Shows
The INSIDE Public Accounting PodcastLexy Kessler on Talent, Technology, and the Future of AccountingChelsea Summers and Rob Brown welcome Lexy Kessler, Chair ofthe American Institute of CPAs and partner at Aprio, to explore the 2040Project — a strategic initiative mapping the profession’s future.From tackling pipeline challenges to integrating AI, Lexyshares why upskilling, adaptability and people skills are now strategicimperatives for firms of all sizes. We look at the disruptors ahead, the roleevery CPA plays in shaping the profession’s brand and how leadership canattract and keep the next generation of talent.If y...
2025-08-1931 min
Accounting Today PodcastAccounting in an era of disruptionAICPA chair Lexy Kessler looks ahead at the challenges and opportunities —often one and the same — that are facing the profession, and what accountants need to do to be ready for them.
2025-06-1634 min
Future-Proof229. Leading with purpose and passion, Lexy KesslerThis week on Future Proof, we’re joined by Lexy Kessler, partner at Aprio, former chair of the Maryland Association of CPAs, and now the third Marylander to chair the AICPA’s board of directors. Lexy brings insight, inspiration, and a powerful sense of purpose to this conversation.She shares how a high school bookkeeping class sparked her career, why she was an early adopter of technology, and how a short break from public accounting reaffirmed her calling. Now in a national leadership role, Lexy is focused on deep listening, building trust across the profession, and addressing the...
2025-05-1431 min
Accounting Answers PodcastAccountants Unveiled: More Than Just Financial ExpertsEp: 35 Top experts answer: "Are business owners any closer to receiving proactive advice from accountants?"The Accounting Answers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, asks critical questions of the experts, leaders and influencers who shape the decision-making of accountants, CPAs and finance professionals. Today we ask:Are business owners any closer to receiving proactive advice from accountants? You'll hear insightful and passionate answers from these 5 experts and influencers:Laurence Whittam | Consultant enhancing CPA firms' outsourcing efficiency and ensuring global readinessLeo Ebbert | at CPADigitalPro, using digital marketing to recruit top...
2025-04-2209 minAccounting Answers PodcastAccountants Unveiled: More Than Just Financial ExpertsEp: 35 Top experts answer: "Are business owners any closer to receiving proactive advice from accountants?"The Accounting Answers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, asks critical questions of the experts, leaders and influencers who shape the decision-making of accountants, CPAs and finance professionals. Today we ask:Are business owners any closer to receiving proactive advice from accountants? You'll hear insightful and passionate answers from these 5 experts and influencers:Laurence Whittam | Consultant enhancing CPA firms' outsourcing efficiency and ensuring global readinessLeo Ebbert | at CPADigitalPro, using digital marketing to recruit top...
2025-04-2209 minAccounting Answers PodcastThe Next Accounting Revolution: the Top Trends to WatchEp: 15 Top experts answer: "What, if anything, will significantly change accounting in the next few years?"The Accounting Influencers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, asks critical questions of the experts, leaders and influencers who shape the decision-making of accountants, CPAs and finance professionals. Today we ask:What, if anything, will significantly change accounting in the next few years?You'll hear insightful and passionate answers from these 5 experts and influencers:Wayne Schmidt | Launched Xero Australia in 2009 and now a digital nomadLaurence Whittam | Consultant enhancing CPA firms' outsourcing efficiency and...
2024-12-0312 minAccounting Answers PodcastThe Next Accounting Revolution: the Top Trends to WatchEp: 15 Top experts answer: "What, if anything, will significantly change accounting in the next few years?"The Accounting Influencers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, asks critical questions of the experts, leaders and influencers who shape the decision-making of accountants, CPAs and finance professionals. Today we ask:What, if anything, will significantly change accounting in the next few years?You'll hear insightful and passionate answers from these 5 experts and influencers:Wayne Schmidt | Launched Xero Australia in 2009 and now a digital nomadLaurence Whittam | Consultant enhancing CPA firms' outsourcing efficiency and...
