer your questions, and celebrate your achievements.

Please feel free to comment on your experiences and recommendations for AICPA member engagement opportunities. Would love to hear your thoughts!

Wow, thanks for sharing all of this great information Kathryn! I'm so glad you've taken advantage of opportunities like applying for the Emerging Professionals Initiatives Committee and the AICPA Leadership Academy.  While I am a bit biased, I can speak from my personal experience before joining the AICPA as the Senior Manager of Emerging Professionals Initiatives as I was accepted into the AICPA Leadership Academy Class of 2023. This program was so transformative to me on a personal and professional level and truly changed my life! 

I was able to learn about all the ways that I could grow as a CPA, as a leader in my firm, and as a leader in my community. I also made connections that I know will last a lifetime and continue to make new connections everyday with other Leadership Academy Alumni. I'm so grateful that I took a leap of faith and applied for the opportunity when it came across my inbox! You never know where life will take you!