Shaping the Future – 110th NASBA Annual Meeting

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Author: Jenna Elkins, NASBA Communications and Digital Media Specialist
Posted: November 20, 2017

Surrounded by the sounds and sights of a city that never sleeps, attendees of NASBA’s 110th Annual Meeting had the unique opportunity to gather in the heart of New York, NY, where NASBA headquarters was first located. From October 29 – November 1, 2017, meeting attendees including Board of Accountancy members and staff, AICPA and State CPA Society representatives, NASBA staff and other key stakeholders, spoke about and discussed issues and topics relating to the CPA credential and the accounting profession.

This past year, there were many challenges for NASBA and the state boards, some of which were unprecedented. As a result, the theme and focus of this year’s Annual Meeting was coined, “Shaping the Future,” to signify the importance of not only being prepared, but that the Boards of Accountancy must participate in the process of change to accomplish the ultimate goal: protect the public.

With 321 attendees and 54 jurisdictions represented, the Annual Meeting was a critical touchpoint in 2017 for all stakeholders involved with NASBA. With a jam-packed meeting agenda with topics and presentations of what’s to come in the future of accounting, Keynote Speaker Cathy Engelbert, CEO of Deloitte, started off the meeting with the correct tone, emphasizing the “Shaping the Future” theme, by saying, “We’re living in a time of unprecedented change and innovation.” Additionally, she said, “The future will evolve in ways we can’t even imagine.”

Ken Bishop, CEO and President, NASBA, piggybacked off the notions of “evolve” and “changes” discussed by Engelbert and other Annual Meeting speakers, asking a question that may have made some attendees uncomfortable, stressed or, perhaps, they may have been excited. He asked, “What if we finally, after a hundred years, created a new pathway to being a CPA? A different type of education, a different experience requirement?” Bishop stated that while this is a question that may take years to answer, Michael A. Decker, Vice President – Examinations, AICPA, was quick to point out during his presentation, Impact of the New Version of the CPA Exam and Future Developments, that, “The CPA credential is still valued as the gold standard.”

Among other featured topics during the Annual Meeting were:

• The Price of Confidentiality
• Rethinking Peer Review Administration
• CPE Advances
• Latest Uniform Accountancy Act and Model Rules
• Blockchain, Bitcoin and Other Transforming Developments
• The Evolving Profession
• Joining Forces with Education Accreditors

The NASBA Center for the Public Trust (CPT) worked hard throughout the Annual Meeting to raise funds for future StudentCPT events by hosting a Bids on Broadway auction and giveaway event, and CPT staff stayed onsite to network and converse with attendees. In total, the CPT raised more than $35,000 to support its initiatives in the coming year.

During the final day of the meeting, attendees witnessed the signing and celebration of both new and renewed Mutual Recognition Agreements with international accounting bodies from Canada, Mexico and Ireland, which have resulted from the culmination of many years of work by the NASBA/AICPA International Qualifications Appraisal Board.

For more information about NASBA’s 2017 Annual Meeting, click here. Stay tuned for the announcement of where next year’s Annual Meeting will be located!