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- NABA recruiting event saw major sponsor absences tied to political pressure against DEI initiatives.
- Notable companies like American Express, Meta, and Walt Disney were absent, reducing attendance year over year.
- NABA CEO Guylaine Saint Juste warned political climate hinders minority recruitment amid accounting workforce shortages.
- Accounting diversity is low: only about 2% of partners and CPAs are Black, creating long-term industry risks.
The National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) recruiting event suffered a massive loss of sponsors due to the political pressures from the Trump administration to terminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives throughout corporate America, Fox Business reports.
Serving Black accountants and accounting firms, the annual event, held June 3-6 in Las Vegas, convenes for recruiting purposes for financial institutions and advisory firms. However, a report of the 2025 convention was marked as “a litmus test of the impact of Donald Trump’s executive orders attacking what he calls ‘illegal DEI’” due to the absence of major corporations known to sponsor.
Deloitte LLP, Wells Fargo & Co., and JPMorgan Chase & Co. were listed as traditional sponsors, and PwC and the Internal Revenue Service appeared. However, companies like American Express Co., Meta Platforms Inc., and Walt Disney Co. not being in attendance spoke volumes. “Attendance was down from last year, when almost 4,000 students and industry professionals took part,” the report read.
“Deloitte, the title sponsor, kept press out of the sessions it underwrote and declined to make featured panelist Lara Abrash, the chair of Deloitte US, available for interviews.”
Anti-DEI policies are making it difficult for the accounting industry to sustain itself, in addition to struggling to attract individuals into the profession. NABA’s CEO, Guylaine Saint Juste, said the political climate of the country has prevented minorities from being recruited in efforts to address the employee shortage. “The political climate has made changing that a challenge,” Saint Juste said, who has been CEO since 2021.
The accounting industry is filled with predominantly white professionals. Only 2% of partners and Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) are Black. KPMG Chief Executive Officer Paul Knopp supported Saint Juste’s sentiments, calling the lack of support “a brewing crisis that will impact accounting firms and corporations.” Since President Donald Trump signed an executive order to end DEI policies, corporate support has been challenging for various industries and spaces.
Juneteenth celebrations saw a dent in support from corporations, according to Meetings and Conventions. In Denver, a dozen companies backed out of the Juneteenth Music Festival, one of the city’s largest celebrations. A similar incident occurred in Colorado Springs, forcing its Juneteenth celebration to move locations due to fewer sponsors and a decrease in city funding.
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