Illinois CPA Society honors Brian Whitlock with Lifetime Achievement Award
The Illinois CPA Society will honor Brian Whitlock, CPA, JD, LLM with the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award on Monday, June 9 at the Society's Leadership Recognition Dinner for his commitment to the organization and his contributions and achievements as an accounting professional.
Brian is a Partner in the certified public accounting firm of Plante & Moran, PLLC, the 11th largest CPA firm in the nation and the sixth largest in Chicago. As a tax partner, Brian develops and implements wealth transfer strategies for high net worth individuals; business succession planning; and the administration and tax compliance of trusts, estates, and exempt organizations. He is adept at tailoring estate tax deferral and wealth transfer strategies that fulfill the personal and nontax objectives of clients, as well as developing strategies utilizing qualified and non-qualified deferred compensation plans that allow closely held businesses and exempt organizations to attract, retain and reward key employees.
In 1984, Brian entered the practice of law with Bellows and Bellows, P.C. in Chicago. In addition to income and estate tax planning for closely held businesses, Brian handled the legal aspects of business and real estate acquisitions, the design, drafting, and implementation of qualified pension and profit sharing plans, employment contracts and general corporate matters. During this period, Brian received his L.L.M. (Taxation) with high honors from IIT/Chicago-Kent College of Law. In 1987, Brian joined Blackman Kallick, LLP as a tax manager and the director of estate planning. He became a partner at Blackman in 1990. Blackman Kallick, LLP merged with Plante & Moran, PLLC in 2012. From 1987 until 2012 he continued to operate his law practice as part of BK Wealth Transfer Services, LLC.
He received his B.A. from Northwestern University in 1976 and his J.D. with honors from IIT/Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1979. Upon his completion of law school and admission to the Illinois Bar, Brian entered public accounting rising to the position of tax manager with a west suburban firm. During this period, Brian continued his education by picking up a secondary degree in accounting at Elmhurst College and passing the CPA examination in 1984.
For the past eight years, Brian has served as an adjunct member of the faculty at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he teaches "Taxation Closely Held Business Entities and their Stakeholders" in masters of science in taxation program in downtown Chicago. Brian was voted the Faculty MVP by both the 2009 and the 2010 graduating classes.
Brian is a past chairman of the Illinois CPA Society (ICPAS), where he served on the board of directors and in various officer positions for the over eight years, and for more than 25 years he served countless roles on ICPAS committees and task forces. He is currently serving as an active member of tax committees within the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), the Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association. Additionally, he has previously served the AICPA on panels, councils and committees for more than a decade. He is a regularly featured speaker at the AICPA National Tax Conference and numerous CPA, bar, financial planning and other trade associations invite Mr. Whitlock to speak on income, estate and nonprofit tax issues.
"I am grateful to be recognized by the Illinois CPA Society for the work of my first 30 years as a CPA. I only hope that I can live up to this honor in the next 30 years," said Mr. Whitlock.
Brian and the love of his life, Nancy, have been married for over 33 years. They are the proud parents of Mallory (also a CPA), Brad, and Paige. In addition to coaching youth soccer and baseball, Brian has been an active officer and board member of his church's parish council, The Rich-Port YMCA Indian Guide and Princess Program, The Theatre of Western Springs Foundation, and numerous scholarship funds which he has assisted in organizing.