NASBA CEO Ken Bishop plans to retire

Ken Bishop, the longtime president and CEO of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, plans to retire at the end of July.

Bishop made the announcement at a conference this week of members, and NASBA issued an announcement on Thursday.

Bishop has led NASBA since January 2012 and worked to bolster its relationships with state boards of accountancy, state CPA societies and regulatory bodies across the globe. He has also driven initiatives to push for more diversity within his organization, boards of accountancy and the accounting profession overall. During his tenure, NASBA has worked closely with the American Institute of CPAs on their CPA Evolution initiative for updating the CPA exam and licensing process.

Before becoming president and CEO, he was executive vice president and chief operating officer of NASBA, where he was responsible for leading the organization’s business and testing operations and was instrumental in the adoption of legislation for CPA Mobility. He also played a key role in the international administration of the CPA Exam abroad. It’s now offered in Japan, South Korea, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, India, Nepal, Israel and Europe.

To prepare for the leadership transition, NASBA’s board of directors met on Tuesday and approved a formal process and Selection Advisory Committee to determine a successor for Bishop. Members of the committee represent NASBA’s eight regions.

“The SAC is looking for NASBA’s next president and CEO to be a visionary, one who possesses strong financial and business acumen, executive decision-making abilities, dynamic public speaking skills, and has knowledge of the profession and the importance of accounting regulation,” said NASBA chair Stephanie Saunders in a statement Thursday. “The person selected must also continue to foster NASBA’s corporate culture, which is a vital component of the Association’s relevancy, on national and international fronts.”

The formal candidate search process will get underway, with consideration given to current NASBA staff along with other qualified candidates. After the Selection Advisory Committee and the Executive Committee submit their finalist recommendations, NASBA’s board of directors will approve and name Bishop’s successor. All correspondence, interest and questions should be emailed to CEOApplications@NASBA.org.