– As of March 23, 2026, the 125th year of the California Board of Accountancy.
Rosario Bobadilla Farias
LONG BEACH, CALIF.
Beginning her career in public accounting at HCVT more than 20 years ago, Rosario specializes in audit work for clients in the manufacturing, retail and distribution industries, including the food and beverage, aerospace and defense, consumer goods, and grocery sectors. She also serves health care, tech and media organizations, and provides M&A services.
She attended Pepperdine University, co-leads HCVT’s DEI Committee and won the 2025 CalCPA Public Impact Award, honoring CPAs who go beyond the numbers to lead with purpose.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Every day is different, ranging from reviewing financial statements, advising clients on strategy decisions, mentoring my team and building relationships with partners. What ties it all together is collaboration with clients, business partners and the talented people I work with every day.
What keeps you coming back to your work?
It’s the people and our impact. I’ve spent my entire career at HCVT, and what keeps me here is the people and the chance to build long-term relationships with clients and colleagues. Equally important is mentoring and developing others. Seeing team members grow and build their careers is incredibly rewarding and a big part of why I love what I do. That combination of client impact and team development keeps the work meaningful.
What would people not expect of accounting?
That it isn’t boring! Many people think accounting is routine or purely technical, but it’s very dynamic and person driven. It requires problem solving, communicating and strategic thinking every day. You’re not just working with numbers; you’re helping clients make critical decisions and supporting your team as they grow in their careers.
What should people know about accounting?
Accounting is fun! It’s the foundation for so many career paths and teaches you how businesses operate, how to think critically and how to make informed decisions. It offers a wide range of opportunities and is a profession that is constantly evolving, whether through technology or changing regulations. It provides both stability and the ability to grow in many different directions. It’s also a profession that values integrity, continuous learning and adaptability.
What do you hope for the future of the CPA profession?
I hope to see the profession continue to evolve as a more strategic advisory role. As technology automates routine tasks, CPAs have a greater opportunity to focus on higher-value work by helping clients navigate complex decisions and growth opportunities. I’m excited about a future where CPAs are seen not just as accountants, but as trusted advisers playing a key role in long-term success.
Takeaways From ‘Lunch & Learn’ at Sac Metro Chamber
CalCPA | March 18, 2026
CPAs Chan Yoon (BPM), Matt Winans (CLA), Michael St. Angelo (MSA Corporate Strategy) and CalCPA VP Jason Fox covered a highly complex tax season as they’ve experienced it, defined by continued federal and California misalignment, changing guidance and IRS operational issues, among many other new considerations.
“Preparation” became the central theme, especially for small businesses. Common issues such as incomplete documentation and record-keeping, and lack of year-round planning create missed opportunities, avoidable costs and unnecessary stress. Simply put, better prep means better outcomes.
It’s critical to integrate tax planning into broader business decisions—whether hiring, expanding or changing entity structures—as state and federal policies shift more rapidly. And the growth of social media- and AI-generated tax advice presents a real risk to clients, sometimes with costly consequences.
Accounting instructors are adjusting their approaches and adapting to changing job markets to better prepare students for the accounting profession—as well as their college and career paths.
As organizations increasingly automate accounting, payments, payroll and vendor management, forensic accounting, enhanced by AI, becomes an essential security function rather than a post-incident investigative tool.
As international commerce and cross-border networks become larger and more complex, professional accounting services are emerging as a strategic necessity, rather than a secondary, back-office function.
The Wall Street Journal, CFO Journal | Mark Maurer
Large tech companies are just beginning to share financial details on the massive amounts of power they’ve locked in to run their AI data centers. But for some investors, those details aren’t nearly enough.
How did accountants in the 1950s manage payroll for thousands without Excel?
Accountants used IBM’s first mass-produced computer for automating employee payroll. That’s right — accounting pros were already feeding punch cards into machines to streamline ledgers and boost efficiency.
This time-saving revolutionary move helped shape the foundation of modern financial accounting, marking a change from manual bookkeeping to automated data processing.
So, the next time you boot up your accounting software, give a silent nod to all payroll rebels of the ’50s who proved calculators are just the beginning of something revolutionary.
How did accountants in the 1950s manage payroll for thousands without Excel?
Accountants used IBM’s first mass-produced computer for automating employee payroll. That’s right — accounting pros were already feeding punch cards into machines to streamline ledgers and boost efficiency.
This time-saving revolutionary move helped shape the foundation of modern financial accounting, marking a change from manual bookkeeping to automated data processing.
So, the next time you boot up your accounting software, give a silent nod to all payroll rebels of the ’50s who proved calculators are just the beginning of something revolutionary.
Stay connected!
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