Samuel P. Bell Jr., CPA, was president and chief operating officer for the Los Angeles Business Advisors (LABA), a group of 30 CEOs of major companies located in the region until December 31, 2004, at which time LABA was dissolved. Prior to joining LABA, Bell served as the area managing partner of Ernst & Young for the Pacific Southwest area, the culmination of a 39-year career with that firm. His responsibilities in the Pacific Southwest area included overall administrative responsibility for a staff of more than 1,500 with gross revenue in excess of $250 million.

A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Bell also served as chairman of the Faculty Advisory Council to the School of Business and Administration of St. Mary’s University, chairman of the Faculty Advisors Council to the Department of Accounting of the University of Texas at Austin, and was on the Advisory Council to the School of Business at the University of Texas in San Antonio. He is also a former president of the San Antonio Chapter of Certified Public Accountants.

He is the immediate past president of The California Club, a past president of Wilshire Country Club and Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio, and is a board member of the Los Angeles Country Club and a member of The Argyle in San Antonio.