· Astrid M. Arola, certified public accountant and member of the National Society of Accountants (NSA), has owned and operated Kelly’s Tax Service for 13 years. Working with individuals and businesses to meet their tax and accounting needs, Astrid’s strong desire to help people goes beyond her practice. She assists various professional and charitable organizations and serves on the boards for Lakewood Rotary and Washington Association of Accountancy. She also is on the NSA Education Committee.

· Sally A. Fahey, enrolled agent and member of the National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP) since 1992, has been in the tax business 29 years. For the past 19 years, she has owned and operated Fahey Associates Tax Services located in Endicott, NY, serving individuals and businesses. She was the 2001 NATP Chapter Person of the Year and is serving her sixth year as a NATP National Board Director.

· Dave Levine, enrolled agent and National Association of Enrolled Agent (NAEA) member since 1991, recently opened a tax practice, D.M.L. Consulting, in Reno, NV. A former Revenue Officer with the Internal Revenue Service, Dave now represents individuals and businesses before the IRS as well as all state taxation boards in many states. He is the only Master Graduate Fellow, a distinction received through the NAEA’s National Tax Practice Institute™, in Nevada and one of six in the United States.

· L. Gary Boomer, CPA.CITP is CEO of Boomer Consulting, Inc., is recognized in the accounting profession as a leading authority on technology and firm management. He consults and speaks around the globe on management and technology related topics, including strategic and technology planning, compensation and developing a training/learning culture.

· Randolph P. Johnston, executive vice president of K2 Enterprises, is a nationally recognized educator, consultant and writer with over 30 years experience in strategic technology planning, systems and network integration, accounting software selection, business development and management, disaster recovery and contingency planning, and process engineering. Randy writes regularly for The Progressive Accountant and is frequently quoted in technology, computer and accounting publications.

· Steve Blundell, CPA.CITP is senior manager vendor/partner relations for Intuit Inc., is customer advocate for accounting professionals. Steve has held a variety of roles during his 20-year career at Intuit, including the role of vice president of the ProSeries Tax Group. Steve co-authored the Accountant’s Trial Balance software for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

· Georg Gerstenfeld, vice president of marketing, Accounting Professionals Division (APD), Intuit Inc., leads the marketing teams in development of acquisition and retention strategies. Georg joined Intuit in 1999, serving in various leadership roles, including Intuit’s Retail Channel Group, Quicken, and Accountant Central teams. Georg is also responsible for the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program for accounting professionals and consultants who serve clients that use QuickBooks to run their businesses.

Intuit says that the volume of applications for the stimulus grants has been strong. Some applicants want to use the grants to offer more specialized services, such as client technology consulting or tax preparation to condominium associations or Spanish-speaking customers. Others want to develop programs for hiring and training single moms or laid-off workers struggling to find employment. And still others have outlined plans to hire new employees to handle growing workloads, purchase furniture and phone systems to open office space or pursue advertising and marketing campaigns to increase community awareness of their firm.

To enter the Power to Get More Done Stimulus Grant competition download the entry form at http://accountant.intuit.com/GetMoreDone and prepare a brief, high-level business plan that explains how you will use the money to stimulate growth. Entries are due by 9:30 p.m. Pacific time on April 30, 2009. [Thanks Intuit for the TWO WEEKS after tax season you allowed practitioners to prepare!]