James Underwood, CPA, CFP, Elected Chair of GSCPA Board of Directors for 2025-26 Year
ATLANTA (July 01, 2025)- James Underwood, CPA, CFP advisor at Focus Partners Wealth of Atlanta, Georgia, has been elected Chair of The Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants (GSCPA) Board of Directors for the 2025-26 fiscal year. Mr. Underwood was selected at the Society’s annual business meeting in St. Thomas, USVI.
“It is an honor to welcome James Underwood as the 2025–26 Chair of The Georgia Society of CPAs,” said Boyd Search, President and CEO of GSCPA. “James is a steady, solutions-oriented leader who brings a calm confidence to every room he’s in. He’s deeply committed to the profession and has consistently stepped up to serve in meaningful ways. As the profession continues to evolve, James’s thoughtful approach and dedication to progress will serve GSCPA well in the year ahead.”
Underwood has been an active and involved member of GSCPA for 15 years. He previously has served on the GSCPA Board of Directors and has volunteered his time on numerous committees and task forces.
Underwood is on a mission this year to help reshape how people view the accounting profession. “All people seem to hear is the horror stories of long hours, deadlines, and crunch times,” he says. “What that perception fails to convey is how great an opportunity being a CPA is, regardless of whether you’re in public accounting or industry. I want people to know that being a CPA sets you up for a lifetime of incredibly fulfilling work.”
“There’s so much going on in the profession,” he says. “I want to help communicate those issues, hear CPAs’ questions, and tackle the issues important to them. This profession can be hard. If we continue to remind ourselves of the great benefits that come from the work we do for our clients, and how financially rewarding this profession can be, we reframe the perception and that gets people excited about being CPAs.”
Mr. Underwood is a financial advisor of Focus Partners Wealth. Mr. Underwood and his family are proud to call Atlanta, Georgia home.
GSCPA is the premier professional organization for CPAs in the state of Georgia. With almost 12,000 members throughout the state, the purpose of GSCPA is to achieve excellence by providing superior advocacy, leadership, service, lifelong learning, and personal and professional development opportunities. For more information, visit www.gscpa.org.
The Georgia Society of CPAs: Elizabeth Cook, Chief Relationship Officer, 404-504-2941, ecook@gscpa.org.