Wipfli doubles donations to support education programs for Black students

At Wipfli, we are dedicated to strengthening diversity in our industry, as well as at our firm.

To further that goal, Wipfli has more than doubled its support for two education programs that support furthering diverse representation in the accounting industry. Our support includes donating more than $20,000 to programs at the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) and the Illinois Association of Certified Public Accountants (IACPA).

Wipfli has long supported NABA programs on college campuses, but this year the firm expanded its support to include the Accounting Career Awareness Program, which is a one-week program for Black high school students interested in accounting and finance careers.

“Over the past few years, Wipfli has expanded its campus recruiting to actively seek a more diverse pool of candidates,” said Wipfli Managing Partner Kurt Gresens. “In doing so, it became evident that we could make a real impact by supporting programs that encourage high-school students from underrepresented communities to consider careers in accounting and professional services.”

The program includes a mixture of classes, college preparation education and mock interviews with CPA firms.

In addition, Wipfli doubled its annual donation to the Mary T. Wylie Internship Preparation Program, which is administered by the IACPA. The program provides under-represented college students with training, resources, mentors and the opportunity to interview for paid internships at firms.

The program is named for Wylie, who was the first Black woman to become a certified public accountant in the United States.