Bert N. Mitchell of Mitchell & Titus

Myra Thomas spoke with Bert N. Mitchell, chairman and chief executive of Mitchell & Titus, the largest African-American controlled accounting firm in the U.S. and a member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited. He has decades of experience in accounting, and a lot to say about opportunities for minorities and what up-and-comers need to think about. A sampling:

Many of the issues relating to a lack of African-American or minority professionals are deeply rooted at the middle school and high school level. More emphasis needs to be placed on enhancing math skills in primarily ethnic-minority public schools systems. Young people need to be made aware that having a career in accounting is an option. So, we have to reach out to students at the junior high and high school levels to give them exposure to the profession. The fact of the matter is that there are huge opportunities and great demand for talent, and we need to demonstrate to minority students that there are opportunities for them in the field of accounting.

And:

(As) you advance in accounting, you start managing more than just the numbers. You have to manage people. Therefore, anyone who wants to advance in the profession should consider broadening their education with advanced degrees in business. It would also be helpful if they gained knowledge of how to analyze human behavior. Furthermore, rising accounting professionals should consider taking on leadership roles within professional societies such as the AICPA and state CPA societies. These types of roles can be very rewarding and provide a venue to demonstrate one’s commitment to the profession.

Q&A: Mitchell & Titus CEO Bert N. Mitchell [JITM]