Jan Lewis, a tax partner at BMSS Advisors in Ridgeland, Mississippi, has been elected as the new chair of the American Institute of CPAs and the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, which combines the AICPA and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
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She was elected Wednesday to the one-year AICPA volunteer post by the organization’s governing Council, which concludes its Spring Council session tomorrow. Lindsay Stevenson, chief strategy officer at BPM, was voted in as the AICPA’s vice chair.
“We’re part of a profession with a long legacy of integrity, adaptability, and innovation,” Lewis said in her acceptance speech. “With that legacy comes responsibility to keep earning trust and to help shape what comes next. I’m incredibly grateful for the trust you’ve placed in me, and I’m excited about what the year ahead holds.”
Lewis plans to focus on shaping the future of the profession and working closely with members to align vision, strategy, and direction for success. She intends to underscore the profession’s role in bringing clarity, reliability, and sound judgment to increasingly complex decisions, reinforcing the CPA as a trusted advisor grounded in ethics, quality and public interest. Lewis expects to champion the thoughtful adoption of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to enhance efficiency and insight while ensuring innovation strengthens the profession’s core strengths of judgment, skepticism and accountability. She will also concentrate on attracting, developing, and supporting future CPAs and CGMA designation holders, expanding access, advancing lifelong learning, and strengthening connection across the profession.
“Jan brings a deep understanding of what makes this profession strong, its commitment to trust, its ability to evolve, and its focus on people,” said AICPA CEO Mark Koziel in a statement. “Her leadership reflects what we’re hearing from our members and across the profession: focus on balancing innovation with responsibility, invest in the next generation, and stay closely connected to the needs of our members. I’m looking forward to working alongside her to continue advancing the profession globally.”
Lewis served for the past year as the AICPA’s vice chair and has held several other volunteer posts, including serving on the AICPA Board of Directors, Tax Practice and Procedures Committee, Tax Executive Committee, Life Insurance and Disability Plans Committee, and as a member and elected state representative of Council. She is a former president of the Mississippi Society of CPAs.
She was selected as one of Forbes Top 200 CPAs in America in 2024. She has been interviewed by Fox Business News, NPR, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Bankrate, and the Detroit Free Press for her insight on various policy and practice matters affecting taxpayers.
Lewis earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Mississippi State University. She is a member and past chair of the Adkerson School of Accountancy Advisory Board at MSU. She was also previously selected as the MSU College of Business’s Alumni Fellow, as well as MSU Beta Alpha Psi Alumnus of the Year.
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