Dan Kidney, Excellence in Professional Development Award
Julia Shiota, MNCPA communications coordinator | October/November 2023 Footnote
Dan Kidney didn't always think of himself as an instructor.
"I sort of stumbled into it," he said with a slight laugh.
Now, Dan is a mainstay of MNCPA professional development having provided more than 27 sessions and webinars since 2015 — with even more coming in the future. His dedication to providing top-quality education to fellow MNCPA members and sharing his expertise in state and local taxes (SALT) has earned him this year's Excellence in Professional Development Award, recognizing members who have developed unique MNCPA educational programming, receiving high ratings and elevating the professional development of attendees.
His first foray into education came from being given a seat at the table by those around him. For instance, a firm he had been with several years
ago had won multiple national awards for instruction and offered instructor training for their employees. Dan also described the importance of several mentors and presenters taking him under their wings, giving him a sense of what it looks like to be a good presenter and how to keep audiences engaged.
Dan, who is a director at Wipfli LLP, draws on his more than 22 years of experience to break down complex topics in an approachable and entertaining way to ensure participants retain as much knowledge as possible.
"I have been the person sitting in the room in a session that is dry," he said. "Not only are sessions like that boring, but I can't even remember what topic they were talking about! But if you tell a story or a joke, people can have fun and retain the information you're trying to share."
When reflecting on his educational ethos, Dan is quick to highlight the reciprocal nature of professional development.
"When you invest, you also get back," he said. "It makes me a better professional and helps me battle what I call the 'ivory tower syndrome.' I might think I know the answer to a question, but who is actually using that information? People who are on the ground trying to get tax returns out the door and who are trying to find answers to what their clients are asking."
Because of that, Dan takes time after sessions to answer attendee questions, often sending out a post-webinar or post-session Q&A sheet addressing questions he could not answer during the session.
For Dan, professional development and education is more than simply providing others with information, it also provides him an opportunity to reflect on his own practice — even within a leadership role — to further grow as a professional.
