AICPA Exec Anthony Pugliese to Take Helm of CalCPA

The California Society of CPAs (CalCPA) and the CalCPA Education Foundation have announced that CEO Loretta Doon, CPA, will be retiring in June 2019. After an extensive nationwide search, the CalCPA board of directors and the foundation board of trustees have named Anthony Pugliese, CPA, CGMA, CITP, as the new incoming CEO of both organizations.

Pugliese will join CalCPA on May 1, 2019, at the beginning of the membership year and will work closely with Doon on the transition.

“I’m incredibly grateful to have worked with my talented staff, dedicated boards and committee volunteers, our diverse members and our partners over these years to build CalCPA into the largest state CPA society,” said Doon. “Our goal is to continually meet the evolving professional and education needs of our members so that they can protect the public interest. We accomplish this through a collaborative, diverse and inclusive culture that leads us to more innovative solutions for our members.”

Doon is recognized for her many achievements as head of CalCPA and the foundation, including surpassing a record-setting 45,000 in membership and purchasing their headquarters building in Burlingame. She has been named one of Accounting Today’s Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting numerous times. Doon was also the chief architect for constructing a platform that attracted 53 education partners across the country, including 48 state CPA societies, four associations and a national CPE vendor. This platform will continue to evolve, expand and provide the highest quality education under Pugliese’s leadership.

Incoming CEO Pugliese will join the organizations in May in order to work closely with Doon on a seamless transition before the end of her term. Pugliese was most recently the executive vice president of membership, technology and learning for the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), the world’s largest member association representing the accounting profession. Prior to that, he served as AICPA’s chief operating officer.

Pugliese served for more than 20 years at AICPA and also worked as an audit manager at Deloitte & Touche from 1990-97.

“I am incredibly excited about this new opportunity to work with the members, the boards and the staff to deliver on the strategic priorities of CalCPA and the foundation,” said Pugliese. “I look forward to sharing my experience in all aspects of the profession with our staff and members, and all our partners and being inspired by their diverse perspectives. We will draw upon these collective experiences to lead CalCPA and the foundation into the next era.”

In addition to being a CPA, Pugliese holds the AICPA’s CGMA credential for accountants in business and management accounting as well as its CITP for accountants with technology expertise.

Lewis Sharpstone, CPA, CalCPA chair, added “It was important for us to select an incoming CEO with a strong vision for the future of CalCPA and the foundation. Anthony’s vision not only builds off of Loretta’s accomplishments to date; it will keep us focused on our mission to serve the profession’s needs as it evolves and to protect the public interest.”

Doon hands over leadership to Pugliese at the strongest time in the organization’s history. She added, “I’ve loved everything about my job at CalCPA and the foundation, especially the learning moments that happened every day. I couldn’t have wished for a better role. It’s been such a privilege to be working on behalf of my profession and working with my colleagues both at the leadership level and at the staff level.”

CalCPA traces its heritage to 1903 when the California State Society of Certified Public Accountants was organized. In 1909, it merged with two other state CPA associations to form the current entity. CalCPA has 14 chapters throughout California.