Outstanding Members Revisited—Second Quarter 2025
NACVA's Oustanding Members—Revisited
Over the years, NACVA has recognized hundreds of members for their great service to the Association by awarding them Outstanding Member recognition. Their recognition is published in the Association News each quarter and we have been doing this since around 1994. Recently, a light bulb went on for the team at HQ thinking how interesting it would be to check in with our past Outstanding Members going back to when the Award started to see how their careers have unfolded. Because many deserving of the Award have moved over from their role in NACVA to make room for the next generation to rise and we would love to hear from them. Notwithstanding, many early recipients are still very involved and have become cornerstones in NACVA’s foundation of success.
David M. Cooper, CPA, CVA has shared the following letter to bring us up to date on his life and career.
David M. Cooper, CPA, CVA has shared the following letter to bring us up to date on his life and career.
Dear Parnell:
Recently, Melissa Cardwell requested that, as a long-standing member of NACVA, I send a career update.
As you likely recall, our history together began in 1993 when I personally called upon you in Utah soliciting your CPA firm to become a member of CPA Associates International and left your office to solicit member firms of CPA Associates International to become new CVAs and member firms of NACVA. Over the subsequent years, many individual CVAs from CPA Associates International firms helped NACVA grow through its early stages of development. It was a very grand and mutually rewarding relationship for all.
Now, at 75 years old, I am semiretired but still consulting with a few business clients (mostly litigation support) and managing my remaining private business interests. NACVA provides approximately half of the 40 hours of annual CPE required to keep may CPA license and CVA certification active. I prepare annual valuations approved by shareholders for all private business interests that I own.
In the past 15 years, I sold my interest in the CPA firm I helped found and sold several other private business interests to build the substantial retirment investment portfolio that supports my wife of 54 years and me in our retirement.
Thank you, Parnell, very much for all that you, other NACVA personnel and many CVA members have done to help me grow personally and professionally and to succeed through my 50+ year CPA/CVA/entrepreneurial career.
Sincerely,
David M. Cooper, CPA, CVA
Amanda Capó-Rosselló has shared the following letter to bring us up to date on her life and career.
A letter to the National Association of Certified Valuation & Analysts ("NACVA") from a Recognized as Outstanding Member in 2002.
NACVA changed my vision as a Certified Public Accountant professional. At that time, I remember thinking, now I have the opportunity to start in what is called today "Non-Traditional" work as a CPA.
After many years of experience in Public Accounting, auditing big and small businesses, experience in Private Companies and Government, I found the marvelous area of Business Valuations.
NACVA came to Puerto Rico to give us courses in preparation for the Certification in business valuations exam. I remember I went to every annual conference in different states. I loved when they were in Las Vegas.
I pass the CVA exam and started promoting myself offering services in business valuations. My experience did and has helped me in valuing businesses, because I understand businesses from the inside, which is very important when you value them. For example, when I visit a business as part of the process, I observe the employees working, and I can have a feeling of the level of risk of this important intangible.
I like to be active in NACVA so, in 1996 I founded the NACVA Puerto Rico Chapter of Certified Valuation Analysts ("CVA"). I also participated in the Annual Conference Planning Committee for NACVA from 2010 to 2017.
In 2007 I founded also, in the Puerto Rico Society of CPAs, the Forensic and Business Valuation Committee, which helped create for the CVAs a presence within the CPAs Society. CPAs are our first line promoters and who refer us when a business valuation service is needed.
During this Business Valuation adventure, I remember inviting to Puerto Rico, Shannon Pratt and his wife. I became a tourist guide for them. He wanted to visit Bacardi Rum production site. The Bacardi manufacture has a daily tour of the process of making rum, we made it on time. Shannon was very happy with the visit. During his visit he gave us, the CVAs, a very interesting seminar. I also took him to the Association of Lawyers and he gave them also a very interesting presentation on business valuations.
