New York (June 3, 2003) -- While he feels that a few CPAs have painted a bad picture for the other members of the profession, the newest addition to the American Institute of CPAs’ board said he is well equipped to help accountants deal with their newfound notoriety.
“I believe that I can make a difference in helping the CPA profession deal with the public scrutiny and the political process,” Terry Branstad, former Iowa Governor, told WebCPA. “In the 16 years that I was governor I held press conferences at least once every week and maintained open access to the media as well as direct contact with my constituents through radio call-in shows and personal visits to each county every year.”
“In my experience both in government and now serving on several corporate boards, I have found CPAs to be an excellent source of reliable information and statistics that can help policy makers to make the best decisions,” said Branstad, who added that he enjoyed a close working relationship with Iowa’s State Licensing Board for CPAs.
Branstad was elected as a one of three non-CPA members of the board, along with William Trueheart, president of the Pittsburgh Foundation, and Thomas Campbell, Dean of the Haas School of Business at the University of California-Berkeley. He is a financial advisor with Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc. in West Des Moines, Iowa and a partner with Kaufman, Pattee, Branstad & Miller, a public policy and government relations firm based in Washington.
-- Melissa Klein
