Tammy Hutter, Phyllis Kapetanakis and Keegan Leonard
Outstanding Contributor Award
Julia Shiota, MNCPA communications coordinator | October/November 2024 Footnote
Tammy Hutter, Phyllis Kapetanakis and Keegan Leonard were instrumental in the development of the young professionals (YP) track at the MNCPA’s TAX Conference in 2023, working with the MNCPA conferences team to realize their vision for a track geared towards those early in their career. Their work resulted in a sold-out track, capped at nearly 60 attendees in its first year, and the return of the YP track for this fall’s TAX Conference.
“It had been something that was on a list to get started for a while,” Tammy, a partner at Eide Bailly LLP, said. “It was the year I chaired the TAX Conference, so I thought: Let’s just do it!”
The trio tapped into the desire to focus on the needs of early-career professionals, drawing on their varied experiences and perspectives to develop the track.
“My firm relies on MNCPA training for most of our staff and there hasn’t been anything geared specifically towards young professionals historically for TAX Conference,” Keegan, a senior manager at Malloy, Montague, Karnowski, Radosevich & Co., P.A., said. “I felt that I would be able to contribute to making the track successful by looking at what I would like our new staff to see.”
The attendees were a mix of members and nonmembers, creating a great space for networking and camaraderie amid intensive professional development.
“It is very exciting to be part of shaping the next generation of accountants, while also helping them get involved with the MNCPA,” said Phyllis, an associate professor at Augsburg University.
You can read more about the YP Track experience
here.
