Robert L. Bunting, CPA, former chairman of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and David M. Walker, CPA, former comptroller general of the United States, are the 2008 recipients of the Institute's Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Service.

The gold medal is the highest award granted by the AICPA. Bunting and Walker received the award today at the fall meeting of the AICPA governing Council.

Robert L. Bunting
Bunting served as chair of the AICPA Board of Directors in 2004 - 2005 and is incoming president of the International Federation of Accountants. He will assume leadership of IFAC next month.

Bunting has been a member of the governing Council and many AICPA committees, including the Audit, Finance, Compensation, Nominations and Management of an Accounting Practice Committees. He served as chairman of the Board of Examiners, Assurance Services Executive Committee and as a member of the Special Committee on Standards of Professional Conduct for CPAs.

From 1982-2004, Bunting was president and chairman of Moss Adams, LLP. He is a past president of the Washington Association of CPAs and a current member of the boards of the Catherine Wilkins Foundation, United Way and Historic Seattle.

David M. Walker
Walker served as U.S. comptroller general and head of the Government Accountability Office from 1998-2008. In these positions, he was an outspoken, nonpartisan advocate for addressing the major fiscal challenges facing the country.

Today, as president and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, Walker is able to address these challenges even more proactively. He also serves as chairman of the United Nations Independent Audit Advisory Committee and board member of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and the Partnership for Public Service.

Walker is a central figure in the critically acclaimed feature documentary I.O.U.S.A., a nonpartisan account of his national "Fiscal Wake-Up Tour" to alert the county to its looming fiscal crisis.

He contributes his time to a variety of community, charitable and patriotic organizations.