Gen Burns is the partner in charge of Blackman Kallick's Not-for-Profit Practice. A long-time member of many not-for-profit boards herself, Gen works to make sure her clients not only receive the detailed audit and accounting services they need, but also that all the parties involved from the CFO to the board members—fully understand and appreciate their roles and responsibilities. "For not-for-profits, especially, you have to go 'above the audit.' For example, we have helped several clients develop new budgeting processes in order to produce final budgets that can be used as effective management tools." As one of the area's leading specialists on assurance services for not-for-profit organizations, Gen helps her clients benchmark against other NFPs and meet the specialized requirements of the area, including GAAP, OMB A-133 and HUDs. She also helps clients analyze the cost and benefits of outsourcing specific functions. Gen believes that NFPs require a more continual involvement than for-profit clients, which is one of the reasons she can often be found reading the minutes from her client's monthly board meetings. Gen has been a frequent speaker for several not-for-profit organizations (NFPs), including the CPA's for Public Interest and Donors Forum. She has addressed such topics as budgeting, cash flow projections, analysis of financial statements and the potential impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on not-for-profit organizations. Lately she has spent a good deal of time educating board members on their individual fiduciary responsibilities. "We work hard to provide board members with the information they need both as part of the board and also personally. This lets them spend less time worrying about governance issues and more time doing great things for the community." Gen received her B.S. in Accounting from the University of Illinois, Chicago. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and is the immediate past chair of the Illinois CPA Society's Not-for-Profit Committee. Gen is also a member of the Legislative Committee of Illinois' Charitable Advisory Council, the Donors Forum, Preserving the Public Trust Initiative Task Force, the Association Forum, the American Society of Association Executives and DePaul University's School of Accountancy, Ledger and Quill Board. In addition, Gen is the finance chairperson of the Gateway Foundation and serves on the advisory board of the Emerald City Theatre Company, where she plans to take her grandchildren for acting classes. "I walk into museums, zoos and theatres with my grandchildren looking forward to enjoying a day with them. I walk out thinking that there are so many truly amazing people working at not-for-profits. People who really care and are really brilliant at what they do."