Most Influential People
Sponsored by:
A Supplement to
34 A Supplement to Accounting Today
Top 100 People
New year, new challenges, new vectors of influence
O
bamaCare. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and
Consumer Protection Act. Preparer registration.
The expiring Bush tax cuts.
Those sweeping events represent just some of the quantum change that the CPA profession will be bracing for over
the next year.
After struggling to help their clients traverse one of the
worst economic landscapes in nearly 80 years, the profession is bracing for another round of potentially game-changing events, this time in the form of health care and financial
reform legislation that could impact not only their client
base, but the traditional guidelines of how they conduct
business — to say nothing of a host of new technologies,
new firm structures, new media and much more.
Mark Albrecht
CEO, XCM Solutions/
Xpitax
Workflow has become one
of the most important tools
a CPA firm can have, and
Albrecht has positioned
XCM at the forefront of the workflow revolution, not least through recently joining the
CPA2Biz Trusted Business Advisor Solutions
program.
Career Highlights: CEO, XCM Solutions/Xpitax,
2001-present … Founder and shareholder, KAF Financial Group, 1991-2009 … Partner, Kennedy & Lehan,
1983-1991 … Partner, Ryan & Albrecht, 1981-1983 …
Staff accountant, Gerald T. Reilly CPAs, 1978-1981 …
Staff accountant, Arthur Andersen, 1976-1978.
Other Affiliations: AICPA … Massachusetts Society
of CPAs … Trustee, Eastern Bank.
Education: Bentley College, 1981, Master of Taxation
… Boston College, 1976, BA Acctg.
Personal: Born 1953, Boston … Married to Mary …
Three children.
Rick Anderson
Chairman and CEO,
Moss Adams
Besides heading up the
West Coast’s biggest firm,
Anderson is also chair of a
high-profile panel working
on the eternally vexed question of standards
for private companies. Will he and his panel
be the ones to finally cut the Gordian Knot?
Career Highlights: Chairman and CEO, Moss Adams, 2004-present; president and COO, 1999-2004;
director of operations, 1993-1999; director of accounting and auditing, 1984-1993; partner, 1980.
Other Affiliations: Chair, Blue Ribbon Panel on Private Entity Accounting Standards … Vice chair, Praxity Management Board and Governing Council …
Past member, AICPA Council; past chair, Major Firms
Group … Trustee, Financial Accounting Foundation.
But as with the accounting scandals of nearly a decade ago
and the recent financial crisis, the profession has again demonstrated that it’s up for any and all challenges — whether
they emanate from Washington or internally.
And this year’s roster of our Top 100 Most Influential
People will no doubt be at the forefront of those efforts.
Each year with this issue, our staff faces its own challenge
— that of whittling down several hundred deserving nominees into the 100 people we feel are the changemakers and
thought leaders of the profession.
Given what has transpired on Capitol Hill over the past
year, selecting our 2010 century roster was especially challenging, and not surprisingly, elicited a number of “spirited”
debates among our editorial ranks.
Education: Western Washington University, 1973,
Acctg.
Personal: Born 1951, Chehalis, Wash. … Married to
Lori … Two children.
C.E. Andrews
President,
RSM McGladrey
Having successfully negotiated last year’s ugly trial
separation from audit and
attest firm McGladrey &
Pullen, Andrews was able to focus on other
things — like this summer’s acquisition of
Top 100 Firm Caturano & Co.
Career Highlights: President, RSM McGladrey,
2009-present … President and CEO, SLM Corp.,
2008; executive VP of accounting and risk management, 2003 … Head, worldwide audit and business
advisory practice, Arthur Andersen, 2001-2002; partner, 1984; joined, 1974.
Other Affiliations: Advisory Board, Pamplin College
of Business, Virginia Tech … Immediate past chair,
Junior Achievement of Washington, D.C.
Education: Virginia Tech, 1974, Bachelor’s Acctg.
Personal: Born 1952, Covington, Va. … Married …
Three children.
August Aquila
President and CEO,
Aquila Global
Advisors
While perhaps best known
for helping firms develop
new compensation plans
— he literally wrote the book on the subject
— Aquila is also a force in many other areas
of consulting, not least firm M&A.
Career Highlights: President, Aquila Global Advisors, 1995-present … CEO, Chantrey Capital Advisors, 2007-present … Director of practice management consulting, The Growth Partnership, 2003-2005
… To VP of M&A, American Express Tax & Business
Services, 1994-2003 … Senior VP, PDI, 1987-1994 …
While there are many “regulars” re-appearing on this
year’s feature, the 2010 Most Influential also includes a number of newcomers whose profiles have risen significantly in
the recent past.
There have also been some notable deletions of former
T100 members, but that does not rule out their return, by
any means.
We feel we also have some exciting and thought-provoking additions to our “Ones to Watch” category — folks who
definitely merit a close look for their accomplishments.
So, the staff at Accounting Today presents the 2010 class of
the Top 100 Most Influential People as they prepare to meet
a host of new challenges.
Enjoy!
Partner, Friedman, Eisenstein, Raemer & Schwartz
CPAs, 1983-1994 … Adjunct professor of marketing,
DePaul University Graduate School of Business,
1980-1994 … Group director of marketing, Coopers
& Lybrand, 1979-1983.
Other Affiliations: Founding board member, Association for Accounting Marketing … Author, CPA Firm
Merger Strategies That Work; CPAs That Sell; Breaking
the Paradigm: New Approaches to Pricing Accounting
Services; Client at the Core; Compensation as a Strategic Asset … Contributing author, The Marketing Advantage; How to Hire a Marketing Director and Make
it Work; Bull’s Eye! The Ultimate How-To Marketing &
Sales Guide for CPAs.
Education: Indiana University, Ph.D … DePaul University, MBA, BA.
Personal: Born 1946, Chicago … Married to Emily
Haliziw … One daughter.
Andy
Armanino
CEO and managing
partner, Armanino
McKenna
Armanino may want to
start bottling his growth
elixir: Already nationally known for his forward-thinking management style, he has almost tripled his firm’s revenue and workforce
during his tenure.
Career Highlights: CEO and MP, Armanino McKenna, 2004-present; partner-in-charge of audit, 19942004; senior staff professional, audit, 1989-1994 …
Senior staff professional, Arthur Young, 1987-1989.
Other Affiliations: Chairman, Moore Stephens
North America … Director, Moore Stephens International … AICPA … California Society of CPAs.
Education: Santa Clara University, Bachelor’s, 1987.
Personal: Born 1965, Oakland, Calif. … Married to
Denise … Three children.
Erik Asgeirsson
CEO, CPA2Biz
With CPA2Biz firmly established as a resource
for accountants, Asgeirsson has been busy
building a stable of Trusted
Business Advisor Solutions
that bring the best of cloudbased software to accountants through alliances
with leading vendors.
Career Highlights: CEO, CPA2Biz, 2002-present; VP of professional services, 2000-2002 … To sales director,
Business Services Division, AT&T, 1990-2000.
Other Affiliations: National Peace Corps Association ... Former Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania.
Education: Stern School of Business, New York University, MBA ... George Washington University, BS
Electrical Engineering.
Personal: Born 1968, Falmouth, Mass. ... Married to
Claudia … Two daughters.
Robert
Attmore
Chairman, GASB
Now in his second five-year
term as chairman, Attmore
continues to pursue a busy
agenda, with projects on
controversial issues such as public pension
reporting, public-private partnerships, performance reporting, and fiscal sustainability
considerations.
Career Highlights: Chairman, Governmental Accounting Standards Board, 2004-present ... President, Attmore & Associates, 2003-2004 ... Deputy
state comptroller, New York, 1986-2003; director of
internal audit, Office of Mental Health, 1979-1984 ...
Audit manager, Deloitte Haskins & Sells, 1971-1979.
Other Affiliations: Trustee, Academy for Government Accountability ... Board of Advisors, Masters in
Government Accounting Program, Rutgers Business
School … Past president, National State Auditors Association ... Advisory Council, U.S. Government Auditing Standards ... AICPA.
Education: Villanova University, 1971, BS.
Personal: Born 1945, Kearny, N.J. ... Married ... One
child.
36 A Supplement to Accounting Today
Tony Batman
Chair, CEO and
president, 1st Global
The face of the national
broker-dealer partner to
the CPA profession, Batman has successfully shepherded the company’s 600 affiliated firms
through the financial crisis and, in a coup,
lured aboard Nobel Prize-winning economist
Dr. Harry Markowitz as an advisor.
Career Highlights: Chairman, CEO and president,
1st Global Inc., 1992-present ... VP, H.D. Vest Financial Services, 1987-1992 ... VP, Lincoln Property Co.,
1985-1987 ... Audit manager, Arthur Andersen, 19791985.
Other Affiliations: Past chair, Financial Services
Institute ... Advisory Board, University of Kansas
School of Business ... CFA Institute ... FPA ... Money
Management Institute ... Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association.
Education: University of Kansas, 1979, BS Acctg.
Personal: Born 1956, Dodge City, Kan. ... Married to
Vicki ... Two adult children ... Pilot ... Cancer survivor.
Sen. Max
Baucus
D-Mont.
As chairman of the Senate
Finance Committee, Baucus has taken the lead in
crafting and shepherding
major tax legislation through Congress.
Career Highlights: Chair, Finance Committee, U.S.
Senate, 2007-present, 2001-2003; Joint Committee
on Taxation; Agriculture Committee; Subcommittees on Taxation and Oversight; elected, 1978 ... U.S.
House of Representatives, 1974-1978 ... Montana
State Legislature, 1973-1974 ... Executive director,
Montana Constitutional Convention, 1972 ... Law
practice, 1971.
Education: Stanford University, 1967, law degree;
1964, BA.
Personal: Born 1941, Helena, Mont. ... Divorced ...
One son.
Chandra
Bhansali
President,
AccountantsWorld
Bhansali’s vision has positioned AccountantsWorld
to work collaboratively
with accounting professionals through the
company’s accounting and practice development portal.
Career Highlights: President and co-founder, AccountantsWorld, 1999-present ... President and cofounder, Micro Vision Software Inc., 1986-2002 ...
Manager, Perkin Elmer, 1980-1985.
Other Affiliations: CEO Club ... Will & Vision Foundation, IEEE ... ACM ... Board of Advisors, Infosys
International.
Education: State University of New York, 1979, Ph.D.
Top 100 People
... Indian Institute of Science, 1970, MS ... MBM Engineering College, 1968, BE.
Personal: Born 1947, Jodhpur, India ... Married to
Sharada (co-founder of AccountantsWorld) ... Two
children.
Parnell Black
CEO, NACVA
The more CPAs expand
into areas where valuation
skills are vital — such as
litigation support, forensics and fraud prevention
— the more value they find in the programs
and resources of Black’s 7,800-member, 19year-old organization.
Career Highlights: CEO, National Association of
Certified Valuation Analysts, 2002–present; president
and CEO, 1995–2002 … President and CEO, Black &
Isom Associates, 1992–1995 … Partner, Black/Green
& Co. CPAs, 1989–1992 … President, Parnell Black &
Associates, 1985–1989 … Senior program manager,
Amembal & Isom Consulting, 1979–1985.
Other Affiliations: Institute for Credentialing Excellence … Board advisor, International Association of
Consultants, Valuators and Analysts … Family Firm
Institute.
Education: University of Utah, 1981, MBA; 1979, BA
Acctg./Finance.
Personal: Born 1954, Salt Lake City … Married to
Linda Melcher … Two children.
Mark Bolgiano
President and CEO,
XBRL US
Bolgiano and his organization continue to improve
and expand the reach of
their revolutionary business reporting language, including the launch
in the past year of XBRL US Labs to accelerate R&D partnerships with public and private
sector groups.
Career Highlights: President and CEO, XBRL US
Inc., 2006-present … VP and CIO, Council on Foundations, 2003-2006 … VP of finance and administration, Greater Washington Board of Trade, 1987-1996
… Statistical analyst and database programmer, MDIPA, 1986-1987.
Other Affiliations: Board, ANSI X9 … International
Steering Committee, XBRL International.
Education: University of Maryland, 1986, postgraduate work; 1982, BS Agronomy.
Personal: Born 1956, Bethesda, Md. … Married to
Mandy … Five children.
Gary Boomer
CEO,
Boomer Consulting
One of the profession’s
earliest advocates of the
importance of technology
to profitable firm management, his well-known Boomer Technology
Circles are comprised of an elite roster of
high-performing firms that exemplify both
best practices and cutting-edge IT.
Career Highlights: CEO, Boomer Consulting Inc.,
1996-present ... Partner, Varney & Associates, to 1996.
Other Affiliations: President, Kansas Society of
CPAs … Accounting Advisory Board, Kansas State
University … The Advisory Board … Member, AICPA
Council; past chair, IT Executive Committee … Past
director, ACUTE … Author, Performance3, Boomer
Advantage Guides.
Education: Kansas State University, MS, BS Acctg.
Personal: Married to Mary ... Three children.
Blog/Twitter: www.thinkplangrow.net / @lgboomer
Jim Bourke
Partner,
WithumSmith+Brown
Bourke has been a true
pioneer for technology
acceptance at his firm and
for the CPA community at
large, and tireless in his efforts to educate,
advise and in some cases champion new
technology for the profession.
