IssuesWatch Live: Professional Issues Update (E2310344)

Susan Coffey is Vice President of Self-Regulation and the SEC Practice Section of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. In this capacity, she has overall responsibility for Professional Ethics, Practice Monitoring and the SEC Practice Section of the AICPA. This responsibility includes oversight of the administration, maintenance, and the evaluation of the AICPA’s and SEC Practice Section’s peer review programs, the development of the SEC Practice Section’s peer review programs, the development of the SEC Practice Section’s membership requirements, the development of the accounting profession’s independence, behavioral, and quality control standards, the effective enforcement of all professional standards, and liaisons/relationships with the staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and other U.S. regulatory agencies. In addition, Ms. Coffey’s oversight extends to the AICPA’s international efforts related to professional ethics and the quality of professional practice and services. Prior to joining the AICPA, Ms. Coffey was with PricewaterhouseCooper’s accounting and auditing practice. Ms. Coffey holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Aiysha (AJ) Johnson, MA, IOM, is CEO and executive director of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA). Prior to joining the NJCPA in 2023, Johnson was executive director of BKR International’s Americas Region, where she was responsible for overseeing the implementation of all strategic efforts for BKR accounting and business advisory member firms in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to serving the accounting profession, she worked for a range of associations including Vizient, the nation’s largest healthcare performance improvement company, where she supported members with complex benchmarking needs. Johnson has more than 20 years of wide-ranging global experience working for nonprofits and professional and trade associations. She was elected to the boards of the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ) in 2024 and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce in 2023. She was a member of BKR’s Center of Excellence Advisory Board and is on the boards of the Community Foundation of New Jersey, Together for Youth and Junior Achievement of New Jersey. In addition, she was recognized among the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting by Accounting Today (2023) and on the NJBIZ Power 100 list (2024) and has received numerous honors and awards including being named No. 1 on NJBIZ’s Accounting Power 50 list in 2023 and 2024 and one of its 2023 People to Watch in Finance. She was also named one of ROI-NJ’s ROI Influencers: People of Color 2023. She served on the Alumni Board of the University of Chicago (2021-2023), where she graduated with a Master’s in Administration and Policy. She also completed the Senior Management Program in Business Management at University of Chicago/IE School of Business and holds a certificate in Management Accounting for Leaders. She holds a B.S. from Western Illinois University. Johnson enjoys entrepreneurship, the arts, volunteering, writing, reading and travel. She is also a food and wine enthusiast and a member of Chaine des Rotisseurs. She resides in Hudson County.

Ed is a partner at WithumSmith+Brown and is the 2023/24 President of the NJCPA. He has more than 20 years of accounting, auditing and consulting experience for both public and private companies in the technology, life sciences, manufacturing, distribution, construction, government and service industries. Ed is a former inspection specialist with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). He has obtained certificates in International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and is also certified in financial forensics. He is the Team Leader of Withum's International Accounting & Auditing Services Group, which includes IFRS implementation, convergence and reporting. He currently serves on the American Institute of CPAs' (AICPA) Technical Standards Subcommittee and formerly served as an Independence and Ethics Joint Trial board member. He is also a member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA) and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. He was one of the honorees of the 2008 “Forty Under 40” list by NJBIZ.

Okorie Ramsey, CPA, PMP, NACD.DC, is vice president, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals. In this role, he has responsibility and oversight for the SOX program, including strategy, testing and evaluating internal controls and assessing business risk to assist in building an effective internal control over financial reporting for the $97 billion integrated health care enterprise.Okorie currently serves as the chair of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Association of International Certified Public Accountants (the Association). He previously served on various not-for-profit boards supporting diversity and inclusion in the fields of accounting and finance including the National Association of Black Accountants, the Accounting Career Awareness Program, and LIFE Course as well as served as an adjunct professor with San Francisco State University’s MBA program.

Marita was appointed the acting director of the New Jersey Division of Taxation, effective Sept. 25, 2023. She had been a deputy director since 2017 and started at the Treasury Department in 1987 as a technical assistant. She steps into her new role as the tax division takes on lawmakers’ overhaul of New Jersey’s corporate tax system and creation of StayNJ, a property tax relief program for senior citizens. Her goals include improving the customer experience, facilitating tax education with the public and engaging with employees.