Family ties.

Nella Ebert recently was honored at CalCPA's Celebrating Women CPAs event as one of the profession's trailblazers, and while she inspired a room of 300 that day, she has been inspiring others to follow in her footsteps for years--including her children.

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Ebert's daughter, Gina Levy, is a solo practitioner--like her mother--in Los Angeles (mom's practice was in San Marino); and Ebert's son, James Ebert, is a CPA and lawyer at Kitagawa & Ebert in Irvine. Between the three of them, they boast more than 100 years of service to the profession.

What do you believe are the keys to a successful career?

Mom: 1. Being an independent thinker. 2. Joining an accounting professional society like CalCPA and becoming involved in the society and in other business organizations. 3. Listening to clients and being their friends professionally.

Daughter: The willingness to learn and to work hard is probably the most important. Always seek out new ways of doing things, smarter, better, faster.

Son: I think writing is an important skill for CPAs. Too many accounting undergraduate programs do not focus enough on training prospective CPAs to write or communicate effectively.

What is one thing you look for when hiring a new employee?

Mom: I believe that personal and professional honesty are the most important assets.

Daughter: The willingness to learn and the ability to innovate. The best professional relationships exist when people are learning from each other.

Son: A positive attitude toward work--including a strong work ethic.

What advice do you have for young CPAs?

Mom: Develop a professional attitude and a good speaking ability.

Daughter: Don't limit yourself. Find what fascinates you and pursue it. Accounting is the language of business. There are many, many options.

Son: Invest as much time as you can working in the accounting profession while you are a student.

Whom do you most admire?

Daughter: My mother, because she earned her CPA license when the odds were against her. She also raised me not to be afraid to do something just because women hadn't done it yet.

What is something your staff would never suspect about you?

Mom: I'm retired, but years ago, my staff never thought that I was so family oriented. I had each of my children work for me at some time, and strongly suggested that each one study accounting, regardless of their choice of profession, since accounting is the language of the business.

Daughter: I was one of the first three women on Santa Clara University Women's Crew to compete all four years. That makes me "a-crew-er" as well as an "accrue-r."

Son: Growing up, I dreamed of being a professional baseball announcer like Vin Scully. I stutter sometimes, so my Italian grandfather convinced me that I should choose a profession where I was more likely to become employed.