Trio of NJSCPA Members Make Accounting “Top 100” List

On Sep 19, 2014

Joining the likes of President Barack Obama and SEC Chair Mary Jo White, three distinguished members of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJSCPA) were included in Accounting Today magazine’s annual “Top 100 Most Influential People” list.

James C. Bourke Jr., CPA, CITP, CFF, partner and CIO at WithumSmith+Brown in Red Bank and a past president of the NJSCPA, was recognized by Accounting Today for “his passion for the profession and his boundless energy and willingness to criss-cross the country teaching accountants everywhere how to navigate the technology-dominated future.”

Bourke – a Manasquan resident – is a board member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the NJ Technology Council. He is a past chair of the AICPA Tech+ Conference and the AICPA CITP Credential Committee.

Ralph Albert Thomas, CGMA, CEO and Executive Director of the NJSCPA, which is headquartered in Roseland, has led the 15,000-member organization for 15 years. Accounting Today cited Thomas for “staying on top of the multitude of changes its members face and acting as an important voice on the issues the profession faces.”

Thomas – a resident of South Brunswick – is a member of the AICPA National Commission on Diversity and Inclusion in the Accounting Profession, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy State Society Relations Committee, and several university accounting advisory boards. He is a lifetime member and past president of the National Association of Black Accountants and a former member of the CPA/SEA Board.

Timothy F. Gearty, CPA, MBA, JD, is the National Lead Instructor and National Editor-in-Chief of Becker Professional Education. Accounting Today says: “It’s hard to argue with tens of thousands of young accountants Gearty has coached through the fiendish complexity of the CPA Exam who remember him for his knowledge and his inimitable vocal style.”

Gearty – a resident of Mendham – is a managing member of Gearty & McIntyre CPA LLC, a member of the New Jersey and American Bar Associations, a former trustee of the NJSCPA Board and Scholarship Fund, and was an assistant professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

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