Serving as the director of administration of a small regional accounting firm, Kelly Nizzer-Bates is used to wearing many hats.
Her routine might include day-to-day management tasks or talking about strategic items or operational items with partners. Or she might be doing something with initiatives in human resources, business development or marketing.
As the new president of the Ohio Chapter of the Association for Accounting Administration (AAA), Nizzer-Bates can reach out to her fellow members to see what’s worked and what hasn’t at their firms.
“It stops you from reinventing the wheel. [It] taps into their knowledge,” said Nizzer-Bates, who started her two-year term in July. “Often we’re not in competition, so someone from the West Coast might share their strategy because [of that].
“Having a community of experts to tap into ... where you can put out a question and get an answer on something you’re working on right away is very invaluable,” said Nizzer-Bates, who has been with Schlabig & Associates, with offices in Akron and Kent, for seven years.
As president of the Ohio Chapter of the AAA, Bates will provide leadership for the organization and its members and serve as ambassador to the national office and the Ohio Society of CPAs. She previously served as the chapter’s vice president and program chair.
The AAA is the core group that supports the CPA profession, she said. Members include accounting firm partners, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and administrators. The national group has a membership of about 1,000 and the Ohio Chapter membership totals about 60.
Among her priorities, Nizzer- Bates said, is solidifying the group’s relationship with the Ohio Society of CPAs.
“That relationship significantly blossomed. We are in close partnership with the society so we can work on professional issues facing CPA firms together — those could be tax issues, liability issues, awareness issues — anything that faces the profession,” Nizzer-Bates said.
Nizzer-Bates is also a member of the Knowledgeable Network of Women (KNOW) of the Greater Akron Chamber.
The native of England has lived in the Akron area for 20 years. She lives in Bath Township with her husband and two children.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/blinfisher and see all her stories at www.ohio.com/betty.