The chief accountant of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is leaving his post in August to join the faculty at Colorado State University.

Lynn Turner will become the director of the Center for Quality Financial Reporting at CSU. Turner has been the chief accountant for the SEC since July 1998.

Acting SEC chairman Laura Unger said, “The commission is losing one of the most active and creative members of the staff. It has been said that Lynn is a ‘force of nature’ and anyone who has dealt with him on a regular basis shares that view. Lynn has been a dynamic, energetic, and knowledgeable leader of the accounting staff. We will miss his keen intellect and the integrity and strength of his views.”

Turner was instrumental in many of the improvements made by the commission and the accounting profession, such as: more engaged audit committees, improving the quality in the numbers in financial statements, newly adopted rules on auditor’s independence, and enhancing enforcement of the accounting and financial reporting rules and regulations.

Turner said, “Serving as the SEC’s chief accountant has been a wonderful experience, which will always be a part of me. One of the most enjoyable aspects was working with former chairman Levitt, acting chairman Unger, commissioner Hunt and the other distinguished members of the commission. At the same time, I am excited about the opportunity to teach at a great institution and my alma mater.”

Before joining the commission, Turner was the CFO for Symbios Inc., a Colorado-based manufacturer of semiconductors and storage systems. Prior to that, he was an SEC consulting partner in the accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand and the National Practice Leader for the C&L High Technology Audit Practice.

Turner received his M.A. in Accounting from the University of Nebraska and his B.A. in Business Administration from Colorado State University. He also has received honorary doctorate degrees from Grand Valley State University and Central Michigan University.