Bio
John F. Levy, CPA
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 public company director, audit committee chair, CFO, and corporate governance expert with more than 45 years of experience in financial leadership, SEC reporting, governance, risk management, and strategic planning.
Mr. Levy has served on 15 public company boards, including leadership roles as Chair, Vice Chair, Audit Committee Chair, Governance Chair, Compensation Chair, Lead Director, and Special Committee Chair. His experience spans companies ranging from pre-revenue enterprises to Fortune 500 organizations and includes governance, financial oversight, internal controls, shareholder matters, executive compensation, ethics, compliance, and strategic decision making.
Over the course of his executive career, Mr. Levy served as Chief Financial Officer of both public and private companies for more than 13 years and has substantial experience in mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, investor relations, SEC reporting, and financial planning, including participation in six mergers and acquisitions and raising more than $120 million in capital.
A graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Certified Public Accountant, Mr. Levy spent nine years in public accounting with Ernst & Young, Laventhol & Horwath, and Grant Thornton. His experience included service in the National Accounting Department of Laventhol & Horwath and leadership of the Audit Department of Grant Thornton’s Philadelphia office before moving into executive leadership as chief financial officer of both public and private companies.
Throughout his career, Mr. Levy has led numerous teams and departments and is known for pairing high standards with warmth, empathy, humor, and a genuine commitment to mentoring others. He is particularly proud that many of the individuals he mentored have gone on to successful leadership careers of their own.
Mr. Levy is a recognized speaker, educator, consultant, and published author on governance, ethics, compliance, leadership, financial reporting, mergers and acquisitions, and board effectiveness, teaching programs in 39 states and three countries.
In addition to his governance and executive work, Mr. Levy has served as an expert witness in corporate governance and financial oversight matters and chaired independent investigations and special committees involving governance, accounting, fiduciary, and compliance issues.
Mr. Levy has long been committed to community leadership and nonprofit service, serving in trustee and leadership roles with organizations including the Jewish Community Housing Corporation, Healing the Children New Jersey, Temple Emanu-El, the NACD New Jersey Chapter, and Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity.
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Mr. Levy comes from a family with deep multigenerational roots in the Kansas City area and remains a lifelong fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals.
Mr. Levy holds a BS in Economics (Accounting) from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in Finance from Saint Joseph’s University.
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.