Deana Infield Assumes Board Chair Position
Deana A. Infield becomes the 94th Chair of ARCPA’s Board of Directors on April 1. She joined the Arkansas Society of CPAs (ARCPA) in December 1997, shortly after becoming a licensed CPA. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Arkansas Tech University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting degree and received her Arkansas CPA license in 1997. She was a member of the Leadership Fort Smith Class of 2007 and holds the Series 7 and 66 securities licenses, as well as an Oklahoma CPA license.
Infield was appointed to the Arkansas State Board of Public Accountancy (ASBPA) in 2017 where she served a five -year term, serving as President of the Board in 2021. She joined the ARCPA Board of Directors in 2023 as Vice Chair and has served on the Audit, Executive, Finance, Nominations, Policy, PAC, and Strategic Planning committees. She is also an active member of the Western Chapter of CPAs.
After graduating from Russellville High School in 1992, Infield attended Arkansas Tech University. Upon graduation, she moved to Fort Smith in January 1996 to work at what was then Beall & Company. Infield became a partner with Beall Barclay & Company in 2004 and continues with the firm that has become Landmark PLC, Certified Public Accountants. Infield serves clients in various industries including financial institutions, real estate, leasing companies, and nonprofit organizations.
Prior to serving on the ASBPA, Infield volunteered as a quality reviewer and worked with the Board and the Arkansas Legislature in 2017 toward passage of the peer review bill.
Outside of accounting, Infield is active in her community where she attends Grace Community Church and is currently serving on the boards of the Fort Smith Symphony and the Bonneville House. She is also an appointed member of the City of Fort Smith Audit and Advisory Committee.
Infield lives in Fort Smith with her two sons and enjoys spending time reading, working in her yard, and enjoying the pool. She tries to attend every home Razorback football game. She and her father have twice completed the Bataan Memorial Death March, a 26.2-mile memorial march through the New Mexico desert to honor service members who defended the Philippines during World War II. Their first time to march was the 75th anniversary march and they had the opportunity of meeting some of the survivors of the original march which, was a humbling experience.
Infield has been fortunate to grow up in accounting, working with some great leaders and mentors including Mike Carroll who was a past chair of the ARCPA. She looks forward to meeting people across the State of Arkansas and learning more about issues they are encountering. Infield says that “regardless of the area of practice, the role of CPAs seems to become more difficult each year.” She is very excited to learn more about the “We Are Accounting” group that has been spearheaded by UCA’s Dr. Stephanie Watson. The purpose of that group is to encourage highschool students on the study of accounting and careers in accounting. When asked why she chose accounting as her career path, Infield said, “I decided to elect accounting as a major after completing two years of accounting classes when I was in high school. Having an accounting degree and becoming a CPA has allowed me opportunities and interactions that I would never have dreamed possible when I was 18 years old and trying to decide what was next for me after high school. I’d like to do what I can in the role of Chair to encourage more students to look at accounting and get information on what obstacles they are encountering.”