2024-12-0312 min
Future-Proof219. Solving the talent puzzle, with Lexy KesslerIn this episode, we tackle the talent puzzle and discuss steps to secure the future of the accounting profession. I sit down with Lexy Kessler, Vice Chairman of AICPA and Mid-Atlantic Managing Partner at Aprio and member of the National Pipeline Advisory Group (NPAG), to dive into the finalized "Accounting Talent Strategy Report" and its bold solutions to the profession’s talent challenges. Lexy shares insights on how the report’s key themes have been well-received, and we explore trends like three-year bachelor's programs and shifting education preferences.We also break down the report’s six recommendations, from r...
2024-09-1924 min
Accounting Answers PodcastNavigating the Numbers: Tech Innovations for AccountancyEp: 108 Top experts answer: "What could the tech/software vendors do better to serve accountants?"The Accounting Answers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, asks critical questions of the experts, leaders and influencers who shape the decision-making of accountants, CPAs and finance professionals. Today we ask:What could the tech/software vendors do better to serve accountants?You'll hear insightful and passionate answers from these 5 experts and influencers:Wayne Schmidt | Launched Xero Australia in 2009 and now a digital nomadLaurence Whittam | Consultant enhancing CPA firms' outsourcing efficiency and ensuring global...
2024-08-1513 min
Journal of Accountancy Podcast‘Time is of the essence’: Next steps after the NPAG report releaseThe National Pipeline Advisory Group published its final report on talent solutions for the accounting profession, and the group’s chair, Lexy Kessler, CPA, CGMA, joins the Journal of Accountancy podcast to hit on the high points. Kessler is AICPA vice chair and also mid-Atlantic leader for the firm Aprio. In this episode, she shares next steps for the profession. What you'll learn from this episode: An overview of the six major themes of the report. How a “plethora of perspectives” came together to address solutions for the pipeline issue. Details about addres...
2024-08-0114 minAccounting Answers PodcastThe Future of Accounting: Predictions in UncertaintyEp: 97 Top experts answer: "What are your top 3 predictions for the accounting world in coming years?"The Accounting Answers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, asks critical questions of the experts, leaders and influencers who shape the decision-making of accountants, CPAs and finance professionals. Today we ask:What are your top 3 predictions for the accounting world in coming years?You'll hear insightful and passionate answers from these 5 experts and influencers:Wayne Schmidt | Launched Xero Australia in 2009 and now a digital nomadLaurence Whittam | Consultant enhancing CPA firms' outsourcing efficiency and...
2024-07-1615 minAccounting Answers PodcastThe Future of Accounting: Predictions in UncertaintyEp: 97 Top experts answer: "What are your top 3 predictions for the accounting world in coming years?"The Accounting Answers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, asks critical questions of the experts, leaders and influencers who shape the decision-making of accountants, CPAs and finance professionals. Today we ask:What are your top 3 predictions for the accounting world in coming years?You'll hear insightful and passionate answers from these 5 experts and influencers:Wayne Schmidt | Launched Xero Australia in 2009 and now a digital nomadLaurence Whittam | Consultant enhancing CPA firms' outsourcing efficiency and...
2024-07-1615 min
Accounting Influencers PodcastHow We Solve the Accounting Talent Pipeline ProblemHost Rob Brown is joined by Sue Coffey, CEO of Public Accounting at the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), and Lexy Kessler, Partner at Aprio and Chair of the AICPA's National Pipeline Advisory Group (NPAG). They look into the alarming talent shortage facing the accounting profession and the potential solutions proposed by the NPAG.Lexy and Sue discuss the overwhelming evidence pointing to a significant talent pipeline issue in accounting, including declining enrolment in accounting programs, fewer students pursuing the CPA credential, and challenges in retaining young professionals in their first five years of employment. But can...
2024-06-1736 minAccounting Answers PodcastThe Next Generation Accountants: Entering a New WorldEp: 55 Top experts answer: "Will the next generation of accountants be any different from their predecessors?"The Accounting Answers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, asks critical questions of the experts, leaders and influencers who shape the decision-making of accountants, CPAs and finance professionals. Today we ask:Will the next generation of accountants be any different from their predecessors?You'll hear insightful and passionate answers from these 5 experts and influencers:Laurence Whittam | Consultant enhancing CPA firms' outsourcing efficiency and ensuring global readinessLeo Ebbert | at CPADigitalPro, using digital marketing to...
