Hot Topics: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Accounting Profession (Replay) (E2003124)

Ayodola Anise, MHS, is a leader and public health professional with over 15 years of experience advancing health and healthcare equity. Her own experiences with discrimination have led her to develop and share strategies to address bias and improve equity not just in healthcare, but also in the workplace.

Ayodola is the founder and Chief Colorer at "Coloring in White Space," an organization focused on coaching and supporting women and women of color to ensure that they have the tools and strategies needed to combat bias and advance professionally in the workplace. A skilled speaker and facilitator, she provides concrete information to various groups about unconscious bias, and identifies personal-, professional- and organizational-level strategies to improve equity. Ayodola believes that by adding more color to our perspectives, we can create masterpieces, and she weaves in her talent of jewelry design and knowledge of semi-precious gemstones to tell the story of how each of us has the power to change the spaces we are in.

Ayodola has a BA in English writing, with minors in chemistry and biology, and a MHS from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Population and Family Health Sciences.

Evelyn is an associate professor and chair of the Accounting Department at Rider University. After extensive experience in public accounting, she joined Rider University in 2005. A CPA since 1987, she teaches primarily U.S. taxation. She played a role in establishing the CPA Apprenticeship Program at Rider University. This innovative program is designed for accounting professionals seeking to complete their 30 additional credits to qualify for the CPA licensure. Her commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within the professional community has been recognized with the prestigious NJCPA Ovation Award in 2019. She is also a member of the New Jersey Society of CPAs, the American Institute of CPAs, and the American Accounting Association.

Ralph is the CEO and executive director of the New Jersey Society of CPAs. He was appointed to AICPA’s National Commission on Diversity and Inclusion and the AICPA Foundation Board. Ralph is a former national and chapter president of the National Association of Black Accountants, was chair of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy’s State Society Relations Committee and is a member of the accounting advisory boards of Lehigh, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Montclair State, Felician and Thomas Edison universities and Middlesex County College. In January 2018, he was invited by Senate President Steve Sweeney to join his bipartisan Economic and Fiscal Policy Working Group. Additionally, Ralph was selected for the last eight years by Accounting Today as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting.”