Invitation to New York

Come enjoy the 2009 American Accounting Association's Annual Meeting in New York City, aka "The Big Apple." It's been 15 years since the AAA last met in New York, and we are looking forward to renewing our links with the city. The meeting will begin on Sunday, August 2 and end Wednesday, August 5. The meeting theme is "Accounting at a Tipping Point." Our tipping point is a result of the historic changes currently facing the global accounting community, from the widespread use of IFRS to the controversies surrounding fair value accounting…not to mention the fallout from the current economic environment. For every member of the accounting community, regardless of whether we teach, research, and/or practice in auditing, governmental, financial accounting, managerial, systems, taxation, or are focused on the public interest, gender issues, or accounting history, we all face significant change from these tipping point issues. The centerpiece of the meeting is a series of three plenary sessions on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings.

Monday morning we'll hear from David M. Walker, who until this past March was a voice of reason in Washington for over ten years as Comptroller General of the United States and head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO). David, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, spanned both Democratic and Republican administrations. David continues as an outspoken, nonpartisan advocate for addressing the major fiscal and other sustainability challenges facing our country in his role as President and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. He is also chairman of the United Nations Independent Audit Advisory Committee and serves on the boards of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and the Partnership for Public Service.

The Tuesday morning speaker, Sir David Tweedie, is Chairman of the International Accounting Standards Board. His appointment as IASB Chairman in 2001 followed on the heels of his service as the first full-time Chairman of Accounting Standards Board, the U.K.'s accounting standards setter. In his role at the IASB he has faced significant challenges and recorded great achievements. Sir David's breadth of experience has garnered wide respect throughout Europe, the Asia/Pacific region and North America. An article praising Sir David's 35 years of contributions to the accounting profession characterized Sir David as "a man famed for being prepared ‘to cross a motorway for a fight.'" As an example, in addressing the senate banking committee, Sir David opened his evidence with the memorable phrase: "It's good to be back in the colonies."1 I look forward to Sir David's comments.

Tuesday's luncheon speaker and Presidential Scholar is John Christensen from the University of Southern Denmark, is the current President of the European Accounting Association. He received his Ph.D. from Stanford and has accumulated a comprehensive set of research investigating agency research in accounting, communication structures, transfer pricing, valuation as an information source, and modern costing systems.

Wednesday's luncheon speaker, Nancy Bagranoff, is the Dean of the College of Business and Public Administration at Old Dominion University and the incoming President of the American Accounting Association. She has served on the International Accounting Education Standards Board's consultative advisory committee, as Vice President of Education for the AAA and President of the Information Systems Section. She has co-authored several books and many articles in the area of accounting information systems, consulting, and information technology audit and control. She will discuss "The AAA: A History of Thought Leadership in Accounting."

The leaders of the AAA and the representatives and co-chairs of the Program Advisory Committee, Tom Schaefer, University of Notre Dame and Ajay Adhikari, American University, have assembled a program that benefits all of our members and serves as a resource to bolster our community's intellectual capital. Everyone will benefit from staying for the entire meeting. There are outstanding events occurring through the conclusion of our meetings on Wednesday afternoon. The convention hotel rates are attractive. So please make your plans early.

Because of New York's proximity to Europe and ease of travel from Pacific Rim countries, there will be even greater opportunities to network with members from these regions, where a large number of our overseas members reside. Our convention hotels, the Hilton New York and the Sheraton New York hotels, located across the street from one another, are conveniently located near the Times Square area, and the Museum of Modern Art is within a block's walk. There are many other attractions which can be found at: http://aaahq.org/AM2009/discover.cfm.

Don't miss this opportunity to engage with colleagues on the tipping points that are facing the accounting community. Renew contacts in your network while increasing the investment in your intellectual assets and have some fun in New York. See you there!

Sue Haka, President
American Accounting Association