Career moves

Sage Software kicked off its annual customer conference with a welcome from top executives and a dynamic keynote given by Christopher Gardner, a formerly homeless man whose story inspired the film "The Pursuit of Happyness."

Barry Melancon, president and chief executive of the American Institute of CPAs, and a number of other accounting profession luminaries such as Tim Flynn, chief executive at Big Four firm KPMG, have been named to the Treasury Department's new Advisory Committee on the Auditing Profession.The 21-member group will spend roughly a year examining issues facing the auditing profession, including such front-burner topics as audit firm concentration, auditor liability caps, recruiting young people to the profession, the effect of Sarbanes-Oxley and the move toward international standards.

Jackson Hewitt Tax Service has ousted chair and chief executive Michael Lister after more than 125 of the company's franchises faced charges of fraudulent tax return preparation.Michael Yerington succeeded Lister as CEO, while Margaret Richardson was elected non-executive chair of the board. Yerington joined the company in 2006. Richardson, who joined the company's board in 2004, was a former commissioner at the Internal Revenue Service.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has named a slate of new appointments and reappointments to its Standing Advisory Group for 2008.

With performance lagging in the company's North American business, the Sage Group purged that region's C-level suite, ousting Sage Software chief executive Ron Verni, chief financial officer Jim Eckstaedt and chief technology officer Jim Foster, amid recent changes in the company’s culture and its divisional operations.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has appointed Paul A. Beswick to serve as senior advisor in the SEC Office of the Chief Accountant.

Jackson Hewitt Tax Service has ousted chairman and chief executive Michael Lister after more than 125 of the company's franchises faced charges of fraudulent tax return preparation.

Ernst & Young Chairman and CEO James S. Turley has been appointed chair of the governing board of the Center for Audit Quality to help improve investor confidence in the audit process.

Regional CPA firm Margolis & Co. P.C. has named a management committee to take over the duties of Joseph R. Coluzzi, who is stepping down after 24 years as managing principal at the firm.

Accounting firm Reznick Group has named a new chief operating officer, appointing A. Mitchell Poole Jr. to the post.

Accounting firm Blackman Kallick has named a new managing partner, Steven Schneider.

RSM McGladrey said it would consolidate four of its consulting services lines into a single organization.

Steve Bennett, who has served as president and chief executive at tax and financial software conglomerate Intuit Inc. since 2000 and led the company to record growth during his tenure, announced that he will step down from those posts at the end of the year.The company did not give a reason for the resignation, but released a statement from Bennett saying, "Now, with eight successful seasons under my belt, the company solidly positioned for the future, and a CEO successor ready to lead the company, it's the right time for me to take some time off and explore the next challenge in my life."

Kayla Gillan, one of the founding board members of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, plans to leave the PCAOB by the end of January 2008 when her five-year term expires.

Orrtax Software Solutions has appointed a new president, Matt Scheuing, to develop the tax prep company's corporate strategies.

The American Institute of CPAS has named William Roberts, a former White House reporter for Bloomberg News, as director of media relations in its Washington, D.C., office.In that role, Roberts will serve as liaison between the institute and the Washington press corps, as well as oversee public relations support for the organization's D.C.-based legislative, regulatory and tax programs. Prior to coming aboard the AICPA, Roberts covered Congress, the White House and the Pentagon for Bloomberg News since 1999. During that time, he covered President George W. Bush's Oval Office press briefings, Sen. John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign, and counter-terrorism legislation in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Tax and financial software provider Intuit Inc. has named Sasan Goodarzi president of its Intuit Financial Institutions Division and a senior vice president of the company, and tapped Jill Ward, vice president of its Accountants Central unit, to serve as vice president and general manager of its newly formed Intuit Accounting Professionals Division.Goodarzi, who most recently served as vice president of the company's tax division, will now oversee the arm that houses Digital Insight, the online banking concern acquired by Intuit in January for $1.35 billion.

Jamie Fowler, a Grant Thornton LLP tax partner, has been named the firm's new national managing partner for its National Tax Process Group. The group, which supports the more than 1,000 tax practice professionals in the firm, encompasses not only process improvements, but also internal tool development, deployment, training and support; external tool and third-party research selection, deployment, training and support; vendor and contract management; project management; and knowledge management. Fowler has over 22 years of experience leading major large-scale international and domestic restructuring projects for companies nationwide, bringing to bear international, federal, and state and local resources. Prior to joining Grant Thornton's Dallas office as tax practice leader in 2004, she was a federal tax partner at KPMG in Dallas.

Influential accounting profession veteran Mark Tibergien has been named chief executive officer of Pershing Advisor Solutions LLC, an affiliate of Bank of New York Mellon subsidiary Pershing LLC.

Robert DeSantis, a top executive with the parent organization of the Financial Accounting Standards Board and Governmental Accounting Standards Board, has resigned.