Greetings All,
I hope all is great! I know I have not posted in ages....I am going to do better! :-) I was updating my bio for a NABA article I am going to be featured in and I thought I should post it to give people some insight on what I have been doing these past couple of years and where I am headed. It was a bit overwhelming to read because I couldnt believe I had actucally did all this stuff for other organizations and neglected so many things I wanted to do for ME. My take away from this activity is ..... now it is time for me to use that energy on things that will make me happy and make a difference in new ways that I would like to ....so here it is..
Akilah C. Thompson , also known as ACT ( Ambitious , Courageous, & Talented) ,has been an active professional member of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. for almost 10 years. She has previously served as the 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, 3rd Vice President, Student Member Services Director and Professional Development Director of the New York Chapter. She has also held several other positions including, Chair of Student Development (2007), Chair of “Reflect & Inspire Day” (2007-2009), Chair of the NABA NY Case Study Competition (2008-2011), NABA NY GALA Committee Lead, and author of the “Tools to NABA Superstardom”. She was the 2008 –2010 Eastern Region Student Conference (ERSC) Seminars Committee Chair. As ERSC Seminars Chair, she created new and innovative seminars including “Hit The Corporate Runway” , “The Art of Dining and Social Etitiquette” Luncheon, “Sister’s Circle:Becoming a Successful Woman in Corporate America”, “Gentlemen’s Circle: Becoming a Successful Man in Corporate America”, and “Pioneers of the Profession” to name a few.
She assisted in the chartering of the Stony Brook University Student Chapter and served as the chapter's professional liaison. She has represented NABA at numerous universities, written articles for NABA publications, conducted seminars, and has served on various committees. She presented the keynote address for Hofstra’s NABA Chapter’s 2008 Membership Appreciation dinner and has been a co-presenter for the student opening sessions for the NABA Eastern Region Student Conference and NABA National Convention for the past several years. She is a formal and informal mentor to hundreds of students and young professionals.
Akilah is a former Tax Manager at Deloitte Tax LLP in the Private Client Advisors (PCA) Group. In her role, she performed tax compliance and consulting for private equity firms, high net worth individuals, trusts, and non-for profit organizations. Outside of her client responsibilities, she was a mentor in the Deloitte English in Business Program, where she assisted non-native English speakers improve their English communication skills. She spent a month in Hyderabad, India training on tax technical issues as well as conducted a business communication course. She was active in diversity recruiting and served on the Deloitte NABA New York Executive Planning Team, where she spearheaded the Deloitte NABA NY Case Study Competition. She was also the Women’s Initiative (WIN) coordinator for the NY PCA Group, where she assists women employees identify mentors in the firm. She was frequently a Deloitte speaker at internal functions including “Sons’ & Daughters’ Day” , and “School to Work Day” as well external functions such as programs for the Harlem YMCA and NABA.
She is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of North Carolina A & T State University where she earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Accounting and Business Economics. During her undergraduate career, she served as the President of the Zeta Sigma chapter of Beta Alpha Psi Accounting Fraternity, the Aggie Economics Association and Omicron Delta Epsilon International Honor Society in Economics. Akilah has received various honors and awards including: the Sandrea Williamson Award of Excellence, Zeta Sigma Member of the Year, Alpha Kappa Alpha Lucille J. Piggott Neophyte Award (Mid-Atlantic Region Highest GPA), NC A & T State University Presidential Award and the Martin Luther King Jr. Award based on her academic achievement, community service and leadership.
Akilah is passionate about the development of youth and progression of minorities as business leaders. She has served as the program coordinator for FAW Ministries Youth Coalition where she strived to create a platform for youth ages 17-30 to discuss issues and provide development opportunities for them to achieve their maximum potential. She is also the co-founder of The Velvet Era Inc., which is a start-up non-profit organization targeted at assisting minority women in accomplishing their ultimate destinies by providing goal coaching, development and mentorship opportunities. She is also the Senior Financial Analyst for the National Church of God In Christ, Inc. Office of the Financial Secretary. When she is not leading, she enjoys writing, singing, event planning and inspiring others to be the best they can be.
In November 2011, Akilah took a leap of faith and decided to leave Corporate America to use her artistic abilities to inspire others. She is currently modeling, acting , singing, dancing, and working on a non-profit venture Generations Inspired. She was recently featured in the CIAA Mode Noir Fashion Show in Charlotte, NC modeling on behalf of Beauty Gap which is a nonprofit organization that donates “dolls of color to girls of color” all over the world. In her modeling efforts, she would like to inspire young girls to gain confidence in themselves. She is touring in two independent gospel plays “ Seeing is Believing” and “For Better of For Worse” currently sponsored by local churches and expected to begin touring nationally later on this year. She sings frequently with live bands across NYC at several locations including Village Underground, Café Wha, The Groove, Beehive, Tillman’s and Five Spot. She is working on her first vocal project “You Inspire Me”. She recently obtained her Zumba Instructor license and teaches Latin aerobic dance classes to inspire others to get fit and adapt a healthy lifestyle. Akilah has always wanted to start her own business in the fashion industry. In January 2012, she partnered with her mother and launched Love of Accessories, a jewelry and accessories business. Akilah believes her ultimate purpose in life is to inspire youth around the world to accomplish their dreams. She wants to use every gift she has to show young people the unlimited possibilities you can achieve, if you believe and pursue your dreams. Through her nonprofit organization, Generations Inspired Inc., she plans to launch a tour that would provide inspirational development conferences to audiences all over the globe . Generations Inspired is scheduled to launch in the Summer of 2012.
BE INSPIRED,
ACT.
