Bio
John F. Levy
Chief Executive Officer & Principal Consultant
I have served as the chief executive officer and principal consultant for Board Advisory since May 2005. I am a recognized corporate governance and financial reporting expert with over 47 years of progressive financial, accounting and business experience including nine years in public accounting with national accounting firms, 13 years as chief financial officer of both public and private companies and 19 years as a board member and committee chair of both public and not-for-profit companies. I am a frequent lecturer and I have written several articles and courses on numerous business topics. I am a Certified Public Accountant. I graduated from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and received my MBA from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
John F. Levy is a nationally recognized expert in corporate governance, financial strategy, and board leadership, with over 45 years of experience in accounting, finance, and executive management. As CEO of Board Advisory, a governance-focused consulting firm, John advises public and pre-IPO companies on financial reporting, compliance, ethics, and board effectiveness. He has also served as an expert witness on accounting and governance matters.
John currently serves on the board and as audit committee chair of one public company. Over his career, he has served on fifteen public company boards, holding roles as chair of the board, vice chair, and chair of audit, compensation, governance, and special investigation committees. His leadership has helped companies navigate SEC compliance, internal investigations, shareholder litigation, and financial restructuring. In one notable case, his independent report on accounting improprieties was fully accepted by the Delaware Chancery Court. His recent article on special investigation committees was featured in Directors & Boards magazine.
John spent over 13 years as CFO for both public and private companies, where he led mergers, acquisitions, capital raises, and investor relations. He has conducted numerous investor presentations and appeared on CNBC and CNNfn. Earlier in his career, he was a CPA with Ernst & Young, Laventhol & Horwath, and Grant Thornton, managing audit teams, researching SEC reporting issues, and developing national training programs.
A dynamic speaker and educator, John has led seminars in 39 states and three countries, and authored dozens of continuing professional education courses and articles on governance, ethics, budgeting, and M&A. He co-authored Cashin’s Handbook for Auditors (McGraw Hill) and is a regular contributor to Directors & Boards.
John holds a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in Finance from St. Joseph’s University. He is a CPA (Illinois) and a former NACD Board Leadership Fellow.
In the nonprofit sector, John serves as Treasurer of Healing the Children – New Jersey and previously served as Treasurer and Trustee of the Jewish Community Housing Corporation, Vice President and Treasurer of Temple Emanu-El in Westfield, NJ, and a member of his town’s Public Arts Commission. His leadership approach emphasizes ethics, accountability, and innovation to support high-performing boards and financially resilient organizations.
John F. Levy is Chief Executive Officer and principal consultant for Board Advisory,
a consulting firm established to assist public companies, or companies aspiring to be public with corporate governance, corporate compliance, ethics, financial reporting and financial strategies. Mr. Levy is a recognized corporate governance and financial reporting expert with over 30 years of progressive financial, accounting and business experience, including having served as Chief Financial Officer of both public and private companies for over 13 years.
Mr. Levy is a frequent speaker on the roles and responsibilities of Board members and audit committee members. He has authored The 21st Century Director: Ethical and Legal Responsibilities of Board Members, Acquisitions to Grow the Business: Structure, Due Diligence, Financing, Creating the Best Projections You Can: Insights and Techniques and Ethics and Sustainability: A 4-way Path to Success. He has presented all four courses to various state accounting societies.
Mr. Levy is a National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Board Leadership Fellow. He has demonstrated his commitment to boardroom excellence by completing NACD’s comprehensive program of study for corporate directors. He supplements his skill sets through ongoing engagement with the director community and access to leading practices.
Mr. Levy serves on the Board of Directors of three public companies. Mr. Levy currently serves as non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Applied Minerals Inc., a materials company focused on halloysite, a specialty clay. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Applied Energetics, Inc. and China Commercial Credit, Inc.
From September 2010 to October 2012, Mr. Levy was a Board Member and Audit Committee Member of Fortune 500 company, Brightpoint, Inc., a global leader in providing supply chain solutions to leading stakeholders in the wireless industry. The Company was sold to Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE: IM) on October 15, 2012.
From March 2006 to April 2010, Mr. Levy served as a Board Member and Audit Committee Chairperson of Take Two Interactive Software, Inc. a global developer and publisher of videogames best known for the Grand Theft Auto franchise. While at Take Two, Mr. Levy served as a member of the Company’s Special Litigation Committee formed to investigate accounting allegations raised in derivative actions and prepared an extensive report, saving the Company considerable time and money. Mr. Levy also led the Company’s well-publicized investigation into stock option backdating which led to three criminal convictions.
Mr. Levy has also served as a board member and program chair for the New Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors.
Mr. Levy is a Certified Public Accountant with nine years experience with the national accounting firms of Ernst & Young, Laventhol & Horwath and Grant Thornton. Mr. Levy co-authored the second edition of Cashin’s Handbook for Auditors, published by McGraw-Hill Book Company. Originally, from Kansas City, Mr. Levy and his wife Janet reside in Westfield, New Jersey. Mr. Levy is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and received his MBA from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.