Richard Charpentier, CPA
Assistant Treasurer
Granite State Ambassadors, Inc.
countican@msn.com
Mr. Charpentier is a native of Manchester and holds a CPA certificate awarded originally in 1964 by the State of New Hampshire. He received his accounting degree from Bentley College and has kept affiliations with the College via the Alumni Association where he served as President of the New Hampshire Chapter. He has been a regular participant in continuing education seminars and alumni matters.
Mr. Charpentier is a director of St. Mary’s Bank Credit Union and a member of several Board committees. He is currently Chairman of the Hillcrest Terrace Board of Trustees. He is also a member of the Queen City Rotary Club and a Board member and volunteer with the Granite State Ambassadors, a group known as NH Information Specialists.
He began his public accounting career in Boston as a Staff Accountant in the accounting and auditing area. He returned to New Hampshire, where he became associated with a Manchester firm advancing from Staff Accountant to Audit Manager. In 1969, Mr. Charpentier was one of the founding partners of Charpentier & Dery, CPAs Their firm subsequently merged with Smith, Batchelder & Rugg in 1977 and became part of Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker (BDMP) in February 1995. Mr. Charpentier retired from BDMP in June 2001.
His professional activities have included the Personnel Committee of Associated Accounting Firms International, where he served as Chairman. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a past member of the New Hampshire Society of Certified Public Accountants. In the latter organization, he is a past president and has served the Society in various committees, board, and officer positions. He has served as President of New England Peer Review Inc. which administers the AICPA Peer Review Program in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island. He was a member of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and former member of its Accountants’ Committee. As a member of that Committee, he has been a speaker on various ERISA matters at Accountants’ Sessions and the Annual Education Sessions. He was a member and past President of the New Hampshire Employee Benefits Council. This Council was organized to assemble, disseminate, and exchange information; advance knowledge and education and foster sound principles, procedures and practice in the field of employee compensation plans, with particular reference to pension and welfare benefit plans.
He was a director of Manchester Development Corporation and a member of its Civic Center (which worked to build the Verizon Wireless Arena) and Convention & Visitors Bureau subcommittees. He was a director of the Manchester Regional
Community Foundation and a trustee of Catholic Medical Center where he has previously served as Treasurer and on the Executive committee. He also served as a member of the “Special Board” of CMC, which conducted a review of the hospital situation in Manchester. He is a past Chairman of the City of Manchester Retirement System Board and past Chairman of the New Hampshire State Retirement Board. Also included in Mr. Charpentier’s civic contributions have been his service as Chairman of the Manchester Model Cities Agency; as a member of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce blue Ribbon Tax Committee, which made a study of the tax collection structure of the city and made recommendations which have now been implemented; as a member of the Manchester Review Committee, which made as study of the various City departments and made recommendations for more efficient and time-saving operations. He also served on the Manchester School Department Committee on Excellence, which was formed to address the concerns raised by the National Commission on Excellence in Education. He has been involved in Scouting at the troop and district levels. He served on the Board and Finance Committee of the Greater Manchester Mental Health Center and the Board and Finance committee of The Way Home. He also served on the Board of Stewards at Notre Dame College in Manchester.
He is or has been, active in such local organizations as the United Way, Pine Haven Boys Center, Manchester Boys and Girls Club, Manchester Girls Softball League (founder), North Little League and North Soccer League. He is a past President of the Manchester Exchange club and a former Treasurer of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Charpentier was the 1987 New Hampshire recipient of the Public Service Award presented by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
In 1986 the Small Business Administration selected Mr. Charpentier as the Small Business Accountant Advocate of the Year. Mr. Charpentier was an elected Delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business held in Washington, DC in August 1986, and was elected in 1994 as a delegate to the 1995 Conference.
He has served ethnic and cultural concerns as current President of the Franco American Centre whose mission is the preservation of the rich heritage of the French communities of North America.and as Treasurer of the Euclide Gilbert French Language Foundation, Inc. an organization which furthers the study of the French Language in the Northeast. He is also a past President of the Jolliet Club
He is the father of six children; he and his wife Pauline reside in Manchester.