Illinois CPA Society Presents 2021 Outstanding Educator Awards

The following honorees will be formally recognized at ICPAS’ Leadership Recognition and Awards Dinner on Aug. 5, 2021.

• Justyna Koc, CPA, CGMA, MBA – Koc is a member of the accounting faculty at Triton College, a two-year community college in River Grove, Ill., where she also serves as an advisor to the Triton College Accounting Club and chair of the Online Education and Technology Committee. As an advocate for earning the CPA credential, Koc has consistently steered her students toward early exposure to the profession through participation in ICPAS’ Jumpstart to Accounting, Mary T. Washington Wylie Internship Preparation, and Student Ambassador programs, and is regarded for helping them prepare for successful transfers to four-year institutions. Koc, who emigrated to the United States when she was 18 years old, had to learn English, acclimate to American culture, and find employment—obstacles she often shares with her students to inspire them. Koc is an ICPAS member. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in higher education leadership from National Louis University in Chicago. Koc previously earned her MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management, her bachelor’s degree in business administration from DeVry University, and her associate degree from Northwestern College.

• Lisa M. Sedor, Ph.D., CPA – Sedor is an associate professor in the School of Accountancy & Management Information Systems at DePaul University in Chicago. She is recognized for designing course materials that develop students’ analytical and critical-thinking skills by drawing on her prior work experience with public accounting firms. Prior to entering academia, Sedor held positions at O’Bannon Dunn & Small, CPAs and Deloitte & Touche LLP, both in Las Vegas. Before joining the faculty at DePaul University, Sedor was an assistant professor at the University of Washington in Seattle, as assistant professor at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Ind., and a teaching and research assistant at the University of Washington in Seattle. She is an active member of the AICPA, American Accounting Association, and ICPAS. Sedor earned her Ph.D. in business administration with a major in accounting from the University of Washington in Seattle and her bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in public accounting from the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.

• Gerald A. Thalmann, CPA, CMA, MBA – Thalmann is an associate professor at North Central College in Naperville, Ill., where he also serves as an advisor to the college’s Enactus team and as the director of the Coffee Lab, a manufacturing-type facility focused on the coffee business. Thalmann’s innovative approach to teaching accounting and ethical business practices includes utilizing the Coffee Lab to provide students a hands-on learning medium with immersive case studies and real-life accounting and socially responsible business experiences. Thalmann’s previous teaching positions include associate professor at Teikyo Marycrest University in Davenport, Iowa, accounting instructor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at Rock County, and part-time accounting instructor at Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wis. Thalmann also previously held various corporate accounting roles with North Central Health Care Facilities, Frigate Bay Development Corporation (U.S. Peace Corps), and Maxum Equipment Corporation. Thalmann is a member of the AICPA, ICPAS, Institute of Management Accountants, Iowa Society of CPAs, Midwest Business Administration Association, and the Specialty Coffee Association of America. He earned his MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.