CPABC in Focus November/December 2013 | Page 41

MEMBERS IN FoCUS 2013 CGA-BC Award Winners Each year, CGA-BC holds a Chair’s Banquet and Awards Gala to celebrate and honour members who have made significant contributions to the Association, the accounting profession, and their communities. This year, the Association awarded life memberships to two members and recognized one member who received a fellowship designation. ~ LIFE MEMBERS ~ ~ FCGA ~ Dr. Bert Dartnell, CPA, FCGA Bert worked tirelessly for many decades to advance the accounting profession—in fact, very few members have been as connected with CGA-BC as he has been over the years. His extensive involvement with the Association resulted in him being granted the inaugural President’s Award for Education in 2002, and in 2008, he was recognized as one of the “100 CGAs Who Have Made a Difference.” Bert’s contributions to the CGA Program of Professional Studies are especially impressive. He taught at every level of the program from CGA-BC 2013 chair Candace Nancke with Life Member Dr. Bert Dartnell. 1966 to 2010, and was instrumental in the transition to online lecturing. In addition to contributing to CGA-BC initiatives, Bert was also a key resource for CGA-Canada, performing in-depth reviews of courses and serving as chair or a member of the exam review committees for several courses. Bert received the FCGA fellowship designation in 2000. John Pankratz, CPA, FCGA John received his CGA designation in 1988. He was honoured with the J.M. Macbeth Award in 1995 and the Harold Clarke Award in 2002 for his exceptional service at both the chapter level and at the provincial committee level. In 2006, he began serving on CGA-BC’s Board of Governors and on several CGA-BC committees, advisory groups, and task forces. These contributions include serving as a member of the Public Practice Advisory and the Appeals and Discipline committees, and as chair of the Practice Review and Audit committees. Life Member John Pankratz with Candace Nancke. John received his FCGA in 2009, and served as president of CGA-BC the following year. In the community, John serves as treasurer of the Abbotsford Restorative Justice and Advocacy Association, and as an examiner and area administrator for the Royal Life Saving Society. In 2012, he was appointed as a member of BC’s Audit Certification Board, which oversees the certification of auditors within the province. Most recently, he was appointed to the board of the University of the Fraser Valley. Photos by Ron Sangha Productions. View more event photos on CPABC’s Flickr page at flickr.com/cpabc/sets. CGA-Canada chair Patrick Keller, CPA, FCGA (left), with newly elected FCGA Dan Cheetham. Dan Cheetham, CPA, FCGA Dan was admitted to membership as a CGA in 1976, and became a partner of a public practice firm that grew to be one of the largest CGA firms in the province. In 1984, he joined CGA-BC as the director of professional services, where he played a major role in the design, implementation, and refinement of the Association’s continuing professional development program. After assuming the role of director of administration and human resources in 1995, Dan led the development and launch of CGA-BC’s first website. He also implemented a financial management strategy that was a major factor in the Association’s ability to retire the debt on the CGA building in only 10 years. In addition, Dan was instrumental in the establishment of the CGA-BC Educational Foundation, which gives prospective students access to the financial resources for success. Moreover, he has always been a strong proponent of sharing knowledge through ongoing meetings with senior staff of CGA affiliates and through excellent working relationships with his counterparts at the ICABC and CMABC. CPABC in Focus • Nov/Dec 2013 41