Sroczynski: What Every Employer Should Know About DEI Law | MOVE Like This

“A knee-jerk pullback can actually increase legal risk.”

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With Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk
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In a climate where diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs have become political flashpoints, employment attorney Aislinn Sroczynski of Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld joins host Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk on MOVE Like This to unpack the facts behind the fear. The result is a grounded, no-nonsense discussion on how firms can remain inclusive, compliant, and confident—without compromising their values.

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Despite the noise, Sroczynski reminds us that the legal foundation of DEI hasn’t budged. Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, and the Equal Pay Act still form the bedrock of U.S. anti-discrimination law. “What’s changed,” she explains, “is the level of scrutiny.”

That means employers should revisit—not rewrite—their programs to ensure they focus on fairness regardless of protected characteristics, not because of them.

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Elliott: Embrace the ‘Dimension of Possible’ | MOVE Like This

The profession’s newest partners may be the most vulnerable.

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MOVE Like This host Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk sits down with Sarah Elliott, CPA, co-founder of Intend2Lead, to unpack what conscious leadership looks like in accounting—and why the profession’s newest partners may be the most vulnerable leaders in the firm.

Elliott, a former audit partner who left public accounting in 2014 to become an executive coach, argues that real change happens in a precise order: mindset, then skill set, then habits. Her “conscious leader” model centers on leaders who share power, elevate others, and stay curious, even when uncertainty invites fear.

“Our best leaders are human-centric first,” Elliott says. “In a world of accelerating tech and change, we have to start with people—always.”

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Intend2Lead recently surveyed 110 newly promoted partners (2023–2024). The results spotlight avoidable gaps that push rising leaders toward burnout—or out of public accounting altogether.
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Hood: Forces Shaping Accounting | MOVE Like This

Technology, demographics, and ESG are colliding to reshape advisory, career paths, and firm leadership.

This is a preview. The complete 1-hour video episode, with commentary and transcript, is first available exclusively to PRO Members | Go PRO here
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On the latest MOVE Like This, host Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk welcomes Dan Hood, editor-in-chief of Accounting Today, who has covered the profession since the late 1990s. From his vantage point, the defining theme isn’t a single issue, but the sheer volume of change: accelerating technology (especially AI), shifting demographics, new expectations for work, and the slow-building opportunity of ESG. He argues these forces are intertwined: tech is enabling the shift to advisory, advisory demands new skills and career paths, and those shifts collide with multigenerational teams navigating different priorities. 

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The conversation quickly zeroes in on culture as a differentiator in the talent market. Firms that thrive don’t rely on “nice people” and pizza in busy season; they treat culture as intentional work. That looks like clearly articulating values, reinforcing them constantly, and translating them into practices employees actually feel, including thoughtful benefits and flexibility, yes, but also visible sponsorship, personal investment in careers, and rituals that signal “this matters here.” Culture, Dan notes, should permeate every process, from how meetings are run to how milestones are celebrated. 
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Jeremy Vokt: Why Bland & Associates Said “No” to Private Equity and “Yes” to ESOPs | MOVE Like This

Employee ownership gave the firm a growth path on its own terms.

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In this episode of MOVE Like This, Jeremy Vokt, managing partner at Bland & Associates, discusses the firm’s journey to becoming Nebraska’s first ESOP-owned CPA firm. Vokt shares how Bland evolved from a small 17-person firm in 2006 to a thriving 130-person business today, thanks in part to its unique blend of traditional CPA services and specialized government consulting work focused on Medicare and Medicaid compliance. 

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Vokt walks through the fundamentals of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), explaining that it’s similar to a 401(k) but without employee contributions. Instead, employees are allocated shares annually based on their compensation, which grow in value over time through third-party valuations. This approach creates an ownership culture from day one for every employee – from the front desk to the managing partner – without the typical 15- to 20-year wait to buy into ownership. 
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Costin, Mason: Next Gen Won’t Compromise | MOVE Like This

Prioritize belonging over optics.

This is a preview. The complete 1-hour video episode, with commentary and transcript, is first available exclusively to PRO Members | Go PRO here
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MOVE Like This
With Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk
For CPA Trendlines

In this episode of MOVE Like This, Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk speaks with Dr. Claire Costin, CPA (University of Portland), and Dr. Stephani Mason, CPA (DePaul University), two professors who are shaping the future of accounting education and research through their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Their insights reveal how today’s students are rethinking what it means to belong in the profession, and what employers must do to keep up. 

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Dr. Costin and Dr. Mason each bring rich, real-world experience to their roles as accounting educators. Dr. Costin’s background in nonprofit auditing informs her work at the University of Portland, where she teaches everything from auditing to ethics. Dr. Mason began her career in a Big Four firm and spent many years in financial services before transitioning to academia at DePaul University. While their career paths differ, both have shifted their research to focus on inequity, bias, and intersectionality in the accounting profession. One theme that emerged clearly in their conversation was that today’s students care deeply about inclusion, authenticity, and choosing employers who align with their values. 
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