Career Highlights: Partner and member, Management Committee, WithumSmith+Brown; joined,
1987.
Other Affiliations: Past president, New Jersey Society of CPAs … Council member, AICPA; chair, CITP
Credential Committee; Top Technologies Workgroup, AICPA Tech+/Practitioners Committee; Life
and Disability Committee … Board, N.J. Technology
Council; Camp Zehnder YMCA.
Education: Kean University, 1987, BS Acctg.
Personal: Born 1964, Jersey City, N.J. … Married to
Jody … Three children.
Blog/Twitter: http://njscpa.typepad.com/aheadofthecurve / @JimBourke
Robert
Bunting
President, IFAC
That Bunting sent in his
reply to this year’s T100
survey from a Starbucks
on Avenue Victor Hugo
in Paris perfectly illustrates his position: A
hugely influential name from America making a big impression on the global stage, as
he leads the profession’s global organization
at a time when it is increasingly focused on
international issues.
Career Highlights: Chair, International Services
Group, Moss Adams, 2004-present; CEO, 1981-2004;
manager/partner, 1972-1981 … Staff/senior, Price
Waterhouse, 1968-1972.
Other Affiliations: President and board member,
International Federation of Accountants … Steering Committee, International Integrated Reporting
Committee … Council member and past chair, AICPA … Chair, ALAC.
Education: University of Idaho, 1968, BS.
Personal: Born 1945, Sacramento, Calif. … Married
to Maria … Three adult children, six grandchildren.
Peyton Burch
Director of partner
programs, Deltek
As 2010 chair of AICPA
Tech+, Burch was the
catalyst for combining the
Practitioners’ Symposium
and Tech Conference, to great success. Aside
from heading up the partner program at major ERP vendor Deltek, he has chaired the
Tech+ committee four years running, a rare
feat, and is in for yet another year.
Career Highlights: Director of partner programs,
Deltek, 2008-present … VP of strategic marketing,
MIS Group, 2006-2008 … CFO, ERG, 2005-2006 …
President, Burch Consultants, 1986-2005 … Senior
consultant, Arthur Andersen, 1984-1986.
Other Affiliations: Chair, AICPA Tech+ Conference,
2008-present … Information Technology Alliance.
Education: University of Texas, 1984, MPA … Southern Methodist University, 1981, BBA.
Personal: Born 1959, Houston … Married to Cathy
… Two children.
Twitter: @PeytonBurch
Paul Caron
Publisher and editorin-chief, TaxProf Blog
Probably the most prolific
blogger in the tax field,
Caron has made his blog
into a must-read, chockfull of the latest developments in the worlds
of tax, law and academia.
Career Highlights: Associate dean of faculty, University of Cincinnati College of Law, 2007-2010; Charles
Hartsock Professor of Law, 1997-present; director
of faculty projects, 2002-2007; professor, 1995-1997;
associate professor, 1993-1995; assistant professor,
1990-1993 ... Visiting professor, University of San
Diego School of Law, 2009-present … Associate, Sullivan & Worcester, 1985-1990 ... Law clerk, U.S. Court
of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, 1983-1985.
Other Affiliations: Publisher and editor-in-chief,
Law Professor Blogs Network ... Series editor, Law
Stories; Graduate Tax Series ... Author or co-author,
Tax Stories; Federal Wealth Transfer Taxation; Federal Income Tax Anthology.
Education: Boston University, 1988, LL.M (Tax) ...
Cornell Law School, 1983, J.D. ... Georgetown University, 1979, AB.
Stephen
Chipman
CEO, Grant Thornton
It wasn’t easy filling the
shoes of his predecessor,
Ed Nusbaum, running one
of the U.S.’s biggest firms,
but Chipman has already made his mark this
year by consolidating and selling off some of
the firm’s offices with the goal of concentrating on some carefully chosen markets.
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This isn’t
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New cloud-based technologies are replacing the traditional way of
doing business, and in the process, literally transforming the way
accounting firms will service clients for years to come. Firms of all
sizes have not only seen their productivity improve, but have
developed more profitable ways to engage their clients as well.
The AICPA Trusted Business Advisor SM Solutions from CPA2Biz
provide cloud computing solutions that can address critical
functions within your firm, such as core accounting services,
bill management, tax preparation workflow, cash flow analysis
and more. All of which allows you to maintain your competitive
edge, be more productive, collaborate better with your clients
and foster growth and profitability long into the future.
Learn more. Go to www.cpa2biz.com/BusinessSolutions
38 A Supplement to Accounting Today
Career Highlights: CEO, Grant Thornton US, 2010present; CEO, Grant Thornton China Management
Corp., 2006-2009; Central Region MP and senior
leadership team, GT US, 2003-2006; Dallas office MP,
2000-2003; MP, global services, 1998-2000; director
of international business centers, Grant Thornton
International, 1998-2000; head, Greater Bay Area Assurance Department, GT US, 1995-1996; Asia Pacific
regional technical director and liaison partner, GTI,
1992-1995; assurance partner, GT US, 1991-1992; assurance staff, GT UK, 1981-1988.
Other Affiliations: Board, Center for Audit Quality …
Board, Chicago-China Economic Development Center … Economic Club of Chicago … Chicago Council
on Global Affairs.
Education: Plymouth College; Plymouth Polytechnic.
Personal: Born 1961, Plympton, U.K. … Married to
Kim … Two children.
David Cieslak
Principal,
Arxis Technology Inc.
Cieslak plays an integral
role in educating the CPA
community — he’s no
stranger to the conference
circuit, where he can be relied on to introduce
accountants to useful technologies and tools
they have not yet heard of.
Career Highlights: Principal, Arxis Technology Inc.,
1994-present ... Partner, Cieslak, Boynton & Speakman CPAs, 1985-1994 ... Financial analyst, Associated Financial Corp., 1984-1985 ... Senior accountant,
Price Waterhouse, 1982-1984.
Other Affiliations: Chair, Sage Accpac Business
Partner Advisory Council … Past Chair, AICPA IT
Executive Committee ... Past board member, ITA ...
Council, California CPA Society; member and past
chair, State Technology Committee; past president,
California CPA Education Foundation.
Education: University of California at Los Angeles,
1982, BA Economics.
Personal: Born 1959, Binghamton, N.Y. ... Married to
Michelle ... Two children.
Twitter: @dcieslak
David Costello
President and CEO,
NASBA
Costello’s announcement
earlier this year that he’d
be retiring in 2012 doesn’t
diminish his influence: He
remains a powerful voice on all the issues
NASBA touches, from CPA mobility to accounting standards and beyond.
Career Highlights: President and CEO, NASBA,
1994-present ... President and CEO, NASBA Center
for the Public Trust, 2004-present … Executive director, Tennessee State Board of Accountancy, 1994 ...
President and CEO, David A. Costello & Associates,
1991-1994 ... President, IGI Adhesives, 1986-1991 …
President, General Adhesives, 1982-1986 ... Director
of audit, Genesco, 1969-1982 ... Auditor/consulting
services, Ernst & Ernst, 1963-1969.
Top 100 People
Other Affiliations: AICPA ... Tennessee Society of
CPAs ... New York State Society of CPAs ... President’s
Cabinet, David Lipscomb University ... Advisory
Board, Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management; Vanderbilt DNA Community Services.
Education: Vanderbilt University, 1982, MBA ... David Lipscomb University, 1964, BA Acctg.
Personal: Born 1942, Nashville, Tenn.... Married to
Sally ... Five children, 15 grandchildren.
Gale Crosley
President,
Crosley+Co.
A well-known speaker
and consultant on practice
growth, Crosley continues
to be a thought leader on
niche development, best practices and the
elevation of women within firms.
Career Highlights: Founder and president,
Crosley+Co., 2001-present ... Executive VP of sales
and marketing, AnswerThink Consulting Group,
1998-2000 ... Founder and president, Synchrony
Networks, 1995-1998 ... VP of marketing, VoiceCom
Systems, 1994-1995 ... Director of marketing and
senior director of sales, MCI, 1989-1994 ... Independent consultant, 1987-1989 ... To marketing manager,
IBM, 1975-1987 ... Auditor, Price Waterhouse, 19731975 ... Auditor, Arthur Andersen, 1972-1973.
Other Affiliations: Advisory Board, Journal of Accountancy ... Georgia Society of CPAs ... Ohio Society
of CPAs ... National Speakers Association … Author,
At the Crossroads.
Education: University of Akron, 1972, BS Acctg.
Personal: Born 1951, Cleveland ... Married to Steven
... Two children.
Twitter: @gcrosley
Marty
Davidoff
Founder and firm
manager, E. Martin
Davidoff &
Associates CPAs
As past president of the
American Society of Attorney-CPAs and a
frequent speaker at forums and conferences,
Davidoff’s voice is heard on issues impacting
tax practice at the IRS and Treasury, as well
as congressional committees.
Career Highlights: Founder and firm manager, E.
Martin Davidoff & Associates CPAs, 1981-present ...
Tax manager, Leonard C. Green & Co., 1980-1981 ...
Tax senior, Richard A. Eisner, 1978-1980.
Other Affiliations: Past president, American Association of Attorney-CPAs; founder, IRS National
Tax Liaison Committee; chair, Subcommittee on Tax
Legislative Affairs ... AICPA ... Past trustee, New Jersey Society of CPAs ... New Jersey State Bar Association ... Board member and Audit Committee expert,
BioClinica Inc. ... Founder and director, Make a Smile
Foundation Inc. … New Jersey Leadership Council,
National Federation of Independent Business.
Education: Washington University School of Law,
1978, JD ... Boston University Graduate School of
Management, 1975, MBA ... Sloan School of Manage-
ment, MIT, 1974, BS.
Personal: Born 1952, Suffern, N.Y. ... Two children.
Patrick
de Cambourg
President and CEO,
Mazars
With his tie-up with Top
100 Firm Weiser earlier
this year, de Cambourg
is bringing Mazars’ unique global structure
to the U.S. in a big way. With its integrated
partnership, the firm offers an intriguing
alternative to the ways most firms operate
internationally.
Career Highlights: President and CEO, Group Executive Board, Mazars, 1995-present; senior partner
and president, 1983-1995; partner, 1978-1983; assistant, 1974-1978.
Other Affiliations: Board, Praxity … Knight of the
Legion of Honor … Officer, National Order of Merit
… Jockey Club … Nouveau Cercle de l’Union.
Education: Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris,
Paris, 1973, graduate degree in public and civil law;
1971, undergraduate degree in literature.
Personal: Born 1949, Le Pont de Beauvoisin, France
… Married to Catherine … Three children.
Michael
Di Girolamo
Managing director,
Investment Advisors
Division, Raymond
James Financial
Services
In addition to codifying its financial planning
process into a roadmap for its affiliated advisors, Di Girolamo oversaw a move by the broker-dealer to boost its market share by raising
the AUM levels required of new registered
investment advisors.
Career Highlights: Managing director, Investment
Advisors Division, Raymond James Financial Services, 2001-present; chief compliance officer and senior
VP, 1989-2004; joined, 1984.
Other Affiliations: Share Advisory Council, University of Florida … Past chair, Compliance Advisory
Council, IAFP (now FPA) … Past director, National
Society of Compliance Professionals.
Education: Securities Industry Institute, The Wharton School, 1993, postgraduate … University of Florida, 1984, BS.
Personal: Born 1961, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Timothy Flynn
Chairman,
KPMG International
Flynn is now focused on
the international network
of KPMG, but he remains
an influential voice on accounting issues at all levels.
Career Highlights: Chairman, KPMG International,
2007-present; chairman, KPMG U.S., 2005-2010;
CEO, 2005-2009; vice chair of audit and risk advisory
services, 2002-2005; vice chair of operations, advisory services, 2001-2002; vice chair, Office of e-Transformation, 2000-2001; vice chair of HR, 1996-2000;
partner-in-charge, manufacturing, retail and distribution — Midwest, 1993-1996; partner-in-charge,
middle-market practice — Minneapolis, 1990-1993;
partner, 1988; joined, 1979.
Other Affiliations: Member, Corporate Governance
Task Force, Business Roundtable … Steering Committee, International Integrated Reporting Committee … Trustee, Financial Accounting Foundation;
Audit and Development Committees … Member,
International Business Council, World Economic
Forum … Advisory Committee on the Auditing Profession, 2008 … Member, Transatlantic Business
Dialogue … Trustee, University of St. Thomas …
Member, Advisory Board, Major League Baseball’s
Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities program.
Education: University of St. Thomas, 1979, BA Acctg.
Personal: Born 1956, Minneapolis … Married to Susan … Two children.
Cindy
Fornelli
Executive director,
Center for Audit
Quality
With the nation’s regulatory framework on the
brink of quantum change, the affable but
no-nonsense head of the CAQ has been front
and center on burning issues such as financial fraud, the PCAOB Supreme Court case
and battling against SOX 404 exemptions for
smaller filers.
Career Highlights: Executive director, Center for Audit Quality, 2006-present … Regulatory and conflicts
management executive, Bank of America, 2004-2006
… Deputy director, Division of Investment Management, SEC, 1999-2004 … Senior associate, Derchert,
1996-1999 …. Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson,
1991-1996.
