Public Company Accounting Oversight Board member Charles Niemeier said he plans to leave the board in the near future.
I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as one of the founding board members of the PCAOB and to play a role in its development, he said in a statement. Although I believe that investors have benefited from the promotion of high-quality audits through the boards programs, there is much more work to be done. The mission of the PCAOB is no less important today than it was when Congress created the organization.
Niemeiers term had ended on Oct. 25, 2008, but PCAOB members may remain on the board until a successor is appointed.
A fellow long-time board member, Daniel L. Goelzer, was recently named acting chairman following the departure of Mark W. Olson. As a fellow founding board member, it has been a pleasure working with Charley for nearly seven years, said Goelzer. He has served the investing public well and, on a personal level, I will miss his sound counsel and deep experience.
Prior to his appointment to the PCAOB, Niemeier served as chief accountant of the Securities and Exchange Commissions Division of Enforcement and co-chair of the SECs Financial Fraud Task Force. Before joining the SEC, Niemeier was a partner in the Washington, D.C., law firm of Williams & Connolly LLP. In addition to being an attorney, Niemeier is a CPA.
Niemeier had been under consideration to succeed Conrad Hewitt as chief accountant of the SEC, but the position ultimately went to Hewitts former deputy, James Kroeker.
