The Carolinas Regional Council (later Carolinas Council) was founded in 1971 when there were nine local Chapters in the two Carolinas with approximately 2,000 members. Chartered in 1975, it was the first Council formed of the twenty-four within the National Association of Accountants (NAA) which we now know as the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA).
It is also one of the most active and successful Councils in the world, winning the Council Award of Excellence in numerous years. All IMA members and Chapters in the region are members of the Carolinas Council.
The Council’s purpose is to further the objectives of IMA and its members, to promote and facilitate cooperation and communication between Chapters and Councils, and to provide a means to pool resources and assist Chapters. Participation in the Carolinas Council also provides Chapter members an opportunity for national service.
The Council elects one of its members to represent its interests on the IMA National Board of Directors. It also selects members to serve on various IMA national committees. Currently, Wayne Ledbetter, of the Columbia Chapter, is Regional Vice President representing the Chapters and Council at the national level of IMA. Another Council member, also from the Columbia chapter, John M. Brausch, CMA, CFM, CPA is Chair Elect for the entire IMA organization! These “volunteer” endeavors take time and dedication and we appreciate the work of all of our volunteer leaders!
The Council also sponsors continuing education programs, including its signature Annual Spring Conference. The first conference was held in the fall of 1974 and was a rousing success. It has been held each spring since that time in beautiful Myrtle Beach, SC. This year’s conference will be April 30-May 2nd. This conference provides 16 hours of top notch, NASBA registered, continuing education and numerous networking opportunities, not to mention the sun and fun of the beach! There are also two other educational opportunities, one in the fall and one in the winter, sponsored by Chapters and the Council.
As an additional service to Chapters, the Council can sponsor CPE credits under its NASBA registry at qualifying Chapter hosted events. Under its Chapter Partnering Program, the Council may also loan seed money to Chapters to get a qualifying event off the ground and promote additional educational opportunities for the membership. The Council is also investing in a new website and on-line registration system that will provide integrated, easy to use, event management and reporting capabilities for Council and participating Chapter programs.
Kinsey Jenkins served IMA in many different areas during his 28 year membership. He has been a long-time volunteer leader in the Columbia Chapter and the Carolinas Council, and a professional leader in the IMA national organization. Whenever there were questions, the volunteer leaders in IMA worldwide always knew that they could depend on Kinsey Jenkins to provide answers. Kinsey understood the importance of Chapters and Councils and he dedicated his entire IMA career to serving their members.
It is appropriate that the Council recognize the volunteer service of its current and future leaders. To that end, IMA Carolinas Council presented the first annual Kinsey Jenkins Service Award at its fall meeting on October 26, 2007. Peggy Reeves of the Spartanburg Area Chapter was the inaugural recipient. On October 25th of this year, Ev Walker was recognized for his many years of service to IMA as the second recipient of the award.
Each IMA Chapter selects delegates to the Council but all IMA members are welcome and encouraged to attend Council Board meetings.
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