MOVE Like This!
Accounting firm leaders are justifiably concerned about recruiting and retaining the talent needed for their firms to survive, and ideally, thrive. MOVE Like This features conversations, lessons and ideas Accounting MOVE Project firms have used to successfully find, retain, develop and advance women and diverse talent to drive competitive advantage and stand out from the crowd.
Episodes
When the language around diversity, equity, and inclusion becomes politically charged, many firms do one of two things: double down on the terminology or go completely silent. According to Cass Bailey, CEO of Slice Communications, both are mistakes.
Cass joins host Bonnie ...
Most firms that try CliftonStrengths treat it as an event. Clark Nuber treats it as a culture. Angela Oakley, Director of the firm's Talent Advisor Program, joins host Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk to share what nearly a decade of strengths-based coaching looks like in practice — and why the difference between a one-time assessment and a lasting development pro...
There's a difference between being included and truly belonging — and for many women and professionals of color in accounting, that gap is exactly where careers stall. Donny Shimamoto of the Center for Accounting Transformation joins host Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk to explore why the profession keeps losing diverse talent before it reaches leadership, and what firms can do differently.
Donny speaks from personal experience as an Asian le...
What if your next great hire isn't the one with the most impressive resume — but the one who actually scores highest on the job? Ashley Kostos, Sales Manager at Accountests, joins host Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk to explore how data-driven skills assessments help accounting firms hire smarter, develop talent faster, and remove bias from promotion decisions.
<...What does it look like when a firm's CEO truly leads DEI from the top? BPM CEO Jim Wallace joins host Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk to share how his firm has woven diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging into its business strategy — not as a side initiative, but as a core operating principle.
In this episode of MOVE Like This, Bonnie speaks with Carrie Steffen about what she’s seeing from her new role as CEO of the Iowa Society of CPAs. After 25 years advising firms on growth and marketing, Carrie stepped into the CEO role in 2025 with responsibility for member engagement, education, and legislative advocacy. One of her earliest takeaways is that communication is far more complex than it appears. A state society represe...
Just in time for Girl Scout cookie season, we talk to Jessica McClain, the organizations newly-appointed CFO. On this episode, Jessica and Bonnie talk about the importance of "belonging" in the workplace. Research shows that at least 64% of people feel the need to hide some aspect of their identity from their co-workers. Trying to keep part of yourself hidden is stressful, and the energy used to perform a certain way is energy that...
On this episode, we talk about why so many women are "people pleasers" and have such a hard time saying no when needed. We dive into how to identify our boundaries and literally practice saying "no" until we are comfortable doing so. We then expand on that conversation to discuss what firm leaders can do to create a culture where client needs are met and team members support each other yet everyone can ask for what they need and sa...
Today, we leave the accounting profession for an episode and talk to Safiya Reid, the AVP of Employee Engagement with Pure Insurance. We talk about how she got into the DEI space, why focusing on naysayers is not the best use of our time, and reiterate how this work is all about adding opportunities – not subtracting them. We also talk about how we both look forward to a day when we work ourselves out of a job in DEI because it is ...
Strap in because this one is longer than most but well worth the time investment. Sandra Wiley, president of Boomer Consulting, joins to discuss Boomer's DEI Consortium, the talent shortage, and how firms can rise above the talent shortage. But we also discuss how DEI is a "human issue" even though many try to politicize it, particularly during these few weeks prior to a presidential election. We share personal stories and how each...
After a break in August, we kick off September with a great conversation with Mayumi Young, the founder and CEO of CPA MOMS. We discuss what led her to starting this business and how it has grown and changed since 2008. We also delve into the accounting profession as a whole, discussing how firms need to make adjustments to attract, retain and promote women, people of color and particularly, Gen Z employees, as well as how individu...
On this episode, Bonnie is joined by Liz Barentzen, VP of Operations and Talent Initiatives for the Center for Audit Quality, to talk about the Accounting+ program which has been educating young people, particularly those in underrepresented groups, about the benefits and possibilities of a career in accounting. We talk about why the profession is facing this unprecedented shortage of talent, how the campaign was started, where it ...
On this episode, Bonnie is joined by Tricia Bencich of Moss Adams for the second time. We go deep on the idea of "mental load" and how it impacts us, particularly women, in the workplace. While you may not be familiar with the phrase "mental load," I'm willing to bet you experience it all the time, since it is a term for the invisible labor involved in managing a household and family. We talk about why women carry so much mental lo...
On today's episode, we talk to Rob Lucas, the director of corporate initiatives at the Alzheimer's Association. Why, you ask? In part, because Bonnie was recently asked to join their Accounting Industry Leadership Council, and she wanted to share the great work of this group. Interestingly, it is often accountants that notice the first signs of Alzheimer's in their clients, which is part of the reason this council was formed four y...
On today's episode, Carol Ann Nash from Armanino shares what her firm is doing to create a work culture that takes into account post-COVID desires for flexibility while also meeting team needs when they come into the office. We discuss what employees are saying they want most, not only in terms of where they work, but in the type of work they do. She shares the five tenets of Armanino's work strategy and offers advice for firm lead...
Strap in for a deep conversation with Jen Wilson, Co-Founder & Partner with Convergence Coaching, and a fellow member of the CPA Consultants' Alliance (https://cpaconsultantsalliance.com/). We talk about some of the biggest challenges facing the accounting profession, the work of the National Pipeline Advisory Group (https://www.accountingpipeline.org/), the importance of inclusion and diversity for firms' longevity, and how fi...
On this episode, I catch up with Trevor Williams, DEI Director with GRF CPAs & Advisors. He and his firm were recently featured in an Accounting Today article for their DEI efforts and the transparency report they released that talks about the strides made, but also points out the areas where more work is needed and how they are going to get there. We dig into current DEI skepticism, the many facets of diversity, and get his ad...
In this episode, we take a break from accounting and talk about something that impacts all of us: healthcare. As the CEO of Magee-Womens Research Institute & Foundation, Michael has a front row seat to what is going on in women's healthcare and is one of the strongest advocates in the area. We talk about what brought him to this role, why women have only been included in clinical and pharmaceutical trials for such a short time,...
On this episode of MOVE Like This, Bonnie is joined by Jessica Hekmatjah, Chief Marketing & Corporate Development Officer at BPM. We discuss the firm's substantial increase in women partners between 2022 and 2023 and how leadership support is important to any DEI initiative. We also learn the valuable role BPM's colleague resource groups play in its strategy and culture and learn what advice Jessica has for firms looking to att...
On this episode, we have our first return guest! Our very first guest, Mary Maguire, formerly of SAPRO and currently CEO of MJM Talent Solutions, returns to talk about the state of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in the accounting profession. We dive into what programs need to succeed, why firms should not pull back on their efforts, and the myriad benefits businesses experience when DEIB is woven into its DNA. We also c...
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