Virtual Premier Member Coffee Hour

Bonnie Stewart is the executive director of the Connecticut Society of CPAs (CTCPA). She came to CTCPA from the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA), where she served as vice president of government and public affairs and general counsel. As CTCPA executive director, Bonnie serves as the society’s Chief Executive Officer, reporting to the Board of Directors, and is responsible for the overall management and progress of the organization. As CEO, she leads a dynamic team of talented professionals dedicated to the success of Connecticut’s certified public accounting profession, its individual members, and their organizations, employers, and clients. Since joining the staff, Bonnie has worked with the board and membership to deliver a number of new initiatives enhancing the advocacy, community, and professional development the CTCPA provides. These initiatives fall under the aegis of “CTCPA Vision 2025”, a comprehensive strategic plan addressing membership expansion; broadening of professional development programming; improved branding and communication; technological advances; and improved advocacy. Initiatives now in place include “CTCPA Connect”, the society’s online community; livestreaming of professional development programming; a robust schedule of regional and special interest group meetings across various member occupational and geographic demographic dimensions; a vibrant diversity and inclusion program; and expanded communications reflecting a focus on members’ broad and particular needs and interests, from a newsletter for firm leadership to a regular advocacy update. A registered lobbyist, Bonnie represents the CTCPA before our elected state officials and regulatory bodies. She also represents the profession nationally before such organizations as the American Institute of CPAs, where she serves as a member of the AICPA Peer Review Board, and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy Bonnie serves on numerous legislative task forces studying healthcare, paid family and medical leave, and medical privacy and noncompete agreements. She has been a member and continues to serve on numerous boards and councils including the NAM/AFL-CIO Labor Management Discussion Group on Workers’ Compensation, the Employment Security Advisory Board, the Connecticut Child Day Care Council, and the executive committee for the Connecticut Bar Association’s labor and employment law section. Bonnie chairs the state’s Second Injury Fund Advisory Board, and previously chaired the board of directors of UWC, an advocacy group addressing unemployment and workers’ compensation matters. Before joining CBIA in 1988, Stewart worked for the office of the Connecticut Attorney General. She received her Juris Doctor from Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, New Hampshire, and her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Connecticut.