2024-05-1710 minAccounting Answers PodcastThe Next Generation Accountants: Entering a New WorldEp: 55 Top experts answer: "Will the next generation of accountants be any different from their predecessors?"The Accounting Answers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, asks critical questions of the experts, leaders and influencers who shape the decision-making of accountants, CPAs and finance professionals. Today we ask:Will the next generation of accountants be any different from their predecessors?You'll hear insightful and passionate answers from these 5 experts and influencers:Laurence Whittam | Consultant enhancing CPA firms' outsourcing efficiency and ensuring global readinessLeo Ebbert | at CPADigitalPro, using digital marketing to...
2024-05-1710 min
Accounting Talent PodcastHow We Solve the Accounting Talent Pipeline ProblemHost Rob Brown is joined by Sue Coffey, CEO of Public Accounting at the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), and Lexy Kessler, Partner at Aprio and Chair of the AICPA's National Pipeline Advisory Group (NPAG). They look into the alarming talent shortage facing the accounting profession and the potential solutions proposed by the NPAG.Lexy and Sue discuss the overwhelming evidence pointing to a significant talent pipeline issue in accounting, including declining enrolment in accounting programs, fewer students pursuing the CPA credential, and challenges in retaining young professionals in their first five years of employment. But can...
2024-05-0936 min
Girls in FinancePath to Financial Freedom with Lexy Kessler In this episode regarding accounting, we talked with Lexy Kessler, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Leader for Aprio. We discussed the level of inclusivity in this field, how accounting gave Lexy financial freedom, and how teenagers can seek mentorship. Listen to learn more!
2024-04-2713 min
Future-Proof210. Where will the pipeline dust settle? with Lexy KesslerThis week, we're diving into a well known, critical issue gripping our profession: the shortage of CPAs. It's a widespread challenge impacting businesses, causing staffing gaps, burnout, and compromised client service. The scarcity of expertise has escalated workloads, hindered recruitment and retention, and even led some firms to decline work due to insufficient manpower. To combat this, many organizations are resorting to measures like increasing compensation and offering more flexible work arrangements. The profession is undergoing a transformation to adapt and survive.The ramifications extend beyond the accounting realm, influencing how businesses operate at large. Solutions are...
2024-04-2229 minAccounting Answers PodcastAccountants Unveiled: More Than Just Financial ExpertsEp: 35 Top experts answer: "Are business owners any closer to receiving proactive advice from accountants?"The Accounting Answers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, asks critical questions of the experts, leaders and influencers who shape the decision-making of accountants, CPAs and finance professionals. Today we ask:Are business owners any closer to receiving proactive advice from accountants? You'll hear insightful and passionate answers from these 5 experts and influencers:Laurence Whittam | Consultant enhancing CPA firms' outsourcing efficiency and ensuring global readinessLeo Ebbert | at CPADigitalPro, using digital marketing to recruit top...
2024-04-1909 minAccounting Answers PodcastAccountants Unveiled: More Than Just Financial ExpertsEp: 35 Top experts answer: "Are business owners any closer to receiving proactive advice from accountants?"The Accounting Answers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, asks critical questions of the experts, leaders and influencers who shape the decision-making of accountants, CPAs and finance professionals. Today we ask:Are business owners any closer to receiving proactive advice from accountants? You'll hear insightful and passionate answers from these 5 experts and influencers:Laurence Whittam | Consultant enhancing CPA firms' outsourcing efficiency and ensuring global readinessLeo Ebbert | at CPADigitalPro, using digital marketing to recruit top...
2024-04-1909 min
Schooled By CinemaAnimation- Trnka's "A Midsummer Nights Dream"I am very excited to explore the world of Jiří Trnka with my guest, Martin Kessler. We discuss his innovative exploration of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Nights Dream". Martin and I chat about the evolution of stop-motion and Trnka's legacy.
https://twitter.com/MovieKessler
https://twitter.com/schooledbcinema
2024-04-181h 01Accounting Answers PodcastThe Next Accounting Revolution: the Top Trends to WatchEp: 15 Top experts answer: "What, if anything, will significantly change accounting in the next few years?"The Accounting Influencers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, asks critical questions of the experts, leaders and influencers who shape the decision-making of accountants, CPAs and finance professionals. Today we ask:What, if anything, will significantly change accounting in the next few years?You'll hear insightful and passionate answers from these 5 experts and influencers:Wayne Schmidt | Launched Xero Australia in 2009 and now a digital nomadLaurence Whittam | Consultant enhancing CPA firms' outsourcing efficiency and...
