Press Kit
Leadership Biographies
W.
Hunter Cook, CPA, 2007-2008 NCACPA Chair
Dixon Hughes PLLC, Charlotte
Hunter Cook is a member
of Dixon Hughes, PLLC, and serves clients in a wide variety
of industries including manufacturing, distribution,
engineering and construction, real estate, and healthcare. Prior
to joining Dixon Hughes, PLLC, Hunter was partner of an
international accounting firm where he was involved
with assurance and advisory business services.
Hunter has also taught auditing and
accounting at the Wayne Calloway School of Business and
Accountancy at Wake Forest University.
In addition to serving as the current Chair of the North
Carolina Association of CPAs, Hunter is a Past Director and
Treasurer of the Board of Directors and a Past President of
the Charlotte Chapter of NCACPA. He has also served as
President of the Greenville, South Carolina Chapter and
National Director of the National Association of
Accountants, and is a member of the American Institute of
Certified Public Accounts (AICPA) and the South Carolina
Association of Certified Public Accountants (SCACPA). In
addition to involvement in professional associations, Hunter
is Past Chairman of both the United Way Planning Board and
the Uptown Men's Shelter.
James T. Ahler, Chief Executive Officer
Jim Ahler joined NCACPA as its chief executive officer in
1988 and has been an active leader for the profession for
over 15 years. He was awarded the “Certified Association
Executive” credential in 1996 by the American Society of
Association Executives (ASAE); Jim was named “Outstanding
CEO” by the Association Executives of North Carolina (AENC)
in 2000. He has chaired as well as served on the boards of
directors of AENC and the CPA Society Executives Association
(CPA/SEA). He currently serves on the National Change
Management Team for the profession and as the CPA/SEA
liaison to the National Association of State Boards of
Accountancy (NASBA) and to the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Jim also chairs the
State Society Consultation Review program for CPA/SEA, which
evaluates the efficiency of state society operations. He
previously served on the AICPA/NASBA Committee for the
Future Regulation of the Profession from 1997 to 1999 and on
the AICPA Group of 100.
Prior to joining NCACPA,
Jim served as executive director of the State Board of
Accountancy in Louisville, KY. During his nearly 10 years
there, he successfully established the Quality Enhancement
Program to desk review reports on financial statements, Jim
also was very active on various national committees of NASBA
and was a consultant to NASBA for strategic planning.
Jim
received his Baccalaureate Degree from Transylvania
University in Lexington, Kentucky and his Masters in Public
Affairs from Kentucky State University. He is also a 1995
graduate of the Institutes for Organizational Management
sponsored by the US Chamber of Commerce.
Sharon
H. Bryson, M.Ed., Chief Operating Officer
Sharon
Bryson joined the organization in 1984, and has served
NCACPA in a variety of capacities, including director of
membership and public relations, director of communications,
and director of continuing professional education. Sharon is
a member of the American Society of Association Executives,
as well as the Association Executives of North Carolina and
has served on multiple AENC committees. Sharon has also been
active on several committees of the American Institute of
CPAs, and served as chair of the planning committee for
“Interchange 2002.” Sharon is active in her community and
serves as the North Carolina
Fundraising Co-Chair for the Gladney Center for
Adoption, an
organization dear to her heart.
A native
of Robbins, NC, Sharon received both her undergraduate and
graduate degrees from the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill. She is also a graduate of the Institutes for
Organization Management program, sponsored by the US Chamber
of Commerce.
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