NASBA’s Nominating Committee met Monday, March 18, to select Walter C. Davenport, CPA, as the Committee’s nominee for NASBA Vice Chair 2013-2014, who will automatically accede to Chair in 2014-2015.

Davenport is a former member and president (1995-1997; 1998-1999) of the North Carolina Board of CPA Examiners. During his nine years on the Board, he also served as vice president (1997-1998) and secretary/treasurer (2002-2003).

Walter Davenport, CPA

He has also worked in several roles as a member of NASBA. From 2003-2012, he served on the Board of Directors as Middle Atlantic director and later director-at-large. His work on various NASBA committees is extensive and includes serving as former chair of the Administration & Finance, Audit, CBT Examination Administration, CPA Licensing Examination, CPE and Strategic Initiatives Committees. Additionally, he has held membership on NASBA’s Compliance Assurance, Examination, Nominating, Relations with Member Boards and Uniform Accountancy Act Committees. Walter is also a former member of the AICPA’s Board of Examiners and Minority Recruitment and Equal Opportunity Committee.

Among his professional affiliations include membership in the AICPA, North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants, National Association of Black Accountants and National Association of Corporate Directors.

Davenport’s career in public accounting began in 1970, in the Atlanta office of Arthur Andersen & Company. In 1974, he returned to North Carolina to join Nathan T. Garrett, who served as NASBA President in 1992-93. In 1998, Garrett & Davenport, P.C., the largest and oldest minority-owned CPA firm in North Carolina, merged into Cherry, Bekeart & Holland, a regional CPA firm and among the 25 largest firms in the country. As an audit partner in the Raleigh office, Walter also served as firm-wide director of the Not-for-Profit Industry Group. He retired from the firm in 2008.

He received a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA. Currently, he is self-employed as a consultant/corporate director of Walter C. Davenport, CPA, and serves on corporate and non-profit boards, as well as treasurer to political campaigns. He is the proud father of two adult sons, Walter Jr. and Winston.

Walter Davenport’s dedication and professional skills will help further NASBA’s mission to enhance the effectiveness and advance the common interests of the Boards of Accountancy in the years to come.

Publication: Nashville Business Journal

Once again, NASBA was named as one of the Nashville Business Journal’s Best in Business. The Best in Business program identifies companies that set the standard for growth, service, quality, innovation and execution of a superb business strategy.

Finalists were picked by a panel of judges, who considered financial data like profitability and other metrics.

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NASBA Named 2013 Best in Business Finalist

Position

Executive Director, Missouri State Board of Accountancy

Location

Jefferson City, Missouri

Starting Salary

$62,500 – $67,300

Closing Date

March 29, 2013

Application Process

Please send cover letter, resume and three professional references by March 29, 2013 to:

Division of Professional Registration
Attn: Pamela Ives Hill, CPA
P.O. Box 613
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Email: pamela.hill@pr.mo.gov
Fax: (573) 751-0890
EOE:F/M/V/D

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior executive officer of a state regulatory agency that examines, licenses, regulates and disciplines Certified Public Accountants and firms engaged in public accounting.
• Direct the operations of the Board’s office; implement the Board’s decisions, policies and procedures.
• Establish and maintain internal controls and procedures to ensure productivity and efficient and effective agency operations.
• Monitor the performance of all organizations responsible for administering the Uniform CPA examination on behalf of the Board. Approve forms and procedures used by those organizations. Assure compliance with security and administrative procedures.
• Develop and prepare the annual budget request for Board’s approval.
• Administer the Board’s appropriation.
• Prepare financial statements of revenues and expenditures and monthly and annual projections.
• Develop, with input from Board’s president, all Board meeting agendas.
• Develop a written analysis of agenda items and supplemental background materials.
• Schedule all public hearings before the Board.
• Oversee preparation and review of Board meeting minutes.
• Administer the Board’s enforcement activities. Receive, evaluate, and monitor the status of complaints against CPA’s.
• Supervise and monitor investigations by staff investigator, contract investigators, expert witnesses and consultants.
• Assist the Board’s legal counsel with cases filed with the Administrative Hearing Commission or in the judicial system and testify at hearings.
• Schedule all disciplinary hearings before the Board.
• Monitor compliance of licensees with disciplinary terms and agreements for educational and rehabilitative actions.
• Represent the Board at National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and Missouri Society of CPAs (MSCPA) meetings and conferences. Work with other professional organizations (such as NASBA, AICPA, and MSCPA) to co-ordinate joint activities that will enhance public protection and further professional accounting issues.

