ADVOCACY
A CPA in charge Nancy Glynn, the new Virginia Board of Accountancy (VBOA) executive director, is on the public’s and licensees’ side. Commonwealth University, Glynn spent most of her career as a CPA working in audit and compliance. “It was a great fit for me,” she says. “I am naturally curious, enjoy the challenge of changing priorities and love to untangle complicated situations. Audits, fraud investigations and compliance reviews often provided diverse challenges.” After working in audit at the Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts, she became senior audit manager at MeadWestvaco (now WestRock), where she traveled internationally. She later became director of global assurance at ChildFund International, which enabled her to travel to developing countries and experience different parts of the world. “In each of these positions, I was responsible for fraud investigations and compliance matters,” Glynn says. “This has provided me with some very interesting experiences!”
Nancy Glynn, CPA, CFE, is breaking the mold at the Virginia Board of Accountancy (VBOA). She is the first executive director in the VBOA’s history to hold an active CPA license. She knows the entire CPA experience; she lived through it. “I have experienced the profession from all perspectives,” Glynn says. “I sweated through the educational requirements and the Exam when I was younger. I have lived and breathed CPE requirements — even a CPE audit or two — since I earned my CPA. I have been involved in some aspects of peer review and I have done hundreds of audits and compliance investigations.” All that experience prepared her to lead the state government body tasked with protecting Virginia citizens by regulating CPAs and CPA firms.
A NATURAL FIT Despite initially thinking she would specialize in tax after receiving her bachelor’s degree from Virginia
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DISCLOSURES
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019
When her grandchildren were born, Glynn decided it was time to stick closer to home. With her experience in nonprofits and assurance, she thought the executive director position at the VBOA could be the right fit. She began her new job in October 2018, replacing former director Wade Jewell, who had left for the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy.
FACING CHALLENGES HEAD ON Now that she’s got a year under her belt as executive director, Glynn says the VBOA is watching national trends like CPA candidate numbers decreasing and deregulation. The board is constantly meeting to discuss state, national and global issues. “The VBOA, other state boards of accountancy and national organizations are focused on ensuring the CPA title continues to provide value in an evolving global business environment.” Virginia is seeing fewer candidates sitting for the CPA Exam, which some experts attribute to low unemployment rates and ample job opportunities, Glynn says. Along with national organizations, the