Va. Board of Accountancy elects next chair

Wendy P. Lewis, a partner in KPMG LLP’s audit practice, will become chair of the Virginia Board of Accountancy on July 1.

Lewis is currently the board’s vice chair; her term as chair will end on June 30, 2024.

“I’m honored to step into the role of chair. … As the first Black woman to serve as chair since VBOA became an independent agency in 2001, I am excited about the important work of opening doors to the CPA profession for people from a variety of backgrounds, as well as leading the board through the overall transformation and evolution of the accounting profession,” Lewis said in a statement.

She is a member of the Virginia Society of CPAs and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a past local chapter president of the National Association of Black Accountants, now NABA Inc.

“I look forward to working with Wendy in her role as chair of the Virginia Board of Accountancy,” VSCPA President and CEO Stephanie Peters said in a statement. “Wendy has been an active member and volunteer with the VSCPA, particularly in our student and DEI initiatives, and I know she has leadership qualities that will serve her and the CPA profession well. She is passionate about inspiring the next generation of CPAs and I know she will keep that at the forefront during her time as chair.”

Lewis has been with KPMG since 1997, when she started as an associate. She completed a three-year rotation in KPMG’s national office in New York, providing technical accounting, financial reporting and risk management assistance to the firm’s local offices.

Lewis has been a member of KPMG’s African Ancestry Business Resource Group since its inception in 2006 and serves as partner champion for the local board in Richmond, a role she also has held for KPMG’s Washington, D.C., and Tysons offices.

Lewis leads KPMG’s recruiting efforts for Hampton University, Virginia State University and Virginia Union University, from which she has a bachelor’s degree in accounting. She serves on the boards of the Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science and the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation.

Established in 1910, the VBOA regulates certified public accountants in the state, handling exams, licensing, consumer protection enforcement, professional education audits and peer review oversight.