Performs other related work as assigned.

Job Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function of the job with or without reasonable accommodations.

• Ability to communicate effectively.
• Ability to maintain working relationships with other staff and superiors.
• Proficient in organizing complex tasks and setting priorities from general instruction.
• Ability to supervise staff members.
• Ability to gather and summarize work product data.
• Ability to develop and interpret agency policies and procedures.
• Ability to travel in the performance of assigned areas.
• Must be results-oriented.
• Extensive computer skills including Microsoft Office Products required.
• Must be able to develop and maintain multiple filing systems via computer.

Ability to demonstrate regular and predictable attendance.

Qualifications

A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in accounting, business administration, or public administration. Preference will be given to licensed Certified Public Accountants.

Private company stakeholders have never been in a better position to have their concerns addressed in the standard-setting process, according to Billy Atkinson, the chair of the new Private Company Council and former Chair of NASBA: “We have the wind in our sails.”

The council was created by the Financial Accounting Foundation last year to work with the Financial Accounting Standards Board to recommend exceptions or modifications to U.S. GAAP for private entities. “Just the existence of the PCC — and, hopefully, its credibility — will be a cultural change that will affect all of the FASB’s technical agenda processes,” Atkinson said in an interview with Accounting Today. “It’s a cultural change within the FASB organization, to which we appertain. That is a big difference today. It puts a little wind in our sails, as opposed to wind in our face.”

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Atkinson: PCC Marks ‘Cultural Change’ in Standard-Setting

COLUMBUS, OH (January 8, 2013) – Effective December 28, 2012, the Accountancy Board of Ohio honored the requests of Ron Rotaru, Executive Director and Robert Joseph, Assistant Executive Director to retire after 13 and 38 years, respectively, of exemplary service to the Board, licensees and the citizens of the State of Ohio. Mike Fritz, Chair of the Board, expressed his gratitude to Ron and Bob for their service to over 33,000 licensees in Ohio.

“During their tenure, the Board was able to improve its communication to current and prospective licensees, expand its education assistance program, and strengthen its relationship with the Ohio Society of CPA’s,” said Fritz. “We will truly miss the service of Ron and Bob and wish them well in their retirement.”

The Board is also pleased to announce the hiring of John Patterson as Executive Director, effective January 13, 2013. John has served as the Attorney General liaison to the Board for over 10 years and has established a very strong relationship with key members of the Ohio Society of CPA’s and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA).

“John was our no. 1 candidate from a pool of very strong applicants, and his experience with the Board will allow us to move forward with our continued desire to serving the public interest in monitoring and licensing certified public accountants in the State of Ohio,” Fritz said.

> View pictures from the retirement celebration

December 4, 2012

The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) has developed a new publication that helps meet the needs of numerous educational institutions by offering more granular views into each institution’s performance on the Uniform CPA Examination.

The newly released School Performance Book is a subset of the data that is found in the NASBA Report on the CPA Exam (formerly Candidate Performance Book). While the latter edition is tailored to a broader audience, the School Performance Book was designed to more closely meet the data needs of educational institutions. Unlike the NASBA Report on the CPA Exam, which looks at the entire examination data set, the School Performance Book focuses attention on First-Time (FT) examination sections taken within one year (365 days) of graduation from a given program. This tighter filter allows the book to more closely associate a candidate’s performance with his/her most recent educational institution.

> Purchase the 2011 Uniform CPA Examination School Performance Book

In addition to the narrower data focus, several other notable items have been included in this publication:

• Regional Performance: The regions are defined by the states included in each of the 6 regional accrediting areas. The regional performance, along with both state and national performance, allows for easier comparative analysis.
• State Performance: Summary performance of all educational institutions in a given state. Note that the state performance in this book differs from the NASBA Report on the CPA Exam (formerly Candidate Performance Book), which reports summary performance for the state to which a candidate applied to sit for the exam.
• Detailed School Reports: A concise summary of performance for the top 100 institutions for All and Bachelor’s Degree Type, Top 50 Advance Degree Type (based on number of FT candidates), which includes 4-year trending for several key data points

If you or your staff should have questions or recommendations, feel free to contact our team at CPB@nasba.org.

November 7, 2012

On Nov. 7, NASBA Executive Vice President and COO, Colleen Conrad, CPA, visited Japan to further strengthen relations with key stakeholders including: Prometric, review course providers, members of the press, as well as reach out to candidates about the opportunities provided by the U.S. CPA credential and to raise awareness of both the credential and the international administration of the U.S. CPA Examination.

