Jersey City, N.J. (July 9, 2003) -- Samuel L. Burke, formerly associate chief accountant for the Securities and Exchange Commission, has joined Big Four firm PricewaterhouseCoopers as a partner in its national independence office, here.
In his role at PwC, Burke said he will answer questions from PwC’s staff in the U.S. and globally and will provide interpretations of the commission’s independence rules, the American Institute of CPAs’ rules and firm policy.
“CPAs as individuals have a sense of responsibility to make sure in they’re in compliance with the rules, so they can make consultations and ask questions,” Burke said. “I view my role here as more consulting and providing feedback.”
He added, “I hope I can continue to reinforce the commitment the firm has made to the role auditors play in the financial reporting process. I think the skills I gained at the commission will allow me to do that.”
Burke said personal and family reasons were a factor in the move. “I anticipated my stay in Washington would not be a permanent stay,” Burke said. “I was originally thinking it would be about two years, but there was so much going on, the relationship went on for a bit longer.”
Burke served at the SEC from June 2000 to June 2003. His experience included resolving auditing and independence issues and participating in rulemaking projects such as the Commission's 2000 and 2003 independence initiatives. He also participated in matters related to oversight of the accounting profession, including private sector auditing standard setting efforts, and served on the International Organization of Securities Commissions' Standing Committee No. 1. Prior to his experience at the SEC, he served for 11 years as an auditor in public accounting.
-- Melissa Klein
