DE&I Profile:
T. David Colgren, President and CEO, Colcomgroup, Inc.
Get an inside look into diversity at IMA. David Colgren shares his story.
Describe your current professional role and title.
I’m the CEO and owner of Colcomgroup, Inc., a PR/government affairs/business development consulting firm that provides support to the accounting, auditing, legal, academic, and fintech markets in the area of ESG (environmental, social, governance). Prior to founding my own firm, I worked with several financial services companies, including BYSIS (now Citi), Fidelity Investments, and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas. I also worked for the U.S. Senate (Sen. Alan Dixon, D-IL), supporting the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee.
What volunteer activities have you been involved in at IMA?
Before joining IMA’s Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Committee, I served for more than 10 years on IMA’s Technology Solutions & Practices Committee, where I was involved in initiatives related to eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL), using data analytics to provide better transparency, and more. As a member of this committee, I met with important policy stakeholders, spoke at numerous IMA events, and authored articles for Strategic Finance magazine.
Where were you originally born and raised? Is there anything about your culture you may want to share with the IMA community?
I was born and raised in a suburb of Chicago. In high school, I was fortunate to be an exchange student near Bonn, West Germany, an experience that helped me better understand the importance of pluralism, globalization, the need for interconnections regardless of gender, class, ethnic background, or nationality, and being gay. Early in my career, after graduating from TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, I met many close LGTQIA friends, many of whom—Gary, Paul, William, Leonard, Larry, John, Greg, Tom, and Steve—sadly died in their early 20s from AIDS. This experience profoundly impacted my life, furthering my resolve to support equal justice under the law, especially equal access to healthcare and ending the AIDS/HIV global crisis. Personally, I faced my own health challenges while in my 30s, when I contracted sinus and brain cancer and learned how to live with disabilities related to my vision, sense of smell, and hearing. I strongly support the Equality Act, a landmark piece of U.S. legislation that would expand the 1964 federal civil rights laws and protect LGBTQIA people, as well as other legislation that advances fair treatment for women, the aged, people of color, people of origin, veterans, people with disabilities, and people of faith.
What are your hobbies and interests?
I love to travel and enjoy seeing other cultures and learning about history and understanding interconnection, the intersectionality of race and ethnicity, the importance of continued self-actualization, and the importance of globalization, peace, and mutual support of others.
What can IMA do to expand on its DE&I initiative in support of its members?
Members of the accounting profession, as trusted advisors, are in a good position to promote accountability, transparency, and attestation to help individuals or organizations make better decisions for a better society. That includes supporting an economic system that provides for better equity, inclusion, and economic opportunities for all. IMA and the profession are taking steps to help members of the LGBTQIA, disabled, and veterans’ communities enjoy access to opportunities and be included in disclosures to help provide greater inclusion and economic support.
