2024-25 CalCPA Foundation Chair Ruben Davila

It doesn ’ t take long to realize the importance of family to CalCPA Education Foundation Chair Ruben Davila . And as the first in his family to attend college , it seems fitting that he ’ s now teaching tomorrow ’ s CPAs as a professor at USC Marshall School of Business Leventhal School of Accounting , where he ’ s spent nearly 40 years of his career .

His experience , however , extends far outside the classroom walls . He has served as an expert witness and litigation consultant for a variety of complex business litigation , including corporate financial reporting , fraud , embezzlement , valuation , contract damages and corporate governance .

Q : What or who inspired you to become a CPA , and when did you first know that it was the right career for you ? Family is important to me . I am Latino and close family includes a large extended family . My family was and is still very bluecollar . I was the first in my family to go to college , much less graduate from college . When I began college , there was pressure to graduate with something where I could get a good paying job . I did not think in terms of a career or entering a profession . I began college with an interest in mathematics but reconsidered this pathway when equations and proofs started running over a page in length . It was time to move on .

I remember clearly when the idea of becoming a CPA came up . I was at dinner with extended family , a normal weekly occurrence growing up . My Uncle John told me , “ Ruben , you should become a CPA !” He had just visited his CPA to get his taxes done . My uncle explained , “ I gave him my tax stuff , 30 minutes later he was done . I paid him $ 50 .” So , being good with numbers —$ 50 for 30 minutes . This extrapolates to $ 100 an hour . That made sense . I was on my way to being a CPA !

My educational path to CPA got off to a rocky start . I initially struggled , almost failed my first intro to accounting course . I had preconceived ideas about what revenue , expense and even debit and credit were . It took a while , but I figured it out and salvaged a “ B ” from a weak “ D ” in that course . I went on to develop a strong principals-based understanding of the subject matter and it turned out great — except for tax .

My CPA tax career was derailed by my first tax course . It was not a good experience . Our textbook had tiny text , no pictures , way too many pages of ultra-thin paper . It cited a lot of code that was indecipherable . Explanations were often just as confusing . When I highlighted a phrase or passage , the ink went through several of the ultra-thin pages . To make matters worse , the federal tax law was undergoing a significant overhaul . As a result , what I was learning would be out of date within the next six months .

After I graduated , I joined the audit staff at Deloitte . It was an awesome experience ! I worked at six clients in my first year —

12 CALIFORNIA CPA SEPTEMBER 2024 www . calcpa . org