Alabama A&M Alum, Odysseus Lanier's opening statement during the Size Standards Hearing

On Thursday, May 5, 2011 the House Small Business Committee Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax and Capital Access held a hearing entitled Professional Services: Proposed Changes to the Small Business Size Standards. Alabama A&M Alum, Odysseus Lanier testified before congress on behalf of Institute of Certified public Accountants (AICPA) for small businesses. Mr. Lanier made his argument to raise the standard for small businesses limits to $25M in federal government procurement policy.




Odysseus M. Lanier is one of four founding partners with McConnell Jones Lanier & Murphy LLP (MJLM). MJLM is the third largest African American-owned accounting and consulting firm in the United States, the largest African American-owned accounting and consulting firm south of Virginia's southern border, and the 17th largest public accounting firm in Houston, Texas, with satellite offices in Huntsville, Alabama, Dallas, Texas, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Washington, DC. He leads the firm's Federal Services Group and specializes in working with federal, state and local government agencies by providing strategic planning, financial management, and operations review and support services.

With more than 33 years of experience in strategic planning, governance, financial management, project management, control, and cost analysis, Odysseus has sharpened his skill of reviewing and evaluating governance; creating team-building systems; organizing and directing management; establishing strategic outsourcing alternatives; and analyzing general business operations. He has extensive knowledge of federal, state, and local procurement policy, procurement strategies, contracting processes, and process improvement strategies.

Odysseus is a certified public accountant (CPA) and a graduate of Alabama A&M University where he received a B.S. in Accounting in 1977 and now serves on the University's Board of Trustees. He is the former chairperson of the Board of Commissioners for the Harris County Housing Authority. He currently serves on the board of directors of Mental Health America of Greater Houston; the board of directors of the Joe Sample Youth Organization; and the corporate board for the Youth Motivation Task Force sponsored by the Alabama A&M University Career Development Services Office.