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Meet AAA's New Chief Diversity Officer: Building an Inclusive Community
An Interview with Barbee Myers Oakes
As part of realizing our vision of being an organization that promotes and supports a culture of belonging, mutual respect, and diversity, the AAA recently welcomed Dr. Oakes into the professional staff as our first Chief Diversity Officer (CDO). So that you get introduced to Barbee and share in our excitement, we have prepared a video interview with Dr. Oakes, conducted by Past President Elaine Mauldin.
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Trailblazers of the Accounting Profession
Feature: Frank Ross
Frank Ross, 2024 Accounting Hall of Fame Inductee and a former partner at KPMG, paved the way in the accounting field, overcoming significant challenges throughout his extensive career. In December 1969, amidst an accounting profession where only 136 out of 100,000 CPAs were black, Ross was one of nine individuals who convened in New York City to form an organization aimed at supporting minority accountants and promoting excellence in both the profession and academia. This led to the creation of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA). A decade later, he marked a milestone by becoming the first African American partner at Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co., the predecessor of KPMG.
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Ruth Coles Harris, 2022
Feature: Ruth Coles Harris
In 1963, Ruth Coles Harris became the first African American woman to earn a CPA license in Virginia. At that time, there were fewer than 100 Black CPAs in the United States. Dr. Harris was a professor at Virginia Union University in Richmond for 48 years. There, she served as the first director of the Sydney Lewis School of Business, which now houses the Ruth Coles Harris Leadership Institute.
Harris holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia State University, a master’s from New York University and a doctorate from William & Mary. Meet Ruth in a pair of podcasts at the Journal of Accountancy Website:
Interview 1: The struggles and triumphs of the first Black CPAs Interview 2: What we can do to increase the number of Black CPAsDEI Research in Academia
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AAA is pleased to announce the launch of our DEIB Certificate Course,
The Architecture of Inclusion, free to members.
Click here
Featured Resources
- U.S. Census Bureau – Black History Month Features – Facts, statistics, and graphics that highlight Black Americans' historical and contemporary impact.
- National Museum of African American History & Culture – Virtual exhibits, digital collections, and educational resources covering Black history, culture, and achievements.
- The Library of Congress – Black History Month Portal – A collaboration of the Library of Congress, National Archives, and other institutions offering historic records, videos, and primary sources.
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