Founder

Sheila A. Weinberg founded the Institute for Truth in Accounting in 2002. With the Board of Directors, she is responsible for setting the strategic direction for the organization.  The Institute’s mission is to encourage private and public entities to produce financial reports that are comprehensive, comprehensible and transparent as well as to inform the public of the importance of truthful accounting.  The Institute’s initial focus was to encourage the largest fiscal organization in the world, the U.S. federal government, to become the leader in providing public and elected officials with the financial information needed to make knowledgeable decisions.  The Institute has recently expanded its focus to include budgeting and accounting issues of Illinois, as well as other state governments.

Through her efforts on federal accounting issues, Weinberg has developed a close working relationship with members of Congress, the current and former heads of the Government Accountability Office, members of the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB), Department of Treasury personnel, and leaders of various budgeting and accounting advocacy groups.  Weinberg works with members of Congress to bring greater transparency to federal financial reporting.   She has testified before the FASAB, met with high level federal government officials to encourage greater government accountability.  Weinberg has authored numerous educational documents such as “Fuzzy Math: Fuzzy Decisions: Truth and Transparency in Federal Decision Making,” “Where Has All the Money Gone? A Guide to Truth in Federal Government Accounting” and “Illinois' Grande Illusion: A Guide to Bringing Truth to the Illinois Budget.”  These documents discuss federal and state government budgeting and accounting issues in easy to understand formats and are available at:  www.truthinaccounting.org.
 
Weinberg earned her Bachelor of Accounting degree from the University of Denver, which she attended on an academic scholarship. She received her certified public accountant credential in 1981.  From its inception in 1992 Weinberg has been active in the Concord Coalition and was honored in 1998 with their Outstanding Volunteer Award.   

Prior to her involvement with the Institute for Truth in Accounting, Weinberg worked as a certified public accountant for accounting firms and computer consulting companies.  Most recently, she was vice president of Pro Consulting, a computer, accounting and television production consulting company.  Currently, Weinberg serves as an independent legislative advisor to members of Congress on Federal budgeting and accounting issues. She is a member of the Academy of Government Accountability Advisory Council, the FASAB’s Task Force on Fiscal Sustainability and the Women’s Board of the Standard Club, Chicago.

Her editorials about the Federal budget, Social Security, Medicare and other national issues have appeared in USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times and Pioneer Press. She has been a guest on national and local television and radio shows and is often engaged to speak on Federal budget and accounting issues.