Other Affiliations: American Bar Association … National Association of Corporate Directors’ 2009 Blue
Ribbon Commission on Risk Governance … Board of
Advisors, Class of 2012, SEC Historical Society.
Education: George Washington University, 1991, JD
… Purdue University, 1985, BA.
Personal: Born 1960, Los Angeles.
Twitter: @theCAQ
Rep. Barney
Frank
D-Mass.
As one of the chief architects of this year’s financial
reform law, Frank skillfully
steered the bill through the
minefields of the Capitol in an effort to rein in
the excesses of the financial industry.
Career Highlights: Chair, Financial Services Committee, U.S. House of Representatives, 2007-present;
elected, 1980 … State representative, Massachusetts
Legislature, 1972-1980 … Administrative assistant to
Top 100 People
A Supplement to Accounting Today
Rep. Michael J. Harrington, 1971-1972 … Chief assistant to Mayor Kevin White, Boston, 1968-1971.
Other Affiliations: Past professor, University of Massachusetts, Boston; John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard; Boston University … Founder,
National Stonewall Democrats.
Education: Harvard Law School, 1977 … Harvard
College, 1962.
Personal: Born 1940, Bayonne, N.J.
Chris
Frederiksen
Chairman,
The 2020 Group
A frequent presenter and
keynote speaker at accounting events and related
seminars, the head of the growing 2020
Group has, for the past 20 years, spread his
philosophies on practice management and
marketing expertise both in the U.S. and
abroad.
Career Highlights: Chairman, The 2020 Group,
2000-present … MP, Frederiksen-Crawford CPAs,
2007-present … MP, Frederiksen & Co. CPAs, 19842000 … Partner, Touche Ross & Co., 1969-1976.
Other Affiliations: AICPA … California Society of
CPAs … Author, Successful Partnership Agreements
for CPAs; Accountant’s Direct Marketing Kit; Successful Business Kit … Past chair, American Federation of
Art … Founder, Museum Management Institute, UC
Berkeley.
Education: Golden Gate University, 1966, post-graduate; 1965, undergraduate.
Personal: Born 1942, Bristol, U.K. … Married to Tara
Crawford, CPA … One daughter.
Timothy
Geithner
U.S. Treasury
Secretary
As the administration’s
point man on economic
issues, Geithner has been
at the heart of debates on everything from
regulatory reform and stimulus spending to
the future of the Bush tax cuts.
Career Highlights: U.S. Treasury Secretary, 2009present … President, Federal Reserve Bank of New
York, 2003-2009; vice chair, Federal Open Market
Committee … Senior fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, 2002-2003 … Director, Policy Development
and Review Department, International Monetary
Fund, 2001-2003 … Undersecretary for international
affairs, 1998-2001, Treasury; assistant secretary for
international affairs, 1997-1998; senior deputy assistant secretary for international affairs, 1996-1997;
deputy assistant secretary, 1995-1996… Kissinger Associates Inc., 1985-1988.
Education: Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, 1985, Master’s in Int’l Economics and East Asian Studies … Dartmouth College,
1983, BA Government and Asian Studies.
Personal: Born 1961, Brooklyn, N.Y. … Married to
Carole … Two children.
J. Russell
George
Treasury Inspector
General for Tax
Administration
In his job as one of the main
IRS watchdogs, George has
uncovered a variety of problems with everything from the First-Time Homebuyer Tax
Credit and security vulnerabilities in the IRS’s
computer systems, to tax lien abuses, helping
to keep the agency on its toes.
Career Highlights: Treasury Inspector General for
Tax Administration, 2004-present ... Inspector general, Corporation for National and Community Service,
2002-2004 ... Staff director and chief counsel, House
Government Management, Information and Technology Subcommittee, 1995-2002 ... Law practice,
Kramer, Levin, Naftalis, Nessen, Kamin & Frankel ...
Associate director for policy, Office of National Service, White House ... Assistant general counsel, Office of Management and Budget ... Assistant district
attorney, Queens County District Attorney’s Office.
Education: Harvard University Law School, JD …
Howard University, BA.
Personal: Born in New York City.
Daniel Goelzer
Acting chairman,
PCAOB
Now Supreme Court-approved! With a lawsuit over
the board’s constitutionality behind him, as well as
new powers from recent regulatory reform
and his own extensive experience, Goelzer
is well-positioned to move forward on issues
like foreign inspections and the future role
of auditors.
Career Highlights: Acting chairman, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, 2009-present;
board, 2003-2009 … Partner, Baker & McKenzie,
1990-2003 … General counsel, SEC, 1983-1990; executive assistant to the chairman, special counsel,
Office of General Counsel, 1974-1983 … Law clerk,
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit … Auditor, Deloitte & Touche, 1969-1970.
Other Affiliations: Past adjunct faculty, Georgetown
University Law Center.
Education: George Washington University, 1979,
LLM ... University of Wisconsin School of Law, 1973,
JD ... University of Wisconsin, 1969, BBA.
Personal: Born in Milwaukee.
Michelle
Golden
Founder, Golden
Practices blog
Michelle Golden is her
name and social media is
her game: With an AICPA
social media tool kit under her belt, and a
forthcoming book on social media, she has
skyrocketed into position as a go-to person
when it comes to communicating online.
Career Highlights: Founder, Golden Practices,
2005-present … Marketing director, Husch & Eppenberger, 1998-1999 … Marketing director, Williams
Keepers, 1994-1998 … Accountant, Comprehensive
Care Corp., 1987-1993 … Accountant, CooperVision,
1985-1987.
Other Affiliations: Senior fellow, VeraSage Institute
… Author, Social Media Strategies for Professionals
and Their Firms … Contributing author, Bull’s-Eye!
The Ultimate How-To Marketing and Sales Guide …
Past board member, International Association of Facilitators … Past board member, AAM … St. Louis Tax
Assistance Program.
Education: Columbia College, 1996-1998 … Irvine
Valley College, 1988-1990 … Santa Ana College,
1982-1984.
Personal: Born 1966, Long Beach, Calif. … Married
to Nicholas … Four children.
Blog/Twitter: www.goldenpractices.com / @michellegolden
Jeff Gramlich
President, CCH Small
Firm Services, a Wolters Kluwer business
Gramlich has built CCH
SFS into a position of leadership through his introduction of cutting-edge tax technology to the
profession’s myriad of small practitioners.
Career Highlights: President, CCH Small Firm Services, 2006-present; senior VP of business development, CCH, 2003-2006 … VP of product development, Thomson Corp., 1989-2003 … Supervisory
senior, Arthur Young & Co., 1984-1989.
Other Affiliations: CITP … AICPA … Texas Society
of CPAs.
Education: University of Arkansas, 1982, BSBA
Acctg.
Personal: Born 1960, Fort Smith, Ark. … Married to
Mary Beth … Three children.
Sen. Chuck
Grassley
R-Iowa
As ranking member of the
Senate Finance Committee, Grassley plays a major
role in the bipartisan effort
to draft tax legislation.
Career Highlights: Ranking member, Finance Committee, U.S. Senate; past Finance Committee chair,
2003-2007, 2001; Joint Tax, Agriculture, Judiciary,
and Budget Committees; elected, 1980 ... U.S. House
of Representatives, 1974-1980 ... Iowa Legislature,
1958-1975.
Other Affiliations: Farm Bureau ... International
Parliamentary Group for Human Rights.
Education: University of Iowa, Ph.D. work ... University of Northern Iowa, 1956, MA Political Science;
1955, BA Political Science.
Personal: Born 1933, New Hartford, Iowa ... Married
to Barbara ... Five children, nine grandchildren.
39
Larry Gray
Government liaison,
NATP
A practitioner, educator
and representative of the
tax professional community, Gray offers insight on
issues affecting practitioners nationwide.
Career Highlights: Partner, Alfermann Gray & Co.
CPA, 1977-present.
Other Affiliations: Government liaison and past
president, National Association of Tax Professionals
… Modernized e-File 1040 Executive Steering Committee, IRS Electronic Tax Administration Advisory
Committee; member, IRSAC, Office of Professional
Responsibility Subgroup … Past president, Missouri
State Board of Accountancy … Past member, Computerized CPA Exam Committee, AICPA … NASBA …
Instructor, National Society of Accountants.
Education: University of Missouri, 1977, BA.
Personal: Born 1955, Salem, Mo. … Two adult children.
Calvin Harris
National president
and CEO, NABA
An avid Tweeter, Harris has
brought a focus on technology to his stint as the head
of NABA, which already offers plentiful resources to its members, and
has forged strong partnerships with firms and
organizations across the profession.
Career Highlights: CFO, Aeras Global TB Vaccine
Foundation, 2009-present … CFO, Council for Excellence in Government, 2007-2009 … Controller,
United Nations Foundation, 2006-2007 … Controller, NeighborWorks America, 2003-2006 … Senior
analyst, FTI Consulting, 2001-2003 … Acting comptroller, Morgan State University, 1996-2000 … Senior
accountant, Arthur Andersen, 1992-1995.
Other Affiliations: National president and CEO, National Association of Black Accountants Inc. … Past
treasurer, Morehouse College National Alumni Association … Past treasurer, Maryland New Directions.
Education: Morehouse College, 1992, BA Acctg.
Personal: Born 1969, Richmond, Va. … Married to
Monisha.
Twitter: @calvinhjr
Roger Harris
President and COO,
Padgett Business
Services
Both government and
practitioners seek Harris’
practical wisdom on issues
affecting the profession.
Career Highlights: President and CFO, Padgett Business Services, 1992-present; franchise president and
chairman, 1982-1992; staff accountant, 1972-1982.
Other Affiliations: Past chair, Federal Tax Committee, National Society of Accountants … Chair, Legislative Affairs Subcommittee, National Association of
40 A Supplement to Accounting Today
Top 100 People
Enrolled Agents … Past chair, IRSAC.
Education: University of Georgia, 1973, BBA Acctg.
Personal: Born 1950, Athens, Ga. … Two children,
two grandchildren.
Second Life and multimedia tools as a means
to communicate and educate, as well as being
the mastermind behind the AICPA’s Leadership Academy for young CPAs.
Karen Hawkins
Career Highlights: CEO and executive director,
Maryland Association of CPAs, 1997-present ... Chief
financial officer and principal, Bryn Awel Corp.,
1985-1997 ... Accounting systems analyst, RTKL Associates Inc., 1981-1985 ... Staff accountant, Finance
Co. of America, 1978-1981.
Other Affiliations: President and CEO, Business
Learning Institute Inc. ... Past president, CPA State
Executives Association … Board, Shared Services
LLC ... CPE Advisory Committee, AICPA; past member, Special Committee on Mobility … Co-chair, State
Societies Network Inc. ... Past chair, CPA Vision Project ... American Society of Association Executives.
Education: Johns Hopkins University, 1994, MS Finance — Real Estate ... University of Baltimore, 1982,
Master’s equivalent — Information Systems ... Loyola
College of Maryland, 1977, BA Acctg.
Personal: Born 1959, Baltimore ... Married to Sharon
... Three boys.
Blog/Twitter: www.cpasuccess.com / @tomhood
Director, IRS OPR
Responsible for overseeing
Circular 230 enforcement,
Hawkins’ role will continue
to expand as preparer registration gets underway.
Career Highlights: Director, Office of Professional
Responsibility, Internal Revenue Service, 2009-present … Attorney-at-law, Taggart & Hawkins, 1984-2009
… Tax supervisor, Touche Ross, 1979-1982 … Assistant dean of student affairs, University of California
– Davis, 1973-1976 … Communications consultant,
Pacific Bell, 1969-1973.
Other Affiliations: Founder, San Francisco Pro Se/
Pro Bono Tax Court Project … Author, LexisNexis
California State Tax Practice Insights.
Education: Golden Gate University, 1981, MBA Tax
Law; 1979, JD … University of California – Davis,
1976, M.Ed Applied Behavior Science … University
of Massachusetts – Amherst, 1967, BA Elizabethan &
Jacobean Drama.
Bob Herz
Chairman, FASB
Herz has enjoyed little
downtime this year, working to meet a June 2011
deadline with the IASB to
complete major convergence projects, while issuing standards and
proposals on financial instruments, fair value,
and receivables, among others.
Career Highlights: Chairman, FASB, 2002-present ...
Senior technical partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers;
board, 1998-2002; senior technical partner, Coopers
& Lybrand, 1996-1998; audit manager, partner, 19791996 ... Audit staff and senior, Price Waterhouse,
1974-1978.
Other Affiliations: Steering Committee, International Integrated Reporting Committee … Board, IASB,
2001-2002 ... Past chair, SEC Regulations Committee,
AICPA ... Past chair, Transnational Auditors Committee, IFAC … Past member, EITF; FASB Financial
Instruments Task Force; Financial Accounting Standards Committee, American Accounting Association
... Co-author, The Value Reporting Revolution: Moving Beyond the Earnings Game.
Education: University of Manchester, U.K., BA,
1974.
Personal: Born 1953, New York ... Married to Louise
... Two children.
Tom Hood
CEO and executive
director, MACPA
With a social media outreach in the tens of thousands, Hood is well-known
for his pioneering use of
Andrew Hult
President, NCCPAP
Expect NCCPAP under
Hult to continue as a
strong advocate for CPAs,
keeping them up to date
on the crucial issues affecting their practices, and fighting in their
corner with Congress and the IRS.
