The North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants (NCACPA) is announcing that Sharon Bryson, M.Ed., Chief Executive Officer, plans to retire effective January 31, 2024. For close to four decades, Sharon has served in a variety of roles with the Association, including communications, professional development, and as Chief Operating Officer, prior to becoming CEO on May 1, 2016.
In her current role, Sharon works directly with the NCACPA Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and Strategy Advisory Committee to set the strategic direction of the Association. She works closely with the Tax Resource Group and represents members before various state governmental entities, including the State Board of CPA Examiners, the Department of Revenue, and the General Assembly.
Commenting on her career with NCACPA, Sharon noted, “I’m not at all sure where the past 39 years have gone! It’s been an absolute privilege to work alongside an amazing internal team, to represent and interact with our NCACPA members who are the finest people imaginable, and to advocate for a profession that continues to be a lifeline to business on a worldwide basis. But first and foremost, it’s about the incredible relationships I’ve had the amazing good fortune to form, and the lifelong friendships that will go with me.”
Sharon currently serves as Past President of the CPA Society Executives Association, and as a member of NC State University’s Master of Accounting Advisory Board, the ECU College of Business Advisory Board, the UNC MAC Advisory Council, and Louisburg College Board of Trustees. She is a Past President of the Association Executives of North Carolina, and former member of the AICPA National Commission on Diversity & Inclusion. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteer work focusing on adoption.
NCACPA’s Chair of the Board, Jose Rodriguez, described Sharon’s longtime service by saying, “When I consider her professional contributions at NCACPA, it is nothing short of incredible. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Sharon during my term as President of the State Board of CPA Examiners and more recently, as chair of the Association’s Board. She’s been at the helm during a very transformative period for NCACPA and our Association is poised to continue its leadership position within the accounting profession. On behalf of the membership and the Board of Directors, I sincerely thank Sharon for her service and all she has done to guide NCACPA’s strategic direction.”
The Board’s Executive Committee is assembling a search committee who will be responsible for managing the process to identify NCACPA’s next CEO. Once the committee is composed and those details are available, an update will be provided to the membership.