NASBA Launches Young Professionals Advisory Council to Elevate the Voice of Emerging CPAs

NASBA has launched the CPT Young Professionals Advisory Council (CYPAC), a new initiative designed to bring the perspectives of emerging professionals directly into conversations about the future of the accounting profession.

CYPAC was established to provide NASBA and its member boards with insight into the experiences, expectations and challenges facing emerging accounting professionals. The council will serve as a strategic advisory body focused on advancing the relevance and accessibility of the CPA pipeline while supporting its long-term sustainability.

The creation of CYPAC grew from a key finding in the NASBA diagnostic report: “The people currently dictating the future of accountancy are not the people who will be in the workforce in the next 10 years.” NASBA Board Chair Nicola Neilon and NASBA President and CEO Daniel Dustin proposed creating a mechanism to address that challenge, and NASBA Center for the Public Trust (CPT) President Sedrik Newbern developed the concept into the Young Professionals Advisory Council.

By leveraging CPT alumni and other emerging professionals, CYPAC creates a direct connection between young professionals and NASBA leadership. The council’s charge encompasses five key areas: identifying challenges facing emerging professionals; recommending strategies to strengthen the CPA pipeline; providing insight into the impact of regulatory and licensure policies; supporting NASBA strategic initiatives; and strengthening communication between young professionals and NASBA’s member boards.

Members will provide insight reports to NASBA leadership, serve as a focus group for proposed policies, participate in select board and committee meetings, represent NASBA at campus and early career events, and have opportunities for one-on-one mentoring with NASBA board members.

The inaugural council includes William Carpenter, Sam Chappin, Ben Epperson, Alyssa Hudson, Reese Rogers, Ashley Root and Lane Shaw, representing different organizations, career paths and stages of the CPA journey.

The value of CYPAC was evident during its first meeting in July, when members identified opportunities to engage future CPAs earlier and highlighted communication gaps between NASBA and CPA candidates. That type of immediate, candid feedback represents exactly what CYPAC was created to provide.

The launch of the CYPAC represents an important investment in both the future of the CPA profession and the emerging leaders who will shape it.

By creating a seat at the table for young professionals today, NASBA is helping ensure that the next generation of leaders has a meaningful voice in decisions impacting the profession they will one day lead.