2009- 2010 NABA National Board of Directors
	Walter J. Smith, CPA Walter J. Smith, CPA, is National President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA). NABA, a 501 c(3) non-profit, is the premier association for African Americans and minorities in the accounting, audit, finance, information technology, tax, as well as other business related fields. Smith’s two-year term became effective, July 1, 2008. The theme under which he serves his presidency is “40 Years, One NABA”. In his position as National President and CEO, Walter will be at the forefront of issues affecting NABA members, and African Americans and minorities in the accounting and finance professions. Prior to being elected new leader of this great organization, Walter served as National Director for three years on NABA’s National Board of Directors. Walter was recently named to EBONY Magazine’s 2009 “Most Influential Organization Leaders” List. He is a Lifetime Member of the NABA New York Chapter, and received the 2008 NABA Award for National Achievement in Industry at the 37th Annual National Convention held in Atlanta, Georgia. He was also named one of the Top 20 Diversity Champions by Diversity Edge magazine in 2007. Walter has been a NABA member for over 20 years with membership spanning from college to professional chapters in New York, Los Angeles, and New Jersey. He was past Chair of the Organizational Effectiveness & Personnel Committee and the Chapter Development & Effectiveness Committee. He also served on the Finance and the Strategic Planning Committees. He has also served as Vice President and as Secretary of the NABA Eastern Region. Walter is Vice President of Financial Reporting at Prudential. He has oversight for Separate Accounts, Cash Management, and Operational Risk for the Life and Annuities business divisions. His diverse career includes tours of duty in audit (Deloitte & Touché, Marriott, Inc.), finance (New York Daily News), and financial services (AXA, Inc., Transamerica, Inc.). Walter graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the Medgar W. Evers College in New York. He’s a Lifetime Member of the Medgar Evers College Alumni Association, Inc., and formerly served as Parliamentarian and Director on the Board of Directors. He is also a Lifetime Member of ALPFA – the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance & Accounting.
	Download JPEG of Walter J. Smith's Image    Download Walter Smith's Bio

	Gregory Johnson, CPA Gregory Johnson, CPA is the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA). In this position, Gregory is responsible for managing the day to day operations of NABA, including financial management and reporting, membership services, resource development, community affairs, meeting planning, and marketing and public relations. He works with the National President to enable the NABA Board of Directors to fulfill its governance function, and provides direction and leadership toward the achievement of NABA’s philosophy, mission, and strategic goals and objectives.  Gregory’s primary focus is on activities aimed at enhancing NABA’s ability to render quality, value added programs to its membership. He also works in conjunction with the NABA Board of Directors, regional and chapter leaders and the NABA Division of Firms to maintain and enhance NABA’s position as the premier professional association for minorities in the accounting, finance, tax, and information technology professions. A longtime member of NABA, Gregory has more than 20 years of diverse business experience, serving in key positions in public accounting and at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). He comes to NABA from Grant Thornton International (GTI) where he served as Director, Quality Control, creating methods to monitor GTI member firms’ audit practices on a worldwide basis, and administering its Audit Review program. He was also responsible for communication and research initiatives related to quality control. Prior to joining GTI, he held key positions at the AICPA. As manager of minority initiatives, he increased scholarship funding and developed the “Be a Star in Business…Be a CPA” advertising campaign and created the organization’s highly successful “Leadership Workshop” for scholarship recipients. As Director, CPA Examination External Relations, he was responsible for strategic positioning and the launch of the computer-based CPA examination. As Director, CPA Examination Strategy, he served as AICPA spokesperson for the CPA examination and served as staff lead to the AICPA Board of Examiners, which has overall policy-setting responsibility for the CPA examination, and managed multimillion-dollar budgets. Gregory began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he held the position of audit supervisor. Gregory is a graduate of Adelphi University (Garden City, New York), with a BBA in Accounting and a Masters of Business Administration. He is a CPA in the state of New York and a member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Download Gregory Johnson's Bio

