The National Conference of CPA Practitioners announced that Karen Giunta and Sanford (Sandy) Zinman are the recipients of its 2019 Gold Awards. The lifetime achievement award recognizes CPAs with successful careers who are also “contributors, advocates, and selfless volunteers” to NCCPAP.

Giunta has previously served as membership chair, treasurer, and president of the NCCPAP at the national level, as well as serving as a vice president and president at the chapter level. She has also served on the Long Island Tax Professionals Symposium Committee for over 17 years since its inception. She is a self-employed sole practitioner who was introduced to both accounting and the NCCPAP through her late husband.

“I’ve always been passionate about the organization and still go to national meetings even though I’m no longer on the board,” Giunta said in a statement. “Our Nassau/Suffolk Chapter is very strong, with an incredible mix of people who are dedicated to the LITPS. We are a professional organization and want to capture young people who want to go out on their own; we can be their mentors. I was totally shocked that the Gold Award was given to me. It is a recognition of how passionate I am about the organization and the profession.”

Sandy Zinman, a first-generation American, started his career working for Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman in accounting/finance roles before forming his own business, Zinman Accounting, in 1983. He is also a former NCCPAP chapter president and Tax Committee chair.

“From the first time I joined [the] NCCPAP, and still today, I feel that I get more out of NCCPAP than I put into it,” he stated. “It’s such a wonderful feeling to be able to have peers that I consider to be more knowledgeable than I am about certain issues — people I can turn to who give me great advice as sole practitioners. While we as CPAs have access to many sources for information, such as the IRS and others, I don’t think there’s any organization quite like [the] NCCPAP. Even at our larger events, I’m greeted by hundreds of friends who care about each other. By volunteering, I’ve gotten more out of it than I’ve ever put into it. My experience has just been phenomenal.”

For more on the Gold Awards, head to the NCCPAP’s site here.