In 1969, only 136 of the nation’s 100,000 certified public accountants were African-American. In response to that dismal lack of representation, nine African-American accountants met in New York to discuss the quandary faced in their profession. They formed the National Association of Black Accountants to address the concerns of minorities entering the accounting profession and to make a commitment to professional and academic excellence. They chose a theme/motto for the nonprofit organization: “Lifting As We Climb.”

Amber JaNae Adams is furthering the group’s cause. The Henrico County resident is president of the Richmond Metropolitan Chapter of NABA. In 2015, she was elected to serve a two-year term in the top leadership position, succeeding the late Nedra L. Blizzard-Robinson.

Ms. Adams says she’s excited to serve the 50-member local chapter “because this organization reaches a population of minorities that are too infrequently encouraged to consider accounting as a career.”

Ms. Adams explains that she became interested in accounting in high school when a counselor “suggested I look into it due to my love of numbers, people skills and analytical way of thinking.”

Today, she uses her NABA position to encourage others to consider an accounting career.

The local chapter interacts regularly with NABA student chapters at Virginia Commonwealth, Virginia State, Norfolk State and Hampton universities and Virginia Tech, she says. “We hold sessions, fun events and help groom them throughout their college careers.”

She adds, “Accounting opens doors in every kind of business coast to coast. The reason accounting may be the best route to a successful business career is because accounting has always been considered as the language and basic tool of business. I enjoy the challenges and rewards that accompany this field.”

However, there’s still a ways to go for African-Americans to achieve parity with their white counterparts in the field. “The numbers have increased, but still not to the same percentage the career as a whole has. There are better opportunities, but it’s still a struggle to engage young students to help guide them toward accounting.”

Next up for the Richmond chapter is its annual scholarship banquet, “Evening of Honors,” in April, Ms. Adams notes. The group will award scholarships to college students involved in NABA student chapters and honor corporate sponsors. Meet this week’s Personality, Amber JaNae Adams, who has a knack for numbers:

Date and place of birth: Jan. 20 in Centre County, Pa.

Alma maters: Bachelor’s degree, Virginia Commonwealth University; master’s degree, Averett University.

Family: Mother, Ramona Edlow; father, Kevin Adams; stepmother, Christie Adams; and siblings, Lance Adams, Brock Robinson, Taylor Robinson and Adrianna Walker.        

Occupation: Virginia Housing Development Authority internal audit supervisor.

Duties: I’m responsible for the daily supervision of internal audit staff and the management of team audits and compliance reviews from the planning phase through the reporting phase.

Number of NABA chapters in U.S.: More than 200 professional and student chapters.

Profile of members: Professionals and students in the fields of accounting, consulting, finance and information technology. Careers include, but are not limited to, controllers, consultants, cost accountants, chief financial officers, directors of finance, financial analysts, internal and external auditors, payroll managers and tax accountants.

To become a member: Visit the national website at www.nabainc.org for details or contact the NABA Richmond chapter at richmondnaba@gmail.com.

What an accountant does: There so many things. A few examples: Some are directly involved in preparing an organization’s financial statements. Others work with a corporation’s management in analyzing costs of operations, products and special projects. Some accountants work as a corporation’s internal auditor, while many accountants are independent certified public accountants, or CPAs, who audit the financial statements of many corporations and other organizations. Some choose to have their own accounting firm and may focus on assisting small businesses with their accounting systems, financial statements, income tax returns, tax planning, investment decisions, etc. Accountants can use their formal college education with many types of businesses and organizations.

Importance of accountants in finding solutions to today’s economy: In a good economy, being an accountant is a great profession. And in a bad economy, being an accountant is a good profession. Accountants are responsible for providing information that is used to determine the present and future economic stability of an organization. It has been proven that the companies that use good accounting practices have a competitive advantage. Also, it gives them the knowledge to improve their decision-making abilities.         

Involvement of NABA in the community: We participate in VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance), the March of Dimes and many other community service events. We welcome the invitation to be considered for others as well.

Total number of accountants in United States: Approximately 1.35 million.        

Number of African-American accountants: Approximately 200,000.        

Dream for the chapter: To be able to offer more scholarship opportunities to our student members and hold additional events for our professional members to keep them engaged.         

Plan for making it real: We have kicked off new events for our members this fiscal year and are hitting the ground to spread the NABA mission to new potential corporate sponsors. We cannot do what we do without them.        

I relax by: Reading and watching movies.

Best time of my life: Annual family beach vacations.

The one thing I can’t stand: Procrastination.

No one knows that: I despise anything barbecue, i.e. sauce, chips, etc.

The person who influenced me the most: My parents.        

Book that influenced me the most: “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou.

What I’m reading now: “The Power Playbook: Rules for Independence, Money and Success” by La La Anthony.

If I had more time, I would: Travel and volunteer more in the community.

My next goal: Begin a Ph.D. program.