SEC chief accountant to speak at winter 2003 commencement
Released: December 3, 2003
Don Nicolaisen, chief accountant of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), will address more than 600 students graduating from the University of Wisconsin– Whitewater at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20 in the DLK/Kachel Fieldhouse.
Nicolaisen, a 1967 UW-Whitewater alumnus, became the chief accountant of the SEC on September 30, 2003. The chief accountant serves as the principal advisor to the SEC on accounting and auditing matters and is responsible for formulating and administering the accounting program and policies of the commission.
Prior to joining the SEC, Nicolaisen was a senior partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). He began his career at the firm’s predecessor, Price Waterhouse (PW) in 1967 where he held a wide range of management and leadership positions, which included serving on the firm’s U.S. and global boards, leading Price Waterhouse’s national office for accounting and SEC services, and was the engagement and global relationship partner for several of that firm’s largest clients. Nicolaisen was Price Waterhouse’s representative on the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Emerging Issues Task Force (1988-1994).
Nicolaisen’s distinguished career began with a bachelor of business administration degree from UW–Whitewater in 1967; he became a certified public accountant in 1969. A member of Beta Alpha Psi accounting fraternity, he is a former member of the UW-Whitewater Foundation Board, was recognized as a Distinguished Alumni at Founders Day in 1987 and is a member of the College of Business and Economics Hall of Fame.
A native of Elm Grove, Wis., he and his wife, Sandie, have three children and reside in Califon, N.J.
The student speaker, Thomas “Teege” Mettille Jr., from West Allis, is graduating magna cum laude from the College of Letters and Sciences.
- Cindy Vergenz ,vergenzc@uww.edu
