Presidents Message

It is with great honor and admiration to have been elected to be the President of the Cuban-American CPAs Association and its Foundation (CACPAF).  This great Association unites our heritage and interest and shares a commitment to the highest standards of our profession. Established in 1980, we have provided leadership on issues affecting our accounting profession and promoting the practice of sound accounting.  I give special thanks to our past-Presidents for their devotion and sacrifices to build a strong foundation that to date has over 600 members with prosperity to growth. 

As we approach the Association’s 30th year, we will continue the rich tradition as CPA professionals to give back to our community and assist our members.  Thanks to the countless hours of hard work and dedication by our past-Presidents, board members, members at large and sponsors, we have built a permanent foundation and an everlasting Association in our community.  During this past year, the Association hosted key events that helped us continue our mission of giving back to our community:

• In October 2008, the fiscal year commenced with our Annual Fundraising Gala “Celebrating Our Contribution to the Profession”. During the Gala, we honored South Florida Cuban American Office Managing Partners, Tony Argiz, Mario de Armas, Cesar Clavero, Albert Lopez, Hector Mojena and Oscar Suarez. I would like to thank our 2008 Gala sponsors, many who are here tonight, and our Board for their generous contributions and efforts to making the Gala a successful event. Proceeds raised from the Gala approximated $10,000 which were subsequently granted to qualified minority students pursing accounting degrees. None of this would have been possible without our Sponsors’ and Members’ continued support to the CACPAF.  

• In November 2008, the Cuban-American CPA Foundation during its Scholarship Night gave out $15,000 in scholarships to students from Miami-Dade Community College, Barry University, Florida International University, St. Thomas University and the University of Miami.  A special thanks to Northwestern Mutual for their sponsorship of Scholarship Night, to Blanca Ortega, Alex Sueiro and the professors from each of the universities and college for their commitment and hard work in making our Scholarship Night a success!

• In December 2008, we returned to Centro Mater for our annual Toy Drive.  Thanks to the generous contributions of our members, we were able to purchase toys for the needy children at Centro Mater.  A special thanks to Susy Vega, Frank & Maria Gonzalez (a/k/a Santa Claus and Ms Claus) and all those involved in making this event one of the most rewarding days of the year.

• During the year, we hosted various Continuing Professional Education (CPE) seminars for our members.  A special thanks to the various sponsors we had for the CPE seminars during the year (Northwestern Mutual, Prudential, Bernstein Global Wealth Management and Citigroup). 

• In June 2009, we returned to Marco Island for our Annual Retreat. This year marked an incredible retreat as Northwestern Mutual sponsored a “Salsa in the Sands” and “Ice Cream Party with Penny the Pig” for the members and their families. A fantastic time was had by all and for that a special thanks goes out to Rich Goodman, Darling Lie-Nielson and a very special thanks to Ileana Valdes for the great job she continues to do each and every year with the Marco Island Retreat.

• In September 2009, the joint golf tournament with the Cuban-American Bar Association (CABA) was once again a great event.  The golf tournament was sold-out weeks prior to the date of the event and proceeds raised will once again go towards both Associations’ Scholarship Fund.  A special thanks to Mellon Bank our title sponsor, the CACPAF & CABA golf tournament committee members, Carlos Perez-Abreu, Manny Garcia-Linares and Jose Gomez for their leadership and efforts in once again putting together a successful golf tournament.

Our 2009 Gala celebrates two outstanding individuals, Dr. Pedro Greer, Jr and Dr. Modesto A. Maidique that signify our community and excellence to our heritage. It is the CACPAF’s honor to recognize these individuals for their contributions to the community.

I would also like to thank our 2009 Gala Sponsors: Platinum Sponsors (Bacardi/Dewars12, FICPA and TotalBank) and our Silver Sponsors (Berenfeld, Spritzer, Shechter & Sheer, LLP, Deloitte, LLP, Northwestern Mutual, Pollack & Rosen, Staples, and Wachovia Bank).  None of this tonight would have been possible without their continuous and generous support of our Association. 

It is with great privilege to serve our Association and its Foundation. Just like our founding members had a vision, I along with our immediate ex-oficio, Adrian Alfonso and our esteemed Board share the same vision and mission of our great organization and look forward in taking the necessary steps to ensure that our vision holds true.  I thank the past Board members for their dedication and commitment and welcome the incoming Board members for whom I am confident will continue to cement our contributions to this exceptional profession.  I look forward to begin working with our great Board of Directors and to a very successful 30th year.

Saludos,
Eduardo Duarte, CPA
President