Ann Etter, Outstanding Contributor Award
Rachel Kats | October 2021 Footnote
Editor's note: Updated September 30, 2021
Ann Etter stepped into the spotlight at 9 years old as a chorus member in an onstage production of Robin Hood; she has loved the thrill of being on stage ever since.
Etter transitioned her talents from the stage to the small screen in 2015 when she joined the MNCPA media spokesperson program with great enthusiasm. After requisite MNCPA-provided training, Etter made it known that she was comfortable being placed in any media outlet, live or prerecorded — and is regularly commended by journalists for her great interview skills.
“Being a spokesperson is more like improv than acting from a specific script, but the themes and knowledge required form their own script when I am discussing taxes,” she said.
These contributions, among others, led Etter to receive the Outstanding Contributor Award, which honors those whose volunteer contributions to MNCPA programs bolster the success of members and the accounting profession.
Last year was particularly busy for Etter, who handled eight media interviews during an especially challenging tax year with ongoing, quickly changing federal law. Additionally, she has written for Footnote about gig workers and related tax questions, has helped craft MNCPA blogs and has become a valuable member of media story brainstorming meetings — bringing a unique perspective and great insights from her experience as president at Goodney & Associates, PA in Northfield.
It’s her experience working at a small firm, with clients who have smaller, but very important, business and investment interests that drives much of Etter’s work, she said.
“I went into this profession with the goal of helping people, focusing largely on those in the middle class, which is a broad definition,” she said. “I look around and find that I am doing that and the volunteering I do with the MNCPA helps achieve that goal. I believe everyone should have access to a good CPA.”
While still happy to take part in local theater, Etter also devotes time to narrating audiobooks, spending time with family and traveling to visit her parents in New Hampshire.
Etter also continues to relish the time she carves out of her busy schedule to help the public better understand taxes and the benefits of working with a CPA.
“This is my third career,” she said. “I was previously a teacher and then in nonprofit development for a few years. Of all the experiences I have had in life, being a CPA gives me the most satisfaction, and being able to share that via work and volunteering is the best I could ask from a career.”
