ETHAN THOMAS, CPA, was born and raised in Tulsa and stayed true to his roots when he decided to earn his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in accounting from Te University of Tulsa. Following graduation, he joined Tulsa accounting firm HoganTaylor


LLP, where he currently serves as a senior tax accountant. Although he joined the accounting profession within the last five years,


he has already taken on several opportunities to mentor new and aspiring CPAs and build relationships within his community. Tomas has taken the initiative to collaborate with a coworker and


build an improved training program for new hires while many firms were being affected by the pandemic. “We hired more staff, but with the tax deadlines being moved later in


the year, we were not able to effectively train our new staff and keep up with our increased workload,” Tomas said. “After the deadlines passed, a fellow senior and I took it upon ourselves to construct a program to give the new staff hands‐on training.” By incorporating a new experience and a more holistic view of


HoganTaylor’s tax functions into the training, the new hires were able to gain confidence and knowledge that extended beyond their own responsibilities. “We worked with managers to find the key areas that needed to be


improved, constructed a best practices workflow checklist for preparing tax returns, and created an activity where the new staff was given the responsibilities of their reviewer,” he said. “By seeing how their work was reviewed, they were able to both see how our business operates on a larger scale and learn how to identify and correct their mistakes, thus improving efficiency.” Tomas has also served the firm’s college recruiting team, representing


the firm at job fairs and Beta Alpha Psi recruiting events across Oklahoma. Te team allows him to visit different universities around the state, sharing his insight as a young accounting professional. He was also selected to be on the Client Experience Task Force,


ETHAN THOMAS, CPA HOGANTAYLOR LLP


SENIOR TAX ACCOUNTANT


piloting a client liaison position to further client assistance initiatives. “I was fortunate to have professors that encouraged me to do my best


and offered guidance through the steps to becoming a CPA,” he said. “I realize that this kind of support can come from many sources, so my hope is to be a source for those navigating that process.” Tomas not only lives and works in Tulsa, but he makes an impact on


his beloved city through his community involvement. He is particularly proud of his service on the Hospice of Green Country Board of Directors. “My grandmother passed away a few years ago, and her hospice care


TRAILBLAZER TIDBITS


Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration and master’s degree in accounting from The University of Tulsa


Professional Organizations: Beta Alpha Psi (The University of Tulsa)


Community Involvement: Hospice Green Country Board of Directors, Tulsa Zoo Board of Directors, Victory Christian School


Awards: NextGen Under 30 Oklahoma


kept her comfortable in her last days,” he said. “I feel fortunate to be able to serve on the board of an organization that provides such important end‐of‐life services.” Tomas’s accounting knowledge allows him to offer unique services to the board made up of predominantly health care professionals.


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CPAFOCUS


May/June 2022


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