Marjorie Heap, Excellence in Professional Development Award
Rachel Kats | October 2021 Footnote
Editor's note: Updated September 30, 2021
Accounting and teaching go hand in hand for Marjorie Heap — they’re both about helping people.
Heap, a director with Peterson Whitaker & Bjork, LLC, is the recipient of the Excellence in Professional Development Award. The award recognizes members who develop unique MNCPA educational programming that receive high ratings and elevates the professional development of attendees.
“The more we help each other, train each other and work together, the better off we are as a profession and the better it makes our future,” she said.
In 2018, Heap was accepted into the Instructor Development Program, a program the MNCPA developed to train new, local talent to teach CPE to members. Prior to that she began teaching in-house CPE courses very early in her career.
Heap’s trainings focus on employee benefit plan audits, as well as general audit procedures, including workpaper documentation. She demonstrates an in-depth understanding and passion for the subject area while she teaches, and her enthusiasm and knowledge are evident in her presentations.
In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and all live presentations were put on hold, that didn’t stop Heap. She took on the challenge of teaching a four-hour seminar in an all-virtual setting and scored a perfect 5.0 in both presentation and knowledge.
“It is so rewarding to watch people develop and grow as professionals, and I learn something new every time I teach a class,” she said.
Along with teaching, Heap volunteers as the MNCPA Audits of Employee Benefit Plans Conference moderator and facilitates the yearly panel discussion. She has also written for Footnote and is a member of the Employee Benefit Plan Review Task Force and the General Industries Review Task Force. Outside the office she is an accomplished violinist and performs with the Dakota Valley Symphony and Chorus.
“Do something you enjoy and share it with others. We spend so much of our lives working that I really think we need to enjoy what we do,” she said. “Plus, when you share that with others, it will not only add to your own satisfaction, but it will further the profession as a whole. The MNCPA has been a great way for me to do that.”
