Accounting talent shortage is focus of new advisory group

The AICPA has formed an advisory group of accounting stakeholders that will help to shape strategy to address the profession’s talent shortage.

The National Pipeline Advisory Group represents a broad spectrum of leaders in the accounting profession. The group’s work on a national pipeline strategy will be informed by the use of technology, surveys, and in-person forums to solicit insights and input from diverse groups nationwide, the AICPA said in a news release.

“The slowdown in young adults choosing accounting as a career is a collective problem for the CPA profession and requires a collective and inclusive solution,” said Sue Coffey, CPA, CGMA, CEO of Public Accounting for AICPA & CIMA, together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. Coffey is executive sponsor of the initiative and member of the advisory group.

“We want to make sure we have a broad range of viewpoints and perspectives to help define the profession’s pipeline strategy moving forward,” Coffey said. “This deep, capable, and experienced group will play a critical role in guiding that conversation and subsequent call to action.”

The National Pipeline Advisory Group is focused on developing a cohesive and agile national strategy. That strategy goes beyond the elements of the Pipeline Acceleration Plan, a set of initiatives already underway or being explored.

Lexy Kessler, CPA, CGMA, and mid-Atlantic regional leader for Aprio, will chair the group. Kessler is a member of the Association’s global board.

ConvergenceCoaching LLC, a national management consulting firm, will serve as facilitator for the advisory group’s work.

The advisory group, which began meeting in July, will report on its progress at AICPA Fall Council in October.

In May, Council members approved a resolution calling for a national pipeline strategy that would address the image of the accounting profession, as well as educational and experience requirements. The resolution also called for an outline of short- and long-term actions that will address the profession’s need for more accounting professionals.

According to the news release, that resolution “affirmed a commitment to preserving mobility for CPAs, a critical element of the system of state licensure allowing CPAs to practice across licensing jurisdictions.”

The advisory group members, in addition to Coffey and Kessler, are:

• Jeannine Birmingham, CPA, CAE, CEO, Alabama Society of CPAs
• Ken Bouyer, CIA, EY Americas DEI recruiting leader and member of the AICPA National Commission on Diversity & Inclusion
• Daniel J. Dustin, CPA, vice president of state relations, National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)
• Joe Falbo, CPA, CGMA, partner at Szymkowiak & Associates CPAs, PC and past president of the New York State Society of CPAs
• Jonathan Hauser, CPA, partner at KPMG and chair of the Illinois CPA Society
• Angela Ho, CPA, CGMA, chief compliance officer, OceanFirst Bank
• Kathy Johnson, CPA, CFF, CGMA, vice president, JS Held; adjunct professor, California State University, San Bernardino; and past chair, California Society of CPAs
• Lori Kaiser, CPA, CGMA, founder and CEO of Kaiser Consulting, LLC and past chair, Ohio Society of CPAs
• Elizabeth (Betsy) Krisher, CPA, CEO/chairman, Maher Duessel CPAs and president of the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs board
• Allen Lloyd, CAE, executive director, Montana Society of CPAs
• Tom Neill, CPA (retired), AICPA Uniform Accountancy Act Committee chair
• Michelle F. Randall, CPA, CGMA, accounting professor, Schoolcraft College and chair of the Michigan Association of CPAs
• Jodi Ann Ray, CAE, president and CEO, Texas Society of CPAs
• Marcus Rayner, managing director, U.S. Public Policy at PwC
• Rick Reisig, CPA, principal, Pinion, LLC, and board chairman, NASBA
• Kimberly Scott, CAE, president and CEO, Washington Society of CPAs
• Lindsay Stevenson, CPA, CGMA, chief transformation officer, BPM and board member, Association of International Certified Professional Accountants
• Mark Taylor, CPA, director, University of South Florida’s Lynn Pippenger School of Accountancy and 2023–24 president, American Accounting Association
• Emily Walker, CAE, vice president, Advocacy, Virginia Society of CPAs
• Shelly Weir, president and CEO, Florida Institute of CPAs

— To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Martha Waggoner at Martha.Waggoner@aicpa-cima.com.