Let’s Meet NASBA’s Next President and CEO

Longtime National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) President and CEO — and author of amazing President’s memos — Ken Bishop announced at NASBA’s annual meeting in late fall of 2023 that he’d be retiring and thus July 31 of this year is his last day. In seeking someone qualified to replace him, NASBA was looking for “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.”

Five months after the national search began, a successor has been found.

The NASBA board of directors announced on April 26 that Daniel J. Dustin, CPA, has been selected to become NASBA’s next president and chief executive officer. His tenure begins August 1, 2024.

“Dan’s long history and expertise in accounting regulation makes him uniquely qualified to assume the role as president and CEO of NASBA. I have had the distinct opportunity to collaborate with Dan over the years on key initiatives and programs including the Uniform Accountancy Act, CPA Evolution and Professional Licensure,” said NASBA Chair Stephanie M. Saunders, CPA. “This is an exciting time for our organization, especially as he will lead NASBA into the future to fulfill the mission of enhancing the effectiveness and advancing the common interests of the 55 U.S. Boards of Accountancy.”

Dan’s been serving as NASBA’s vice president of state board relations for as long as Ken Bishop has been in the CEO seat, since 2012.

In this capacity, he works as an advocate for the 55 U.S. State Boards of Accountancy, assessing their needs and concerns while exploring new opportunities to provide support and services to NASBA’s member boards as an extension of the Association’s mission. He also collaborates with NASBA’s executive leadership team, regional directors, and state board executive directors, to identify emerging issues for discussion during NASBA’s annual conferences, including its Annual Conference for State Board Executive Directors and Staff, Regional Conferences and Annual Meeting. Additionally, Dustin is the staff liaison to NASBA’s Ethics, Executive Directors, Peer Review Compliance, Relations with Member Boards, and Uniform Accountancy Act committees.

It makes a lot of sense they’d choose someone with this pedigree given the issue of individual jurisdictions upsetting the apple cart on the 150-hour rule that took 20 years to get aligned across all 55 boards of accountancy. Naturally, he sits on the 23-member National Pipeline Advisory Group.

Dustin’s participation on the joint NASBA-AICPA CPA Evolution initiative resulted in changes to the CPA licensure model, which recognize the rapidly changing skills and competencies the practice of accounting requires today and will require in the future. Currently, Dustin is a member of the National Pipeline Advisory Group (NPAG), established by the AICPA to explore hurdles to earning a CPA license and ways to strengthen the accounting pipeline. He is also working with NASBA’s Professional Licensure Task Force, which is charged with considering new concepts for CPA licensure that may be included in the Uniform Accountancy Act to update the current licensure model.

Before joining NASBA, he served as executive secretary of the New York State Board for Public Accountancy beginning in 1988. Here’s a nice little article in the Times Union of Albany about his vacating his position as councilman on the town board of Albany suburb Colonie to move to Nashville and work for NASBA. Choice quote from that article:

“Good for him,” Supervisor Paula Mahan said.

And some drama because we love messiness:

Patricia A. Halpin wrote a letter to Town Supervisor Paula Mahan contending the incident occurred Sept. 13 at the restaurant at Mill Road Acres golf course. She said Town Board member Daniel Dustin used a racial slur twice in addressing her husband, H. Paul Thomas.

“At a members’ gathering of their league, of which my husband is president, Mr. Dustin uttered a racial slur at my husband after a joking comment referring to Mr. Dustin’s golf handicap,” Halpin wrote.

Dustin’s alleged tirade included using the same expletive four times and repeating the racial slur twice, wrote Halpin, who was at the gathering and said she heard the comments.

The article doesn’t repeat the slur and the two friends eventually made up.

But let’s get back to the NASBA press release and his relevant experience:

As executive secretary, he was responsible for professional licensing, practice and conduct, including professional discipline of Certified Public Accountants and Public Accountants in New York. As a key point person in the regulatory process, he monitored the evolution of professional practice at national and state levels and developed and drafted proposed legislation and amendments to New York State accountancy rules and regulations.

Again, makes sense.

“I was fortunate to meet Dan more than 25 years ago at NASBA’s Executive Directors Conference in California,” recalls exiting President and CEO Ken Bishop in the press release. “He was the new executive secretary for the New York Board, and I was the new executive director for the Missouri Board. We have remained good friends since that initial introduction.

“I congratulate Dan Dustin for being selected to lead the association into the future. He has done an outstanding job as vice president of state board relations, and I know he will be successful as NASBA’s president and CEO.”

Dustin has a BS and MS in Accounting from Clarkson University and became a licensed CPA in 1988. In 2010 he was awarded NASBA’s Lorraine P. Sachs Standard of Excellence Award for distinction in accountancy regulation and public protection.

A few more resume items:

• NASBA’s CPA Examination and Administration Committee
• NASBA’s Executive Directors Committee
• NASBA’s Accountancy Licensee Database Task Force
• AICPA’s Peer Review Task Force
• AICPA Board of Examiners, including chairing the BOE’s Operations Committee.

Congrats to Mr. D! We eagerly await your first President’s memo.

Earlier: