Martin C. Levin, a certified public accountant from New Tripoli, was named president of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants for the 2019-20 year.

Levin was elected at PICPA’s 122nd annual meeting June 3 in Philadelphia.

Levin is managing partner at RLB Certified Public Accountants, Allentown, where he leads the firm’s audit and business valuation groups.

New technologies will soon require a shift of skillsets among CPAs.

“It is crucial for the profession to usher in a new generation of CPAs with training in those areas,” Levin said. “AI, blockchain, and robotics will replace many of the compliance functions currently performed by humans.

“These individuals will need to be more analytical and less compliance-oriented than CPAs in the past.”

Levin is also an adjunct professor of accounting at Kutztown University, Kutztown, and looks to leverage his accounting education experience in his role as PICPA president.

There has been a positive trend in recent years of students pursuing accounting degrees, yet the number of students sitting for the CPA Exam continues to decline, according to Levin.

“We have an opportunity to engage both college and high school students to gain a better understanding of their concerns, which in turn will help us address this downward trend among exam takers,” he said.

Levin looks to preserve the integrity of PICPA’s mission while addressing the profession’s needs.

“The PICPA offers many great member services while also maintaining the profession’s mission to protect the public interest,” Levin said. “I look forward to continuing that tradition while also focusing on outreach.

“To students and teachers, we will highlight the many and varied career paths in accounting. To legislators and regulators, we will advocate for state tax reform. And to our members, we will address our changing demographics, technical and professional developments, and the value proposition of the PICPA.”

A past president of PICPA’s Lehigh Valley Chapter, Levin is a member of the statewide CPA-PAC Committee and is on the Pennsylvania CPA Foundation board.

Levin received his Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Rowan University and an MBA in finance from DeSales University.