New AICPA Chair Looks to Foster Innovation and Support Next Generation of Accounting Professionals

Okorie L. Ramsey, CPA, CGMA, PMP, NACD.DC, Vice President, Sarbanes/Oxley for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, is the new chair of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). He also will serve as chair of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, which combines the strengths of the AICPA and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).

Ramsey, a CPA who also holds the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation, was elected to the one-year AICPA volunteer post by the organization’s governing Council, which concludes its Spring Council session tomorrow. Carla McCall, CPA, CGMA, managing partner of AAFCPAs, was voted in as the AICPA’s vice chair.

“We are a profession of leaders,” Ramsey said in his acceptance speech. “And it is our duty to guide people, firms, businesses and economies. Together, we can seize the moment and shape our future.” Ramsey listed three areas of focus for his term:

Innovation to advance the profession.

Ramsey hopes to capitalize on the advancements made by the profession over the past few years by embracing and leveraging technology to streamline processes, increase efficiency and drive greater value. He also urges the profession to evolve through lifelong learning, business model transformation, and the CPA Exam itself. “Through CPA Evolution, we are on track for the January 2024 launch of the new CPA exam,” he said. “There will be an increased focus on data and technology concepts in all exam sections.”

Instill integrity and trust into sustainability.

Ramsey believes environmental, social and governance (ESG) is an area where professional accountants can drive meaningful change. He will encourage the AICPA and the Association to work with stakeholders to integrate responsible and sustainable practices into their businesses and operating models. “Our profession is more prepared than any other to drive strategic conversations on sustainability opportunities and risks,” he said. “I believe this is a space where we can move from having a seat at the table to being at the head of the table.”

Support the next generation and give them enhanced opportunities to succeed.

Ramsey supports working together with other professional organizations, state CPA societies, colleges, high schools as well as firms and employers to create a more inclusive accounting and finance profession. He cites collaboration as a key to improving diversity within the profession and getting students interested in the accounting field. He noted that while progress has been made, there is much more work to do. “The profession needs you. And we need our young professionals to see you to understand the art of the possible,” Ramsey said.

Ramsey served for the past year as the AICPA’s vice chair and has held several other volunteer posts, including those on the AICPA Board of Directors, the Association Board of Directors, the AICPA and Association Audit and Finance Committee Chair, the AICPA Investments Committee and AICPA Council. He is a Lifetime member of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) and won NABA’s Inaugural Core Values award in 2022. He also previously held roles as Past President of the California Society of CPAs Education Foundation Board of Trustees and Past Chairman of the Accounting Career Awareness Program, San Francisco Bay Area and is also a former adjunct professor for San Francisco State University’s Master of Business Administration program.

Ramsey has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from San Francisco State University, and a Kaiser Permanente Executive Leadership Program Certificate from Harvard Business School. He is married and has two children. His interests include family time, music, investing, and mentoring young people to help them reach their full potential.