Meet our executive director

J. THOMAS HOOD III, CPA, has been executive director and CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs since January 1997. Armed with a passion for the profession and the drive to move it forward, Hood manages a staff of more than 30, works closely with the Executive Committee and Board of Directors and oversees the work of numerous committees to promote and protect the CPA brand in Maryland.

Since joining the MACPA, Hood has helped the association build and strengthen relationships at the state and national levels; implement strategies to better serve a diverse membership; pursue regulatory changes; promote the value of the CPA; develop a vision and strategy to advance the association and its members; and develop strategic alliances within the business, governmental and educational communities, all for the betterment of the profession and the protection of the public.

Hood also has helped the MACPA achieve national recognition as a leader in preparing the CPA profession for the 21st century. Since 1998, he has been chair of the national CPA Vision Team, where he oversees the profession-wide implementation of new strategies to reposition the CPA for the demands of a rapidly changing domestic and global marketplace.

He recently was named one of the "Top 100 Most Influential People in the Accounting Profession" by Accounting Today for his work on the CPA Vision Project, his profession-wide change management efforts, and his role in creating a national "shared services" model for the state and national CPA organizations.

Hood has been an active member of the MACPA since 1983, serving as president in 1993-94 and as chair of various committees and special projects. Prior to joining MACPA, Hood worked as a high-level executive in industry, specifically as treasurer and CFO of Bryn Awel Corporation, a privately owned, $50 million highway construction company (1985-1997); accounting systems manager with RTKL Associates, Inc. (1981-85); and an accountant with The Finance Company of America (1978-81).

In addition to being a CPA, Hood has a B.A. from Loyola College in Maryland, a master's equivalent in information systems from the University of Baltimore, and a master of science in real estate finance from the Johns Hopkins University. He also is a member of the World Future Society and the American Institute of CPAs.

Hood lives in Owings Mills with his wife, Sharon, and their three sons, Thomas, Andrew and William.