Career Highlights: Member, Andrew L. Hunt CPA,
1999-present … Junior partner and manager of quality control, Owen Peterson & Co. CPAs, 1990-1999 …
Senior accountant, Andrew V. Schnurr, 1985-1990 …
Director of finance, Silor Optical Inc., 1978-1983 …
Marketing comptroller, Schaefer Brewing, 1975-1977
… International budget analyst, Joseph E. Seagram,
1971-1974 … Supply officer, U.S. Navy, 1968-1970 …
Trainee, Actuarial Development Program, Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., 1965-1967.
Other Affiliations: President, National Conference
of CPA Practitioners … Stakeholder, IRS National
Public Liaison … AICPA … NYSSCPA … Investment
Committee, Garden City Community Church.
Education: Columbia University, 1968, MBA Finance
… Wesleyan University, 1965, BA English.
Personal: Born 1943, Bryn Mawr, Pa. … Married to
Marilyn … Three children.
Trey James
CEO and co-founder,
Xcentric
The need for advanced
technology has never been
greater at CPA firms, and
James and his company
have taken the lead in making it available to
firms in an innovative, hassle-free way.
Career Highlights: CEO, Xcentric, 2002-present …
Director of sales, CPA Systems, 1996-2002.
Other Affiliations: Lighthouse Family Retreat …
Souly Business … Vistage … Aircraft Owners and Pi-
lots Association.
Education: Texas Wesleyan University, 1996, BBA
Information Technology.
Personal: Born 1970, Kingsville, Texas … Married to
Amelie … Three children.
Blog/Twitter: http://xcentric.com/blog / @xcentric
Randy
Johnston
Executive vice
president and
partner,
K2 Enterprises
Those familiar with Johnston suspect that he rarely sleeps, given his
herculean efforts at educating, informing,
gathering information and disseminating it
throughout the accounting community. He
remains relevant among CPAs as both consultant and teacher, and the importance of
his firms’ research has not wavered.
Career Highlights: Executive VP and shareholder,
K2 Enterprises, 1990-present ... Executive VP and
shareholder, Network Management Group Inc.,
1983-present ... Department chair; professor; adjunct, Hutchinson Community College, 1977-1997 ...
Programmer and system designer, Professional Data
Services, 1978-1981 ... Programmer and system designer, Farmland Industries, 1977-1978.
Other Affiliations: Member, Planning Committee,
and past chairman, AICPA Tech+ ... Author, Basic Using Micros; Business Computing Systems; Computers:
An Introduction; Technology Best Practices; Accounting Software Solutions; Paperless Office.
Education: Postgraduate work, Western Washington
University; James Madison University; University of
Central Oklahoma ... Wichita State University, 1981,
MCS ... Kansas State University, 1977, BS CS Math ...
Hutchinson Community College, 1975, AA CS.
Personal: Born 1955, Hutchinson, Kan. ... Married to
Pam ... Four children.
Blog/Twitter: www.randyjohnston.com / @RPJohnston
Rita Keller
President,
Keller Advisors
She consults, she tweets,
she blogs — there’s really
not much Keller doesn’t
do. Known widely for her
expertise in firm management, she works
with forward-thinking firm leaders on how
to make long-lasting, meaningful change.
Career Highlights: President and founder, Keller
Advisors, 2008-present … Shareholder and CFO,
Brady Ware CPAs, 1978-2008 … Consultant, author
and speaker, 1990-present.
Other Affiliations: Planning Committee, AICPA
Practitioners’ Symposium & Tech+ … Member Services Council, Ohio CPA Society … New Horizon
Group … Past board member and national president, Association for Accounting Administration;
co-founder, Ohio Chapter; past president, Indiana
chapter … Advisory Board, CPA Practice Manage-
Q&A
Divergence
We asked the T100 what they thought of
the current attempts to create a single
set of accounting standards for the world
(whether through convergence or outright adoption of IFRS), and whether it
should continue. Most supported the notion of a single set of standards, but many
had worries and questions about how and
when it might be achieved.
A single set of standards will be crucial to
world commerce … I’m disappointed the
SEC is distracted and not setting a steady
pace.
— Gale Crosley
The concept is good. But there are a couple
of real-world issues to resolve. Many countries that have already adopted, or are expected to soon adopt, IFRS have “country
modifications” — if this is prevalent, we do
not really have common standards.
— Rick Anderson
They should be pursued, agreed upon, and
established. ... Right now, it’s as if we have
national railroads with different gauge
tracks in each country. At best, it’s terribly inefficient; at worst, it simply doesn’t
work.
— Andy Armanino
I think that the political, cultural and governance challenges are far more difficult
to deal with than the technical accounting
issues, and will likely prevent the achievement of the goal.
— Robert Attmore
While the objective of global accounting
standards seems obvious and noble, there
exists far too much deep and longlasting
disagreement in many basic accounting
theories to make this practical and useful.
— Tony Batman
The marketplace has spoken. As the remaining economic powers and U.S. trade
partners (China, Japan, Canada, Brazil
and Mexico) complete their roadmaps to
adoption, U.S. accountants will be forced
to have expertise in IFRS … no matter what
the SEC does.
— Bob Bunting
We need to pursue resolution more aggressively; i.e., within a time frame founded on
a “date certain.” I think if there is a stake
in the sand, the U.S. would be compelled
to take a more focused approach. … Convergence is not a path to a single set of
high-quality global standards.
— Stephen Chipman
Top 100 People
Q&A
The effort to oversell IFRS under the guise
that “every country except the U.S. is doing it” is missing the mark and hurting the
attainment of an appropriate goal of one
set of standards. The misinformation and
outright hype and exaggeration of the acceptance worldwide of IFRS is not helping
to convert federal and state regulators.
— David Costello
To achieve the objective of a single set of
global accounting standards will likely
require an independent and well-funded
standard-setting body that, while suitably
accountable to the world’s capital markets,
is insulated from political interference.
— Timothy Flynn
The most obvious approach is to adopt
IFRS — after all, it’s just U.S. GAAP against
the rest of the world at the moment.
— Chris Frederiksen
The current convergence project has me
very concerned because of the extremely
short timeframe and the magnitude of the
changes being dealt with. — Tom Hood
FASB as well as the IASB are sincerely trying to achieve convergence. At the same
time, as their work progresses, significant
and, in some cases, possibly irreconcilable
differences are being unearthed.
— Andrew Hult
Convergence seems to be the logical approach so that, when the U.S. does adopt
IFRS, it might be different from GAAP, but it
will, in most ways, be as robust as GAAP.
— Mike Sabbatis
Mass standardization efforts are well-intentioned, but misguided. They require
lowest-common denominator thinking,
while at the same time they lead to mass
complication of even the simplest concepts.
— Douglas Sleeter
The convergence process alone is not
sufficient. All countries, including the U.S.,
should ultimately commit to adopting
IFRS.
— Jim Turley
In the end, the adoption of IFRS is the right
approach, rather than convergence of domestic accounting standards to something
similar.
— Jack Weisbaum
For all the T100’s full responses, see the Sept.
13-26, 2010, issue of Accounting Today at
www.accountingtoday.com.
A Supplement to Accounting Today
ment Forum; AICPA Seasonality Success Newsletter
… Columnist, Accounting Office Management & Administrative Report.
Education: St. Mary of the Woods College.
Personal: Born 1946, New Paris, Ohio … Married to
Darrell … One son, two grandchildren.
Blog/Twitter: http://ritakeller.com/blog / @cpamanagement
Allan Koltin
President and CEO,
PDI Global Inc.
One of the profession’s
most in-demand consultants, Koltin serves as an
advisor to more than 100
firms in such areas as mergers and growth
strategies, in addition to organizing dozens
of partner retreats.
Career Highlights: President and CEO, PDI Global
Inc., 1982-present…Partner, FERS CPAs, 1982-1998
… Director, Nankin, Schnoll, 1980-1982.
Other Affiliations: Founding member, The Advisory
Board … Publisher/author, Successful Merger & Acquisition Strategies; CPAs That Sell; How to Market a
Consulting Niche … Past or present board member,
Outsource Partners International; BKD Financial Advisors; NACVA; H&R Block Business Services Group;
Association for Accounting Marketing … Editorial
Advisory Board, CPA Practice Management Forum;
Law Firm Management.
Education: University of Wisconsin, 1980 BS Acctg.
and Marketing.
Personal: Born 1957, Milwaukee … Married to Sharon … Three children.
Mark Koziel
Director, specialized
communities/
firm practice
management, AICPA
The AICPA knows a good
thing when they see it:
They promoted to Koziel to director and gave
him the additional responsibility of overseeing the institute’s niche communities. A
well-known speaker and respected resource
for many, Koziel is often found on the road
gathering information on what makes small
and midsized firms tick.
Career Highlights: Director, specialized communities/firm practice management, AICPA, 2009-present; senior technical manager, firm practice management/PCPS, 2006-2009 … Director of media
planning, Joe Slade White & Co., 2003-2006 … Director, Dopkins & Co., 1994-2003 … Senior, Lumsden &
McCormick, 1991-1994.
Other Affiliations: North Carolina Association of
CPAs … Past president, Buffalo Chapter, New York
State Society of CPAs; founding member, Young
CPAs Committee, Buffalo Chapter.
Education: Canisius College, 1991, BS Acctg.
Personal: Born 1968, Buffalo, N.Y. … Married to
Maryann … One son.
Twitter: @markkoziel
Gordon Krater
Managing partner,
Plante & Moran
Krater heads up one of
the more forward-thinking large firms, embracing new technology and
methods of communication and marketing.
Under his guidance, his firm has successfully
used webinars, blogs, and other social media
as tools for both client retention and lead
generation.
Career Highlights: MP, Plante & Moran, 2009-present; group MP for industries, 2001-2009; Southfield
office MP, 1994-1998; Public Sector Group leader,
1991-2001; partner, 1991; associate, 1985; staff, 1980.
Other Affiliations: AICPA … Michigan Association of
CPAs … Accountant Coalition … Dearborn Community Fund … Detroit Economic Club … New Detroit.
Education: Stephen M. Ross School of Business,
University of Michigan, 1980, BBA Acctg.
Personal: Born 1958, Detroit … Married to Mary …
Four children.
James Kroeker
Chief accountant,
SEC
Just over a year into his
tenure, Kroeker and the
SEC affirmed their commitment to developing a
single set of global accounting standards, but
ultimately, his report on the costs of convergence and its effect on the U.S. capital markets will be a telling barometer of whether the
project receives a go-ahead.
Career Highlights: Chief accountant, Securities and
Exchange Commission, 2009 to present; acting chief
accountant, 2009; deputy chief accountant, 20072009 ... Partner, Deloitte, 2002-2007; manager, 1997.
Other Affiliations: Practice fellow, FASB, 1999-2001.
Education: University of Nebraska, 1992, BS Acctg.
Personal: Born 1969.
Chuck Landes
Vice president,
Professional
Assurance Standards
and Services Group,
AICPA
The long-time head of the
AICPA’s standards and services unit, over the
past year Landes led an initiative to transport
the GAAP hierarchy for state and local governments from the AICPA to GASB.
Career Highlights: VP, Professional Assurance Standards and Services Group, AICPA, 2005-present;
director of audit and attest standards, 2003-2005 …
Partner, Barnes, Dennig & Co., 1986-2003 … Senior
manager, KMG Main Hurdman, 1981-1986 … Senior,
Ernst & Whinney, 1978-1981.
Other Affiliations: American Accounting Associa-
41
tion … Past board member, Ohio Society of CPAs …
Past member, Auditing Standards Board, AICPA; past
member, Audit Issues Task Force; past chair, Peer Review Committee of the PCPS.
Education: Bowling Green State University, 1978,
MBA … Miami University, 1974, BS.
Personal: Born 1952, Napoleon, Ohio … Married to
Peggy … Two children.
Rep. Sander
Levin
Chair, House
Ways and Means
Committee
Chairman of the House
tax-writing committee
since March, Levin is a veteran lawmaker
who has already made his mark on major tax
legislation.
Career Highlights: Chair, Ways and Means Committee, U.S. House of Representatives, 2010-present; chair, Trade Subcommittee; Subcommittee on
Income Security and Family Support; elected, 1982
… Assistant administrator, Agency for International
Development, 1977-1981 … Fellow, Kennedy School
of Politics … Minority leader, Michigan State Senate,
1969-1970; elected, 1965 … Private law practice.
Education: Harvard Law School, 1957, LLB … Columbia University, 1954, MA International Relations
… University of Chicago, 1952, BA.
Personal: Born 1931, Detroit … Widowed … Four
children, nine grandchildren.
Twitter: @RepsandyLevin
Mont Levy
CEO and principal,
BAM Advisor
Services
A 15-year veteran of BAM
and its turnkey asset management program, Levy
took the reins five years ago and has cultivated a steadily growing base of CPA firms as
financial planning continues its rise among
top niche specialties.
Career Highlights: CEO and principal, BAM Advisor Services, 2005-present; joined, 1996 … Principal
and investment advisor, Buckingham Asset Management, 1995-present … VP of finance and administration, Grand Center Inc., 1988-1993 … Partner, Follman/Levy Acquisition Group.
