Accounting
New York CPAs Elect First Woman of Color as President of State Society
Bwerinofa-Petrozzello plans on making the NYSSCPA a center of resources and advocacy, but also a place where CPAs can come together and leverage their many talents, skills, backgrounds, and experiences to innovate, develop and grow.
Jun. 04, 2021
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Rumbi Bwerinofa-Petrozzello, CPA, CFF, CFE, Senior Director, Consulting, for Seramount, began her one-year term as president of the New York State Society of CPAs (NYSSCPA) on June 1, making her the 102nd president of the NYSSCPA, and the first woman of color to be elected to the position.
“The past 15 months have been a time of upheaval, uncertainty, and exponential change. As we move forward and our profession evolves, I seek to have all members of the New York state CPA community make the NYSSCPA their professional home,” says Bwerinofa-Petrozzello.
Bwerinofa-Petrozzello plans on making the NYSSCPA a center of resources and advocacy, but also a place where CPAs can come together and leverage their many talents, skills, backgrounds, and experiences to innovate, develop and grow. She also plans to bring light to diversifying the CPA profession.
Bwerinofa-Petrozzello then adds that “We are at a moment where it may seem tempting to fall back into the ways of the past, but one of my goals is to work with CPAs to be ready for the future and look to it with anticipation and excitement. One hundred years after John W. Cromwell Jr. became the first Black CPA in the United States, in 1921, I am now the first woman of color to serve as president of this organization. As our organization works to grow the pipeline, a goal of mine is to get out the message that this profession and the NYSSCPA are for all of us, regardless of our backgrounds, age, gender or race. The CPA profession can only excel and be futureproofed if we are a profession that welcomes, includes, and celebrates the value that each of us brings to the table.”
Prior to her presidency, Bwerinofa-Petrozzello served on the NYSSCPA’s Board as a director-at-large and on the Moynihan Scholarship Fund Board of Trustees. She currently serves on the Diversity and Inclusion, the CPA Careers, and the Business Valuation and Litigation Services Committees.
Bwerinofa-Petrozzello served as the principal at Rock Consulting, LLC in Arverne, N.Y., where she specialized in forensic accounting, litigation services, and business services. With her Big Four background and industry experience, together with her dedication to keeping ahead of the curve, Bwerinofa-Petrozzello bought a professional and competent approach to her client’s financial challenges. She is also the editor of Figuring Financial Forensics, where she discusses news and her views on the world of financial forensics.
Bwerinofa-Petrozzello joined the NYSSCPA in 2012 and is a member of the Queens/Brooklyn Chapter, which she served as President and President-elect. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts with a degree in economics and mathematics, before studying accounting at the University of South Africa.