Shariah Dixon-Turner, CFSA Shariah Dixon-Turner, CFSA, Executive Vice President, is in her 11th year of service on the National Board. A Lifetime Member of the Philadelphia Chapter, Shariah has served as Eastern Region President and Vice-President, Chair of the Eastern Region Student Conference, Corporate Chair of the Eastern Region Student Conference for a number of years and in various leadership roles in the Philadelphia Chapter, including three terms as Chapter President. Additionally, Shariah has served on numerous National Committees. Most recently, Shariah served as the Co-Chair of the 2007 Local Convention Committee. Shariah has been the recipient of the Presidential Award for Distinguished Service, the Philadelphia Chapter’s Outstanding Member Award and in 2007, was NABA’s National Outstanding Member. In addition to her NABA service, Shariah is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Shariah is currently a Project Manager in Corporate Financial Reporting at Vanguard.  She began her career with Arthur Andersen, LLP in Philadelphia and has several years of internal audit experience in the financial services and healthcare industries. Shariah earned her Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Accounting from Howard University.

Kenneth E. Cooke, CPA Kenneth E. Cooke, CPA, is the National Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA).  In his current role as Vice President of Finance at Goldman Sachs in New York, NY., Kenneth works with legal entity financial reporting and the compilation of the firm’s quarterly and annual credit footnote disclosure for third-party derivatives. He previously was a Risk Leader with Genworth Financial Inc. (“Genworth”) in Richmond, VA and a Manager in PricewaterhouseCoopers' (“PwC”) Systems & Process Assurance Practice in Richmond, Virginia. In his role at Genworth, Kenneth worked with the Senior VP of Risk Management on the management and development of the Business Controllership Risk Focus for the Long-Term Care Insurance division of Genworth. At PwC he gained over eight years of experience providing audit support and internal control review services to a variety of commercial clients at PwC. Kenneth also worked as a Manager of Sales Finance for Philip Morris USA in New York, NY and Puerto Rico. Mr. Cooke’s educational background includes an undergraduate major in Accounting from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (“Virginia Tech”). After completing his undergraduate studies he joined PricewaterhouseCoopers and subsequently passed the CPA examination. Kenneth has been a member of NABA for 16 years. His other interests include traveling, reading and meeting new people. Kenneth gives credit for his success to his faith and his mother, Leslie H. Cooke. He says without the wisdom and guidance of his faith, family and other professionals—he would not be before you today. He has benefited directly from the NABA motto, “Lifting As We Climb”.

Pamela D. Borders Pamela D. Borders, National Secretary, has served on the National Board for six years and currently chairs the Bylaws/NPPM Committee. Pamela joined NABA ten years ago as a member of the Chicago Chapter. She has held numerous leadership positions, including Central Region President, Central Region Representative, and Chicago Chapter President. In addition, she is Accounting Career Awareness Program (ACAP) Chicago's Board Chairperson. Pamela is a Senior Financial Analyst for Kraft Foods, Inc. Her professional experience also includes work in internal audit and public accounting at such companies as Allstate Insurance Company and Thomas Havey, LLP. Pamela holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting from Lewis University.

Gwendolyn D. Skillern, CPA  Gwendolyn D. Skillern, CPA, the immediate National Past President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA) is also Senior Vice President and General Auditor for CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, a not-for-profit managed healthcare insurance company which offers a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products, direct health care and administrative services to individuals and groups in Northern Virginia, the District of Columbia and Maryland. At CareFirst Ms. Skillern is responsible for directing internal audit services, quality control activities and special investigations for all essential operations of CareFirst.  Over the course of her career, Ms. Skillern has held various positions in public accounting, corporate finance and internal auditing, including Vice President of Internal Audit and Corporate Controller for Bass Hotels & Resorts in Atlanta, Georgia, Director of Internal Audit for the Northwestern Hub of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and partner with Williams Adeley & Company, as well as owner and operator of her own CPA firm in Oakland, California. She began her professional carrier with Deloitte, Haskins & Sells in San Francisco, California. Ms. Skillern, a native of Oakland, California, is a Lifetime Member of NABA. She has also served as national director, western regional vice president and various positions within the San Francisco Bay Area chapter, including chapter president. She has received the national outstanding member award, presidential service award as well as the San Francisco Bay Area chapter outstanding member and distinguished service awards. Other recent awards include 2006 Maryland’s Top 100 Women, 2006 and 2007 Top 100 Most Influential People in the Accounting profession, 2007 25 Most Influential Black Women in Business, 2006 and 2007 Ebony Magazine 150 Most Influential Persons and Wiley College 2007 Woman of Excellence award. Ms. Skillern is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Institute of Internal Auditors and serves on the board of directors of numerous non-profit organizations. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of California at Berkeley and her Master’s of Business Administration from Stanford University.