Other Affiliations: Past president, Jewish Federation
of St. Louis … Craft Alliance … Jewish Fund for Human Needs … Chair, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis.
Education: Washington University, 1976, JD … University of Washington, Bachelor’s Political Science.
Taylor
Macdonald
Vice president,
Intacct
The “partner’s partner,”
Macdonald has long held
channel marketing to a
42 A Supplement to Accounting Today
high standard. His latest role heading up the
partner program at cloud-based vendor Intacct will put his skills and experience to the
test as the company looks to further embrace
the CPA community and key VARs.
Career Highlights: VP, Intacct, 2010-present …
VP of channels, Promethean 2008–2009 … VP of
worldwide channels and sales alliances, Deltek Inc.,
2007-2008 … To chief channel and strategy officer,
Sage Software, 1998-2007 ... President and founder,
Macdonald Consulting Group, 1989-1998 ... Director
of management advisory services, Smith & Howard,
1987-1989 ... VP of finance, Resort Storage Management, 1985-1987 ... Manager, Policy Management
Systems, 1981-1985.
Other Affiliations: Board, ITA ... Past board member,
Southeastern Software Association.
Education: Yale University, 1977, BS.
Personal: Born 1955, Dallas ... Married to Cindy ...
Four children.
Twitter: @taylormacd
Teresa
Mackintosh
General manager
and senior vice
president, Workflow
& Service Solutions,
Americas – Professional, Tax & Accounting business
of Thomson Reuters
Mackintosh is responsible for driving growth
of all software and services for the professional accounting market across the U.S., Canada
and Latin America. Her efforts have led the
company into areas such as the leading-edge
cloud computing market.
Career Highlights: General manager and SVP, Workflow & Service Solutions, Americas — Professional,
Thomson Reuters, Tax & Accounting, 2010-present;
to senior VP, core market, Thomson Reuters Tax &
Accounting, 2006-2009; director of product management, Creative Solutions, 2001-2003; UltraTax CS development manager, Creative Solutions, 1997-2001 …
Tax consultant, Price Waterhouse, 1994-1996.
Other Affiliations: AICPA … American Marketing
Association.
Education: University of Michigan, 2001, MBA; 1994,
BBA.
Personal: Born 1972, Owosso, Mich … Married to
Craig … One daughter and one son.
Janice Maiman
Vice president of
communications
and media channels,
AICPA
The driving force behind
the institute’s communications initiatives, Maiman has her hands
on projects such as its financial literacy programs and its Young CPA Network, as well
as overseeing its publications. Her work is
paying off — this year alone, the institute saw
Top 100 People
more than 600 million media impressions.
Career Highlights: To VP of communications and
media channels, AICPA, 2004-present.
Other Affiliations: Public Relations Society of America … American Society of Association Executives.
Education: University of Virginia, 1980, MA.
Personal: Born 1957, Brooklyn, N.Y. … Married to
Rhea … Two children.
Twitter: @J_Maiman
Eric Majchrzak
Marketing and
communications
director, Freed
Maxick & Battaglia
His digital Twitter billboard attracted major buzz
and garnered him an AAM award this year,
and Majchrzak is just picking up steam. His
innovation and willingness to take risks is
raising the bar for how accounting firms can
get their message out there.
Career Highlights: Marketing and communications
director, Freed Maxick & Battaglia CPAs, 2003-present … Senior advertising administrator, Fleet Capital
Corp., 1999-2003 … Business development executive, Clear Channel Communications, 1995-1998 …
Regional sales manager, ABC Radio Networks/DJA
Media, 1993-1995 … Marketing representative, Lake
Erie Distributors Inc., 1991-1993.
Other Affiliations: Board, AAM … Social Media Task
Force, Leading Edge Alliance … Founding member,
Upstate New York Merger & Acquisition Council.
Education: State University College at Buffalo, 1991,
BS Business/Advertising.
Personal: Born 1969, Buffalo, N.Y. … Married to Rebecca … Two children.
Blog/Twitter: costsegregationpartners.blogspot.com
/ @FreedMaxickCPAs
Krista
McMasters
CEO,
Clifton Gunderson
McMasters has demonstrated her ability to manage one of the top firms in
the country, expanding its reach through a
series of mergers and acquisitions.
Career Highlights: CEO, Clifton Gunderson, June
2009-present; chief practice officer, 2005-2009; director of assurance, 1989-2005; assistant director of
accounting and auditing, 1987-1989; partner, 1985;
joined, 1978.
Other Affiliations: Member, Blue Ribbon Panel on
Private Entity Accounting Standards … Memberat-large, AICPA Council; co-chair … Past member,
Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council;
Audit Guide Task Force … Past member, SECPS Peer
Review Committee … CAQ … Past member, AcSEC …
Illinois CPA Society … Wisconsin CPA Society.
Education: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1978, BS Acctg.
Personal: Born 1956, Danville, Ill. … Married to Robert.
Barry
Melancon
President and CEO,
AICPA
Melancon continues to
expand the AICPA in new
directions, helping form a
panel to examine accounting standards for
private companies, lobbying Washington to
carve out exemptions for accountants in the
financial reform bill, winning an exemption
for CPAs in the tax preparer examination
plans of the IRS, overhauling the Uniform
CPA Exam, and pushing for greater financial
literacy in the population at large.
Career Highlights: President and CEO, American
Institute of CPAs, 1995-present ... Executive director,
Society of Louisiana CPAs, 1987-1995 ... Shareholder,
Bergeron & Co., 1979-1987.
Other Affiliations: U.S. Delegation, IFAC ... American Society of Association Executives ... New York
Society of Association Executives.
Education: Nicholls State University, 1983, MBA;
1978, BS.
Personal: Born 1958, Houma, La. ... Married to Patty
... One son.
Jim Metzler
Vice president of
small firm interests,
AICPA
Metzler’s travel schedule is
enough to make your head
spin, but he’s not slowing
down yet. Known as a champion for small
firms, he spends his time advocating and acting as a voice for their concerns.
Career Highlights: VP of small firm interests, AICPA,
2003-present ... Co-founder, ConvergenceCoaching,
2000-2003 … Chairman, GEMKO Information Group
Inc., 1995-2002 ... Partner, Gaines Metzler Kriner &
Co., 1970-2002.
Other Affiliations: Past president, Buffalo Chapter,
New York State Society of CPAs ... Council of Accountancy, Canisius College ... Advisory Council, AAM ...
Outside board, Perry’s Ice Cream Co.
Education: Canisius College, 1972, BS Acctg.
Personal: Born 1948, Buffalo, N.Y. ... Married to Jean
... Three children, three grandchildren.
D. Scott
Moore
President, AAM
With CPA marketing rising
to a higher level of sophistication, AAM continues
to become more visible as
Moore takes the helm. Add in a recent organization restructuring and a growing membership, and he’s sure to have a busy year.
Career Highlights: Director of marketing and business development, Dixon Hughes, 2001-present …
Once and future
influencers
The rules change all the time — and so do
the rulemakers. And, just as some of last
year’s Top 100 had to give way to accommodate the new additions, some of the
members of this year’s list will undoubtedly have to cede their spots to movers and
shakers as yet unknown. That doesn’t mean
they’ve lost their influence — only that the
profession is large and wide-ranging, and
no single group of 100 people can claim to
have a lock on it. With that in mind, we’ve
assembled a selection of people who we
expect to be considering for future editions
of the Top 100 list.
The first two have stepped into the shoes
of previous mainstays of our Top 100:
Joanne Barry, who took over as executive
director of the New York State Society of
CPAs this year, following the retirement
of long-time influencer Lou Grumet, and
Ed Karl, who takes up the mantle of Tom
Ochsenschlager as vice president of taxation at the American Institute of CPAs. Both
Barry and Karl have long histories at their
respective organizations, and we expect to
hear much more from them.
With the Web changing just about every
aspect of the practice of accounting, we’d
be remiss if we didn’t note two Web-savvy
writers who are using it to revolutionize
the way the media covers the field: Caleb
Newquist, the wry editor of Going Concern
(http://goingconcern.com/), and Francine McKenna, who helms re: The Auditors (http://retheauditors.com/).
In the technology area, we’re keeping
an eye on Robert Reid, the new chief of
cloud-based accounting pioneer Intacct;
Ken Koskay, a senior vice president at
the Tax & Accounting business of Thomson Reuters, who’s leading the development and rollout of its revolutionary CPE
system, Checkpoint Learning; and
SpeedTax executive vice president David
Lahey, who brings years of experience at
Sage to the cloud-based sales and use tax
compliance vendor.
Finally, we’ve got two people in the
realm of standard-setting who bear watching: Teresa Polley, the president of the Financial Accounting Foundation and one
of the forces behind the high-profile panel
that’s investigating private company financial standards, and former Italian finance
minister Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa,
who’s now chair of the IASC Foundation.
Top 100 People
A Supplement to Accounting Today
Director of account services, Jackson-Dawson Marketing Solutions, 1998-2001 … Director of marketing
communications, Liberty Corp., 1993-1998 … Business analyst, Dun & Bradstreet Information Services,
1992-1993.
Other Affiliations: President, Association for Accounting Marketing … United Way Palmetto Society
… Advent United Methodist Church.
Education: Clemson University, 1991, BS Marketing
Management.
Personal: Born 1969, Anderson, S.C. … Married to
Cheri … Three children.
Robert Moritz
Chairman and senior
partner, PwC
Now entering the second
year of his four-year term
as PwC’s U.S. chief, Moritz
is looking to build on the
firm’s relatively strong performance in the
economic downturn.
Career Highlights: U.S. chairman and senior partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2009-present; U.S.
assurance leader, 2006-2009; New York region and
office MP, 2004-2006; practice leader, U.S. financial
services industry, 2001-2004; leader, Metro regional
financial services, 1998-2001; partner, 1995; joined,
1985.
Other Affiliations: Governing Board, Center for
Audit Quality … AICPA … New York State Society of
CPAs … New Jersey Society of CPAs … Atlantic Council Board.
Education: State University of New York at Oswego,
BS, 1985.
Personal: Born 1963, New York … Two children.
Dennis Nally
Chairman,
PwC International
With a year as international
chair under his belt, and a
new operating structure,
Nally is leading the global
firm into new growth areas.
Career Highlights: Chairman, PricewaterhouseCoopers International Ltd., 2009-present; chairman
and senior partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, 20022009; MP, U.S. firm, 2000-2001; audit and business
advisory services leader, 1998-2000; vice chair for
finance and key client service support, 1995-1998;
national director of strategic planning, 1992-1995;
partner-in-charge, Dayton, Ohio, office, 1988-1992;
National Office Accounting Services Group, 19851988; partner, 1985; joined 1974.
Other Affiliations: AICPA … Steering Committee,
International Integrated Reporting Committee …
New York State Society of CPAs … Board of Visitors,
Fuqua School of Business, Duke University … Trustee, Carnegie Hall Society … Business Roundtable …
Finance Committee, Diocese of Bridgeport, Conn.
Education: Executive programs, Columbia University; Penn State University … Western Michigan University, 1974, BA.
Personal: Born 1952 … Married to Karen … Four
children.
Zach Nelson
President and CEO,
NetSuite
While “the cloud” and
“SaaS” are new to many
in accounting, Nelson and
NetSuite are veterans in
this area. For almost a decade, he has helped
NetSuite evolve from its earliest incarnation
as a Web-based accounting product into a full
suite of leading accounting, ERP and business
intelligence offerings.
Career Highlights: President and CEO, NetSuite
Inc., 2002-present … Various positions, including
CEO of myCIO.com, McAfee/Network Associates,
1996-2001 … To VP of worldwide marketing, Oracle,
1992-1996 … Sun Microsystems, 1989-1992.
Other Affiliations: Board, NetSuite … Patent holder.
Education: Stanford University, MA; BS.
Personal: Born 1961, Omaha, Neb. … Married to
Elizabeth … One daughter.
Jay Nisberg
President, Jay
Nisberg & Associates
One of the longest-running members of the Top
100 Most Influential roster,
the patriarch of CPA firm
mergers and strategic consulting has not
taken a step backward, serving as an advisor
to a number of high-profile firms, as well as
orchestrating numerous partner summits.
Career Highlights: President and management consultant, Jay Nisberg & Associates Ltd., 1972-present.
Other Affiliations: Founder and former member,
The Advisory Board … Co-founder, Professional Alliance Group … Author, How to Manage Your Accounting Practice: From Chaos to Consensus.
Education: Pacific Western University, Ph.D., Business Administration ... Detroit College of Law, nondegree program, 1968, Labor Relations Training;
MA/Ph.D. Combined Program, 1970, ABD ... University of Buffalo, 1968, BA Social Sciences.
Personal: Born 1946, Buffalo, N.Y. ... Married to Sally
... One child.
Ed Nusbaum
CEO, Grant Thornton
International
Elevated this year to head
GT’s international organization, Nusbaum has
focused on expanding its
presence in emerging markets like China
while ensuring a smooth transition to his
successor in the U.S., Stephen Chipman, and
coordinating with him on a strategic shift.
Career Highlights: CEO, Grant Thornton International, 2010-present … CEO and executive partner,
Grant Thornton, 2001-2009; chairman, Grant Thornton International Board of Governors; U.S. firm Partnership Board; national MP, professional services;
MP, Philadelphia office; national director, assurance
services, New York.
