The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy presented a series of awards during its annual conference.

At NASBA’s 105th Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla., last week, Michael D. Weatherwax, CPA, of Boulder, Colo., was presented with the 2012 William H. Van Rensselaer Public Service Award. Established in 1988, the Van Rensselaer Award is in recognition of outstanding achievements as a leader and contributions to the effectiveness of state boards in serving the public.

From 2004-2005, Weatherwax served as chair of NASBA. As chair, his leadership was instrumental in clarifying CPE requirements, supporting forging mutual recognition agreements and communicating with regulators from other countries. Prior to his election as chair, he served three years as a director-at-large and two years as Mountain Region director. His committee involvement is extensive as he is a former chair of NASBA’s Executive, CPE Advisory, Uniform Accountancy Act, Relations with Member Boards, and Litigation Response Committees, as well as the Special Exam Issues Task Force. Weatherwax continues to bring his voice to NASBA activities as a current member of the Uniform Accountancy Act and Regulatory Response Committees. He is also a long-time supporter of the NASBA Center for the Public Trust.

In 2002, Weatherwax completed a second four-year term as a member of the Colorado State Board of Accountancy, including two one-year terms as Board president. He also served as president of the Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants in 1989. As a Life Member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, he dedicated four years as a member of the Governing Council and as a member of the Specialization Accreditation Board, the Relations with State Societies Committee and the Responsibilities in Tax Practice Committee.

In 2004, Weatherwax retired from 32 years of service as a discussion leader for continuing education taxation courses for CPAs. During that time, he authored eight separate texts for use in the courses and taught programs in 32 states. He returned to teaching continuing education in 2010, with an expanded presentation of Ethical Responsibilities in Tax Practice.

The 2012 Distinguished Service Award was presented to Charles W. Taylor, Ph.D., CPA, of Oxford, Miss. Established in 1999, the Distinguished Service Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated unswerving commitment and dedication to enhancing the mission of NASBA.

Taylor is highly regarded for his dedication to the Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy, NASBA and the academic community. He contributed a total of 16 years as a member of the Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy, being appointed four times, by three different governors of two different parties. His dedication to NASBA includes serving as a former regional director and former national vice president. He is a past chair of the Examination Review Board, Reciprocity Committee and Communications Task Force. Additionally, he served as a member of the International Qualifications Appraisal Board, as well as the Centennial History Advisory Committee, where he contributed his historical insights to the publication, 100 Years of NASBA – Serving the Public Interest (Authored by Dale Flesher).

Among his most notable efforts to enhance the mission of NASBA include pursuing and championing the nondisclosure of the Uniform CPA Exam and recommending that NASBA establish a registry of continuing professional education providers, which evolved into what is currently recognized as the National Registry of CPE Sponsors.

Within the academic arena, Taylor dedicated 38 years as a professor of accounting at his alma mater—the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). During his tenure, he served as faculty senate chair, department chair, member of the University Planning Council and Graduate Council representative. Dr. Taylor, a member of the Ole Miss Accountancy Hall of Fame, retired from the University of Mississippi in 2001.

Robert N. Brooks was named the 2012 recipient of the Lorraine P. Sachs Standard of Excellence Award. This award was established in 2008 to recognize state board executive directors that have shown outstanding service and commitment to improving the effectiveness of accounting regulation, both locally and nationally.

Currently, Brooks is the executive director of the North Carolina State Board of CPA Examiners. As executive director, he is responsible for directing the overall administration of Board operations. Since assuming the ED role in 1986, Brooks has been the face and voice of the Board to thousands of Exam candidates, license applicants, certificate holders, complainants, CPE sponsors, firm administrators, educators and other Boards of Accountancy. Due in large part to his astute leadership, the North Carolina Board is recognized as one of the most effective Boards of Accountancy in the nation; often used as a model for state boards seeking independent or semi-independent status. In fact, Brooks’ judicious use of Board resources allows North Carolina to have some of the lowest fees in the nation, without sacrificing the services provided to applicants, licensees and the public.

Brooks’ involvement with NASBA is broad as he has served on numerous committees including the State Board Administrators Committee (of which he was chair), ALEC, President Search Committee, Annual Meeting Planning Committee, CPE Advisory Committee, CPE Sponsor Registry Committee, Executive Directors Committee, Litigation Response Committee, Meetings and Events Committee, Bylaws Committee, Public Perception Committee, UAA Committee and the Examinations Committee. Additionally, he has served as the Administrators’ Liaison to the NASBA Board of Directors and as Administrators’ Liaison to the Examination Review Board. Currently, he is a member of the CBT Examination Administration Committee.