Ronald P. Walker, CPA Chairman of the Division of Firms                                                                                                                                             Bio to be posted soon

Celia Thompkins, CPA  Celia Thompkins, CPA, is the Central Region President of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA). Thompkins is director of Human Resource Information System at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Thompkins has also served as a facilitator in the business school of the University of Phoenix since 2003. She is a founding member of the NABA Northwest Arkansas Chapter and the Austin, Texas Accounting Career Awareness Program (ACAP). Thompkins has held various leadership positions within NABA including Central Region Vice President, Chapter President, Chapter Vice President and a member of numerous National Subcommittees. Additionally, she has served as a member of the AICPA Minority Initiatives Committee; Texas Society of CPAs Education Committee, and vice president, Austin Chapter of the Texas Society of CPAs.

Manuel Torres, CISA, CISSP Manuel Torres, CISA, CISSP, Eastern Region President of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc.(NABA), is serving his fourth year on the National Board. He is a Lifetime Member from the Philadelphia Chapter, where he served three years as the Chapter’s President and was a co-founder of the Chapter’s Accounting Career Awareness Program. Manuel’s extensive NABA experience also includes terms as the Eastern Region Chapter Representative, ER Vice President, and ER Student Conference Chair along with multiple committee leadership roles at the Chapter level. Manuel is employed as a Senior Channel Strategist with CA, Inc, where he oversees the worldwide partner sales strategy for IT Governance solutions. Prior employers include Ernst and Young, LLP, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, and Accume Partners. Manuel earned his BS degree in Economics from Lehigh University and is a Certified Information Systems Auditor and Certified Information Systems Security Professional.

W. Delores Lewis Southern Region President                                                                     Bio to be posted soon

Sheila Taylor-Clark, CPA Sheila Taylor-Clark, CPA, Western Region President of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA) is serving her second year on the National Board of Directors. Sheila is a senior manager and the department leader for domestic tax for Perot Systems Corporation in Plano, Texas. A Lifetime Member of NABA, Sheila is a past president of the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of NABA and was recognized as the Western Region Chapter President of the Year in both 2006 and 2007. Sheila was also recognized with the 2007 NABA Rising Star award.                   Sheila is also very active in her community serving as Second Vice-President and Fundraising Committee Chair of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. - OMO Chapter and Secretary of the Bridge Breast Network, a non-profit organization that provides free medical care to uninsured individuals diagnosed with breast cancer. Sheila is also secretary of the Blueprint for Leadership Alumni Association. BFL is a board readiness program that trains minorities for non-profit board positions. Sheila is member of the AICPA, Texas Society of CPAs, and the Junior League of Dallas. She is a graduate of Jackson State University (Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting) and has done graduate work at the University of Memphis. She is also listed in the National Register of Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals.

James Brown, CPA James D. Brown, CPA, National Parliamentarian of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA), is the Managing Partner of James D. Brown, CPA, a full service accounting firm providing accounting, tax, consulting, and business advisory services to individuals and all forms of business. A Lifetime Member of NABA, James is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, NJ, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. James has served NABA as Eastern Region President (3 years), as well as New York Chapter President (3 Years), 1st Vice President, and Treasurer.             Additionally, he has served on a variety of local, regional, and national committees, including Chair of the Lifetime Membership Committee, and Vice-Chair of the host committee for NABA's 2002 National Convention in New York. James was selected as the New York Chapter's Outstanding Member for Fiscal Years 1996 and 1997, a President’s Award recipient in 2001, and as NABA’s National Outstanding Member in Fiscal Year 2002 .                 In addition to NABA, James is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the New Jersey Society of CPAs, and the Financial Executives Networking Group. James is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New Jersey, and also holds the designations of Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), and Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC). James and his wife Theresa reside in Teaneck, New Jersey, with their sons Jordan and Joshua.

