The American Institute of CPAs has announced the 41 graduates of its 2018 Leadership Academy, the four-day program held in Durham, N.C. that educates and interacts with promising young professionals.
The AICPA Leadership Academy, now in its 10th year, offers young CPAs an engaging workshop covering topics ranging from leadership training to professional networking. A number of industry leaders – including Eric Hansen, chair of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants; Barry Melancon, president and CEO of the AICPA; and Mark Koziel, executive vice president of firm services for the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants – met with this year's class.
“One of my key objectives as chair has been focusing on how we can advance learning opportunities and invest in the profession’s future leaders,” stated Hansen. “For 10 years, [the] Leadership Academy has been a shining example of AICPA’s dedication to developing the next generation of CPAs. This year’s class is an extremely talented group that I’m sure will make outstanding contributions to the profession in the changing times ahead.”
Over 350 CPAs have graduated from the program since its inception. To be considered for the program, participants are recommended by their employers and/or state CPA societies, submit their resumes and a statement on how they expect the Academy to help them, as well as an essay asking them how future professionals should lead.
This year's program included participants from 34 states, representing a wide range of public accounting firms, industries and consulting firms. The average age of attendees was 32.
“The academy has brought so much clarity and insight to what it means to be an effective leader,” said 2018 Leadership Academy graduate Kelly Mann in a statement. “It has helped me understand what my most important values are and how they impact my decision making. I have also learned how important consciousness and reflection are to good leadership and how I can bring these lessons back with me, to benefit my firm and the people and organizations I support.”
The 2018 Leadership Academy class, in alphabetical order, is as follows:
- Paul Arab - Home Federal Bank of Tennessee - Knoxville, Tenn.
- Chris Bell - Arkansas Electric Cooperatives - Little Rock, Ark.
- Ashley Bryan - Threaded Fasteners - Mobile, Ala.
- Joseph Caplan - Mazars USA - Edison, N.J.
- Jenna Christensen - Eide Bailly - Mankato, Minn.
- Kenesha Coleman - AbbVie - North Chicago, Ill.
- Sara deJuliis - Albero, Kupferman & Associates - Wilmington, Del.
- Audra Dixon - Ernst & Young - Denver, Colo.
- Samantha Doe - Kositzka, Wicks & Company - Alexandria, Va.
- Kamal Eko - Aronson - Rockville, Md.
- Josh Elder - Peters & Chandler P.C. - Oklahoma City, Okla.
- Ben Field - Benjamin H Field CPA - Phoenix, Ariz.
- Verenice Flores - Fair, Anderson and Langerman - Las Vegas, Nev.
- Kyle Graham - Tanner - Salt Lake City, Utah
- Natalie Heacock - Patrick Lumber Co. - Portland, Ore.
- John Hermus - Sheehan & Company CPA - Brightwaters, N.Y.
- Chris Hervochon - eviCore Healthcare - Bluffton, S.C.
- Ryan Johns - Altman Rogers & Co. - Anchorage, Alaska
- Deena Keasler - Topp McWhorter Harvey - Hattiesburg, Miss.
- Alexandrea Keller - Williams & Company CPAs - Onawa, Iowa
- Katie Krblich - Charles A. Krblich, P.A. - Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
- Lijah Lokenauth - Tampa General Hospital - Tampa, Fla.
- Danny Manimbo - Schellman & Company - Broomfield, Colo.
- Kelly Mann - Seim Johnson - Omaha, Neb.
- Damien Martin - BKD - Springfield, Mo.
- Ashley Miller - Plodzik & Sanderson PA - Concord, N.H.
- Maddie Miller - Wipfli - Bozeman, Mont.
- Bayaan Oluyadi - CohnReznick - Roseland, N.J.
- Kenneth Omoruyi - Schlumberger - Houston, Texas
- Sarah Peltakian - Raimondo Pettit Group - Irvine, Calif.
- John Perkins - Accuride Corporation - Evansville, Ind.
- Aaron Peters - Peters & Associates PC - Falls Church, Va.
- Leanna Polidoro - Matrix Financial - Wellesley, Mass.
- Byron Porter - PwC - Houston, Texas
- Michelle Schumacher - Microsoft - West Fargo, N.D.
- Andrew Somich - Rea and Associates - Cleveland, Ohio
- Garrett Stenhouse - DiSanto, Priest & Company - Warwick, R.I.
- Melanie Urwiller - Lenhart, Mason & Associates - Casper, Wyo.
- Lauren Williams - Johnson Lambert - Raleigh, N.C.
- Gary Wood - Compere Robinette CPAs - Ozark, Mo.
- Katie Zahner - Brown Smith Wallace - Creve Coeur, Mo.
Applications are now being accepted for the 2019 Leadership Academy. For more information, head to the AICPA's
