That's my momma!

The article below ran this week in the St. Maries Gazette, the local paper from my mom's hometown. Not a bad little piece, though they could have included more of the great stuff she's done for the National Board of Accountancy. One little note, I may end up living at home again before too long. However, it should be noted that my brother, Jon, has his life sufficiently in order to maintain his own fully-an-adult, big-boy home. Also, that's Jon's delightful girlfriend, Courtney, in the picture with our mom.

SMHS GRAD HONORED BY NATIONAL GROUP
By Summer Crosby

She always envisioned she would have a career, but she didn’t know where her path would lead her.

Barbara Porter, formerly Barbara Reidhaar of St. Maries, was the recipient of the Lorraine P. Sachs Standard of Excellence Award from the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy for her work as the executive director of the Idaho State Board of Accountancy.

“There are 54 of my peers who do similar work and only one person can be a recipient,” Mrs. Porter said. “I’m very humbled and very honored.”

After high school, Mrs. Porter pursued an undergraduate degree in biology at the University of Utah after she was inspired by her high school biology teacher, Sam Cummings.

When she decided to return to Idaho, her career took a different turn.

“I was working at a lab in Utah doing some DNA research and we had two electron microscopes,” Mrs. Porter said. “When I moved back, the state of Idaho didn’t have one.”

Mrs. Porter said that her high school English teacher, Bev Greer, had taught students to think critically and also served as a debate coach.

“I decided to apply my knowledge in a different area,” Mrs. Porter said, “and my first job was doing statistical analysis in state government.”

Mrs. Porter still serves as the executive director of the Idaho State Board of Accountancy, a position she has held for 15 years.

“Our responsibility is to screen and license individuals as certified public accountants,” Mrs. Porter said. “We continue to monitor them and make sure they receive proper continuing education, undergo peer reviews and we handle any complaints filed by the public. Our primary focus is the protection of the public. It’s a big job.”

Mrs. Porter was honored for her ability to deliver exceptional results with limited resources. She’s worked to empower her staff to identify and groom volunteers to assist the board.

The engagement of volunteers has resulted in highly-productive committees, created a pool of highly-knowledgeable applicants from which to recruit board members and sparked a greater involvement of Idaho Board members on NASBA.

“It’s definitely one of the ways we do more with less,” Mrs. Porter said. “This small, four-person shop can leverage the work and it allows us to do it many times over.”

Mrs. Porter said that growing up in St. Maries gave her a basis from which she could succeed.

“I learned that ethics are important,” she said, “Growing up in a small community you have that sense that your peers and your peers’ parents are watching what you’re doing and what kind of a kid you’re going to be. I also grew up with a sense of working hard. People in St. Maries work hard and they are dedicated to what they do.”

Mrs. Porter now resides in Boise with her husband, Dave, and their two sons, Jonathan and Eric. Mrs. Porter is the daughter of St. Maries resident Rose Mary Reidhaar and her late husband Jack.