Lisa Simpson

Lisa is Vice President – Firm Services for the AICPA. She leads the Private Companies Practice Section (PCPS), Firm Relationship Management, Diversity & Inclusion, Young Member Initiatives, Technical Hotline and Center for Plain English Accounting. Her teams build and manage relationships with practitioners in all size firms, creating awareness of changing trends that impact CPA firm success and providing resources and insights to enable firms to harness opportunities for the profession.  Her teams create innovative programs and engagement strategies to engage a diverse pipeline of current and future CPAs

Since 2020 Lisa has been engaging with thousands of CPAs and business owners as a co-host of the award-winning AICPA Town Hall Series. She has been named in the top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting by Accounting Today since 2020.

Lisa began her career with EY gaining audit and tax experience in her six years with the firm. She then worked for a small firm in Lexington, Kentucky for five years. Lisa has 20+ years of industry experience as well, having served as the CFO for non-profit and for-profit organizations before joining the AICPA in 2012.

Lisa graduated from Eastern Kentucky University and is licensed as a CPA in NC and KY.

Melanie Lauridsen

Melanie Lauridsen is the AICPA Vice President of the Tax Policy & Advocacy team in Washington, DC. In this position, she is responsible for the review, formulation, and submission of federal tax technical and policy recommendations to Congress, the Treasury Department, and the Internal Revenue Service. Prior to her current role she also worked on the AICPA Tax Practice & Ethics team determining strategic direction for resources, education, and materials necessary for CPAs to be recognized as the premier providers of tax services. Before working at the AICPA, she also worked at PwC and then Argy, Wiltse and Robinson. She has a Bachelor of Economics from Brigham Young University and a Masters in Accountancy from George Washington University.