J. Michael Kirkland, CPA, CGMA

J. Michael KirklandJ. Michael Kirkland, CPA, CGMA is a veteran financial executive with over 30 years of experience in accounting, industry, consulting, and business development. He also serves the CPA profession with distinction, lending strong and visible leadership to professional and student groups. 

J. Michael is the founder of JMK Consulting, where he currently serves as a strategic and technical advisor to executive management clients. Before starting the firm, he held senior executive positions at Deutsche Bank AG. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, J. Michael worked at the Bankers Trust Company and JPMorgan Chase in New York and London. He began his accounting career at Arthur Andersen & Company in New York. 

Throughout his career, J. Michael has been a driving force in the CPA profession, globally, nationally, and locally. He is a member of, and has held leadership positions in, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AIPCA), Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA), National Association of Black Accountants (NABA), the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA) and Ascend, and the Accountants Club of America.  

Currently, Mr. Kirkland is a member of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) Board of Directors and Council member and serves on the Audit Committee, Budget & Finance Committee, Grants Committee, and Environment, Social & Governance Subcommittee.  Mr. Kirkland is on the Board of Directors of Sustainability Investment Leadership Council and previously served as President. 

Mr. Kirkland is the recipient of the National Association of Black Accountants 2013 National Achievement – Public Accounting Award. He was also awarded the NYSSCPA’s 2011 Outstanding CPA in Industry Award and was awarded the NYSSCPA’s 2019 Distinguished Service Award. In 2014, he received a Maryland General Assembly Official Citation from the Baltimore City Legislature in recognition of his accounting leadership, and dedication.

Among his writings, he has frequently been published in The Trusted Professional, the newspaper of the NYSSCPA, and the New Accountant – High School Edition, for which he wrote “CPA: Career for a Lifetime” and co-authored “State of The profession 2018: Views on Practice Management” in The CPA Journal.