Jan Lewis elected AICPA chair

Jan Lewis, CPA, CGMA, is the new chair of the AICPA.

At spring Council in New Orleans on Wednesday, Lewis was elected to the one-year volunteer post. Lewis, a tax partner at BMSS Advisors, also will serve as chair of the global Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, according to a news release.

“We’re part of a profession with a long legacy of integrity, adaptability, and innovation,” Lewis said. “With that legacy comes responsibility to keep earning trust and to help shape what comes next. I’m incredibly grateful for the trust you’ve placed in me, and I’m excited about what the year ahead holds.”

The Journal of Accountancy’s June edition will have an in-depth feature on Lewis and her emphasis on growing a people-first profession.

Lindsay Stevenson, CPA, CGMA, chief strategy officer at BPM, was elected AICPA vice chair. Lewis served as vice chair for the past year alongside AICPA Chair Lexy Kessler.

Delivering trust, value, and innovation in a complex world

Lewis, according to the release, will work closely with AICPA members to align vision, strategy, and direction to further the success of the accounting profession. Lewis will underscore the profession’s role in bringing clarity, reliability, and sound judgment to increasingly complex decisions, reinforcing the CPA as a trusted adviser grounded in ethics, quality, and public interest.

“Jan brings a deep understanding of what makes this profession strong, its commitment to trust, its ability to evolve, and its focus on people,” Mark Koziel, CPA, CGMA, president and CEO of the AICPA, said in the release. “Her leadership reflects what we’re hearing from our members and across the profession: focus on balancing innovation with responsibility, invest in the next generation, and stay closely connected to the needs of our members. I’m looking forward to working alongside her to continue advancing the profession globally.”

Lewis earned a bachelor of science in accounting from Mississippi State University and is a member and past chair of the Adkerson School of Accountancy Advisory Council at Mississippi State. A past president of the Mississippi Society of CPAs, Lewis was selected by Forbes as one of the Top 200 CPAs in America in 2024.

Lewis has held several AICPA volunteer posts, including serving on the AICPA board of directors, Tax Practice and Procedures Committee, Tax Executive Committee, Life Insurance and Disability Plans Committee, and as a member and elected state representative of Council.

AICPA honors Tommye Barie with Gold Medal of Distinction

Past AICPA chair Tommye Barie, CPA, is the 116th recipient of the AICPA Gold Medal Award of Distinction, the highest honor given by the organization.

As chair in 2014–2015, Barie was part of the leadership team that initiated the joint venture with CIMA that resulted in the creation of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. Barie is a CPA.com board member and previously served as chair of the Florida Institute of CPAs and as a board member of the International Federation of Accountants.

“Tommye Barie is a dynamic leader whose service to and influence on the accounting profession are as distinguished as her career achievements,” past AICPA chair Carla McCall, CPA, CGMA, said in a news release. “She has made invaluable contributions to the profession from the local to the international level. Above all, Tommye is a servant leader who consistently pays it forward and advances the careers and interests of others without regard to how she will benefit.”

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