Conrad participated in several meetings, and was very active in discussing multiple areas of interest, including steps the AICPA and NASBA could consider to help simplify administrative processes for candidates from Japan, the global value of the CPA credential and the typical career path of CPAs. In one of the informative sessions, Conrad spoke to about 60 CPA candidates and potential candidates.

In August, NASBA and the AICPA marked the one year anniversary of the launch of the U.S. CPA Examination at test sites in Japan and the Middle East.

“The U.S. CPA license is a clear sign of an individual’s expertise and commitment, and with the Exam now administered in Japan we foresee further growth in demand from both candidates and employers,” said Hiroshi Miyamasu of the Japan Society of U.S. CPAs (JUSCPA), a nationwide organization of U.S. CPAs who are principally employed or reside in Japan.

For more on the international administration of the CPA exam, visit the international section of our website.

November 5, 2012

NASBA President and CEO Ken Bishop is featured in the latest edition of the “Nashville Business Journal,” where he is asked about the challenge of taking on his newest role, the key attributes for today’s business leaders and why he doesn’t whistle while he works. Here is the full interview:

Q. What single thing makes your organization stand out?

A. NASBA is one of the largest regulatory support organizations in the world. Our boards of accountancy regulate nearly 750,000 U.S. CPAs who practice across the globe.

Q. What does your organization have in the works for 2013?

A. We are continuing to improve and develop new products and services. More specifically, we are positioning certain products and services to align with the global economy.

Q. How did you wind up in your current position?

A. I joined NASBA six years ago as president and CEO of a former subsidiary, Professional Credential Services. I was later asked to transition to NASBA and was serving as executive vice president and COO when the search to replace my predecessor, David Costello, was conducted. After a national search, I was chosen to lead the organization.

Q. What makes an effective business leader?

A. I am a firm believer that core principles and ethics, coupled with fundamental management strategies, position me to be an effective leader. The simple rules of “do the right thing,” “finish what you start” and “be accountable” have served me well.

Q. What word best describes your leadership style?

A. It is a word you don’t hear very often. The word is affiliative, which means promoting teamwork, organizational loyalty and a trusting work environment.

Q. Professional pet peeve?

A. Not showing up on time. Punctuality is key in all facets of professional life.

Q. What keeps you up at night?

A. An interruption of one of our systems can disrupt candidates worldwide. We are constantly monitoring, assessing and improving systems while strengthening security, but the concern of failed systems and protected data is always an area of sensitivity.

Q. What is the simplest thing you never learned to do?

A. I could never whistle. I am not talking about whistling a tune — any kind of whistle.

Q. Favorite hobbies?

A. I work a lot of hours, so I really enjoy cruising on weekends in my Corvette convertible with my wife, Sheilah. We live near the Natchez Trace, and we enjoy visiting different segments of it. I also collect wine, and we enjoy visiting vineyards and wineries as often as we can.

Q. Pets?

A. Right now, we have one very spoiled Birman cat named Isabelle.

Q. Most prized possession?

A. I have several prized heirlooms, but a quilt made by my great-great-great grandmother during the Civil War is treasured in our home.

Q. Person outside of your family you would most like to spend time with on an island?

A. Jimmy Buffett, provided he had a guitar with him.

Q. You’ve just been given $100,000 to donate to charity. Where would you give it, and why?

A. The Jason Foundation. The foundation is doing a tremendous job in working to prevent suicide among young people across the country.

Q. When faced with two equally qualified candidates, how do you determine whom to hire?

A. I always want to hire individuals who will fit into the culture of our organization. Those attributes are subjective and sometimes difficult to pick. I also consider military service to be an attribute that deserves consideration, as is seeking to balance the diversity of our employee mix.

Q. What would you like to cross off your “bucket list” next?

A. I would like to visit Ireland. My mother’s grandparents are Irish, and I have always wanted to visit there.

Q. What line of work would you pursue if you couldn’t work in your present one?

A. International security.

Q. Organization or company other than your own that you most admire?

A. One organization that stands out is the American Red Cross. My first career was in law enforcement, and I was able to see firsthand the direct support and great work done by the staff and volunteers at local, state and national levels.

Q. Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact on you as a leader?

A. Most recently, my predecessor, David Costello, had a tremendous impact on my thoughts on leadership. I tend to be a pragmatic and linear thinker (and doer). David showed me the importance of creating a fun but productive work environment, to balance work with life and to be open to the thoughts and positions of others.

Q. What is the one behavior or trait that most often derails leaders’ careers?

A. I believe closemindedness and/or the unwillingness to change or accept change are negative attributes that ultimately will lead to a leader’s demise.

