AICPA, other organizations gather for work/life summit.

Summit 2003: Career/Life in the Balance was held at the AICPA last month. A joint effort of the American Society of Women Accountants, the American Women's Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Institute, the conference focused on the solid business case for work/life initiatives.

Accounting and financial services senior executives and renowned work/life specialists gathered to show how the investment in work/life initiatives yields significant returns in terms of increased productivity, decreased turnover and enhanced employee satisfaction. Presenters included:

* Keynote speaker Jo Ann Golden, president of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.

* Hubert Glover, Georgia State University, and Paulette R. Gerkovich of Catalyst, who discussed research findings that make a convincing case for superior work/life programs.

* Kathie Lingle from KPMG; Rich Caturano from Vitale, Caturano & Co.; Carolyn Cook of Discovery Communications; and Bernadette Fusaro, work/life consultant, who discussed success stories and best practices in work/life integration.

Participants learned how to set the climate for change and how to initiate work/life programs that will succeed. Actual case studies and information on trends in the marketplace armed participants with the knowledge they will need to garner support and ensure success. They also learned about the Boston College Program on Standards of Excellence in Work/Life Balance, which provides tools for organizations to benchmark themselves against other leading organizations and gives annual trend reports on the state of excellence in the work/life field.

To learn more about the conference, contact Barbara Vigilante, AICPA, 212/596-6226; Laura Skoff, ASWA, 703/506-3265; or Kim Fantaci, AWSCPA, 937/222-1872.