Past Chair Memo: The Infinite Game Spirit!

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As mentioned during my “Year in Review” comments at NASBA’s 116^th Annual Meeting, the end of my year as NASBA chair certainly comes with mixed emotions. Without question, I will miss being in the center of strategic discussions regarding the future of the accounting profession and our need as regulators to be flexible and adaptable to appropriately respond to our ever-changing environment. And yet, the “end” allows us to reflect back with pride and gratitude on all that has been attempted and achieved and look forward with excitement and anticipation to what the new year and its “New Beginnings” will bring.

During this past year, you have heard me often refer to our regulator role as being participants in the accounting profession’s “infinite game,” in reference to the book by Simon Sinek. The concept is that the profession is part of a game without end or completion, with no winners or losers, but with an objective to adapt to changes in the game in order to just keep playing, with a long-term focus in mind.

You all have embodied the “infinite game” spirit this past year, following a path of flexibility and adaptability with a long-term view in implementing initiatives, within your jurisdictions, in response to the profession’s pipeline challenges. You have provided input on the AICPA’s Pipeline Acceleration Plan and the Experience, Learn and Earn (ELE) program, participated in activities assisting NASBA with the launch of CPA Evolution, adopted policies to grant automatic 18-month extensions for exam credits not expired as of January 1, 2024, approved rule changes regarding the date exam credit periods begin as well as permanent expansion of the exam credit window from 18 months to 30 months or longer, and have adopted the credit relief initiative (CRI), where feasible, allowing for a “look back” in granting exam credit extensions for lost credit from January 30, 2020 through May 11, 2023.

And, of course, in addition to all of the above and along with your Board of Accountancy duties, many of you provided the life-blood for our various NASBA committees and their specific goals and objectives.

Thank you so much for all of your support and guidance provided to me and to our NASBA Board of Directors this past year. I am proud of our profession, and proud of the work we do to regulate the profession on behalf of the public interest. I am humbled to be among you.

Richard N. Reisig, CPA
NASBA Chair, 2022-2023