Jan Lewis, a tax partner with top 100 accounting firm BMSS Advisors, was elected May 20 to a one-year term as chair of the American Institute of CPAs.
She will also serve as chair of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, the alliance formed by the AICPA and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
Lewis, a CPA and CGMA, was elected to the volunteer post by the AICPA’s governing Council during the CPA group’s spring Council in New Orleans. For the past year, Lewis has served as vice chair during the yearlong term of AICPA Chair Lexy Kessler.
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During her acceptance speech on Wednesday, Lewis said, “We’re part of a profession with a long legacy of integrity, adaptability, and innovation. With that legacy comes responsibility to keep earning trust and to help shape what comes next. I’m incredibly grateful for the trust you’ve placed in me, and I’m excited about what the year ahead holds.”
During her tenure as AICPA chair, Lewis will focus on shaping the future of the accounting profession and working closely with members to align vision, strategy, and direction for success.
She will emphasize the profession’s role in bringing clarity, reliability, and sound judgment to increasingly complex decisions, reinforcing the CPA as a trusted advisor grounded in ethics, quality, and public interest. She will also champion the thoughtful adoption of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to enhance efficiency and insight while ensuring innovation strengthens the profession’s core strengths: judgment, skepticism, and accountability, according to the AICPA.
In addition, as a passionate advocate for mentorship and talent development, Lewis will focus on attracting, developing, and supporting future CPAs and CGMA designation holders, expanding access, advancing lifelong learning, and strengthening connection across the profession.
“Jan brings a deep understanding of what makes this profession strong: its commitment to trust, its ability to evolve, and its focus on people,” Mark Koziel, CEO of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, said in a statement. “Her leadership reflects what we’re hearing from our members and across the profession: focus on balancing innovation with responsibility, invest in the next generation, and stay closely connected to the needs of our members. I’m looking forward to working alongside her to continue advancing the profession globally.”
Lewis has held several other AICPA volunteer posts, including serving on the AICPA Board of Directors, Tax Practice and Procedures Committee, Tax Executive Committee, Life Insurance and Disability Plans Committee, and as a member and elected state representative of Council. She is a former president of the Mississippi Society of CPAs.
Lewis was selected as one of Forbes‘ top 200 CPAs in America in 2024. She has been interviewed by Fox Business News, NPR, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Bankrate, and the Detroit Free Press for her insight on various policy and practice matters affecting taxpayers.
Lewis earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Mississippi State University, and she is a member and past chair of the Adkerson School of Accountancy Advisory Board at MSU. She was also previously selected as the MSU College of Business’s Alumni Fellow, as well as MSU Beta Alpha Psi Alumnus of the Year.
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