Other Affiliations: Steering Committee, International Integrated Reporting Committee … Past member,
Advisory Committee on Improvements to Financial Reporting, SEC ... Past member, FASB Advisory
Council; FASB Small Business Advisory Committee;
Emerging Issues Task Force ... Past member, ASB;
past member, ASB Audit Issues Task Force.
Education: Purdue University, 1977, MS Management ... Ohio State University, 1976, BS BA.
Personal: Born 1955, Cleveland, Ohio.
Barack Obama
President of the U.S.
Few presidents in modern
history have had the effect
on the tax and financial
arena — for good or ill —
that Obama has. Although
tax reform is currently on the back burner, his
health care legislation contains numerous tax
policy decisions, and makes the IRS both an
administrator and enforcer.
Career Highlights: President of the United States,
2009-present … U.S. Senate, 2005-2008 … Illinois
Senate, 1997-2004 … Senior lecturer, University of
Chicago Law School, 1996-2004; professor of constitutional law, 1992-1996 … Of counsel, Davis, Miner,
Barnhill & Galland, 1996-2004; associate, 1993-1996
… Director, Project Vote, 1992 … Community organizer, Developing Communities Project, 1985-1988
… New York Public Interest Group, 1984 … Business
International Corp., 1983.
Other Affiliations: Founding board member, Public
Allies … Past board member, Woods Fund of Chicago; Chicago Annenberg Challenge; Chicago Lawyers’
Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
Education: Harvard Law School, 1991, JD … Columbia University, 1983, BA.
Personal: Born 1961, Honolulu … Married to Michelle … Two daughters.
Roger Ochs
President,
H.D. Vest Inc.
To help his broker-dealer’s
affiliated advisors weather
the economic crisis, in the
past year Ochs offered
them a broader range of financial products
and services, as well as tools for Roth IRA conversions and client plan simulations — to say
nothing of his monthly “Keeping Pace with
Roger” Web audio series.
Career Highlights: President, H.D. Vest Inc., 1999present; president, H.D. Vest Advisory Services Inc.,
1995-present; executive manager, sales and marketing, 1995-1999; manager, tech support, 1987-1995 ...
Investment advisor, Prudential Bache, 1984-1987.
Other Affiliations: Vice chair, Independent Firms
Committee, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association ... Financial Planning Association ...
National Association of Enrolled Agents ... CEO Advisory Council, Financial Services Institute.
43
Education: Southern Methodist University, 1993, JD
... Trinity University, 1984, MBA Finance ... Angelo
State University, 1983, BBA Marketing.
Personal: Born 1961, Liberal, Kan. ... Married to Amy
... Two children ... Completed the Boston Marathon
each year since 2002.
Judy O’Dell
Chair, FASB Private
Companies Financial
Reporting
Committee
As chair of the Private
Companies Financial Reporting Committee, O’Dell is a key voice in
the ongoing debate over standard-setting for
private companies and users of their financial
statements.
Career Highlights: President, O’Dell Valuation Consulting, 2002-present … MP, Beucler Kelly & Irwin,
1988-2001 … Staff accountant to partner, various
firms, 1974-1988 … Semi-senior, Touche Ross, 19721974 … Medicare auditor, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of
Iowa, 1971-1972.
Other Affiliations: Chair, FASB Private Companies
Financial Reporting Committee … Participating observer/staff, Blue Ribbon Panel on Private Entity Financial Reporting … U.S. Government Accountability
Office Audit Advisory Committee ... Former trustee,
FAF … Past member, AICPA Board; past chair, PCPS
Technical Issues Committee … CFO, family-owned
real estate development company, hotel and restaurant … Treasurer, Maine Media Workshops.
Education: Immaculata University, 1970, BA Economics.
Personal: Born 1948, Darby, Pa. … Married to Douglas … Five sons.
Nina Olson
National Taxpayer
Advocate, IRS
Olson works tirelessly to
make the IRS more accessible and transparent, and
played an important role in
the debate leading to preparer registration.
Career Highlights: National Taxpayer Advocate,
IRS, 2001-present … Attorney at law, 1997-2001 …
Founder and executive director, Community Tax
Law Project, 1992-2001 … Owner, Accounting, Tax &
Information Services, 1975-1991.
Other Affiliations: College of Tax Counsel; Griswold
Lecturer, 2010 … Past chair, Special Committee on Access to Legal Services, Virginia Bar … Past chair, Section of Taxation Low-Income Taxpayers Committee,
American Bar Association … Faculty, Kennedy School
of Government Comparative Tax Policy and Administration Program ... Past adjunct professor, Georgetown
University Law Center; Virginia Commonwealth University; College of William and Mary School of Law;
University of Richmond School of Law.
Education: Georgetown University Law Center,
1994, LLM Tax … North Carolina Central University
School of Law, 1991, JD … Bryn Mawr College, 1975,
AB Fine Arts.
Personal: Born 1954, Philadelphia … One child.
44 A Supplement to Accounting Today
Clarke Price
President and CEO,
Ohio Society of CPAs
As the leader of one of the
most influential state societies, Price has been working with the AICPA and
other societies on CPA mobility issues, and
on keeping his own state from imposing taxes
on accounting and consulting services.
Career Highlights: President and CEO, Ohio Society
of CPAs; various positions, including assistant executive director and PR director; joined, 1972 … Information specialist, U.S. Army, 1970-1972. Account
executive, Coastline Advertising Agency, 1968-1970.
Other Affiliations: Immediate past chair, American
Society of Association Executives … Chair, Shared
Services LLC; State Societies Network … Past chair,
CPA Society Executives Association … Past chair,
AICPA Accountants Legal Liability Committee; Accounting Careers Committee … Past chair, AssociationPAC … Past president, Ohio Society of Association Executives.
Education: Franklin University, 1969, BS BA.
Personal: Born 1947, Kansas City, Mo. … Married to
Vicky … One son.
Twitter: @clarkeprice
Jim Quigley
CEO, Deloitte Touche
Tohmatsu
Quigley is well-known on
the world stage, both from
leading the international
firm to new growth, and as
a voice on global accounting issues.
Career Highlights: CEO, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu,
2007-present; CEO and executive committee member, Deloitte & Touche USA, 2003-2007; vice chairman; regional MP, Northeast practice; national industry leader, manufacturing practice; joined, 1974.
Other Affiliations: Steering Committee, International Integrated Reporting Committee … Advisory
Committee on Improvements to Financial Reporting
… Past member, various committees, AICPA ... Past
board member, CAQ … U.S. co-chair, TransAtlantic
Business Dialogue … Trustee, U.S. Council for International Business … Trustee, FAF … National Advisory Committee, Brigham Young University.
Education: Utah State University, 1974, BS.
Personal: Born 1952, Utah ... Married to Bonnie ...
Three children.
Marc
Rosenberg
President,
The Rosenberg
Associates
A primary consulting voice
in the areas of partner issues, compensation and M&A, Rosenberg’s
annual MAP survey is required reading
among midsized firms — and he has also
turned his keen eye toward working with the
Top 100 People
younger generation of CPAs.
Career Highlights: President, The Rosenberg Associates, 1994-present ... National director of management consulting, PDI, 1988-1994 ... CFO, Friedman,
Eisenstein, Raemer & Schwartz, 1982-1988 ... VP of
finance, International Division, Mark Controls Corp.,
1974-1982 ... Senior auditor, Ernst & Ernst, 1970-1974.
Other Affiliations: Founder and publisher, The
Rosenberg MAP Survey; The Management Catalyst
Newsletter … AICPA ... ICPAS ... Founding member,
New Horizons Group … Leader, The North Shore
Roundtable and the Wilmette Roundtable Groups.
Education: University of Illinois, 1970, BS Acctg.
Personal: Born 1948, Chicago ... Married to Ellen ...
Two children ... Chicago Cubs fan fanatic (still).
Twitter: @mrosenbergcpa
Frank Ross
Director, Center
for Accounting
Education,
Howard University
coordinator, Iowa Association of Business and Industry/Iowa School to Work Office, 1996-1997.
Other Affiliations: Partner, The Advisory Board …
Author, Live First, Work Second: Getting Inside the
Head of the Next Generation; The Productivity Path …
Board member/trustee, Alverno College; U.S. Global
Leadership Council; Greater Madison Chamber of
Commerce.
Education: Drake University, 2004, BA Economics
and International Relations. … Institute for European Studies, 1993 … Budapest University of Economic
Sciences, 1992.
Personal: Born 1972, Green Bay, Wis. … Partner,
Marti.
Blog/Twitter: nextgenerationconsulting.com/blog /
@ngcrebecca
Mike Sabbatis
President and CEO,
CCH, a Wolters
Kluwer business,
North America
Ross has spearheaded the
drive to increase minority
representation in the profession, pushing
firms to recognize the underlying causes for
lack of advancement and why so many African-Americans decide to leave accounting.
Sabbatis has led the company in developing new
tools for tax and accounting professionals.
Foremost among these is the company’s new
IntelliConnect platform, soon to be a model
throughout Wolters Kluwer.
Career Highlights: Director, Center for Accounting
Education, Howard University School of Business,
2004-present … Various positions to Mid-Atlantic
Area MP, KPMG, 1966-1973; 1976-2003; Board of
Directors, 1994-2003 … Partner, Ross, Stewart, Benjamin, 1973-1976.
Other Affiliations: Founding member and first president, National Association of Black Accountants …
AICPA … Director, Cohen & Steers Mutual Funds;
PHI Corp … Chair, Hoop Dreams … Treasurer, Howard University Middle School for Mathematics and
Science … Greater Washington Urban League.
Education: Long Island University, 1968, MBA; 1966,
BS.
Personal: Born St. Kitts, West Indies, 1943 … Married
to Cecelia … Two adult children
Career Highlights: President and CEO, CCH, North
America, 2010-present; president, CCH, 2007-2010;
executive VP of sales and marketing, Wolters Kluwer
Tax & Accounting, 2002-2007; VP of business development, CCH Tax Compliance, 2002; division sales
manager, CCH Computax, 1981-1992 … Chief marketing officer, Advantage MOTI, Datamatics, 20012002 … VP of business development and strategic
accounts, Thomson Tax & Accounting, 1998-2001 …
VP of sales and consulting, CLR/Fasttax, 1992-1998.
Education: Cleveland State University, 1981, BBA
Acctg.
Personal: Born 1958, Cleveland … Married to Shay
… Three children.
Rebecca Ryan
Founder,
Next Generation
Consulting
Generational guru Ryan
knows what’s up with
kids today. Her dynamic
message on how to engage young people
in the workforce has gotten her noticed as a
sought-after speaker on recruiting, retention
and leadership issues who continues to push
the envelope and offer firms cutting-edge answers to their most challenging questions.
Career Highlights: Founder and owner, Next Generation Consulting, 1998-present … Executive director,
Keep Iowa Beautiful, 1998-1999 … Adjunct professor,
Hamilton College, 1998-1999; contract trainer/high
school coordinator, 1994-1996. … Future projects
analyst, American Media Inc., 1997-1998 … Schoolto-work business coordinator and local partnership
Barry Salzberg
CEO, Deloitte
As chief of the country’s
largest accounting firm,
Salzberg is no ivory tower
executive, as he has been
at the forefront of such
progressive issues as increased diversity hiring and leadership development, and green
initiatives. That may be why he was named
Executive of the Year at this year’s American
Business Awards.
Career Highlights: CEO, Deloitte, 2007-present;
member, U.S. Board of Directors, Deloitte Touche
Tohmatsu Global Executive Committee, DTT Global
Board of Directors; U.S. MP, 2003-2007; leader, Deloitte Tax, 2000-2003; national tax deputy MP, 19992000; Tri-State Group MP, 1996-1999; partner, 1985;
joined, 1977.
Other Affiliations: Board, Center for Audit Quality …
New York State Bar Association … AICPA … New York
State Society of CPAs … New York County Lawyers
Q&A
Social media
mavens?
With social media such a hot topic, we
asked our Top 100 candidates if they were
participating personally in the revolution
by blogging or tweeting on Twitter. Given
the demands on their time, it’s perhaps not
surprising that just about half of the 102
respondents don’t do either, but we were
surprised to find that a significant number
are on Twitter.
A number of candidates noted that their
companies have blogs or Twitter accounts,
but unless the individual directly contributed to them, we didn’t count those votes.
And while we didn’t ask about it, a sizable
number reported a presence on LinkedIn
— and two noted that they are frequent
podcasters.
We’ve added the Top 100 People’s blog
addresses and Twitter handles to their bios
this year, but be warned: Many noted that
while they may have a blog or a handle,
they didn’t update or tweet very often.
Do you blog or tweet?
No
Tweet
Blog
LinkedIn
0
10
20
30
40
50
Association … Board, Committee for Encouraging
Corporate Philanthropy; Partnership for New York
… Advisory Board, International Business Leaders
Forum … International councilor, Center for Strategic & International Studies … Chair, Capital Steering Committee, YMCA of Greater New York ... Board
chair, College Summit … Board, Vanderbilt University Owen School of Management.
Education: New York University School of Law, 1981,
LLM Taxation … Brooklyn Law School, 1977, JD …
Brooklyn College, 1974, Acctg.