2024-03-2212 minAccounting Answers PodcastThe Next Accounting Revolution: the Top Trends to WatchEp: 15 Top experts answer: "What, if anything, will significantly change accounting in the next few years?"The Accounting Influencers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, asks critical questions of the experts, leaders and influencers who shape the decision-making of accountants, CPAs and finance professionals. Today we ask:What, if anything, will significantly change accounting in the next few years?You'll hear insightful and passionate answers from these 5 experts and influencers:Wayne Schmidt | Launched Xero Australia in 2009 and now a digital nomadLaurence Whittam | Consultant enhancing CPA firms' outsourcing efficiency and...
2024-03-2212 minAccounting Influencers PodcastPanel: Diverse Voices Speak on the Future of AccountingThis engaging roundtable discussion explores the future of the accounting profession from multiple perspectives. Host Rob Brown is joined by Gary Shamis, Lexy Kessler, Roger Knecht and Calvin Harris to debate whether accountants need to change, examine threats and challenges facing the field, discuss making accounting an attractive career choice, and share bold predictions.The panel acknowledges accounting is in flux, with technology, staffing shortages, and an increasingly transactional approach reshaping the profession. However, they see tremendous opportunity amid this disruption for those willing to adapt. Private equity investment, offshoring, and new firm models are expected, as...
2024-03-1150 minJournal of Accountancy PodcastWhy are there fewer accountants? What the research saysThe factors contributing to a decline in the accounting talent pool are many, and so are the strategies to address the issue. In this podcast episode, Sue Coffey, CPA, CGMA, AICPA & CIMA’s CEO–Public Accounting, explains what early research has shown about why students are showing less interest in accounting. She also details the steps that multiple entities, including the National Pipeline Advisory Group (NPAG), are taking to grow the pipeline. In the interview, Coffey discusses CPA licensure, the 150-hour educational requirement, CPA practice mobility, and other issues important to her and the profession.
2024-03-0721 minJournal of Accountancy PodcastThe importance of targeting talent early, enthusiastically Jennifer Wilson is passionate about the accounting pipeline and the work being done by the National Pipeline Advisory Group (NPAG). Wilson, the CEO of Convergence Coaching and independent facilitator for NPAG, joined the JofA podcast this week to update listeners on progress in addressing talent concerns. Wilson details the timeline for delivering a draft report to AICPA Council, themes that are emerging in discussions so far, and how entities but also individuals can play a vital role in attracting talent to the profession. Resources The main NPAG page, AccountingPipeline.org March 2023...
2024-01-1818 min
The Accounting PodcastSolving the CPA Pipeline Problem: An Interview with AICPA's National Pipeline Advisory GroupLexy Kessler, National Pipeline Advisory Group (NPAG) chair and Sue Coffey, Chief Executive Officer – Public Accounting with AICPA join us for a special bonus episode to address the accounting talent crisis and talk about how we can improve the CPA pipeline. Along with these issues, they also emphasize the importance of working together as a profession, being data-driven in their approach, and looking at the broader ecosystem of accounting, with updates and more comprehensive strategies expected to be detailed in the NPAG draft national strategy plan in May 2024.Meet Our GuestsLexy Kessler, Ch...
2023-12-2128 minAccounting Today PodcastA pipeline progress reportAs the flow of young people into the profession slows, and more and more old accountants are leaking away, Sue Coffey, the CEO of public accounting at the AICPA, and Lexy Kessler, chair of the National Pipeline Advisory Group, share what's being done in the short term and the long term to address this major problem.
