VIDEO: Telford A. Lodden, NASBA Chair, 2016-17, Outlines Goals for NASBA and Boards of Accountancy

November 28, 2016

Author: Cassandra Gray, NASBA Communications Manager
Posted: November 28, 2016

The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) is pleased to announce Telford A. Lodden, CPA, of, West Des Moines, IA, as chair of its 2016-17 Board of Directors. Lodden, along with a slate of newly elected board members, was installed into office during NASBA’s 109th Annual Meeting, held October 30-November 2, in Austin, TX.

NASBA looks forward to working alongside Telford A. Lodden, CPA, during his term as NASBA chair. Click the image below to hear Chair Lodden’s inaugural address in its entirety.

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Lodden’s inaugural address entitled, “The Regulation of Inches,” reminded representatives from the 55 U.S. Boards of Accountancy of the importance for regulators to maintain high standards and a high level of integrity as they work to fulfill each board’s overarching mission of public protection.

Through a compelling analogy comparing the accounting profession to the game of baseball, Lodden said, “We live in a world that wants us to widen the plate and lower the quality, but we can’t−we are regulators. We are the umpire behind the plate calling the proper balls and strikes and we are protecting the batter, which is our public.”

He also reminded meeting attendees of NASBA’s unwaivering commitment to the Boards of Accountancy, sharing that NASBA continually keeps state boards top of mind─ assessing the needs of the boards and increasing personnel and resources to strengthen state board relations, enforcement, regulation, communications outreach and legislative support.

Further, Lodden summarized his goals for NASBA by introducing four (4) BEs: Be Trusted, Be a Community, Be Relevant and Be Influential, noting the following:

Be Trusted – “The U.S. CPA is recognized as trusted and world-class by business professionals. The U.S. CPA’s training and Examination standards are recognized as robust and topnotch. We must never deviate from the path that delivers the gold standard of regulation.”

Be a Community – “We must build a great and all-inclusive community. Diversity and leadership development will be kept in the front of our minds and on the top of our list. It is our future and will lead us to a better tomorrow.”

Be Relevant – “NASBA will continue to speak as the trusted, collective voice for the state boards on both the national and international levels while promoting ethics and integrity. We will work to ensure there is a thorough, effective and transparent peer review process. We will continually monitor state and federal legislation and notify boards of pending legislation.”

Be Influential – “NASBA will to continue to place more key influencers, and continue to have other key influencers seek out NASBA input. We will work with other stakeholders realizing, that at times, we can politely agree to disagree while we pursue solutions that will protect the public and serve the needs of the Boards of Accountancy.”