AICPA Honors Top CPA Exam Performers with the Elijah Watt Sells Award

The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) has announced the winners of the 2010 Elijah Watt Sells Award.

The award was presented to candidates who obtained the ten highest cumulative scores on all four sections of the computerized Uniform CPA Examination. In 2010, several candidates received identical cumulative scores, which resulted in a tie and increased the total number of 2010 winners to nineteen. These candidates completed testing during 2010 and passed each exam section on their first attempt. More than 103,000 candidates sat for the exam in 2010.

The individuals listed below are the 2010 Sells Award winners in alphabetical order, followed by their state board affiliation, education, and present employer:

Seth D. Albin, a graduate of Fort Hays State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and a Master of Science in Business Administration, is currently employed with Exacta Aerospace, Inc. in Wichita, Kansas.

Bryan T. Avery, a graduate of Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance and a Master of Science in Accounting, is presently employed with Bader Martin in Seattle, Washington.

Michael Berryman, a graduate of the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Bachelor of Science in Supply Chain Management, is currently employed with Ernst and Young in Baltimore, Maryland.

Kristen Adele Brands, a graduate of Dordt College with a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, is presently employed with Ernst and Young in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Michael Robert Dean, a graduate of the University of Washington Foster School of Business with a degree in Business Administration and a Master of Professional Accounting, is currently employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Seattle, Washington.

Jeffrey D. Downs, a University of Connecticut graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Science in Accounting, is presently employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Hartford, Connecticut.

Shane C. Drake, a graduate of Florida Gulf Coast University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master of Science in Accounting and Taxation, is presently an employee of Wiltshire, Whitley, Richardson and English in Fort Meyers, Florida.

Jaymie A. Farr, a graduate of Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Master of Accountancy, is currently employed with Deloitte Tax in San Francisco, California.

Trevor Steven Goss, a University of Arizona graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master of Science in Accounting with an emphasis on tax, is currently employed with Ernst and Young in Phoenix, Arizona.

Eric Emil Hartel, a graduate of Liberty University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Finance who holds a Master of Business Administration from Lakeland College, is presently an employee of CCH Small Firm Services in Kennesaw, Georgia.

William Thomas Jachym, a graduate of the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, is currently an employee of McGladrey and Pullen in New Haven, Connecticut.

David E. Johnson, a graduate of the University of Richmond with a Bachelor of Science in Economics, who holds a Master of Business Administration from Loyola University in Chicago and a Master of Science in Taxation from DePaul University, is presently an employee of KPMG in Chicago, Illinois.

Emily Kise, a University of Texas at Austin graduate with a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Professional Accounting, is currently employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dallas, Texas.

Zhi P. Liu, a Michigan State University graduate with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science in Accounting, is an employee of Plante Moran in Southfield, Michigan.

Jenna K. Mehalic, a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign with a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy and a Master of Accounting Science, is presently an employee of State Farm Insurance in Bloomington, Illinois.

Heather Brilyn Saleeby, a graduate of the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, is currently an employee of PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York City, New York.

Christopher Joseph Schoell, a Lehigh University graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Business and Economics and a Master of Science in Accounting and Information Analysis, is presently an employee of PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York City, New York.

Christopher David Tkach, a Saint Louis University graduate with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Accounting, is currently an employee of RubinBrown in St. Louis, Missouri.

Paul Zimbardo, a graduate of Lehigh University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance and a Master of Science in Accounting and Finance, is presently an employee of Grant Thornton in New York City, New York.

Elijah Watt Sells, who passed away in 1924, was one of the country's first CPAs under the provision of a New York State law enacted in 1896. He was a leader in advancing professional education. He was active in the establishment of the AICPA and was a founder of New York University's School of Commerce, Accounts, and Finance. The Sells award was created by the AICPA in 1923 in his honor.

For more information on the exam, visit www.aicpa.org/cpa-exam.