2023-11-2721 min
Journal of Accountancy Podcast‘All in this together’: Addressing the CPA pipeline issue Lexy Kessler, CPA, CGMA, is the chair of the National Pipeline Advisory Group, a group of accounting stakeholders formed to help shape strategy to address the profession's talent shortage. Kessler is mid-Atlantic leader for the firm Aprio and a member of the board of directors of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. She is a former chair of the Maryland Association of CPAs. In this episode, Kessler discusses why leading the group appealed to her, more about the group’s responsibilities, and why she’s excited to learn from the group’s other members.
2023-08-1010 min
Accounting Influencers PodcastInspirational Women Leaders in Accounting Panel 14On behalf of the Accounting Influencers Podcast Network, this is the "Success in Accounting" show, going live every Monday to 150 countries and 30,000 accounting practitioners, fintech specialists and influencers in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space.This new panel series includes prominent and influential female leaders and voices in the accounting and fintech world. We have invited female leaders of large accounting firms, global networks, associations and alliances, plus senior figures in accounting fintech companies.Accounting and fintech has traditionally been a male dominated profession but times are changing. There are now more women than men...
2023-02-0853 min
CEOs You Should Know: Washington DCLexy Kessler, Partner, Aronson LLCM&T Bank presents CEOs You Should Know: Lexy Kessler, Partner, Aronson LLC
2022-10-2421 min
Future-ProofRemembering 9/11We are 20 years out from 9/11, the tragic event that changed everything in the US. We all have our 9/11 stories – the things we remember most when we think back to that fateful day.To mark the occasion, we’re going to hear from some of the leaders in the accounting and finance profession, their stories, where they were when it happened, and how the event has impacted the profession. Those leaders are:AICPA President and CEO, Barry MelanconTom Hood, Executive Vice President of Business Growth and Engagement with the Association of International Certified Professional AccountantsJessica McClain, Controller for...
2021-09-1041 minFuture-Proof147. The future of finance in Maryland, with Lexy KesslerLexy Kessler is the partner in charge of Aronson’s Government Contract Services Group and chair of the AICPA’s PCPS Executive Committee. As of July 1st, she is the new chair of the Maryland Association of CPAs Board of Directors. We’re going to look at her priorities this year and the trends impacting CPAs in Maryland and beyond. Of course, diversity and inclusion in the pipeline are always a focus – however, Lexy is also excited to step into what she calls “MACPA 3.0,” stepping into the opportunities for the association that look ahead, past the current leadership and structural c...
2021-07-0523 min
Transforming: Tales of Business EvolutionPivoting in a pandemic: Success stories from a CPA firm (part 2)Lexy Kessler, CPA, CGMA is the Partner-In-Charge of Aronson LLC’s Government Contract Services Group in Washington, DC. Lexy shares her firm’s successes and surprises in their journey to working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about Aronson LLC at www.aronsonllc.com. Learn more about Lexy at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexykessler.
2020-06-1920 minTransforming: Tales of Business EvolutionPivoting in a pandemic: Success stories from a CPA firm (part 2)Lexy Kessler, CPA, CGMA is the Partner-In-Charge of Aronson LLC’s Government Contract Services Group in Washington, DC. Lexy shares her firm’s successes and surprises in their journey to working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about Aronson LLC at www.aronsonllc.com. Learn more about Lexy at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexykessler.
2020-06-1920 min
Future-ProofSupporting & Cultivating New-Gen Accountants | with Monique Malcolm-HayGiven the latest research within the profession — see our recent conversation with Lexy Kessler for details on all of that — there’s one thing that most accounting and finance professionals are thinking about: talent.How to find talent, how to keep it, and how to figure out what the best talent wants in the first place. This last bit is really important, too, because what younger generations want is often different from what the older generations wanted. To learn more about this generational gap and what you can do to attract the best and brightest of the...
2020-01-0630 min
Future-ProofHow Public Practice Needs to Transform (Soon) | with Lexy KesslerToday’s episode puts the P in CPA — because we’re talking about public practice! What is going on with CPA firms these days, anyway?Quite a bit, as it turns out. The world is changing, and with every change that the world experiences these days, the folks who work at CPA firms seem to get a double dose of it. They have to figure out how to embrace these changes and disruptions inside their own firms, but at the same time, they have to help their clients figure out what to do about all of this comple...
2019-12-1634 min