Act 653: What Accounting Educators Need to Know About Louisiana's New CPA Pathways
Overview
Free Webcast • CPE Eligible
Louisiana’s CPA licensure pathway has changed, and accounting educators and career counselors play a critical role in helping students understand what those changes mean for their future.
Effective August 1, 2026, Act 653 introduces three pathways to CPA licensure, giving aspiring CPAs greater flexibility in how they complete their education and gain the experience needed for licensure, while maintaining the high standards of the profession.
Join LCPA for this complimentary, CPE-eligible webcast designed specifically for university accounting and finance educators and career counselors. Get up to speed on the new pathways, understand how the changes may affect your students, and gain practical insight to help each student determine the path that best aligns with their goals and career aspirations.
A panel of professionals who were instrumental in shaping and advancing Act 653 will break down the changes, address frequently asked questions, and provide context for what educators need to know. Featured panelists include Louisiana State Board of Accountancy Executive Director Lisa Benefield, LCPA CEO/Executive Director Ron Gitz, and LCPA Director of Government & Political Affairs.
Following the presentation, the panel will open the discussion to attendees, giving you an opportunity to ask questions and get clarity on issues that matter to your students.
Whether you advise aspiring CPAs, teach the next generation of accounting professionals, or help students navigate their academic and career choices, this webcast will give you the knowledge and confidence to guide them forward.
Learn the changes. Understand the options. Help your students chart their path to CPA licensure.
Leader(s):
Leader Bios
Lisa Benefield, State Board of CPAs of Louisiana
Lisa Benefield is the Executive Director of the State Board of CPAs of Louisiana. She has been employed by the Board since 2011, first as an Investigator, then as Deputy Director in 2016 and finally as Executive Director since April of 2021. Prior to working for the CPA Board, Ms. Benefield worked as an associate attorney for the Law Firm of Oats & Hudson from 2007-2011 and served as Law Clerk to Judge Lloyd J. Medley, Jr. (Retired) from 2004-2007 at Civil District Court in New Orleans, Louisiana. She graduated from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana) in Lafayette, LA with a BA in Political Science, from the University of New Orleans with an MA in Political Science and from Loyola University College of Law with a JD in Civil Law. She is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association, the New Orleans Bar Association and currently serves on NASBA’s Executive Directors’ Committee. If not working, she’s either jogging or hanging out with her husband, two children and their Giant Schnauzer, Atticus.
Ronald Gitz II, Executive Director/CEO, Society of Louisiana CPAs
Ron Gitz, CPA, CGMA, serves as CEO of the Society of Louisiana CPAs (LCPA), a non-profit membership association representing more than 7000 CPAs and future CPAs. Prior to joining LCPA in 2012, Ron had a diverse career working both in public practice and industry. He owned and operated several businesses, including a successful CPA practice.
At the national level, Ron currently serves on the Board of Trustees for AICPA’s Benevolent Fund which helps members through temporary periods of financial difficulties. He also serves on the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy’s State Society Relations Committee, the Accountancy Stakeholders Working Group, and is Vice Chair of AICPA’s Interchange Planning Executive Committee. Ron is Past President of the CPA Society Executives Association and remains very active in the organization.
On the state level, Ron serves on the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry’s Taxation & Finance Council and is a member of the Committee of 100, and RESET. Ron also is a member of Louisiana State University’s Accounting Advisory Board. He leads LCPA’s Advocacy Team which works year-round to help create a more favorable economic environment for CPAs and the businesses and individuals they serve.
He holds both the CPA and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designations.
Ron enjoys being outdoors and cooking competitively. He lives in Covington with his wife, Jennifer. Together they have three children, Audrey, Mary Grace, and Harrison.
David Zoller, Society of Louisiana CPAs
David J. Zoller is a seasoned government affairs professional and political strategist with more than fifteen years of experience at the intersection of public policy, advocacy, and political campaigning in Louisiana. He currently serves as Director of Government and Political Affairs for the Society of Louisiana CPAs, where he represents the interests of the state’s accounting profession before the state legislature and other governing bodies.
Prior to joining the Society of Louisiana CPAs, Zoller served as Director of Government Affairs for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC), where he created and executed the organization’s legislative agenda and lobbied on a wide range of business-critical issues, including tax reform, carbon capture and sequestration, COVID-19 liability protection, and direct appropriations for infrastructure funding. In that role, he also staffed FuturePAC, leading candidate recruitment, fundraising, and the endorsement process, and played a key role in securing approval of a tax incentive package tied to a $250 million corporate investment in the Baton Rouge community.
Zoller also served for nearly seven years as District Director for State Representative Julie Stokes (R-Kenner), where he researched and drafted legislation on tax policy, healthcare, industrial and residential regulation, and human trafficking, while managing constituent engagement and media relations. His work in her office ran in parallel with his role as her campaign strategist, serving as Campaign Manager for her 2013 and 2015 State Representative races and as Political Director for her 2017 State Treasurer campaign.
Through his firm, Zoller Consulting, he has advised political candidates and nonprofit organizations across Louisiana on government affairs, campaign strategy, and events, working on more than 30 campaigns at the local, regional, and state levels.
Zoller holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science from Loyola University New Orleans.
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