AICPA honors 2nd annual 'Standing Ovation' class of young CPAs in forensics and valuation

The AICPA announced on Monday the most recent recipients of their Standing Ovation program, which recognizes 25 CPAs aged 40 and under for their contributions to forensic accounting and business valuation.

The second class of young CPAs was recognized this morning at the AICPA 2016 Forensic & Valuation Services (FVS) Conference in Nashville.

“The young professionals honored this year have demonstrated significant accomplishments in the areas of forensic accounting and business valuation,” stated Jeannette Koger, AICPA's vice president of member specialization and credentialing. “The AICPA’s Standing Ovation program was developed to identify those CPAs who are rising stars in the accounting profession, particularly in their area of specialization.”

To be eligible for the Standing Ovation program in the FVS specialty area, candidates must possess an active CPA license, be an AICPA member in good standing, and hold a Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF) or Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) credential. Nominees must also be 40 years old or younger.

The full list of 2016 FVS Standing Ovation recipients are listed below, in alphabetical order:

• Michelle Avery - Veris Consulting, Reston, Va.
• Joshua Brummett - LBMC, Brentwood, Tenn.
• Bryan Callahan - BKD, Indianapolis, Ind.
• Julian Dozier - Thomas Howell Ferguson, Tallahassee, Fla.
• Chris Ekimoff - Resolution Economics Group, Washington, D.C.
• Jessica Giresi - WithumSmith+Brown, Princeton, N.J.
• Daniel Golish - Skoda Minotti, Westerville, Ohio
• Mark Hughes - Gorman Consulting Group, Phoenix, Ariz.
• Geoffrey Ihnow - FTI Consulting, Chicago, Ill.
• Robert Kester - CFF, Blue & Co, Louisville, Ky.
• Brad Koranda - RSM, Minneapolis, Minn.
• Jeffrey Kotch - Brendon Pierson, Wall, N.J.
• Joseph Lesovitz - Citrin Cooperman, Philadelphia, Pa.
• Scott Lockhart - Oxdale Ventures, Birmingham, Mich.
• Jeremy McGannon - FTI Consulting, Chicago, Ill.
• Chris Miller - SteelGate Advisors, Wexford, Pa.
• Matthew O’Leary - Baker Tilly, New York, N.Y.
• Paul Peterson - Grant Thornton, McLean, Va.
• Paris Powell - Perkins & Co., Portland, Ore.
• Erum Randhawa - BlumShapiro, West Hartford, Conn.
• Zachary Reichenbach - Ellin & Tucker, Baltimore, Md.
• Sean Saari - Skoda Minotti, Mayfield Village, Ohio
• Benjamin Vance - Postlethwaite & Netterville, Baton Rouge, La.
• Alexander Walther - Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, Friendswood, Texas
• Laurie-Leigh White - The BVA Group, Houston, Texas

The Standing Ovation program also looks to recognize young CPAs in personal financial planning and information management/technology assurance. The nomination period for those fields is currently open. Partners or managers are encouraged to submit applications on behalf of their nominees. Applicants can self-nominate with a letter of recommendation from a partner or manager. For more information or to make a nomination, head to the AICPA's site here.