TMCnet News
AICPA Announces Graduates of 2015 Leadership AcademyThe American Institute of CPAs is pleased to announce the 2015 Leadership Academy graduating class. These 37 future leaders of the accounting profession participated in an intensive four day program in Durham, N.C., which concluded last week. This year's class discussed important issues facing the profession and participated in leadership development sessions with some of the profession's most influential leaders, including AICPA Chair (2014-2015) Tommye Barie, CPA, and Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, the Institute's president and CEO. "Leadership Academy is a commitment from the AICPA to develop the next generation of CPAs to lead the profession and ensure that it continues to thrive. This year's class is an extremely talented and diverse group that will continue to make impressive contributions to the accounting profession for years to come," said Tommye Barie, AICPA chair. The AICPA Leadership Academy was established to inspire, nurture and empower the next generation of CPA leaders by providing them with advanced leadership training, access to well-connected professional networks and opportunities to exercise leadership within the profession. Having just graduated its seventh class, more than 200 CPAs have graduated from the Leadership Academy. "Leadership Academy really helped strip away a lot of the external and environmental influences that often shape our decision making and built us back up with a new framework to realize improved outcomes," said Lindsay Stevenson, CPA, 1st Financial Bank USA, Dakota Dunes, SD, and a 2015 Leadership Academy graduate. "Leadership Academy provided me with tools and resources for better decisions making, as well as connecting to young leaders in the profession who now share the Leadership Academy experience." The AICPA selected the 2015 Leaership Academy from candidates recommended by their employers, state CPA societies or both. This year's class included representatives from numerous states, as well as the Guam. Participants were selected from public accounting firms of all sizes, business and industry, education and government. The class contained a diverse range of ethnicities and was split 19/18 between males and females. The average age of the attendees was 31. Candidates submitted resumes which included work history, licensure information, professional volunteer activities, community service and awards and honors. Candidates also supplied a statement explaining why participating in the Leadership Academy would be important to them personally. "One of the things that drew me to apply to Leadership Academy was the opportunity to network and learn from some of the best and brightest people in the profession," said Tim Jipping, CPA, CGMA, Plante & Moran, PLLC, Chicago, IL and a 2015 Leadership Academy graduate. "Over the course of four days, I saw people really connecting, developing trust with each other and coming together as a group." Details for the 2016 Leadership Academy will be available online in early 2016. The full 2015 Leadership Academy class is listed below in alphabetical order:
About the AICPA The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) is the world's largest member association representing the accounting profession, with more than 412,000 members in 144 countries, and a history of serving the public interest since 1887. AICPA members represent many areas of practice, including business and industry, public practice, government, education and consulting. The AICPA sets ethical standards for the profession and U.S. auditing standards for private companies, nonprofit organizations, federal, state and local governments. It develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination, and offers specialty credentials for CPAs who concentrate on personal financial planning; forensic accounting; business valuation; and information management and technology assurance. Through a joint venture with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA (News - Alert)), it has established the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation which sets a new standard for global recognition of management accounting. The AICPA maintains offices in New York, Washington, DC, Durham, NC, and Ewing, NJ. Media representatives are invited to visit the AICPA Press Center at aicpa.org/press. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151015006154/en/ |
