February 2013

Recently, NASBA proudly announced that ALD participation has now reached 40 boards of accountancy, inching ever closer to accomplishing the ALD/CPAVerify committee’s charge of achieving recognition and acceptance of the ALD and CPAverify by all boards of accountancy and relevant stakeholders.

The committee is ramping up for another eventful year. Committee chair Laurie Tish said that the ALD has successfully transitioned into “operational mode,” which calls for a different type of committee oversight.

“We’ll be migrating the committee to a more advisory committee,” said Tish. “With the goal that the committee role would be to assist and advise staff in areas of policy, approval or buy-in of major initiatives or activities, and to concentrate on considering other appropriate applications of the databases.”

This year, the committee will be focusing on several different areas, including working toward real-time capability with the participating boards of accountancy, as well as placing an emphasis on examining database reliability.

Tish explained that NASBA staff will be the primary driver of these areas of focus, but that regular status updates at committee meetings, with input from the committee as appropriate, would be ideal.

The ALD/CPAverify committee features an experienced crop of volunteers. Of the nine people serving on the committee this year, six of them served last year, as well. In addition to welcoming Mac Claxton, Clifford Cooks and Shelley Johnson to the committee, a “welcome back!” goes out to Patti Bowers, Mark Crocker, Susan Harris, Wade Jewell, Viki Windfeldt and Lisa Zolman.

The committee is also proud to have Dan Sweetwood serving as vice chair. As former chair, Sweetwood brings valuable knowledge and experience to the committee.

Here’s to a productive and successful year!