Barry C. Melancon, CPA, is the president and CEO of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), the national professional organization of CPAs with 350,000 members. As head of the largest body of CPAs in the world, Melancon is called upon to represent the Institute with state, national and international organizations and is sought after by key opinion leaders for his expertise. Under Melancon, the Institute has spearheaded a number of initiatives designed to benefit not only the profession, but also investors, business owners, lenders and the general public. These include private company reporting standards; eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL); the computerized CPA Exam; audit quality centers; an Audit Committee Effectiveness Center; and two consumer education programs: 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy, a national effort to help Americans understand how financial issues affect them at different life stages, and a related campaign, Feed the Pig. In addition to serving as president and CEO, Melancon is a member of the AICPA's delegation to the International Federation of Accountants, whose broad objective is the development and enhancement of a coordinated worldwide accountancy profession with harmonized standards. He is a member of the board and vice chairman of XBRL-US and the Center for Audit Quality, and a founding board member of the Global Accounting Alliance. He serves on the board of the U.S. Chamber Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness, and during 2007–2008, served on the U.S. Department of the Treasury Advisory Committee on the Auditing Profession. Prior to joining the AICPA, Melancon served for eight years as executive director of the Society of Louisiana CPAs. He began his accounting career in 1979 at a small CPA firm in Louisiana. In 1984, he was elected a firm partner.