Michael Ussery is an expert in complex financial accounting and financial reporting issues, involving both U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). His areas of expertise include financial reporting and compliance involving the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); internal controls; environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters; and corporate governance.
In both public and private firms, Mr. Ussery has served as the chief financial officer (CFO) or controller. He was an auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers for more than a decade, with particular expertise related to initial public offerings (IPOs). His international experience includes serving as CFO of the Malaysian subsidiary of an energy corporation.
Mr. Ussery consults to multinational companies, accounting firms, and small businesses. His industry expertise includes oil and gas, telecommunications, IT consulting services, manufacturing, mortgage banking, banking, and financial services.
Working as a consultant/CFO, Mr. Ussery has designed and implemented internal and external financial reporting systems and compliance structures. In a consultant/expert capacity, he has extensive experience with internal control over financial reporting under Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), including ESG disclosure requirements. He has also assisted clients in addressing SEC comment issues and represented a client on an accounting matter before the SEC’s chief accountant.
As an expert witness, Mr. Ussery has provided testimony in a range of financial reporting matters, including U.S. GAAP and disclosure requirements; compliance controls and internal control over financial reporting; management roles and responsibilities within the financial reporting process; and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). He has analyzed whether officers met the appropriate standard of care in connection with U.S. GAAP filings or internal investigations; evaluated the impact of operational and reporting functions on company performance; and assessed ESG issues, including accounting for environmental liabilities.
Mr. Ussery is an instructor for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Center for Professional Education. He teaches courses on various accounting and internal controls topics, such as foreign exchange (FX) transactions and international expansion, IPOs, reverse mergers, SEC reporting, fraud prevention and detection, and the implementation of SOX in public companies.