ALBANY – John B. Huttlinger Jr., CPA of Lake Placid is the 2017 recipient of the 14th annual Michael H. Urbach, CPA Community Builders Award.

The New York Council of Nonprofits Inc. and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants co-sponsor the award, which recognizes exemplary achievements of a certified public accountant who serves in leadership positions on charitable organizations’ boards of directors.

A native of Lake Placid, Huttlinger is respected and effective as a board member for several significant Lake Placid-area community organizations. Huttlinger co-founded the Adirondack Film Society in 2000 as a locally based, community oriented charity, which has a regional and national reach.

Fred Balzac, operations manager of AFS observed that, “Without John’s leadership, AFS would not have weathered the various storms it has endured over its more than 17-year history and arrived where it is today, tripling in the past five years the number of screening programs it offers and building significant collaborative relationships with filmmakers and other film-presenting entities throughout New York state and beyond.”

Martha Spear of the Rotary Club of Lake Placid, who nominated Huttlinger, stated he “is the finest CPA-volunteer I have ever worked beside in my nearly 30 years of nonprofit employment and leadership. During our transitional years, John’s advice and counsel has been sterling. He is unflappable, very patient and very wise.” John is a founding member, whom has served on the Rotary Club board since 1994, including as Board Treasurer from 2011 to 2016, and continues to serve on the Board of Directors.

In addition to the Rotary Club and Adirondack Film Club, further organizations that have benefitted from Huttlinger’s volunteerism and leadership include the Lake Placid North Elba Historical Society, Boy Scouts and St. Agnes Church. He was also recently selected to serve as vice president on the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants’ Board. Huttlinger served on the NYSSCPA Board from 2008-2011 and is currently a member of the Society’s Small Firms Practice Management and Executive committees and Vice President of the Society’s Adirondack Chapter.

Under Mr. Huttlinger’s leadership with Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society the organization engaged in a major retooling of the museum’s roof and the 1904 train station from 2002 to 2007. Parmelee Tolkan, board chair of the LP Historical Society noted in her letter that John’s “easy-going demeanor is a joy, and his sense of humor always brings a smile to my face.”

Another testament to Huttlinger’s accomplishments and leadership was his guidance and development of a rescue plan for the St. Agnes Church in 2011. Starting this school year, it is opening with the largest enrollment in 10 years and financially in the black. Fr. John stated that “John has a superbly analytical mind and was a persistent voice to keep the school alive.”