Enjoying the present, looking to the future
Sara DeRoo, CPA, Christianson PLLP | August/September 2026 Footnote
Editor's note: Updated July 27, 2026
I hope you are all enjoying our Minnesota summer! Every year, I recognize how fast time flies, especially during our precious — but short — Minnesota summer months. It’s definitely a good reminder to embrace it as much as we can.
Summer has also been a time to purge for me. Our firm is in the process of constructing a new office building in Willmar. As I clean up old files in my office, I realize this is a process I should go through each year. I have come across articles I kept throughout my career, and it’s interesting that many of the same concepts that our industry is facing today are similar to what we had 20 years ago.
One of these articles was related to technology — then it was conversions from paper, then to a paperless and digital environment, where today it is AI and new innovations. We continue to see evolution with technology advancements, even during the span of my career, it’s interesting to see how much has changed. For instance, you can read through this article on how AI is affecting the auditing world.
A quick read in my archives showcased communication as a key to success. This very much is still relevant today and always will be. We recently had our firm’s strategic planning, and constant communication to our team was kept as high priority, especially as we continue to navigate through change. Communication is key to build transparency and trust.
Another was change management. The evolution of change is certainly not new and will continue to be at the forefront of our industry. I retained an excerpt years ago about the TCJA and tips to streamline this significant change for training our internal team and communications to external clients. Change, whether regulatory, technology, processes or how we train and develop staff, is constant. What doesn’t change, though, is our need as CPAs to adapt and pivot.
These archived reads reminded me of one of the things I love most about my career as a CPA: the continuous learning opportunities we have. While these can be challenging at times, the rewards and opportunities far outweigh the challenges. I recently had the opportunity to emcee the Spring CPA Recognition Dinner, which you can read more about here. What an honor to introduce and congratulate Minnesota’s newest CPAs! A few pieces of advice I had for them: Don’t brace for change, lean into it. Keep learning and stay curious.
Similar to my archived articles, these words of advice tend to ring true throughout our careers.
Sincerely,
Sara DeRoo, CPA
Chair, MNCPA board of directors
boardchair@mncpa.org
