AICPA Town Hall Series

CPA, CGMA

Barry C. Melancon is the CEO of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, the most influential body of professional accountants in the world with 650,000 members and students. Formed in 2017, it combines the strengths of The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), which Melancon also leads as President & CEO. Melancon joined the AICPA in 1995 when he was 37 years old, and is now the longest serving CEO in the organization’s 129 year history. Under his tenure, the AICPA has grown to become the largest membership body of CPAs in the world and has spearheaded a number of initiatives to benefit not only the profession, but also investors, business owners, lenders and the general public. These include audit quality centers; private company reporting standards; eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL); the computerized CPA exam; and two consumer financial literacy education programs. Under Melancon’s leadership in 2011, the AICPA formed a joint venture with CIMA to elevate management accounting globally. They created the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation for those professionals who meet the highest benchmark of rigor and quality. Today, approximately 150,000 professionals hold the CGMA designation worldwide. Building on this success, AICPA and CIMA members in June 2016 voted to evolve the joint venture into the Association. Its mission is to drive a dynamic accounting profession around the world that powers trust, opportunity and prosperity. Melancon was named the Association’s first CEO. Melancon is also Global Chairman of the Board of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), Chairman of XBRL-US, and a founding and current board member of both the Global Accounting Alliance (GAA) and the Center for Audit Quality (CAQ). He is a founding and current board member of the Government Transformation Initiative, serves on the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness, and is a member of the delegation to the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). During 2007-2008, Melancon served on the U.S. Department of the Treasury Advisory Committee on the Auditing Profession. Melancon has testified for the profession before Congress numerous times, has been honored with many awards, including the 2011 National Association Executive of the Year. Prior to joining the AICPA, Melancon served for eight years as Executive Director of the Society of Louisiana CPAs. He began his accounting career in 1979 at a small CPA firm in Louisiana. In 1984, he was elected a firm partner. Melancon graduated in 1978 from Nicholls State University in Louisiana, majoring in accounting with a minor in government. He also earned an MBA in 1983 from Nicholls State University and subsequently served as an adjunct professor of accounting at his alma mater for four years. He was also awarded his alma mater’s first and only Honorary Doctorate of Commerce in 2008.

CPA, CGMA

Susan S. Coffey, CPA, CGMA is CEO - Public Practice for the American Institute of CPAs. In this role Coffey is responsible for the professional activities, content and delivery of all AICPA public accounting technical and self-regulatory functions, which support and enhance the quality of the work of U.S. CPA firms. This work includes leading AICPA's initiatives related to professional standards of practice; business and financial reporting, audit, assurance and business reporting innovation; taxation; specialization and credentials; professional ethics; practice monitoring; audit quality centers; and the Uniform CPA Examination. Coffey is also responsible for global relations and alliances with organizations, such as the International Federation of Accountants and the Global Accounting Alliance, to support and strengthen the global accountancy profession and the value of the U.S. CPA abroad. Coffey's responsibilities span a number of diverse communities and stakeholders, both domestic and international, giving her a unique, global perspective. Her wide range of experience allows her to bring a broad view to strategic planning, risk management and problem-solving, which guide the AICPA as they execute on their public interest activities, develop opportunities for CPA firms, and work with firms and other key stakeholders. Coffey is a licensed CPA in the States of New York and New Jersey, as well as a CGMA. She is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the New Jersey Society of CPAs. She is also a member of the Professional Practice Executive Committee of the Center for Audit Quality, an AICPA affiliate, as well as a member of the Advisory Council for Prince Charles' Accounting for Sustainability Project. Coffey has been honored over the years by being recognized as one of the Most Powerful Women in Accounting by the CPA Practice Advisor and by inclusion on Accounting Today's Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting list. Prior to joining the AICPA, Coffey was with PricewaterhouseCoopers' accounting and auditing practice. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut.

CPA, CGMA

Lisa is Vice President — Firm Services for the AICPA. She leads the Private Companies Practice Section (PCPS) team in the development of practice management tools that address topics most important to firm owners. Lisa and her team develop and foster relationships with firms of all sizes, including through the AICPA’s Major Firms Group and Group of 400 initiatives as well as networking groups for small firms. Lisa began her career with EY gaining audit and tax experience in her six years with the firm. She then worked for a small firm in Lexington, Kentucky for five years. Lisa has 20+ years of industry experience as well, having served as the CFO for non-profit and for-profit organizations before joining the AICPA in 2012. Lisa graduated from Eastern Kentucky University and is licensed as a CPA in NC and KY.

CPA, CITP, CGMA

Tom is one of the most influential leaders in the Accounting Profession. In 2019 he was named the Second Most Influential Person in Accounting for the seventh year by Accounting Today Magazine (His 15th year on the Top 100). He was one of the first five thought leaders inducted into the Accounting Hall of Fame (2015) by CPA Practice Advisor. LinkedIn recruited Tom as one of their Top 100 Influencers and he was named to the Top 25 Influencers in Learning by HR Examiner. He is known for his prolific digital footprint and now has over 780,000 followers on LinkedIn, Twitter and other social accounts. Tom is on a mission to help CPAs, Finance and Accounting Professionals thrive in these times of exponential change. He firmly believes that what got us here, won’t get us there as the Profession faces unprecedented changes and opportunities. Tom’s recognition and awards reflect his leadership in helping CPAs “shape their future” through his work at the Maryland Association of CPAs and the Business Learning Institute (BLI), a center for the development of leadership, strategic thinking, and collaboration skills for CPAs. BLI has a catalog of over 600 programs and 30 ‘top gun’ instructors who provide state of the art learning and curriculum for the Top 500 CPA Firms, Fortune 500 corporations, non-profits, State CPA Societies and even internationally. Tom and his team have facilitated and taught the Major Firms Group (Top 100 CPA firms) for the AICPA, the AICPA Leadership Academy and lead strategic planning sessions for many of the top CPA firms all over the US and Canada. He is an internationally recognized author, speaker, and consultant, featured in the Journal of Accountancy, Accounting Today, and AccountingWeb. He won the AICPA Special Recognition Award for his contributions to the profession leading the CPA Vision Project in 2003. Tom also co-authored BLI’s i2a – Insights to Action a strategic thinking system that is used to cultivate leaders and a strategic planning process to help organizations navigate today’s VUCA environment. The i2a process was customized for the national CPA Horizons 2025 project where Tom and his team ran over fifty future forums that engaged thousands of participants in a conversation about the future, identifying the top trends facing the CPA Profession. He is a graduate of Loyola College (B.A. in Accounting) and has a Master’s in Finance (Real Estate) from Johns Hopkins University. He also obtained the Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP) certification and the Certified Global Management Accountant (CGMA) certification from the AICPA."