Advocacy for Us Is Advocating for All

Geoffrey Brown, CAE President and CEO, Illinois CPA Society
Insights From Your President and CEO

Advocacy is one of the Illinois CPA Society’s key strategic drivers, and as the profession navigates the current environment, our advocacy focus has never been more important. When most think about advocacy, the first thing that comes to mind is likely government relations. While government relations and stewarding purposeful policy is an important part of advocacy, our advocacy initiatives involve so much more.

Advocacy, in my view, is a fundamental element of our work as a professional association that’s accomplished in a variety of ways:

• Advancing and pursuing public policy that supports certified public accountants (CPAs), CPA firms, and the broader business community.
• Leveraging our position as a respected thought leader to further our organization’s mission and the profession’s standing.
• Actively sharing the collective voice of our members and stakeholders to steer not only public policy but to enhance the public’s knowledge.
• Engaging in responsible lobbying and other political activities necessary to gather the resources required to support our purposes.

In this current climate, it’s imperative that we ensure our advocacy priorities advance, as we have a duty to effectively represent the interests of our constituents and stakeholders before a variety of governmental bodies and the public.

From a legislative and public policy perspective, I’m proud to say that we fulfilled our key legislative priorities in 2025. Our team worked diligently to see that the Illinois Public Accounting Act was amended to add new pathways to CPA licensure within our state. At the same time, we effectively enhanced CPA practice mobility within and beyond our borders. We also successfully advocated against tax policies that would’ve negatively impacted CPAs and their firms, all while advocating for the fair taxation of the business community and the public. These important policy achievements alone have paved the way for our efforts yet to come.

However, while we work with stakeholders on relevant issues and advocate on your behalf, we also encourage you to get involved in the important work of advancing both practical public policy and the CPA profession. To start, you can support our advocacy initiatives and policy efforts by:

• Using your local legislative voice. When called upon, contact your legislators and regulators to amplify our messaging.
• Engaging your local media. Media outlets often seek CPAs for their expertise and professional opinions on a wide variety of business and finance topics. Don’t be shy about engaging with media outlets in your area.

Advocacy helps ensure that we aren’t missing opportunities to advance CPAs, the profession, or our organization and its mission. In fact, the book “Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits” states the most effective organizations are actively engaging in advocacy as a fundamental strategy for greater impact.

Organizations like ours have a responsibility to create conditions for their members and stakeholders to thrive. We’ve found that intentional, fact-based engagement—combined with relevant technical assistance—is a powerful tool. We’re not just pursuing a policy agenda; we’re engaging with policymakers and advocating for our collective community—and we’re making positive change because of it.

Related Content:

• Choose Your Own Adventure: Investors or Independence: As CPA firm leaders think about the future of their organizations, we want them to know that they have options.
• A Pathway for All: As our legislation to create new pathways to becoming a licensed CPA in Illinois makes its way to being signed into law, embracing adaptability must become the focus.