News Archive

USF Accounting Circle's Annual CPE Conference Honors Deloitte US CEO Joe Ucuzoglu with Lynn Pippenger Recognition Award

 

TAMPA (June 14, 2021) -- The 2021 Accounting Circle CPE Conference, hosted May 20-21, by the Lynn Pippenger School of Accountancy within the USF Muma College of Business, featured leaders and experts from around the nation, who spoke to key industry trends and the emergence of the industry following the pandemic.

The two-day annual conference for accounting and auditing professionals took place on a virtual platform hosted by vFairs, seamlessly transitioning among twelve relevant sessions over two days. Joe Ucuzoglu, Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte US, delivered the keynote address, sharing perspectives on the challenges and opportunities brought on by the pandemic as well as the future of the accounting profession.

“This has been an unprecedented year,” he said, “with the combination of so many phenomena: a health crisis, an economic crisis, and a social justice crisis. This created enormous complexities and challenges for all of us, but it also gave us an opportunity to demonstrate resilience.”

He said that as the nation emerges from all those challenges, “we’re on a positive trajectory and it gives us a chance to reflect back on how well the profession withstood these challenges. We continued to deliver on our core mission and that is to keep the capital markets moving forward and to make a positive impact in our communities.”

Ucuzoglu was also this year’s recipient of the Lynn Pippenger Recognition Award, presented by USF President Steve Currall at the virtual conference.

“This award was developed to recognize superior contributions, achievements, and service to the profession,” Currall said in presenting the award to Ucuzoglu.

“I am very humbled, particularly since Lynn is such a historic figure in our profession, breaking down barriers and setting examples for future generations,” Ucuzoglu said. “We have a very vibrant community of USF alumni at Deloitte and that speaks to the quality of education here and the values of this institution,” he continued.

Deloitte is a supporter of USF and the accountancy program and has been a longtime sponsor of the annual Accounting Circle conference. Deloitte employs about 300 USF alumni across its organization.

This year’s conference drew over 540 registrants and 24 sponsors. The event’s overall net proceeds fund scholarships, programs and faculty development within in the school.

The USF Accounting Circle, which stages the conference each year, began in 1990 to support the Lynn Pippenger School of Accountancy. Professor Katie Davis, faculty liaison for the Accounting Circle, plays a major role in bringing the conference to the profession, reflecting the Circle’s partnership among faculty, students, alumni, and friends of the school. The mission of the organization is to enhance student and professional development and promote student and faculty success through opportunities that engage the Tampa Bay business community.