NASBA’s Executive Leadership features an extensive group of experienced and talented leaders from a wide array of backgrounds. In order to get to know them better, here is a collection of biographies about each of NASBA’s Executive Leaders:
Daniel J. Dustin, CPA President and Chief Executive Officer; NASBA Center for the Public Trust, Chief Executive Officer
Daniel J. Dustin, CPA, is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), a forum for the nation’s 55 U.S. Boards of Accountancy that administer the Uniform CPA Examination and regulate the practice of public accountancy in the U.S. As president and CEO, Dustin leads the association’s Nashville, Tennessee headquarters as well as offices in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and an international testing and call center in Hagatna, Guam. He also serves as CEO of NASBA’s ethics arm, the NASBA Center for the Public Trust (CPT).
Colleen K. Conrad, CPA Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Colleen K. Conrad, CPA, serves as executive vice president and chief operating officer of NASBA. She is responsible for all operations of NASBA including services related to the CPA Examination, CPA licensing, the National CPA Registry and other services and products, as well as IT and risk management. Conrad also oversees governmental, international and professional relationships.
John W. Johnson Vice President, Legislative and Governmental Affairs
During his tenure with NASBA, Johnson successfully implemented a sophisticated bill-tracking system, which annually identifies and monitors more than 500 bills nationally. Most recently, Johnson spearhead, along with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the establishment of the Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing (ARPL), a consortium of highly skilled professions that seek to protect the public by advocating for the regulatory community.
Kent A. Absec
Vice President, State Board Relations
Absec, a native of Kellogg, ID, previously served as the executive officer for the Idaho State Board of Accountancy, a role he held since March 2012. His involvement with NASBA includes six years on the Computer Based Testing (CBT) Administration Committee and five terms as a member of the Executive Directors Committee. Absec served as the Executive Directors Committee chair and liaison to the NASBA Board of Directors for two consecutive years.
As chief legal officer, Allen oversees all legal matters on behalf of the Association. A North Carolina native, Allen’s background is in professional regulation, contracting, and governance, with a focus on nonprofits engaged in innovative work.
William A. Emmer, CPA, MBA
Vice President, Operations
William A. Emmer, CPA, MBA, of Ramsey, NJ, serves as NASBA vice president, operations. William “Bill” Emmer has more than 30 years of business and leadership experience. Most recently, he acted as the enterprise program manager of the Uniform CPA Examination (CPA Exam) where he was responsible for the day-to-day operations across the NASBA, AICPA and Prometric (NAP) enterprise. In this role, Emmer was instrumental in launching continuous testing of the CPA Exam and launching the Exam in numerous international countries.
Troy A. Walker, CPA Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, NASBA Center for the Public Trust (CPT)
Troy A. Walker, CPA, serves as vice president and chief financial officer for NASBA and as chief financial officer and treasurer for the NASBA Center for the Public Trust (CPT). In these roles, Walker has responsibility for the financial activities, reporting, controls and compliance of NASBA and CPT in support of each organization’s mission.
Sedrik Newbern President, NASBA Center for the Public Trust and Chief Ethics Officer, NASBA
Sedrik Newbern serves as president of the NASBA Center for the Public Trust (CPT) and chief ethics officer of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA). As CPT president, Newbern oversees the non-profit ethics and leadership organization’s day-to-day operations and a growing number of CPT programs. His tenure with NASBA began in 2019, where he served as CPT operations director. In 2021, he transitioned to a consultant for the CPT. As chief ethics officer, Newbern oversees ethics compliance initiatives for the organization. He also represents NASBA in ethics related activities within the accounting profession.
Lisa Dampf, SPHR, SHRM-SCP Chief Human Resources Officer
Lisa Dampf serves as chief human resources officer of NASBA. Dampf began her career with NASBA in 1997, when NASBA relocated its headquarters from New York to Tennessee. Throughout her tenure at NASBA, she has worked in a variety of roles including payroll manager, benefits manager and human resources director. She was named CHRO in August 2013.
As Chief Information Officer, Cheryl Farrar provides vision and manages the global sourcing efforts of NASBA’s information technology outsourcing agreement and other IT related contracts. She also oversees the strategic planning process for NASBA and is a key member of NASBA’s Enterprise Risk Management Committee. Farrar’s previous executive roles include senior vice president of strategic sourcing for Universal Music Group in Los Angeles, CA.
Thomas G. Kenny serves as NASBA’s chief communications officer. Mr. Kenny joined NASBA in April 1992. During his tenure at NASBA, he has served in various roles throughout the organization. Prior to being named CCO, Mr. Kenny served as communications director. Under his leadership, NASBA successfully launched its Communications & Outreach program, which offers a variety of creative services for State Boards of Accountancy.
