John Buckley, CPA, CGMA

John leads AAFCPAs’ Educational Services practice, serving diverse academic and education services clients including independent schools, colleges/universities, special education schools, education services, charter schools and charter management organizations (CMOs).

He fully understands the nuances of the educational services industry along with business and operational challenges faced by these institutions. This includes funding and regulatory issues such as capital campaign structures, complex endowments, alternative investments, debt financing and tax credit options, and unique governance concerns and internal control risks. He advises education clients on best practice internal controls related to procurement, payment, payroll/benefits, budgeting, and information technology policies. For AAFCPAs’ Charter School clients, he provides guidance on unique control issues, including recommendations to improve policies and procedures around contracts and transactions with sponsoring organizations, conflicts of interest, space acquisition, student residency, and billing.

John chairs AAFCPAs’ Risk Committee and oversees the firm’s Enterprise Risk Management Program, ensuring proper practices are in place to surface, understand, and manage priority risks. Additionally, John performs various types of fraud audits for clients, including cash disbursement, credit card fraud, and falsifying employee reimbursement. He has been asked to serve as an expert witness for several attorneys involved in fraud cases.

John regularly presents training sessions to the nonprofit community on various topics including fraud mitigation, nonprofit governance, understanding financial statements, and increasing operational efficiency while maintaining sound internal controls. John is a 2010 Worcester Business Journal 40 Under 40 winner and a member of the PrimeGlobal North American Regional Council, where he helps shape strategy, enhance member engagement, and gain insight into industry trends to strengthen AAFCPAs’ solutions. He has been serving AAFCPAs’ clients since 1994.

Education

• Worcester State University – Bachelor of Science, Accounting, cum laude

Publications

• Bloomberg: Tax Day and North End Restaurants Cry Foul
• Net Assets Magazine: To Stay Secure, Think Like a Fraudster (National Business Officers Association Premium Content)
• Net Assets Magazine: The Inside Job: As technology advances, so does the proliferation of more complex fraud schemes
• Massachusetts Nonprofit Network: Nonprofit 411: Is Fraud Preventable? How to safeguard the nonprofit organization

Service

• Christa McAuliffe Charter School – Board of Directors
• Worcester State Foundation – Board of Directors
• Boy Scouts of America, Narragansett Council – Volunteer
• PrimeGlobal – North America Regional Council