The AICPA & CIMA, which together form the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, has announced that 30 CPAs from around the country have recently graduated from Leadership Academy.
The program, now in its 16th year, was held in Durham from December 9-12. 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.
“Our Leadership Academy exposes the next generation of leaders to strong ethics and service while providing them with the strategies to forge relationships, to expand their competencies and empower them to become a leader within their organization, community, and the accounting profession,” said Crystal Cooke, director of diversity and inclusion at the AICPA & CIMA, who led the program this year. “It’s an intense four days of training, and every professional that I’ve seen experience it has walked away even more motivated and excited to lead and achieve amazing things in this great profession.”
Leadership Academy features career-development workshops and sessions with some of the accounting profession’s most prominent leaders, which this year included AICPA Chair Carla McCall, CPA; and President and CEO Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA.
The first half of the program is focused on leadership of self, a self-examination of personal leadership and actionable take-aways on where improvements can be made; and the second half of the program is focused on how to have strategic conversations in organizations and in-depth conversation about the profession and the opportunities these emerging leaders have ahead of them.
“It’s been a privilege to witness the next generation of leaders of the CPA profession who are bringing new and exciting ideas to the table,” said McCall. “These new graduates are the entrepreneurs, visionaries, and change agents that will shape the profession for years to come. I’m excited to see what their future holds.”
This year’s class included representatives from 22 states. Participants represented all areas of the accounting and finance profession, including public accounting firms, business and industry, government, academia and consulting firms. The 2024 attendees were recommended by their employers, state CPA societies and volunteer organizations. The group comprised representation from a diverse mix of practice areas, organizations, ethnicities and gender. The average age of the attendees was 32.
Candidates for the program submit details on their education and work history, as well as personal statements on how the Leadership Academy would help propel and support them in both their life and career journeys. As part of this, candidates submit an essay outlining their thoughts on the future of the profession and what they as leaders can do to shape that future.
“The AICPA & CIMA has always proudly uplifted young professionals, and the Leadership Academy in particular brings the best and brightest professionals together to move the profession in new and exciting directions,” said Melancon. “The coming years will bring even more innovation, change, and increased needs for the special skills CPA profession leaders bring to the table. Congratulations to these graduates who will be at the forefront, leading the way.”
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 full 2024 Leadership Academy class is listed below (in alphabetical order by first name):
- Alexandra T Haller, CPA, Plante & Moran, PLLC, Denver, CO
- Ali E. Cek, Deloitte Tax LLP, Houston, TX
- Amanda L. DeMarco, CPA, Smith Adcock and Company, LLP, Atlanta, GA
- Andrew Duhon, CPA, Forvis Mazars, LLP, Dallas, TX
- Beauty Henecke, CPA, Goering and Granatino, Parkville, MO
- Brian E. Sebak, CPA, Sebak & Monner Associates, Morris Plains, NJ
- Cattie L. Dunaway, CPA, Eide Bailly LLP, Billings, MT
- Chad D. Sinkovich, CPA, MBA, Employers Health Purchasing Corporation, Canton, OH
- Chance Locklear, CPA, Mowery & Schoenfeld, LLC, Van Buren, AR
- David Stone, CPA, MBA, CFE, BerryDunn, Dayton, ME
- Deon Norris, CPA, PMP, The Norris Group, Fort Washington, MD
- Destiny Hartmann, CPA, Fiondella, Milone & LaSaracina LLP (FML), New Britain, CT
- Hailey Gomillion, CPA, GSA, LLP, Claremont, CA
- Heidi R. Clark, CPA, CMA, Jordan CPA Services Inc, Patriot, OH
- Jaclyn Veno, MS, CPA, Galasso Learning Solutions, Greenville, SC
- James Tomak, CPA, Fannie Mae, Lancaster, PA
- Kathleen Jackson, CPA, A.C. Evans, LLC, Kansas City, MO
- Li Tao, CFA, CPA, Guy Carpenter, New York, NY
- Mallory Denise Vincent, CPA, MBA, Mason + Rich, PA (M+R), Loudon, NH
- Nicole McTernan, CPA, CFF, J.S. Held, Arlington, VA
- Quincei Lovejoy, CPA, CMA, Blanton’s Air, Plumbing & Electric, Parkton, NC
- Rayna J. Kordonowy, CPA, United Energy Corporation, Bismarck, ND
- Renata Reis, CPA, MBA, SB & Company, LLC (SBC), Baltimore, MD
- Rishikesh Vaidya, CPA, KNAV Advisory Inc., Atlanta, GA
- Samuel Patrick Kuhter, CPA, Lutz & Co., P.C., Grand Island, NE
- Steven Eilders, CPA, BMSS, Ridgeland, MS
- Sugam Sharma, CPA, ClearBooks CPA, Newport Beach, CA
- Taylor R. Mabie, CPA, MHP LLP, Cheyenne, WY
- Wesley E. Long, III, CPA, Long & Long, CPA, PC, LaGrange, GA
- Yiting Yang, CPA, Summerwood Corporation, Ardmore, PA
Details for the 2025 Leadership Academy will be released in the second quarter of 2025.
For more information about the AICPA Leadership Academy, click here.
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Tags: Accounting
