During the September 2025 meeting of the AICPA’s Government Performance and Accountability Committee (GPAC), Margaret Fiorentino, executive director of Beta Alpha Psi, spoke of the success of the organization and next steps AICPA members can take to get involved. The following contains highlights from the presentation.
An honor organization of academic excellence, Beta Alpha Psi continues to inspire the next generation of accounting and finance professionals.
Students must meet rigorous academic criteria to join, and they benefit from memorable events and opportunities such as professional sessions, peer-to-peer mentoring, outreach to high school students, community service, and competitions.
Supported by professional partnerships, including Fortune 100 companies, CPA state societies, top firms, and not-for-profits, Beta Alpha Psi helps students prepare for the workplace, build a network, and develop an appreciation of lifelong learning.
The AICPA is a sponsor of Beta Alpha Psi and shares the organization’s passion to inspire accounting students to pursue a career in finance.
More than a century of success
Beta Alpha Psi celebrates academic excellence and has been nurturing university students to become future leaders since its founding in 1919. The students experience a variety of activities and demonstrate a willingness to listen, learn, and lead during the four pillars of chapter programs:
Pillar 1 involves professional sessions — Presentations on topics such as interview preparation, careers in government, change management, and fundamentals of LinkedIn. Students also enjoy soft-skills workshops and peer-to-peer modeling, where any topic can be discussed (e.g., what it’s like to transfer from a two-year college to four-year university).
Pillar 2 includes outreach, such as speaking about accounting careers to students at high schools and community colleges and providing campus tours. At Ball State University, for example, members led a campus tour, including a Q&A session, classroom visits, and lunch with the HS students. Beta Alpha Psi is known as a bridge between high school and the profession.
Pillar 3entails community service, such as volunteering income tax services for lower income families and providing resources to underserved communities.
Ross Baldwin, CPA, CGMA, CFE, CIA, senior auditor for the Arkansas Legislative Audit, shares: “Arkansas Society of CPAs Western Chapter partners with the University of Arkansas Fort Smith’s Beta Alph Psi chapter for an annual day of service. The past few years, local CPA firms have collected canned and dried foods for the university’s food pantry.”
Pillar 4 involves competitions in which Beta Alpha Psi members can apply theoretical knowledge to hands-on projects to create service-driven solutions. Sponsors such as the AICPA provide food, prizes, and speakers for events.
Chapters are nationwide, offering programs that can be scaled to meet local needs.
There are more than 300 chapters across the United States, Australia, and New Zealand with chapter programs that are scaled to purpose.
Chapters are expected to lead with purpose and can use an online tool to guide planning activities that fit their specific members and campus. Plus, there’s a point system to measure engagement, ensure accountability, and recognize a chapter’s outstanding performance in promoting service to members, the local campus and community, and the profession.
Ryan McDonough, Ph.D., CPA, a business professor at Rutgers University, was involved in Beta Alpha Psi as a university student and, in his article “Academic-practitioner collaborations inspire future public sector CPAs,” he notes that AICPA members would be more than welcome to speak at any university.
The network of Beta Alpha Psi alumni is 370,000+ strong, which also makes it a bridge from academia to career. Students are invited to join the alumni and member network to enjoy professional connections well into adulthood.
If you’re interested in getting involved but there’s no chapter in your state, there may be one in your region. You’re invited to contact Margaret Fiorentino with any questions or for opportunities to collaborate with a local chapter.
Additional resources to reach the next generation of CPAs
Pipeline and Leadership in the Public Sector: The Government Impact report presents strategies to strengthen recruitment.
This Way to CPA provides tools to promote the accounting profession.
Montana Society of CPAs offers a video of insights about how personal experiences impact the talent pipeline.
About the experts
Margaret Fiorentino, B.A., has served as the executive director at Beta Alpha Psi since 2014; she manages all aspects of Beta Alpha Psi membership activities and operations. Margaret holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from City College in New York and has diverse corporate experience that includes college and IT recruitment and office administration for such companies as The Pepsi Bottling Group and The Nine West Group.
About the AICPA’s Government Performance and Accountability Committee
Comprising 12 volunteer committee members, and in collaboration with staff at the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants®, the Government Performance and Accountability Committee advises government officials, regulators, and stakeholders, advocating issues that matter to the accounting and finance profession. If you’d like to learn more about GPAC, please email Lori Sexton.