Picture to be posted

April Royster April Royster, CPA is the newly elected Central Region Chapter Representative of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA). April has served NABA in various capacities at the local, regional and national levels, notably serving as Chapter President of the Detroit chapter and Chair of the National Committee for Nominations and Elections. In addition, she has been active with her state CPA society as well as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) in assisting the AICPA in developing and reviewing audit and attestation questions for the CPA exam. April is currently an Audit Services Manager for Trinity Health. In that role, she is responsible for managing financial and operation audit projects. Previously she served as the Deputy Chief Financial Officer at Detroit Public Schools. In this role, she was responsible for the day-to-day operations within the Division of Finance, which included Accounting, Budget, Payroll, Financial Training and Technical Support. Prior to joining Detroit Public Schools, she served as the Assistant Director of Accounting for Wayne County, Michigan. Wayne County had an annual operating budget of about $2 billion and her responsibilities included preparing the annual financial statements as well as overseeing the day-to-day operations of the accounting and payroll staff. Ms. Royster began her career at Deloitte and Touche, LLP and graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting.

Wayne Lee, CPA Wayne Lee is founder and president of Lazarus Group Consulting, Inc, a professional services firm that has provided accounting, tax, management, and financial consulting services to corporations, not-for-profits, small businesses, and individuals.  He is also a registered representative with Genworth Financial, Inc. (formerly GE Financial) Independent Accountants Network.   He is licensed in life insurance, health insurance, and has completed the Series 66 and Series 7. Additionally, Wayne is the Chief Financial Officer of The Saint Paul’s Baptist Church, one of the Top 100 churches in the nation with 3 locations and approximately 300 acres of land. Wayne earned a B.S. degree in Accounting and a MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Wayne is a member of the National Board of Directors of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA) – where he serves as the Eastern Region Representative, Chairperson of Student Member Services (responsible for over 4,100 student members, 159 student chapters at colleges and universities, and 5 Regional Student Conferences nationwide), Chairperson of the Organizational Effectiveness and Personnel Committee, Recipient of the National Member of the Year Award for Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2006, Recipient of the Presidential Service Award at the National Convention held in Detroit in June 2005, Past President of the Richmond Chapter, member of Richmond Chapter Presidential Advisory Council, Eastern Region Scholarship Committee Chairperson, Past Eastern Region Representative, Past National Director, Co-founder of the Virginia Commonwealth University Student Chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc., Has served on the following National Committees: Audit, Advocacy, Convention, Education and Professional Development, Marketing, Organizational Effectiveness and Personnel, Professional Member Services, Strategic Planning, Student Member Services, Involved in the initiatives to create the Academia Membership Rate, the College Pipeline Initiative, the NABA graphics standard manual, the professional chapter best practices CD, and the student chapter toolkit. His other professional memberships include, the Virginia Society of CPAs (VSCPA), the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), Member of the National Black MBA Association, and the National Association of Securities Professionals.

Carriera Flowers, CPA  Carriea Flowers, CPA is the Southern Region Representative for the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA) National Board of Directors. Flowers is a manager at Price-waterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she serves clients in the automotive and healthcare industry. She is a member of NABA's National Financial Literacy Committee, Chapter Development and Effectiveness Committee, and a past member of the Professional Member Services Committee. She is the past-president of the NABA Triad (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point) Chapter, and was awarded the Southern Region President of the Year Award during NABA's National Convention in June 2007.   Flowers is co-chair of the FY 2009 Southern Region Student Conference (SRSC), and has served as technical session co-chair and wrap-up chair for the SRSC, and as regional director for professional membership.

Erskine Payne, CPA Erskine D. Payne, CPA currently serves as Western Region Representative for the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc (NABA) National Board of Directors. Erskine previously served as the Western Regional Secretary, Houston Chapter President and various other leadership roles in the Houston Chapter.Western Region Representative, bio to be posted soon. Erskine is a Senior Tax Consultant with UHY LP Business and Tax consultants in Houston, TX. Erskine has previous tax experience in energy, partnership, individual and small business taxation. He is a member of the Texas Society of CPA’s, the AICPA and Houston CPA Association. He has served on several Boards including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Houston, Texas.

