NEW YORK – A high-profile member of the Boy Scouts of America’s governing board says he doesn’t support the Scouts’ policy of excluding gays and will work from within to seek a change.

Ernst & Young CEO James Turley, whose accounting firm has welcomed gays and lesbians in its own work force, becomes the first member of the Scouts’ Executive Board known to publicly disapprove of the policy. “I support the meaningful work of the Boy Scouts in preparing young people for adventure, leadership, learning and service, however the membership policy is not one I would personally endorse,” Turley said in a statement released by his company.

“As I have done in leading Ernst & Young to being a most inclusive organization, I intend to continue to work from within the BSA Board to actively encourage dialogue and sustainable progress,” Turley said.

The Boy Scouts responded Wednesday with a joint statement from the two top leaders, National President Wayne Perry and Chief Scout Executive Robert Mazzuca.

“The Boy Scouts of America respects the opinions of our board members and are thankful for their leadership,” the statement said. “While we have supporters and board members with different viewpoints on this issue, and who may choose a different direction for their organizations, we believe that good people can personally disagree on this topic and still work together.”

Last week, the Scouts confirmed there will be a review of a resolution that would allow individual units to accept gays as adult leaders. However, the organization issued a statement saying the review was merely routine procedure, and there were no plans to change the membership policy.

The resolution was submitted by a Scout leader from the northeast in April.