The American Institute of CPAs has announced the 29 graduates of its 2020 AICPA Leadership Academy, held virtually for the first time this year.
The AICPA Leadership Academy offers young CPAs a hands-on learning workshop with topics ranging from leadership training to professional networking. This year's featured speakers included AICPA chair Tracy Golden; AICPA executive vice president Sue Coffey; MACPA and Business Learning Institute CEO Tom Hood; and AICPA president and CEO Barry Melancon.
This year’s class included participants from 29 states, while the average age of participants was 33.
“This is an interesting time to be a young leader in the accounting profession," Golden said in a statement. "The global pandemic is changing how we work, and this year’s Leadership Academy class is an impressive group of diverse professionals readily adapting to new circumstances. These talented CPAs are great examples of the forward-thinking leaders who will find solutions to the challenges the profession faces now and in the years to come.”
Leadership Academy attendees were recommended by their employers or state CPA societies. Candidates submitted their resumes and a statement explaining how the Leadership Academy would help them both personally and professionally. Participants also wrote an essay on the topic: “The future will bring significant changes to the accounting profession. What do leaders have to get right, in order to successfully lead?”
The full 2020 Leadership Academy class, in alphabetical order, is as follows:
- Michael Bridges, Sullivan Bille P.C., Tewksbury, Massachusetts
- John Confrey, Mazars USA LLP, New York
- Nicole Cooper, University of Nebraska at Omaha , Omaha, Nebraska
- Kerry Duda, WilkinGuttenplan PC, East Brunswick, New Jersey
- Jodi Eckhout, Woods & Durham, Chartered, Holdrege, Nebraska
- KieLee Ellsworth, Porter, Muirhead, Cornia and Howard, CPAs, Casper, Wyoming
- Matthew Faircloth, Berg Faircloth & Company, Leesburg, Virginia
- David Gantos, ACM LLP, Denver
- Kellen Garrison, Eide Bailly LLP, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Teresa Giese, RMS Energy Co, LLC, Randall, Minnesota
- Jessica Gluck, Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii
- Mason Groves, People's Electric Cooperative, Ada, Oklahoma
- Chase Haynes, Landmark PLC, Little Rock, Arkansas
- Scott Hoppe, Why Blu, San Francisco, California
- Samuel Kramer, 14 West Administrative Services LLC, Baltimore, Maryland
- Matthew Labernik, Eide Bailly LLP, Fargo, North Dakota
- Natalie Ladd, NiSource, Merrillville, Indiana
- Jessica McClain, Brand USA, Washington, D.C.
- Katherine Moline, Weber Clark, Toledo, Ohio
- Luci Roseman, Cover & Rossiter, Wilmington, Delaware
- Joshua Russell, Patterson, Prince & Associates, PC, Florence, Alabama
- Seth Serhienko, Widmer Roel, Fargo, North Dakota
- Emily Stahlin Hoffman, Remington Worth, LLC, Princeton, New Jersey
- Amy Swartzfager, Maloney, Reed, Scarpitti & Co, LLP, Erie, Pennsylvania
- Joshua TeBeest, Huberty & Associates SC, Sheboygan, Wisconsin
- Jennifer Troutman, Beck Flavors Inc., Maryland Heights, Missouri
- Lauren Ursaki, StoneTurn, New York
- Kelly Watson, Watson Coon Ryan LLC, Greenwood Village, Colorado
- Cherie Williams, Windes, Inc., Long Beach, California
The application period for the 2021 Leadership Academy is now open. More information is available on the AICPA's
