The Board of Trustees of the Financial Accounting Foundation appointed Richard R. Jones as the next chair of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). 
 
Jones succeeds Russell G. Golden, and his appointment is effective July 1, 2020. Jones is expected to join the organization in early 2020 to enable a smooth, orderly leadership transition for the FASB.
 
Jones is chief accountant and partner at Ernst & Young LLP (EY), leading a large and diverse team of EY professional colleagues in the firm’s national office. Jones has spent his entire career at EY.

Jones held the title of assurance staff and senior manager from 1987–2000 and was promoted to assurance partner in 2000. In 2008, he was named director, consultations, and he was appointed to his current post in 2014. 
 
As EY’s chief accountant, Jones leads the effort to help the firm’s clients and engagement teams understand accounting requirements, develop the firm’s views on proposed accounting standards, and oversee EY’s accounting publication efforts across all sectors: public companies, private companies, not-for-profit organizations, employee benefit plans, and government entities. He is also the author of numerous EY technical publications.
 
Jones previously served on the Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council (FASAC) from 2016 to 2018. He was also a member of the Accounting Standards Executive Committee of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) from 2003–2008.
 
“Rich Jones brings together all of the important qualities we were looking for in FASB’s next leader,” said FAF Chairman Charles H. Noski. “He is an outstanding accountant, deeply knowledgeable about our diverse stakeholders, and an experienced leader who can drive consensus in the complex world of accounting standards and financial reporting. He lives our values and our mission in every respect and will serve with distinction.”
 
“I am both excited and humbled by this opportunity,” Jones said. “I have long regarded the FASB as a fascinating and vital player in the financial reporting system. The independent standard-setting process is a national asset and is foundational to our robust financial markets. I am eager to join my new colleagues to carry on the mission to establish and improve accounting standards, and to educate stakeholders on how to implement them successfully.”