SEC Chief Accountant James Schnurr will retire from the agency; he began his tenure as chief accountant in October 2014. Wesley Bricker will be his successor.

The Office of the Chief Accountant is responsible for establishing and enforcing accounting and auditing policy as well as improving the professional performance of public company auditors. The office works to enhance the transparency and relevancy of financial reporting and ensure that financial statements are presented fairly and have credibility for the benefit of all investors.

In April 2016, Mr. Schnurr was in a serious bicycle accident and is continuing his rehabilitation from his injuries. Before joining the SEC staff, Mr. Schnurr had retired from Deloitte LLP, where he was vice chairman and senior professional practice director and specialized in financial and SEC reporting for public companies. He began his career at Deloitte in 1975 and became a partner in 1985. He was a senior partner for mergers and acquisition services from 1994 to 2002 and a deputy managing partner of the firm’s professional practice from 2002 to 2009 where he was responsible for quality control and risk management of the firm’s audit and advisory services.

Mr. Bricker has served as Deputy Chief Accountant for the accounting group since 2015 and Interim Chief Accountant since July 2016.  As Chief Accountant, Mr. Bricker will serve as the principal advisor to the Commission on accounting and auditing matters and lead the Commission’s Office of the Chief Accountant.  He also will be responsible for assisting the Commission with discharging its oversight of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).

Mr. Bricker joined the SEC in 2015 from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, where he was a partner responsible for audit engagements in the banking, capital markets, financial technology, and investment management sectors.  He had previously served as a professional accounting fellow in Office of the Chief Accountant from 2009 to 2011.  Mr. Bricker received a B.S. in accounting from Elizabethtown College and a law degree from American U.  He’s a licensed CPA and is a member of the NYS Bar Association.