Personal: Born 1953.
Mary Schapiro
Chair, SEC
Schapiro has worked
mightily to restore the tarnished reputation of the
SEC in the past year by getting tougher on enforcement and bringing charges against some of
the mightiest of Wall Street firms, while mak-
Top 100 People
A Supplement to Accounting Today
ing sure that the drive toward convergence
is closely monitored and not rushed to fit in
with anybody else’s timetable.
Career Highlights: Chair, Securities and Exchange
Commission, 2009-present; acting chair, 1993-1994;
commissioner, 1988-1994 … CEO, Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority, 2007-2009 … Chair and CEO,
NASD, 2006-2007; vice chair, 2002-2006; president,
NASD Regulation, 1996-2002 … Chair, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, 1994-1996; counsel
and executive assistant to the chair, 1981-1984; trial
attorney, 1980 ... General counsel and senior VP, Futures Industry Association, 1984-1988.
Other Affiliations: Past chair, International Organization of Securities Commissions ... Past board
member, Duke Energy, Kraft Foods.
Education: George Washington University, 1980, JD
… Franklin and Marshall College, 1977, BA.
Personal: Born 1955, New York … Married to Chas
… Two daughters.
Mark
Schlageter
President, Business
Compliance &
Knowledge
Solutions, the Tax
& Accounting
business of Thomson Reuters
Under Schlageter’s leadership, Thomson
Reuters brands have experienced significant
growth on the Checkpoint platform, providing information and workflow solutions to
professionals throughout the accounting
field, including recent innovations in taking
— and tracking — CPE.
Career Highlights: President, Business Compliance
& Knowledge Solutions, the Tax & Accounting business of Thomson Reuters, 2009-present; president,
Research & Guidance, Thomson Tax & Accounting,
2006-2009; chief operations officer, 2004-2006; general manager, RIA Compliance/RIA Information
Online, 2001-2004; VP of business development,
1999-2001; manager of business analysis, Thomson
West, 1997-1999 … Associate, Poulson, Odell, and
Peterson, 1996-1997.
Other Affiliations: American Bar Association … International Bar Association … Colorado Bar Association … Washington, D.C., Bar Association.
Education: University of Denver, JD, Master’s in International Management … Cornell University, BA.
Personal: Born 1967, Pittsford, N.Y. … Married to
Katherine … Two children.
Gary Shamis
Managing director,
SS&G Financial
Services Inc.
One of the most versatile
managing directors, Shamis not only oversees one
of the country’s top firms, but is also a frequent columnist, author and presenter on a
variety of accounting issues, and a member
of the high-profile Advisory Board.
Career Highlights: Managing director, SS&G Financial Services Inc., 1987-present … Senior auditor,
Page, Saltz & Shamis, 1981-1987 … Senior auditor,
Touche, Ross & Co., 1978-1981.
Other Affiliations: Founder and chairman emeritus,
The Advisory Board … Founder and chairman emeritus, The Leading Edge Alliance … Past chair, MAP
Committee, AICPA … Ohio Society of CPAs … Co-author, How to Manage Your Accounting Practice: Taking Your Firm from Chaos to Consensus … Columnist,
CPA Magazine … Editorial board, CPA Practice Management Forum … Past member, editorial boards,
Managing Partner Report; Ohio CPA Journal; Journal
of Accountancy; Practicing CPA … Advisory Board,
Case Western Reserve University School of Accountancy … Trustee, Northeastern Ohio Universities
Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy … Past board
member, Anti-Defamation League; Jewish Community Federation; Better Business Bureau; National
Center on Nonprofit Enterprise.
Education: The Ohio State University, 1978, Masters
of Accountancy … Tulane University, 1975, BS Biology.
Personal: Born 1953, Cleveland … Married to Mary
Ann … Two children.
Douglas
Shulman
Commissioner, IRS
Shulman has successfully
exercised the burden of
running the nation’s tax
collecting agency while at
the same time modernizing procedures, developing new programs and assuming new
burdens imposed by Congress. Preparer registration, the tax gap, the balancing act between service and enforcement, and the new
requirement for the IRS to administer and
enforce provisions of the health care reform
law are among the responsibilities he faces.
Career Highlights: Commissioner, Internal Revenue
Service, 2008-present … Vice chairman, Financial
Industry Regulatory Authority … Executive VP, National Association of Securities Dealers, 2001-2007
… Co-founder and executive VP, FoundryOne, 20002001 … VP, Darby Overseas Investments, 1998-2000
… Chief of staff and senior policy advisor, National
Commission on Restructuring the IRS, 1996-1997 …
Consultant, A.T. Kearney.
Other Affiliations: Past board member, Depository
Trust Co.
Education: Georgetown University Law Center, JD
… John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard
University, MPA … Williams College, BA.
Jim Sikich
CEO and managing
partner, Sikich
Few firm heads have been
as active in M&A as Sikich,
who in a few short months
engineered a total of seven
unions for his practice — from accounting
firms to tech consultancies, and even a design
firm — while posting an eye-opening growth
rate of nearly 15 percent.
Career Highlights: CEO and MP, Sikich; member,
Executive Management Committee … Partner, Sikich
& Garder, 1982 … Partner, Filbey Summers & Co.
Other Affiliations: AICPA … Illinois CPA Society
… Past board member, Copley Memorial Hospital;
Greater Aurora Chamber of Commerce; United Way
of Aurora … Past president, Aurora Family YMCA …
Beta Alpha Psi … Beta Gamma Sigma.
Education: University of Illinois, BA Acctg.
Personal: Born 1947, Joliet, Ill. … Married … Four
children.
Doug Sleeter
Founder and
president,
The Sleeter Group
A consummate consultant
and often-touted QuickBooks guru, as well as a
highly knowledgeable advocate for accounting software usage of all kinds, Sleeter has
long been focused on educating accounting
professionals and small businesses through
his group’s webinars, educational books and
seminars.
Career Highlights: Founder and president, The
Sleeter Group Inc., 1994-present … Director of product marketing, Quorum Software Systems, 1991-1994
… Software evangelist and VAR sales, Apple Computer, 1986-1991 … Software evangelist, Adobe Systems,
1985-1986 … Staff accountant and tax preparer, Stanley W. Dowling CPA, 1979-1982 … Staff accountant
and tax preparer, Charles Strahal CPA, 1978-1979.
Other Affiliations: Host, Next Generation Accounting Solutions Conference … Board of Advisors, Bill.
com … Product development consultant, Intuit,
1994-present … Product development consultant,
Fishbowl Inventory; SmartVault; PayCycle; Bill.com;
NetLedger/NetSuite; BQE Software; MISys; InsynQ;
Bankserv; Avalara; Alterity; PDG Software … Board,
Keystone Adult Learning Center.
Education: Santa Clara University, MBA courses …
University of California at Santa Cruz, 1982, BA Computer and Information Sciences … Cabrillo College,
1979, AA.
Personal: Born 1959, Fresno, Calif. … Married to
Sherrill … One son.
Twitter: @sleetergroup
Brad Smith
President and CEO,
Intuit
Only two years into his
presidency, Smith plays
a key role in helping Intuit
and its products maintain
their pre-eminent position with small businesses and accounting professionals, as
when he personally led the company’s
response to a recent major service outage,
responding directly to the company’s public
45
via social networking and e-mail.
Career Highlights: President and CEO, Intuit Inc.,
2008-present; senior VP and general manager, Small
Business Division, 2006-2007; general manager,
QuickBooks Group, 2005-2006; leader, Consumer Tax
Group, 2004-2005; VP and general manager, Accountant Central and Developer Network; joined, 2003 …
Senior VP of marketing and business development,
ADP … Various sales, marketing and management
positions, Pepsi, Seven-Up, Advo Inc.
Education: Aquinas College, Master’s of Management … Marshall University, BBA.
Paul Stahlin
Chairman, AICPA
Only the second AICPA
chair from private industry, Stahlin will encounter
a veritable buffet of issues
affecting the institute’s
membership, from IFRS and financial reform, to tax preparer registration and tax
patent legislation.
Career Highlights: Regional president, Skylands
Community Bank, 2005-present … President and
CEO, Somerset Valley Bank, 2005-2007 … Executive VP and CFO, Fleet Credit Card Services, Fleet
Financial/Bank of America, 2001-2005 … Corporate
controller, Summit Bancorp; various positions, UJB
Financial, Summit Bancorp, Fleet Boston, Bank of
America, 1980-2005 … Senior accountant, Price Waterhouse, 1974-1980.
Other Affiliations: Past president, New Jersey Society
of CPAs … Trustee and Audit Committee chair, Somerset Medical Center … Immediate past chair, Foundation Board, Montclair State University … Executive
Board, Somerset Business Partnership … Trustee, St.
Charles Borromeo … National Eagle Scout Association … Past VP, Community Bankers of N.J.
Education: Montclair State University, 1974, BS
Acctg.
Personal: Born 1952, Jersey City, N.J. … Married to
Nonny … Four daughters.
Sue Swenson
President and CEO,
Sage North America
In just two years, Swenson
has taken a multitude of
disparate accounting and
related brands and helped
deliver a unified message. Though it may take
some time for the branding to take hold, her
goal of offering an “extraordinary customer
experience” across the company should go a
long way toward accomplishing the task.
Career Highlights: President and CEO, Sage North
America, 2008-present; member, Executive Committee, Sage Group plc … COO, New Motion Inc., 20072008 … COO, Amp’d Wireless, 2006-2007 … COO,
T-Mobile, 2004-2006 … President and COO, Leap
Wireless, 1999-2004 … President and CEO, Cellular
One, 1994-1999.
Other Affiliations: Board, Wells Fargo Bank … Director, MBlox.
46 A Supplement to Accounting Today
Education: San Diego State University, 1971, BA.
Personal: Born 1948, Bremerton, Wash. … Married
to Darrell.
Ralph Thomas
Executive director,
NJSCPA
As head of the New Jersey
society for more than a decade, Thomas has quietly
built the organization into
one of the most progressive in the country,
particularly in the areas of financial literacy
and social media.
Career Highlights: Executive director, New Jersey Society of CPAs, 1999-present … VP, Structured
Products Group, Citibank, 1987-1999 … Staff manager, American Bell and AT&T Information Systems,
1982-1987 … Senior systems accountant, Potomac
Electric Power Co., 1980-1982 … Senior accountant,
Price Waterhouse, 1977-1980.
Other Affiliations: Pre-Certification Education Executive Committee, AICPA; past member, Council;
Group of 100; various committees … President’s
Advisory Council and past president, National Association of Black Accountants … Trustee, State Society
Network Inc. … Board, Shared Services LLC … Trustee and chair of Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee, Lehigh University … Accounting Advisory Board,
Rutgers University; Seton Hall University … Chair,
Audit Committee, Shiloh Baptist Church.
Education: Lehigh University, 1977, MBA; 1976, BS
Business & Economics.
Personal: Born 1954, Washington, D.C. … Married to
Valerie … One daughter.
Jeffrey
Thomson
President and CEO,
IMA
Thomson has launched
a strategic turnaround
of the IMA that boosted
membership almost 10 percent, and boosted candidate numbers of its Certified Management Accountant credential by over 80
percent — all while continuing to provide
valuable information, research and services
to members.
Career Highlights: President and CEO, Institute of
Management Accountants, 2008-present; VP of research and applications development, 2005-2008
… Teacher, Mount Olive Township High School,
2002-2005 … Chief financial officer of business sales,
AT&T, 1979-2002.
Other Affiliations: Board, COSO … County Social
Services for the Mentally Challenged.
Education: Executive education programs, Wharton School of Business for Finance and Accounting,
Philadelphia; Columbia Business School; MIT Sloan
School of Business … Montclair State University, MS
Math and Statistics; BS Mathematics.
Personal: Born 1955, Paterson, N.J. … Married to
Harriet … Two children.
Blog: http://linkupima.com
Top 100 People
James Turley
Global chairman and
CEO, Ernst & Young
While other firms have
been working to coordinate their U.S. and international leadership, Turley
is the U.S. and international leadership for
Ernst & Young, putting it in a strong position
to implement its global strategy.
Career Highlights: Global chairman and CEO, Ernst
& Young, 2001-present; deputy chairman, 2000-2001;
New York area MP, 1998-2000; Area MP for the Upper
Midwest practice, 1994-1998; leader, entrepreneurial
services practice, 1993-1994; client service, St. Louis,
1990-1994; national director, client services and
business development, 1987-1989; partner, 1987;
joined, 1977.
Other Affiliations: Co-chair, The Russian Foreign
Investment Advisory Council … Chair, Governing
Board, CAQ … Steering Committee, International
Integrated Reporting Committee … Chair, Catalyst …
President’s Export Council … Business Roundtable
… International Business Leaders’ Advisory Council
for the Mayor of Shanghai … Board, Boy Scouts of
America; National Corporate Theatre Fund … Trustee, Rice University.
Education: Rice University, Master’s and BA in
Acctg.
Personal: Born 1955 … Married … One adult son.
Sir David
Tweedie
Chair, IASB
Known in Europe as the
most powerful man in the
accounting world, Tweedie’s influence in the U.S.
has been tempered by the SEC’s reluctance
to approve the convergence roadmap. But
he has doubled and redoubled his efforts to
achieve convergence between international
and U.S. accounting standards by the time his
term ends next year.