One day many years ago, Parnell Black, NACVA CEO, called me and explained to me that he had an idea of going to Mexico to spread the word of Business Valuations and NACVA. He told me he needed some Spanish speaking CVAs. I asked some of the CVAs in Puerto Rico if they wanted to go to Mexico to give different presentations of what are the services of Business Valuations and how we became Certified through NACVA. We came to Mexico and did the presentations in the Mexico Stock Exchange site. It was a success.
On December 4 of 2024, I was giving a business valuation presentation for bankers as part of the SBTDC program. And the question came: "What do you think is going to happen to business valuations now with the Artificial Intelligence ("AI") rise? I answered: Probably we will ask to help us prepare a report, but we always will have to review it. The AI commit errors.
What can I tell you, being a Certified Valuation Analyst made a positive big change in my CPA professional career. I keep learning about businesses as with time they too keep changing.
But the most, I have made very fine friends throughout the years in NACVA and we still are good friends.
I'm still providing business valuation services.
Thank you NACVA.
Sincerely,
CPA Amanda Capó-Rosselló
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA)
Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV)
Chartered in Global Management Accountant (CGMA)
Certified in Financial Forensic (CFF)
Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
Certified Arbitrator
Certified Mediator
Certified Neutral Evaluator
NACVA changed my vision as a Certified Public Accountant professional. At that time, I remember thinking, now I have the opportunity to start in what is called today "Non-Traditional" work as a CPA.
After many years of experience in Public Accounting, auditing big and small businesses, experience in Private Companies and Government, I found the marvelous area of Business Valuations.
NACVA came to Puerto Rico to give us courses in preparation for the Certification in business valuations exam. I remember I went to every annual conference in different states. I loved when they were in Las Vegas.
I pass the CVA exam and started promoting myself offering services in business valuations. My experience did and has helped me in valuing businesses, because I understand businesses from the inside, which is very important when you value them. For example, when I visit a business as part of the process, I observe the employees working, and I can have a feeling of the level of risk of this important intangible.
I like to be active in NACVA so, in 1996 I founded the NACVA Puerto Rico Chapter of Certified Valuation Analysts ("CVA"). I also participated in the Annual Conference Planning Committee for NACVA from 2010 to 2017.
In 2007 I founded also, in the Puerto Rico Society of CPAs, the Forensic and Business Valuation Committee, which helped create for the CVAs a presence within the CPAs Society. CPAs are our first line promoters and who refer us when a business valuation service is needed.
During this Business Valuation adventure, I remember inviting to Puerto Rico, Shannon Pratt and his wife. I became a tourist guide for them. He wanted to visit Bacardi Rum production site. The Bacardi manufacture has a daily tour of the process of making rum, we made it on time. Shannon was very happy with the visit. During his visit he gave us, the CVAs, a very interesting seminar. I also took him to the Association of Lawyers and he gave them also a very interesting presentation on business valuations.
One day many years ago, Parnell Black, NACVA CEO, called me and explained to me that he had an idea of going to Mexico to spread the word of Business Valuations and NACVA. He told me he needed some Spanish speaking CVAs. I asked some of the CVAs in Puerto Rico if they wanted to go to Mexico to give different presentations of what are the services of Business Valuations and how we became Certified through NACVA. We came to Mexico and did the presentations in the Mexico Stock Exchange site. It was a success.
On December 4 of 2024, I was giving a business valuation presentation for bankers as part of the SBTDC program. And the question came: "What do you think is going to happen to business valuations now with the Artificial Intelligence ("AI") rise? I answered: Probably we will ask to help us prepare a report, but we always will have to review it. The AI commit errors.
What can I tell you, being a Certified Valuation Analyst made a positive big change in my CPA professional career. I keep learning about businesses as with time they too keep changing.
But the most, I have made very fine friends throughout the years in NACVA and we still are good friends.
I'm still providing business valuation services.
Thank you NACVA.
Sincerely,
CPA Amanda Capó-Rosselló
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA)
Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV)
Chartered in Global Management Accountant (CGMA)
Certified in Financial Forensic (CFF)
Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
Certified Arbitrator
Certified Mediator
Certified Neutral Evaluator
