Page 45 - BusinessWest April 27, 2026

Jill Foley
Director of Membership,
Massachusetts Society of CPAs:
Age 36
Jill Foley is not an accountant, and she doesn’t
play one on TV.
But she’s essentially made a career out
of promoting and supporting accountants from
across the state.
Indeed, she’s been director of membership for
the Massachusetts Society of CPAs for eight years
now, playing a major role in growing membership,
expanding networking events, and providing more
opportunities for members to connect and develop
professionally. It’s a role that brings rewards on
many levels.
“Relationships, and connecting people with
people, are a big part of what I do and what our
team does,” she told BusinessWest, adding that this
work takes many forms.
These include everything from the agency’s Small
Firm Roundtables, created to provide firm owners and
leaders with a collaborative, non-competitive space to
share best practices, discuss operational challenges,
and learn from one another, to an expanded Sip and
Socialize, MassCPAs’ most lucrative and best-attended
networking event, from a single annual gathering
in Boston to a multi-region, three-event series with
Boston and Springfield locations.
It also includes the launch of a new program to support
entrepreneurial CPAs who have recently started or are planning to start
their own business, surpassing year-one
participation goals by more than 50%.
A graduate of Assumption College, Foley
majored in accounting, drawn to the profession
by the diversity of opportunities available
to people in the accounting world — and
the importance of those professionals to
individuals, businesses and nonprofits of all
sizes.
An entrepreneur herself, she also created
Fed by Foley, a food service business serving the
Pioneer Valley, which she operated until late last
year.
In the venture’s second month, she created
Charcuterie for Community, where she worked
alongside other organizations to support general
operations or special projects for organizations
and causes ranging from the Food Bank of Western
Massachusetts to Cancer Connection; from Cooley
Dickinson Hospital to Nonotuck Community School.
“The business grew in ways I never imagined —
over a thousand orders over those four years,” Foley
said. “It’s so hard to open a small business, but so
many people in this region want to support you.”
That’s one of many examples of how she makes
giving back a priority. She’s a board member for the
People’s Institute of Northampton, raises funds for
the National Brain Tumor Assoc., and serves as a non-
medical volunteer for the Medical Reserves Corps of
Massachusetts.
Add it all up — that’s what they do in accounting —
and it’s easy to see she’s a member of this year’s 40
Under Forty.
—George O’Brien
The Regionʼs
Next Chapter
Starts Here.
MBK is proud to recognize this yearʼs 40 Under
Forty honorees, with a special shout-out to Jill
Foley.
These leaders are shaping whatʼs next for
Western Massachusetts. Congratulations to all! Jill Foley, CAE
www.mbkcpa.com
(413) 536-8510
Business W est 2026
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