The American Institute of CPAs has announced that 36 CPAs from around the country have graduated from the AICPA Leadership Academy, a program designed to expose the next generation of CPAs to a strong ethic of leadership and service.

The program, now in its 15th year, was held in Durham, N.C., from December 11-14. The AICPA Leadership Academy was created to inspire, nurture and empower the next generation of diverse CPA leaders by providing them with advanced leadership training.

The Leadership Academy features career-development workshops and sessions with some of the accounting profession’s most prominent leaders, which this year included AICPA Chair Okorie Ramsey, CPA, CGMA, PMP, NACD.DC; and AICPA President and CEO Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA. The program is led by Elizabeth Burkhalter, CPA, Senior Manager of the AICPA & CIMA Diversity and Inclusion team’s Emerging Professional’s Initiatives.

Thanks for reading CPA Practice Advisor!

Subscribe for free to get personalized daily content, newsletters, continuing education, podcasts, whitepapers and more...

Already registered? Login

Need more information? Read the FAQ's

The first half of the program is focused on leadership of self, a self-examination of personal leadership and steps where improvements can be made. The second half consists of how to have strategic conversations in organizations and in-depth discussions about the profession, the AICPA & CIMA, and the opportunities these emerging leaders have ahead of them.

“It was a privilege to be around such amazing young professionals,” Ramsey said. “These young professionals understand the importance of personal development and building relationships so they can seize the moment to brighten their future and the profession. The CPA profession is about people, and AICPA Leadership Academy believes in the importance of developing strong leaders.”

This year’s class included representatives from 25 states. Participants represented all areas of the accounting and finance profession, including public accounting firms, business and industry, government, not-for-profit, academia and consulting firms. The group is diverse, representing a range of ethnicities, gender, as well as practice areas and organizations, and the average age of the group is 31. The 2023 attendees were recommended by their employers, state CPA societies and volunteer organizations.

“I am proud of our longstanding tradition of bringing the best and brightest young professionals together to prepare them to drive the profession forward in a continually changing world,” said Melancon. “Today, more than ever, we see the need for this next generation of CPA profession leaders to blend their unique perspectives to accelerate and lead the profession on its course of innovation and trust.”

To date, more than 510 CPAs have participated in the AICPA Leadership Academy, many of whom have gone on to take on leadership positions in their firms, businesses, and volunteer organizations.

The Leadership Academy is one of the programs the AICPA & CIMA has established that is devoted towards developing a diverse pipeline of future leaders. Investing in our emerging leaders is essential for the sustainability of the profession.

The full 2023 Leadership Academy class is listed below in alphabetical order:

Rose Araghchy, R2 Advisors PC, Mclean, VA
Cody Bair, PwC US Tax LLP, Denver, CO
Marcy Binkley, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Abigail Breaux, Porter, Muirhead, Cornia & Howard, Casper, WY
Jeremy Burch, Smith Adcock and Company, Athens, GA
Zachary Carver, Cook Wealth Management Group, Raleigh, NC
Rachel Chaney, Bernard Robinson & Company, L.L.P., Oak Ridge, NC
Dan Conway, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Wes Des Moines, IA
Sofia Cordero, Mazars USA, LLP, Edison, NJ
John Delarosa, Kreit & Chiu CPA LLP, Charlotte, NC
Desree Amber Foster, Seiler LLP, Las Vegas, NV
MaJose Foster, The W2 Group, Lauderhill, FL
Julia Grefenstette, BNA CPAs & Advisors, Rock Hill, SC
Patrick Gremillion, Daigrepont & Brian APAC, Baton Rouge, LA
Austin Hobson, Kimley-Horn, Raleigh, NC
Kya Kraus, Kraus Accounting & Tax, Chandler, AZ
Megan Lewczyk, Megan D Lewczyk, CPA LLC, Arlington, VA
Tim Lewis, Elgee Rehfeld, LLC, Juneau, AK
Holly (Qiulin) Liu, Wedel Rahill & Associates, CPA’s, PLC, Oklahoma City, OK
Dezarae Magelssen, Alpine Ridge Accounting LLC, Bozeman, MT
Timothy Martin, Schneider Downs, Pittsburgh, PA
Kristin Mauer, SM Energy Company, Denver, CO
Pagaaluck Oonsiri, Devereaux, Kuhner & Co. LLP, San Diego, CA
Yamila Pons, Eide Bailly LLP, Tulsa, OK
Joseph Robins, J.Robins, CPA LLC, Baton Rouge, LA
Jenna Sanfilippo, WilkinGuttenplan, East Brunswick, NJ
Braxton Savage, Tanner LLC, Salt Lake City, UT
Lidia (Lei) Shi, BurgerBusters Inc., Virginia Beach, VA
Michael Shipman, McClintock & Associates, P.C., Bridgeville, PA
Noah Styles, Cross Pointe Insurance Advisors, Little Rock, AR
Yevgeniy Sukhenko, GRF CPAs & Advisors, Bethesda, MD
Victoria Thayer, NOVII CPA LLC, Madison, WI
Frankie Velasco, The Joyce Foundation, Chicago, IL
Alexis Weber, Tronconi Segarra & Associates, LLP, Williamsville, NY
Kearia White, Hagerty, Broussard, LA
Benjamin Zachary, Compere Robinette CPAs, Ozark, MO

Details for the 2024 Leadership Academy will be released in 2024. For more information about the AICPA Leadership Academy, click here.

Accounting