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Nicholls State University Business College Dean Shawn Mauldin has been selected president of the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants for 2012-13.
Mauldin is the second certified public accountant from the Tri-parish region to lead the professional association in its 100 years of existence. He also is the first academic ever to be named to that post.
LCPA Executive Director Ron Gitz said Mauldin will lead the organization of 6,500 members. “He is in tune with the future of our society and its needs,” Gitz said. “It is great to have him.”
Mauldin has worked in higher education for 20 years, 11 of which have been at Nicholls. Prior to teaching in Thibodaux, he taught at the University of Mississippi and Southeastern Louisiana University. Mauldin also worked as a CPA in private practice.
“One of the benefits I bring to this position is my ability to bridge the gap between academics and the accounting profession,” the new LCPA president said. “Having been on both sides, I see what is involved with students and what practitioners need.”
Mauldin is credited by professional accountants and pupils for his ability to bring “real-world” elements and concerns to the classroom.
Nicholls senior Tim Tregle, who at the age of 54 is taking on accounting as a second career after having practiced several years as a chiropractor, agreed with claims made regarding Mauldin’s instructional skills.
“The younger students are technologically knowledgeable,” Tregle said, “but they do not know what it is like in the business world. [Mauldin] brings the practical application of the real world to them. He is a leader in the accounting field because he interacts well with people of many backgrounds.”
Houma-based CPA Charles Theriot was LCPA president from 1994-95. He said this position goes beyond leading meetings among accountants.
“As president [of the LCPA], you also are on the board of directors for the national council,” Theriot said. “With that, you have influence [with state legislators and the U.S. Congress] in developing tax laws and legislation [impacting business].”
As president, Mauldin will visit all nine state chapters, making presentations in business schools and accounting programs. He wants to provide college and high school students with information about the significance of being part of professional societies.
“Our profession and society membership is getting older, so we want to make sure we prepare the younger generation for leadership positions,” Mauldin said. “The younger generation has a tendency to not join professional associations as much as others in the past. One of my objectives is to encourage them to get involved early-on. [Accounting and business] is not just about what happened in the classroom.”
During his career, Mauldin has produced more than 90 academic and practitioner articles and presentations on accounting and business. He is past president of the 250-member LCPA South Central Chapter, has received a lifetime achievement award from the LCPA, and is a member of the South Louisiana Economic Council, Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce and the South Central Industrial Association.
The LCPA offers members multiple resources, promotes professional and moral standards among members and promotes public service among its members.