Career Highlights: Chair, IASB, 2001-present ... Visiting professor of accounting, Edinburgh University
Management School ... Chairman, Accounting Standards Board (U.K.), 1990-2000 ... National technical
partner, KPMG Peat Marwick McLintock, 1987-1990;
national technical partner, Thomson McLintock
& Co., 1982-1987 ... Technical director, Institute of
Chartered Accountants of Scotland, 1978-1982.
Other Affiliations: Steering Committee, International Integrated Reporting Committee … Chair, U.K.
Auditing Practices Committee, 1989-1990 ... International Auditing Practices Committee, 1983-1988.
Education: Edinburgh University, 1969, Ph.D.; 1966,
B.Com.
Personal: Born 1944 ... Married ... Two sons.
Enrique Vasquez
President and CEO,
Genworth Financial Advisers
Vasquez proved Genworth’s value to its more
than 4,000 affiliated financial advisors by adding
tools that help them build
and follow through on
strategic plans, programs
to help them market their
practices better, and a
training program for new advisors.
Career Highlights: President and CEO, Genworth
Financial Investment Services, Genworth Financial
Securities Corp. and Genworth Financial Advisers
Corp., 2004-present … VP of business development,
GE Financial Assurance, 2000-2004; business development, Structured Finance Group, GE Capital
Service, 1998-2000; VP of finance, GE Asset Management, 1995-1998 … Assistant VP of finance, Kidder
Peabody & Co., 1992-1995 … Financial supervisor,
Societe Generale Financial Corp., 1987-1992.
Education: Fordham University Graduate School of
Business, 1997, MBA International Finance … Kean
College of New Jersey, 1987, BS Acctg.
Personal: Born 1965, Queens, N.Y. … Married to Michelle … Two daughters.
John
Veihmeyer
Chairman and CEO,
KPMG
Veihmeyer is now fully in
charge of the U.S. firm of
KPMG as chairman and
CEO, but in his capacity as chair of the firm’s
Americas region and through his long relationship with current KPMG International
chair Tim Flynn, he’ll continue to make sure
KPMG makes the most of its global reach.
Career Highlights: Chairman, KPMG, 2010-present;
CEO, 2009-present; deputy chairman, 2005-2010;
chairman, KPMG Americas, 2007-present; board,
2003-present; area MP — audit and advisory, MidAtlantic area, 2003-2005; office MP, Washington
D.C., 2003-2005; partner-in-charge, Washington
and Baltimore — audit, 2002-2003; area professional
practice partner, Mid-Atlantic area, 1999-2001; partner, 1987; joined, 1977.
Other Affiliations: Co-chair, CEO’s Against Cancer …
Governing Board, Center for Audit Quality … Board,
Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy …
Advisory Council, Notre Dame Mendoza College of
Business … Business-Higher Education Forum …
Past member, SEC Advisory Committee on Smaller
Public Companies … Board, Kennedy Center Corporate Fund … Partnership for New York City.
Education: University of Notre Dame, 1977, BBA.
Personal: Born 1955, Washington, D.C. … Married to
Beth … Three children.
Jennifer
Warawa
Senior director of
partner programs,
Sage North America
Warawa has championed
the 20,000-strong Sage Ac-
countants Network, as well as leading the
creation of an accountant advocate team to
augment the services of the SAN, focusing
on working with accountants, bookkeepers
and CPAs.
Career Highlights: Senior director, partner programs, Sage North America, 2008-present … Owner
and operations manager, Dreamscape Business Services Ltd., 1995-2008.
Other Affiliations: Board, Courage for Youth Association … Founder and past board member, Uptown
Rutland Business Association … Past member, Rutland Task Force.
Education: Okanagan University College, 1996-1997,
accounting certificate courses.
Personal: Born 1976, Kelowna, B.C. … Married to
Shane.
Twitter: @jenniferwarawa
Troy Waugh
CEO, FiveStar3
While Waugh’s sales, marketing and leadership advice has always been valuable to accounting practitioners, it has proved even
more so during the economic downturn,
with doubled attendance at his Rainmaker
Academy, and record attendance at his Rainmaker Workshops.
Career Highlights: CEO, FiveStar3, 1991-present …
Senior VP, Jacques Miller, 1983-1991 ... CEO, Advantage Cos., 1975-1983 ... Audit manager, Price Waterhouse, 1969-1975.
Other Affiliations: Author, Power Up Your Profits;
101 Marketing Strategies ... National Speakers Association.
Education: University of Southern California, 1973,
MBA ... University of Tennessee, 1969, BS Acctg.
Personal: Born 1944, Savannah, Ga. ... Divorced...
Two sons.
Blog: www.therainmakeracademy
Jeffrey Weiner
Managing partner,
Marcum
Over the past several years,
few firms, if any, have posted growth numbers like
Marcum’s under Weiner’s
leadership, tearing through 2009 with a number of high-profile mergers and reporting a 30
percent jump in revenues.
Career Highlights: MP, Marcum, 1990-present;
joined, 1981.
Other Affiliations: Founding member, Leading Edge
Alliance ... Editorial Board, CPA Journal … Executive
producer, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum … Advisory Board, Long Island Business
Development Corp. … Board, Long Island Association … VP and Executive Board member, Children’s
Medical Fund of New York.
Education: Hofstra University, 1979, BBA.
Personal: Born 1957, Brooklyn, N.Y. ... Married to
Tracy ... Three children.
Top 100 People
A Supplement to Accounting Today
Jack
Weisbaum
CEO, BDO
In addition to leading his
firm to ever-higher revenue and numbers of SEC
clients, Weisbaum has
overseen a raft of human capital initiatives
that have made BDO one of the best places
to work in accounting.
Career Highlights: CEO, BDO USA, 2004-present;
chairman and acting CEO, 2003-2004; partner and
executive director of specialized services, 1982-2003
... Partner, Benjamin Nadel & Co., 1968-1982; staff
accountant, 1958-1968.
Other Affiliations: American Jewish Congress ...
New York Institute of Credit … B’nai Brith … Brandeis
University … Hofstra University.
Education: Hofstra University, 1964, BBA.
Personal: Born 1940, Bronx, N.Y. ... Married to Mary
... Three children, two grandchildren.
Geni
Whitehouse
recently she has emerged as a consultant and
educator for the profession through her books,
seminars and speaking engagements.
staff. She’s a regular at industry events and
well-known for her engaging sessions on the
conference circuit.
Career Highlights: Founder and chief communications officer, Even a Nerd Can Be Heard, 2007-present … Instructor, WISE Academy, 2009-present …VP,
Sage Software, 2004-2007 … VP, Accpac, 2002-2004
… COO, Accounting Software Advisor, 2002 … COO,
Elliott Davis Technology Solutions, 2001-2002 … Director of product marketing and strategic alliances,
Navision US, 1999-2002; manager, CPA Alliances,
1998-1999 … Trainer and software implementer,
1995-1998 … Partner, Gross Duke & Nelson, 19911995 … Software consultant, Software Management,
1990-1991 … Contract controller, Touch Industries
and PHP Inc., 1989-1990 … Corporate tax director,
Dental Research Corp., 1988-1989 … Corporate tax
manager, Super Valu, 1986-1988 … To senior accountant, Deloitte, Haskins and Sells, 1982-1986.
Other Affiliations: Author, How to Make a Boring Subject Interesting … Consulting Accountants
Roundtable … Mentor Plus … XBRL steering committees … Girl Scouts.
Education: University of North Carolina, 1981, BSBA
Acctg.
Personal: Born 1959, Atlanta … Married to Charles
… Two children.
Career Highlights: Partner, COO and senior consultant, Boomer Consulting Inc., 1995-present … VP of
human resources, FirstBank, 1989-1994 … Financial
analyst, First Interstate Bank, 1979-1988.
Other Affiliations: Member, AT Advisory Group…
Team member, The Advisory Board … Past committee member and marketing leader, Tech+ Conference
Committee, AICPA … Guest lecturer, Kansas State
University … Co-publisher, Performance3 … Board
president and campaign chair, United Way of Riley
County … Executive board member, Manhattan High
School Site Council … Board, Manhattan Crisis Center … Youth director, Trinity Presbyterian Church.
Education: Friends University, 1990, BS HR.
Personal: Born 1960, Stafford, Kan. … Married to
Doug … Three children.
Blog/Twitter: www.ThinkPlanGrow.net / @sandrawiley
Owner, Even a Nerd
Can Be Heard
Sandra Wiley
Partner, senior
consultant and COO,
Boomer Consulting
A self-described “nerd,”
Whitehouse is extremely
comfortable with accounting technology and does all she can to ensure that other CPAs are as well. A long-time
partner to accounting software vendors, more
Wiley advises firms on
team-building, managing
conflict and bringing on
It takes one to know one
On the theory that those with an influence on the accounting profession ought to be able to
recognize other influential people, we asked candidates for this year’s list to name who they
think has the most influence. The 102 candidates who responded named 86 different people,
slightly more than last year’s 82.
Though both President Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner got fewer votes
this year than last, they continued to get more than any previous holders of their positions.
The real standout, though, continues to be American Institute of CPAs president and chief executive Barry Melancon. He’s always at the top of the list, but
this year he significantly expanded his usual lead, with more than twice as many
votes as his closest competitor, Securities and Exchange Commission Chair
Mary Schapiro.
David Williams
Executive lead for
return preparer
regulation
implementation, IRS
To his role as director of
Electronic Tax Administration (including e-filing) for the IRS, this
year Williams added responsibility for one
of the agency’s highest-profile initiatives: tax
preparer registration. Not the least of his tasks
will be explaining to accountants exactly how
it will affect them.
Career Highlights: Executive leader, return preparer regulation implementation, Internal Revenue
Service, 2010-present; director, Electronic Tax Administration and Refundable Credits, 2007-present;
director, EITC, Health Coverage Tax Credit and Telephone Excise Tax Refund programs; chief of communications and liaison, 1998-2003 … Deputy assistant
secretary for tax and legislative affairs, U.S. Treasury,
1997-1998 … Legislative director and tax policy advisor, Sen. Bill Bradley, 1996-1997 … Assistant staff director, Senate Committee on the Budget, 1990-1996.
Education: John F. Kennedy School of Government,
Harvard University, MPP … Colorado State University, BS BA.
Jennifer
Wilson
Co-founder and
owner, ConvergenceCoaching
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It’s been a busy year for
Wilson as she continues
to inspire ideas in her consulting and writing. Her firm launched four soft skills training programs and she’s been instrumental in
teaching social media to firm leaders.
Career Highlights: Co-founder and owner, ConvergenceCoaching, 2000-present ... Co-founder and
principal, Success Strategists, 1999-2000; 1995-1997
... National director, Financial Solutions Group, BDO
47
Seidman, 1997-1999 ... VP of sales and customer
services, State of the Art Inc., 1989-1995 ... Regional
sales manager, Pro Systems Inc., 1984-1988.
Other Affiliations: Advisory Board, Bill.com … New
Horizon Group … Education Committee, AAM ...
Association for Accounting Administration … Past
chair, Tech Committee, AICPA; Workload Compression Task Force ... International Coach Federation
... American Marketing Association ... Founding
member and board member, ITA ... Board and youth
leader, Episcopal Church.
Education: University of Nebraska, 2002, BS Marketing ... Landmark Education, Curriculum for Living
(Leadership/Communications), 1995-1996.
Personal: Born 1964, Hahn Air Force Base, Germany
... Married to Brian ... Three daughters.
Blog/Twitter: www.blog.convergencecoaching.com
/ @JenLeeWilson
Donny Woods
President, NSA
As president of the National Society of Accountants,
Woods represents 30,000
accountants at mostly
small and midsized firms,
offering them a wealth of resources on the
issues that affect them most, from tax preparer registration to developing their professional skills.
Career Highlights: Partner, Woods & Woods, 1980present … General accounting supervisor, International Paper Co., 1973-1980 … Instructor, Southern
Arkansas University, 1969-1973 … Public school
teacher, 1968-1971.
Other Affiliations: President, National Society of
Accountants … Past president, Arkansas Society of
Accountants … Past member, IRS Commissioner’s
Advisory Group … Nashville, Ark., Chamber of Commerce … Nashville Rotary Club … Past Board chair,
Howard Memorial Hospital … Deacon, Immanuel
Baptist Church.
Education: University of Houston, 1969, postgraduate work … Southern Arkansas University, 1968, BA
Acctg.
Personal: Born 1946, Nashville, Ark. … Married to
Lynda Sue … Two daughters, six grandchildren.
David Wyle
President and CEO,
SurePrep
Everyone complains about
the insane hours and ridiculous workload of the busy
season, but Wyle — as one
of the leaders in developing tools that automate and streamline the tax prep process — is
actually doing something about it.
Career Highlights: President and CEO, SurePrep,
2002-present … President and CEO, ePace Software,
1997-2002 … Senior tax associate, Coopers & Lybrand, 1994-1997.
Education: University of California at Santa Barbara,
1994, Business Economics.
Personal: Born 1972, Santa Monica, Calif. … Married
to Carmen … One son and one daughter.
Most Influential People
Sponsored by:
A Supplement to