Theodore J. Flynn, the longtime president and CEO of the Massachusetts Society of CPAs, plans to retire at the end of 2013 after 43 years of leading the organization.

Theodore Flynn

A search committee comprising board members and the leadership of the 11,000-member organization will be evaluating both internal and external candidates for the job of Flynn’s successor. The committee is expected to announce their decision this fall.

Until the end of the year, Flynn will maintain his leadership status and will help the committee select and transition the MSCPA to a new leader.

In an email last week to MSCPA members announcing his retirement, he wrote, “This is a critical time for the accounting profession and the MSCPA, with changes to the way we do business and our ongoing focus to provide you with opportunities to learn, connect and prosper in the profession. In the months ahead, I look forward to working with the board, MSCPA staff and you to address the challenges we face. To each of you, I offer my heartfelt thanks for the extraordinary opportunity I've had to work with and lead you at the MSCPA. You belong to an outstanding profession and exceptional organization that, because of your commitment, will continue to protect, enhance and promote the value of being a CPA in Massachusetts for many years to come.”