Board delays final approval of CBA 2025'2029 strategic plan; staff to revise goal language and return

The California Board of Accountancy heard a detailed presentation on the proposed 2025'2029 strategic plan but did not adopt it at the March 20 meeting. Staff presented a draft containing 34 objectives across multiple goals and a five-year time frame; board members requested further wordsmithing on several goal definitions and one objective before final approval.

Staff said the draft plan reflected feedback from a November 2024 strategic workshop. During the meeting staff described proposed revisions to values, goals and objectives (examples: updating the "transparency" and "initiative" value language and changing the outreach goal to add and/or clarify audiences). The business modernization and information-technology objectives were discussed at length, including terminology such as "user" versus "stakeholder" and whether internal versus external systems should be separated for clarity.

Board members raised multiple specific edits and concerns: clarity on whether goals are prioritized (staff said they are not), how "outreach" defines its audience, whether the word "user" should be replaced by "stakeholder" in IT objectives, and clarification of the "organizational effectiveness" goal language. Staff proposed minor edits, and President Yen Tu and members suggested additional wordsmithing.

A motion to approve the plan with delegated wordsmithing was discussed but not seconded; legal counsel advised that substantive textual changes to a strategic plan (a statutorily-created document) should be returned for full board consideration. Board members directed staff to work with President Tu on revisions for goals 4, 5 and 7 and on objective 6.1 and to return the draft at a future meeting (staff indicated May was a target). Staff will finalize the design of the plan for posting on the CBA website once approved.

Why it matters: The strategic plan guides the board's work over multiple years and frames priorities such as enforcement, licensure modernization, customer service, outreach and business modernization. Members asked for clearer language so that objectives are actionable and consistent with the CBA's consumer-protection mission.

Next steps: Staff will incorporate member feedback, work with President Tu on revised goal text, and return the plan for formal adoption at a future meeting (anticipated May 2025).