Anthony Pugliese recently was promoted to vice-president, member innovation. In this newly created post, he will be responsible for research, development and delivery of new services. Pugliese will oversee information technology, personal financial planning, assurance services, consulting services, accreditations, the Center for Investment Advisory Services and the PCPS and Group B member sections. He will also direct two new areas: tax member services and business plan development.

Pugliese said the Institute is preparing to offer members “new value-added services that will help their clients or their employers as the marketplace continues to change. The AICPA is poised to react to our members’ needs—for example, providing help in e-commerce, performance measurement, information technology, Eldercare, XBRL, sustainability reporting and risk advisory services.”

“The new cpa2biz portal gives us the opportunity to work more closely with members than ever before,” he added, “and we can now provide the most current and relevant information on member innovation in terms of updates and technology.”

Pugliese joined the Institute in 1997 as a senior technical manager in the practice monitoring division and was promoted to director of assurance services, where he rolled out SysTrust, Performance View, WebTrust, and Eldercare. Pugliese previously worked as a senior manager in the New York City office of Deloitte & Touche LLP. He received a BBA degree with a major in accounting from the University of North Florida.

Pugliese told the JofA that what excites him most about his new position are “the opportunities we could provide to our members and the chance to make a significant difference to the profession.”

The Institute appointed Valerie Rainey, who served until recently as senior manager, e-commerce, in the tax division, to the newly created position of vice-president, strategic alliances.

In that role, Rainey will manage the AICPA’s current strategic relationships with cpa2biz and Shared Services, LLC, a consortium of state CPA societies. In an interview, she told the JofA , “I will be involved in looking for new strategic partners and developing relationships to support members both in their traditional lines of business and in pursuing the new opportunities the profession is creating.”

As the person coordinating all e-media activity across the AICPA, Rainey will work on establishing an Internet strategy and on the handoff of existing AICPA content to cpa2biz. Previously, she developed policy proposals and business plans on e-commerce taxation for domestic and international markets.

“This is quite an exciting time for CPAs,” Rainey said. “The AICPA is involved in numerous projects that I think will, in turn, help to create much value for the profession. It thrills me to be a part of that experience.”

Prior to joining the AICPA, Rainey was with Ernst & Young and BDO Seidman where she was responsible for client service engagements. She earned a BS degree in psychology and a master’s in business from Fordham University.