Q. They’re making a movie of your life. Is it a drama or comedy and who plays you?

A. It would be a drama (hopefully with some humor), and I would be played by Tom Selleck (Undoubtedly, it’s all about the moustache).

About Ken Bishop

Age: 61
Title: President and CEO
Company: National Association of State Boards of Accountancy
Address: 150 Fourth Ave. North, Suite 700, Nashville 37219
Employees: 175
Most recently read book: “Killing Lincoln” by Bill O’Reilly
Favorite music artist: Ronnie Dunn
Education: B.A. in education and M.S. in criminal justice, University of Missouri Columbia; Graduate, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government Executive Program; Graduate, Missouri State Highway Patrol Academy; Graduate, Federal Criminal Justice Academy
Community involvement: The Jason Foundation, Nashville Downtown Partnership, Carnton Plantation Randall McGavock Society.

Below are some frequently asked questions surrounding the circumstances caused by Hurricane Sandy:

Testing

Q: I have recently registered for the examination but have not received my Notice to Schedule. Is that related to Hurricane Sandy?

A: We were experiencing delays in the connection between NASBA and the AICPA systems. This resulted in longer processing times for NTSs. The connection issues have been resolved and we are working to finish processing the Authorizations to Test that we have received since October 30. Please allow 3-5 business days to completely process a new Authorization to Test once it has been received from your State Board of Accountancy.

Q: Will the testing window be extended?

A: For those candidates affected by the storm, the testing window will be extended to December 8.

Q: Is my testing center open?

A: Prometric has a list of closed test centers available on their website. This list is updated daily as the decision is made to close the site.

Q: My testing center was open but I was not able to test and have already missed my appointment. What should I do?

A: You need to contact NASBA’s Candidate Care at candidatecare@nasba.org with documentation supporting your reason for not being able to test. These cases will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Acceptable documentation includes a news clipping or weather report of severe weather in your immediate area.

Q: My test center is open but I am not able to test. What should I do?

A: You need to contact NASBA’s Candidate Care at candidatecare@nasba.org with documentation supporting your reason for not being able to test. These cases will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Acceptable documentation includes a news clipping or weather report of severe weather in your immediate area.

Q: I have already paid a rescheduling fee to Prometric when I rescheduled my examination appointment. What can I do?

A: You need to submit an appeal to Prometric.

Q: I was scheduled to sit but my test center was closed. What should I do?

A: Prometric has reset the eligibility for all candidates affected by a site closure. You should have received a notice from Prometric with instructions to schedule your examination through Prometric’s website.

Q: I missed my examination due to the storm and now my Notice To Schedule has expired. What should I do?

A: You need to contact NASBA’s Candidate Care at candidatecare@nasba.org. These cases will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Score Release

Q: When will scores be released?

A: The AICPA has released a revised score release timetable for the first round of score release for the October/November 2012 testing window.

The scores for the remainder of the window are currently scheduled to be released on time.

Q: If the examination is computer-based and the scores scheduled to be released were for examinations completed before the storm hit, why are they being released late?

A: The total reported score is not simply a percentage of correct answers. The total score is a weighted combination of scaled scores from the multiple-choice and task-based simulation questions. Scaled scores are calculated using formulas that take into account factors such as whether the question was answered correctly and the relative difficulty of each question.

This document available on the AICPA’s website includes additional information about the scoring process.

Q: Why are scores being released late if NASBA is located in Nashville, TN?

A: The AICPA scores the examinations and then sends those score records to NASBA to be released to the candidates and the state boards of accountancy. The AICPA is located in New Jersey and was affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Conditional Credit

Q: I missed my examination due to the storm and now my conditional credit has expired. Can my credit be extended?

A: You need to contact your state board or its designee. These requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

In an interview with Dan Hood, Editor-in-Chief of “Accounting Today,” NASBA President and CEO Ken Bishop discussed the importance of CPA Mobility, as well as the international administration of the Uniform CPA Examination.

Bishop praised the success of the CPA Mobility program, mentioning the recent adoption of mobility legislation in California.

“Because it’s happened so rapidly, people have forgotten that five years ago we had three states,” said Bishop. “Mobility is often talked about as being something positive for the profession, but it’s also been very positive for consumers.”

Currently, the CPA Exam is administered in Japan and certain areas in the Middle East and Latin America. Bishop said the process behind expanding international availability of the Exam involves protecting the Exam itself, as well as continuing to ensure the relevancy of the U.S. CPA credential.

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