HBH's Kia Buckner Recognized as a Minority Business Leader

Philadelphia, PA – August 9, 2018 – Horsey, Buckner & Heffler, LLP (HBH), a minority-controlled accounting and advisory firm headquartered in Philadelphia, is proud to announce that Kia D. Buckner, CPA, Managing Partner, has been named a 2018 Minority Business Leader award recipient by the Philadelphia Business Journal.

This prestigious award recognizes the Philadelphia region’s top minority business leaders based on demonstrated success in business and the community over the past 12 to 18 months.  

This recognition comes at a time when HBH recently celebrated its one-year business anniversary. HBH, which is affiliated with Heffler, Radetich & Saitta LLP (Heffler), a 70-year old, Philadelphia-based CPA firm, was officially established in June 2017.

Led by Chairman and CEO, Michael G. Horsey, CPA, and Managing Partner, Kia D. Buckner, CPA; HBH’s goal is to provide its diverse client base with a pathway to thought leadership through a broad range of cost-effective, value-added services. 

“I’m thrilled that Kia has been recognized for this much deserved honor,” said Michael G. Horsey, CPA, Chairman and CEO of HBH. “I’ve had the unique opportunity to serve as her mentor and now as her business partner. Kia has an unwavering commitment to pay it forward and to help other minorities realize that public accounting is a viable career option. Knowing Kia, her work has just begun."

Diversity has been a constant challenge within the accounting profession for many years. According to data gathered by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), only 3% of all professional staff at CPA firms within the United States are African American and only 5% are Hispanic/Latino. Even more surprising, only 23% of partners at US CPA firms are female and less than 1% of partners are African American.

“On behalf of the partners of Heffler, Radetich & Saitta LLP, I want to proudly congratulate Kia on this significant honor,” said Edward J. Radetich, Jr. CPA, Partner of Heffler. “Kia was instrumental in the formation of HBH and it’s wonderful to see her being recognized for her demonstrated leadership and her visions for growth within our organization and the accounting industry.” 

Ms. Buckner has 24 years of experience within big four and regional accounting firms. She is a CPA in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA), and the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA).

Ms. Buckner, who graduated magna cum laude from North Carolina A&T State University with a B.S. in Accounting, currently serves on the Board of the Philadelphia Theater Company and is Co-Treasurer of the Ivy Legacy Foundation. She previously served as vice-chair of the audit committee of the Philadelphia Housing Authority and on the boards of the Philadelphia Writing Project, Headlong Dance Theater, and Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Montgomery County.