The Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants (GSCPA) has elected James Underwood, CPA, CFP advisor at Focus Partners Wealth in Atlanta, as chair of its Board of Directors for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The election occurred during the Society's annual business meeting in St. Thomas, USVI. Underwood brings 15 years of involvement with GSCPA to the role, having served on the Board of Directors and various committees, demonstrating a longstanding commitment to the profession's advancement in Georgia.
Boyd Search, President and CEO of GSCPA, highlighted Underwood's leadership approach, describing him as "a steady, solutions-oriented leader who brings a calm confidence to every room he's in." This endorsement underscores the strategic importance of Underwood's election at a time when the accounting profession faces significant evolution. For HR vendors and talent management professionals, this leadership transition represents a potential shift in how the accounting field is positioned to current and future professionals, which could influence talent pipelines and professional development demands.
A central component of Underwood's agenda involves changing the narrative surrounding the accounting profession. He explicitly stated, "I want people to know that being a CPA sets you up for a lifetime of incredibly fulfilling work." This focus on promoting the fulfilling and financially rewarding aspects of CPA careers is a direct response to broader industry challenges, including talent attraction and retention. For vendors serving the human resources industry, this signals a potential increased emphasis on wellness, professional satisfaction, and value-proposition messaging within accounting firms and related businesses, which could drive demand for HR products and services that support these initiatives.
The GSCPA, representing nearly 14,000 members across Georgia, plays a critical role in advocacy, leadership, and development for CPAs. More information about the organization's mission and activities is available at https://www.gscpa.org. Underwood's leadership of this substantial membership base means his focus on narrative change could have a tangible impact on how accounting is perceived within one of the nation's key economic states. This has implications for HR vendors whose clients include accounting firms, corporate finance departments, and professional service organizations, as shifting professional narratives often necessitate updated recruitment strategies, retention programs, and employer branding efforts.
For the HR industry, the election highlights the ongoing need to understand leadership changes within professional associations that shape talent markets. Underwood's intent to address issues important to CPAs while highlighting career benefits suggests a profession actively working to enhance its appeal. This could lead to greater collaboration between accounting entities and HR solution providers specializing in talent acquisition, engagement, and career pathing. Ultimately, Underwood's chairmanship represents a microcosm of a larger trend: professional societies leveraging leadership to strategically manage their profession's reputation and sustainability, which directly affects the human resources ecosystem that supports these fields.
