The Akron Legal News

Scott Wiley named new leader of Ohio Society of CPAs

Published: November 15, 2012

Starting in February Ohio’s certified public accountants will have a new leader for the first time in more than two decades.

The Ohio Society of CPAs has announced that Scott Wiley will become its new president and chief executive officer, replacing long-time leader J. Clarke Price, who is retiring from the organization after 22 years at the helm.

“His broad experience in many areas of association management will be vital in retaining OSCPA’s position as a top association and driving development of even more innovative programs that serve CPAs and the public,” said Brendan Fitzgerald, chairman of OSCPA’s executive board.

Wiley currently is executive director of Delta Sigma Phi, an international membership organization with 115,000 members in the United States and abroad, which is based in Indianapolis.

Wiley was selected to lead OSCPA after an extensive nationwide search.

As OSCPA’s president and CEO, Wiley will lead strategic planning initiatives, maintain OSCPA’s national sphere of influence and expand advocacy, continuing education and membership growth and retention programs.

“I saw a great opportunity to take an organization that has a great reputation and help take it to the next level,” said Wiley.

A graduate of the State University of New York at Oswego with a degree in communications, he says he’s long been interested in working in association management.

“It gives me an opportunity to work with people who volunteer with their organization and want to help their organization and the community around them. It’s really rewarding,” Wiley said. “People who join an organization do so because they care about that organization and their community and want them to be successful.”

He says he also enjoys the variety the job offers.

“On any given day you’re never sure what’s going to pop up,” said Wiley. “It’s a never-dull profession.”

In his 10 years as executive director at Delta Sigma Phi, he led a number of initiatives that resulted in substantial gains in membership and increased strategic partnerships.

He is experienced at developing volunteer leaders and working with boards and staff teams to drive innovation and achieve effective results.

Prior to his current role, he served as a member of the organization’s management team with responsibilities that included marketing, communications and member services.

In addition to leading Delta Sigma Phi’s affiliated foundation, Wiley has maintained an active and visible presence in public policy efforts at both the state and federal level, and brings experience in building coalitions with other associations.

Wiley serves on the board of directors of the American Society of Association Executives. He previously served as president of the Indiana Society of Association Executives.

Now he’ll be taking on a new challenge in a new industry. He said once he started considering the job he’s been researching the accounting profession.

“OSCPA has a rich history and solid foundation to build on, and its continued member engagement is one of the many reasons for my enthusiasm,” Wiley said. “My immediate focus will be working closely with the executive board and OSCPA’s staff, meeting CPAs across Ohio, and diving deeply into our products and services to learn more about what our 22,000 members need to succeed in today’s complex business environment.”

The CEO search was conducted by association and non-profit executive search experts Vetted Solutions and overseen by a committee of OSCPA members and past leaders.

“I cannot wait to get started. Clearly, speed is important but we will attack both the opportunities and competitive challenges ahead with an appropriate balance of urgency and thoughtfulness,” said Wiley.

OSCPA is the fifth largest state CPA society representing more than 22,000 certified public accountants. With a long history of CPA leaders and successful advocacy initiatives, OSCPA is recognized as an influencer in the accounting profession and among both state and national associations.

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