Dear Fellow NCACPA Members,
The news of the sudden passing of NCACPA’s Chair Max Mukelabai came as a
shock to everyone. We were all deeply saddened by the instant,
unexpected change in direction faced by the association. Max was a
rising star in our profession. In a very short time Max achieved
unprecedented accomplishments, and his journey had only just begun. He
would have continued to emerge as an important national and even global
leader in the CPA profession.
In May of this year, Max assumed the role of NCACPA Chair. He carried
many “firsts” with him into his year. He was the first member of the
Young CPA Cabinet to come up the ranks and serve as association Chair;
the first African-American to serve as Chair; and the youngest Chair in
NCACPA’s history. As the Immediate Past Chair, I had the great pleasure
of first serving on the Board with Max, and then working closely with
him as we moved together through leadership positions. While his new
role placed him in the top leadership position, he was no stranger to
association volunteerism. During his time as a member, Max served on the
Young CPA Cabinet, the Financial Literacy Task Force, Not-for-Profit
Committee, Minority Action Committee, and the Speaker’s Bureau. He truly
embodied a fully engaged association member.
Through Max, we were able to foresee the future, particularly in the
areas of globalization, diversity, and technology. What we saw through
Max’s eyes sparked optimism and enthusiasm. As our world and business
environment change rapidly, it is essential that we adapt to remain
relevant. In order to remain relevant we must embrace and even thrive on
change. Change is not something that CPAs are known for, but Max was
able to gently move us forward.
Max grew up truly half a world away from Durham, lived in at least four
different countries, and traveled extensively. He was totally at ease
with the idea of serving clients and stakeholders around the world.
Globalization is having a very immediate impact on our profession—one
that historically operated under local laws, regulations, standards, and
customs. As we navigate this transition, we too often find ourselves
playing defense, rather than seeing the opportunities globalization
presents. Max’s calm demeanor in tackling the challenging issues of
globalization was very reassuring to the rest of us who are not quite as
comfortable in such a complex world.
The CPA profession in the United States has struggled to attract
diversity representative of the communities in which we live and work.
Max served as an exemplary role model for young people. But most
importantly, he understood the value of diversity in a business setting.
He demonstrated that having diversity around a table of decision-makers
simply results in better decisions.
Finally, Max could not imagine CPAs in a world without Twitter, blogs,
Facebook, the cloud, broadband, cellphones, laptops and iPads—and he did
it right. He used these technologies as an enabler. Relationships were
very important to Max, and technology was one way to strengthen those
relationships.
Max rose quietly and naturally to leadership positions because he
represented all of the things that are good and exciting about our
association and profession. As he took his position as Chair, he
challenged members to re-engage. Max knew the secret to this. In his
words, “Being a part of the profession requires that you participate
therein. And in order to participate, you have to be present.” He knew
that you can’t really be a part of something if you aren’t involved. Max
had a vision that all segments of our membership would work together to
accomplish a common goal.
While I sincerely wish Max were here to see his vision recognized, I am
honored to serve as Acting Chair of NCACPA for my friend. My goal is to
simply be the voice through which Max’s theme of member re-engagement is
spoken and carried out. In a recent interview for Interim Report, Max
elaborated on this idea by saying, “When I speak of member
re-engagement, my thought process is of finding the passion again—that
which brought you to the table.”
We are committed in North Carolina to honor Max’s legacy by
enthusiastically and energetically pursuing the future of our
association and profession in a way that would make Max proud.
Kind Regards,
Debbie Lambert, CPA, CPCU
NCACPA Acting Chair
Click here to learn how Max impacted and inspired fellow members.
Contributions may be made payable to The Mukelabai Family and mailed directly to NCACPA, PO Box 80188, Raleigh, NC 27623. All proceeds will benefit his wife, Patience, and two young daughters, Ruvarashe and Rutendo. Additionally, an accounting scholarship will be established in Max’s honor. A check made payable to NCACPA, c/o The Maximo Mukelabai Accounting Scholarship, will be directed accordingly.
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