Robert Dunlap, CPA Robert Dunlap, CPA, National Director, is a lifetime member who has been active on the National Board since 2000. Robert has held several leadership roles, including President of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter and Assistant Vice President, Vice President, President of the Southern Region and National Parliamentarian as well as various positions on national committees. In recognition of his many contributions, NABA honored him with the Atlanta Chapter's Distinguished Member Award in 1999, 2000, and 2002; the San Francisco Chapter's President's Award in 2002; and the National President's Award in 1991 and 2001. Robert was also awarded NABA’s Outstanding Member of the Year in 2004. Robert began his career with Williams, Adley & Company, LLP (a member firm in NABA’s Division of Firms) located in Oakland, California. He has several years of internal audit experience in the aerospace, public utilities, healthcare and hospitality industries. Robert earned his Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Accounting from San Francisco State University. He recently became a Development Director for Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) a non-profit organization. SIFE is a partnership between business and higher education that is preparing the next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders to create a better world for everyone. SIFE’s global network consists of business executives, university students and academic leaders.

Picture to be posted

L Matthew Perry National Director                                                                                     Bio to be posted soon

Calvin Harris, Jr., CPA Calvin Harris, Jr., CPA, National Director, of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA) is serving in his third year on the national Board of Directors. He is a Lifetime Member who has held leadership positions at the student, chapter, regional and national levels. Calvin is a past President of the Baltimore Chapter, a former Secretary of the Eastern Region, a past recipient of the Eastern Region Chapter President of the Year award and former President of the Morehouse College Student Chapter. He currently chairs the National Awards Committee and the Audit Committee. Calvin is the Chief Financial Officer for The Council for Excellence in Government, based in Washington, D.C. His diverse career, which began at Arthur Andersen, has focused on non-profit organizations, with prior Controller-level roles at the United Nations Foundation, NeighborWorks America and Morgan State University. Calvin is a member of the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants and the American Society of Association Executives. He also serves as a member of the recently created Undergraduate Resource Board at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. Calvin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, with honors, in business administration/ accounting from Morehouse College and serves as the National Treasurer of the Morehouse College Alumni Association.

Yolanda E. McBride Yolanda E. McBride, is currently serving as National Director and Chair of the National Marketing & Branding Committee. She previously served four (4) years as National Secretary and Chair of the National Bylaws Committee. She is a lifetime member and Philadelphia Chapter Past President. Previously, she was an officer of the Student Chapter at Temple University, where she received her B.B.A. in Accounting. Yolanda is a Tax Supervisor in the Philadelphia office of Mitchell & Titus, a member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited. She holds an MBA and a Master of Science in taxation from Philadelphia University.

Starr H. Purdue, CPA Starr H. Purdue, CPA, National Director, has served on the National Board for 16 years. She is a Funeral Director and Treasurer for Hutchings Funeral Home, Inc., a family-owned business in Macon, Georgia. Previously, she was a Manager of trust investments for the Florida Power Corporation and its parent company, Florida Progress Corporation; a Controller for BiRite Company, Inc.; and a Senior Auditor with Pricewaterhouse in Tampa, Florida. Starr is a member of the Georgia Society of CPAs and the AICPA. She is State Treasurer for the Georgia Funeral Service Practitioners Association and National Treasurer for the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association. She serves on the board and chairs the Finance Committee for the Development Authority of Bibb County, and sits on the boards of Central Georgia Health Systems, the Better Business Bureau of Georgia, Inc., the Macon Area Chamber of Commerce, MedCen Community Health Foundation, the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, and the Georgia Center for Racial Understanding in Macon. Starr earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting from Stetson University and an MBA in Finance from the University of South Florida. In addition, she is a Certified Internal Auditor and a Licensed Insurance Agent.

Veda Stanley Veda Stanley, National Director, is a lifetime member who has served on the National Board for four years. She has chaired the New York Chapter's Professional Development Committee and served as its first Vice President and President. Her regional experience includes such roles as Chair of the Eastern Region Student Conference's Interview Committee, Chair of the Corporate Support Committee, and Regional Vice President. At the national level, Veda has lent her talents to the Student Member Services and Professional Member Services committees. In 2003 and 2004, she was recognized as the Eastern Region Chapter's President of the Year. Veda, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and finance from Virginia State University, is a Program Accounting Manager with Clarendon Insurance Group in New York. Prior to that, she worked as a Statutory Financial Analyst for Empire BlueCross BlueShield, an Audit and Dispute Consulting Senior for Deloitte, and Manager of Corporate Receivables for American International Group.

Picture to be posted

Barry Winters, CPA National Director                                                                                                                                                   Bio to be posted soon