The national strategy initiative will include extensive focus groups and forums around the country
NEW YORK (July 31, 2023) – The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) today announced the formation of an advisory group representing a broad spectrum of the accounting profession that will help shape a national strategy to address the profession’s talent shortage, including accounting students who go on to obtain a CPA license.
The National Pipeline Advisory Group’s work is part of a multi-pronged approach that includes an intensive effort to use technology, surveys and in-person forums to solicit insights and input from a diverse array of groups around the country.
The advisory group includes members who represent a range of perspectives, experiences, and constituencies, including state CPA societies, accounting firms of various sizes, state boards of accountancy, educators and business and industry. The group also reflects a blend of small, medium, and large states from across the nation.
The advisory group will be chaired by Lexy Kessler, CPA, CGMA, mid-Atlantic regional leader for Aprio and a board member of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, a global organization jointly formed by the AICPA and The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).
ConvergenceCoaching LLC, will facilitate the collaborative effort. Jennifer Wilson of ConvergenceCoaching will be the group’s lead facilitator and will be supported by other members of her team. ConvergenceCoaching is a national leadership and management consulting firm that has worked extensively on accounting-related projects in leadership development, change management, and data analysis.
“The slowdown in young adults choosing accounting as a career is a collective problem for the CPA profession and requires a collective and inclusive solution,” said Susan Coffey, the AICPA’s CEO of public accounting and executive sponsor of the initiative. “We want to make sure we have a broad range of viewpoints and perspectives to help define the profession’s pipeline strategy moving forward. This deep, capable, and experienced group will play a critical role in guiding that conversation and subsequent call to action.”
Members of the advisory group are:
Jeannine Birmingham, CPA, CAE, CEO, Alabama Society of CPAs
Ken Bouyer, CIA, EY Americas DEI recruiting leader and member of the AICPA National Commission on Diversity & Inclusion
Susan Coffey, CPA, CGMA, CEO of Public Accounting, AICPA
Daniel J. Dustin, CPA, Vice President of State Relations, National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)
Joe Falbo, CPA, CGMA, Partner at Szymkowiak & Associates CPAs, PC, and past president of the New York State Society of CPAs
Jonathan Hauser, CPA, Partner at KPMG and chair of the Illinois CPA Society
Angela Ho, CPA, CGMA, Chief Compliance Officer, OceanFirst Bank
Kathy Johnson, CPA, CFF, CGMA, Vice President, JS Held, adjunct professor, California State University, San Bernadino and past chair, California Society of CPAs
Lori Kaiser, CPA, CGMA, Founder and CEO of Kaiser Consulting, LLC and past chair, Ohio Society of CPAs
Lexy Kessler, CPA, CGMA, Mid-Atlantic Regional Leader, Aprio and board member, Association of International Certified Professional Accountants
Elizabeth (Betsy) Krisher, CPA, CEO/Chairman, Maher Duessel CPAs and president of the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs board
Allen Lloyd, CAE, Executive Director, Montana Society of CPAs
Tom Neill, CPA (retired), Uniform Accountancy Act committee chair
Michelle F. Randall, CPA, CGMA, Accounting Professor, Schoolcraft College and chair of the Michigan Association of CPAs
Jodi Ann Ray, CAE, President and CEO, Texas Society of CPAs
Marcus Rayner, Managing Director, U.S. Public Policy at PwC
Rick Reisig, CPA, Principal, Pinion, LLC, and board chairman, NASBA
Kimberly Scott, CAE, President and CEO, Washington Society of CPAs
Lindsay Stevenson, CPA, CGMA, Chief Transformation Officer, BPM and board member, Association of International Certified Professional Accountants
Mark Taylor, CPA, Director, University of South Florida’s Lynn Pippenger School of Accountancy and 2023-24 president, American Accounting Association
Emily Walker, CAE, Vice President, Advocacy, Virginia Society of CPAs
Shelly Weir, President and CEO, Florida Institute of CPAs
The advisory group began meeting this month and will report on its progress at the AICPA’s Fall Council meeting in October. A resolution passed by AICPA Council members in May called for a collaborative process resulting in a research-driven national pipeline strategy that, among other things, addresses the image of the profession as well as educational and experience requirements, and outlines short and long-term actions that address the profession’s human capital needs. The Council resolution affirmed a commitment to preserving mobility for CPAs, a critical element of the system of state licensure allowing CPAs to practice across licensing jurisdictions.
Contact:
Jeff May
212.596.6122
jeffrey.may@aicpa-cima.com