I just found out about a relatively new Asian American professional group, the Nat'l. Asian American Society of Accountants (NAASA). They're holding a conference tomorrow:
First Ever National Conference of Asian American Accountants and Financial Executives to Meet in San Francisco
press release - 4 June 2007
A gathering of accountants and finance professionals will meet to determine how to improve the number of Asian Americans advancing into the top management ranks of the nation's top companies. Currently it is estimated that more than 10 percent of all accounting and finance professionals in the U.S. and more than 25 percent in the San Francisco Bay Area are of Asian ethnicity, yet less than two out of every 100 board of directors from Fortune 500 companies are of Asian ethnicity...
...As part of NAASA's mission to continuously influence and encourage the development of accounting professionals, finance professionals and students, it will hold its first conference on June 9 at the Hyatt Embarcadero in San Francisco. The conference and dinner is expected to attract more than 300 attendees...
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The theme of this conference is "Inspiring Across Generations". I would expect that they would eventually have awards for most inspirational accountant of the year, lifetime achievement, etc.
I have a candidate in mind, although I don't know what category he might fit into. His story is kindof inspiring, in a way:
Lou Lung Pai
A Big Stock Seller, with a Taste for Glitter
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=13194
by Kate Murphy / CorpWatch
Lou Lung Pai headed several divisions at Enron, including Enron Energy Services, which sold contracts to provide natural gas and electricity to companies for long periods. Born in Nanjing, China, he emigrated with his parents to the United States when he was 2. He earned a master's degree in economics at the University of Maryland and worked for the Securities and Exchange Commission before joining Enron in 1986.
Regarded by colleagues as prickly, Mr. Pai (pronounced "pie") was also known for running up large bills on the company expense account at strip clubs. His affair with an exotic dancer ended his marriage in 1999, and he sold most of his Enron shares to settle the divorce. Mr. Pai's take, more than $271 million, is the largest of any former Enron employee and has made him the target of several shareholder lawsuits.
Mr. Pai, who resigned from the company six months before it filed for bankruptcy protection, has been questioned by federal prosecutors and S.E.C. investigators but has not been charged with wrongdoing. Through his lawyers, he has said he was not involved in promoting Enron stock and denies knowledge of any illegal, off-the-books accounting. His name appears on a list of potential witnesses for the defense in the trial of Mr. Lay and Mr. Skilling.
Mr. Pai married the woman with whom he had the affair, and they live with their daughter in the Houston suburb of Sugar Land, where they also have a stable for breeding and training dressage horses. Until he sold it last year, Mr. Pai owned a 77,500-acre ranch in southern Colorado, which was the subject of several lawsuits over access and grazing rights.
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Whatever you may think, you'd have to concede that Lou Pai had great timing...
Posted by raacluse at June 8, 2007 10:48 PM