2012 Regional Meeting Recap

Author: Cassandra Gray, NASBA Communications Manager
Posted: July 13, 2012

“Mission Driven, Member Focused,” served as the theme for NASBA’s 2012 Regional Meetings. Held annually in June, the regional meetings are structured so that Boards of Accountancy, partnering entities (such as the AICPA, Prometric and the academic community) and NASBA staff can gather to address emerging issues impacting state boards, the accounting profession, academia, aspiring CPAs and the public.

Enforcement, international impacts on state boards, effective communication methods for state boards and Continuing Professional Education (CPE) were among the various agenda topics discussed during the meetings this year.

Philadelphia, PA—The City of Brotherly Love— served as host to this year’s Eastern Regional Meeting, held June 13-15. The meeting drew over 200 attendees and guests representing 32 jurisdictions. The Western Regional Meeting took place June 27-29, in Anchorage, AK—America’s Last Frontier. The Western Regional attracted almost 230 attendees and guests representing 29 jurisdictions.

Prior to the start of both meetings, members who are newly appointed to their respective state boards were invited to participate in NASBA’s New Member Orientation. The one-day orientation introduces attendees to NASBA’s mission, products, services, meetings, committees, leadership and relationship with Boards of Accountancy.

Each meeting kicked off with a warm welcome from Host State Board of Accountancy representatives and a State of NASBA address delivered by NASBA President and CEO, Ken Bishop, and NASBA Chair, Mark Harris, CPA.

Guest speakers included:

Pathways Commission Chair Bruce Behn, who presented the results of the Commission’s work in the area of Planning Accounting Education, Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) President and CEO Terri Polley and FAF Chairman John Brennan, who shared insights on the FAFs plan for Private Company Standard Setting.

Informative updates on the Uniform CPA Exam, Board of Examiners (BOE) and the International Administration of the CPA Exam were presented by Sandra Wilson, CPA, CFE, CFFA (Examination Review Board), Wendy Perez, CPA (BOE) and Colleen Conrad, CPA (NASBA).

Featured panel discussions provided insight on NASBA’s Educational Research Project Findings and PCAOB Proposals: Tenure, Transparency and International Parallels. In addition to the daily plenary and panel discussions, attendees also actively participated in breakout sessions and “Meet with Your Region” sessions.

NASBA’s “Mission Driven, Member Focused” theme reigned throughout every facet of this year’s regional meetings. In turn, NASBA members found the meetings beneficial as they served as a forum for discussion and learning, affording state board staff and board representatives an opportunity to foster relationships through networking and sharing of best practices.

The conversations, learning and networking don’t stop with the regional meetings. In fact, the regionals serve as a springboard to NASBA’s largest gathering of the year—the Annual Meeting. Held in October of each year, NASBA’s 105th Annual Meeting takes place October 29-31, in Orlando, FL. This year, NASBA members and stakeholders can look forward to a variety of plenary sessions, topical breakout sessions, committee updates and panel discussions addressing trending topics within the accounting community. Information on the 105th Annual Meeting, including links to the agenda and registration, will be made available on NASBA.org in the coming weeks.