John W. Johnson serves as vice president, legislative and governmental affairs, for the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA). He was previously the director of NASBA’s Legislative and Governmental Affairs Department for 12 years.
During his tenure with NASBA, Johnson successfully implemented a sophisticated bill-tracking system, which annually identifies and monitors more than 500 bills nationally. The system has allowed NASBA to nimbly engage with jurisdictions in real-time to shape legislative priorities and push back on anti-regulatory and anti-licensure movements that threaten public protection and the integrity of the accounting profession. 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.
Prior to joining NASBA in 2012, Johnson served as director of governmental affairs of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA) where he was a registered lobbyist and was responsible for the administration of the FICPA’s government relations program, which included serving as staff liaison to the Florida State Tax Section, the State Legislative Policy Committee, State and Local Government Section, and the Common Interest Realty Association Section.
A graduate of Florida State University with degrees in accounting and political science, Johnson became involved in government at a young age as an intern for former Florida State Senator Van B. Poole. Upon graduating from FSU, he began his career as an auditor for the division of pari-mutuel wagering for the Department of Business and Professional Regulation where he served for 12 years and moved up through the ranks to tax audit supervisor, audit administrator, chief of operations, chief of audit, and, finally, deputy director. In 2002, he became executive director for the Florida Board of Accountancy and served in that capacity for four years.