AICPA Recognizes Extraordinary 2023 CPA Exam Performers with Elijah Watt Sells Award

NEW YORK (June 6, 2024) – The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) is pleased to announce the 40 winners of the 2023 Elijah Watt Sells Award. This award is granted to CPA candidates who obtain a cumulative average score above 95.50 across all four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination, pass all four sections on their first attempt and have completed testing in 2023. More than 86,000 individuals sat for the CPA Exam in 2023.

“The CPA Exam is a rigorous test, and these individuals performed extraordinarily well,” said Mike Decker, AICPA vice president – CPA Examination and pipeline. “They deserve the heartiest of congratulations for their achievement, and we at the AICPA look forward to supporting these accountants as they continue on to a bright future in the profession.”

The Elijah Watt Sells Award program was established by the AICPA in 1923 to recognize outstanding performance on the CPA Exam, as well as to honor Sells, one of the country’s first CPAs. A founding member of the firm now known as Deloitte, Sells was active in the establishment of the AICPA and played a significant role in advancing education within the profession.

The individuals listed below are the 2023 Sells Award winners in alphabetical order, followed by their board of accountancy affiliation, education, and present employer (where applicable):

Roger Babin (Massachusetts), a graduate of Boston College with a Bachelor of Science in management with concentrations in accounting and finance, is employed with KPMG in Boston, MA.

Harrison Baker (Utah), a graduate of University of Utah with a Bachelor of Science in accounting, a Bachelor of Science in information systems and a Master of Accounting with an emphasis in business analytics, is employed with Ledgenomics in Salt Lake City, UT.

Owen Berry (Florida), a graduate of University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in accounting and a Master of Business Administration from Mississippi State University (2024), is employed with Ennis, Pellum & Associates, CPAs, in Jacksonville, FL.

Matthew Blomquist (Georgia), a graduate of Kennesaw State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and a Master of Professional Accountancy from Georgia State University, is employed with Southern Company in Atlanta, GA.

Dylan Boone (Ohio), a graduate of Miami University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Master of Accountancy, is employed with Plante Moran in Cincinnati, OH.

Alan Brandon (North Carolina), a graduate of University College Cork with a Bachelor of Education in sports studies and physical education and a Master of Accounting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is employed with Deloitte in Raleigh, NC.

Elise Chase (Massachusetts and Utah), a graduate of Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Master of Accountancy, is employed with Deloitte in Salt Lake City, UT.

Julian Chase (Massachusetts), a graduate of Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and a Master of Science in accounting from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Boston, MA.

Nathaniel Day (Tennessee), a graduate of Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Science in human & organizational development and English and a Master of Accountancy from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management, is employed with Deloitte in Chicago, IL.

Eleanor DeNunzio (Illinois), a graduate of the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Science in Business in accounting and finance and a Master of Accounting, is employed with Ernst & Young in Chicago, IL.

Reece Diloreto (Florida), a graduate of Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Master of Accounting, is employed with Ernst & Young in Tampa, FL.

Jared Dunnett (Illinois), a graduate of Indiana University-Bloomington with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and finance and a Master of Business Administration, is employed with Shore Capital Partners in Chicago, IL.

Ryan Durbin (Texas), a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and a Master in Professional Accounting, is employed with KPMG in Dallas, TX.

Sarah Falkin (Florida), a graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Master of Accounting, is employed with KPMG in New York, NY.

Yesenia Garcia (Texas), a graduate of Texas A&M International University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and a Master in Professional Accounting from The University of Texas at Austin, is employed with Calvetti Ferguson in San Antonio, TX.

Cal Granite (Illinois), a graduate of The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Science in accountancy and a Master of Accounting Science with concentrations in financial reporting & assurance and data analytics, is employed with RSM US LLP in Chicago, IL.

Chris Hudson (Texas), a graduate of Rice University with a Bachelor of Arts in health sciences and a Master of Accountancy, is employed with KPMG in Houston, TX.

Parker Jackson (Utah), a graduate of Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Master of Accountancy, is employed with KPMG in Salt Lake City, UT.

Anthony Kearl (Montana), a graduate of the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Commerce in accounting, is employed with TELUS in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Bradley Koch (Kansas), a graduate of Washburn University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and finance and a Master of Accountancy from Washburn University, is employed with Koch CPA, Chartered in Clyde, KS.

Will Koehler (Wisconsin), a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and a Master of Accountancy employed with KPMG in Milwaukee, WI.

Vineet Kotak (Washington), a graduate of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India, with a Bachelor of Commerce, who is also a chartered accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, is employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Philadelphia, PA.

Jack Krause (Georgia), a graduate of the University of Iowa with a bachelor’s in accounting and a Master of Accountancy from the University of Georgia, is employed with the Financial Accounting Standards Board in Norwalk, CT.

Joshua Kritzer (Illinois), a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and a Master of Accountancy, is employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Chicago, IL.

Esther Eleanna Lee (Weissman) (Maryland), a graduate of University of Maryland, College Park, with a Bachelor of Arts in criminology and criminal justice and a Master of Science in accounting, is employed with Ernst & Young, VA.

Bryant Lin (New York), a graduate of SUNY Binghamton with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Master of Science in taxation from CUNY Baruch College, is employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in New York, NY.

Michelle Lin (Illinois), a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and a Master in Professional Accounting, is employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Chicago, IL.

Sachin Mall (Guam), a graduate of Dibrugarh University with a Bachelor of Commerce in accounting and finance and a Master of Commerce from Delhi University.

Kelly McCarty (Colorado), a graduate of Chapman University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Bachelor of Arts in economics, is employed with KPMG LLP in Denver, CO.

Khushbu Mittal (California), a graduate of Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi with a Bachelor of Commerce (Honors) in accounting, is employed with Deloitte in Gurgaon, India.

Nechama Nakdimen (Maiman) (New York), a graduate of Excelsior University with a Bachelor of Science in business/accounting, is employed with SmallBiz Outsource LLC in Inwood, NY.

Jared Plattman (New York), a graduate of Villanova University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and finance, is employed with KPMG LLP in New York, NY.

Paul Poliakov (Washington), a graduate of Saint Petersburg State University with a bachelor’s degree in Asian and African studies and a Master of Business Administration from National Taiwan University, is employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Taipei, Taiwan.

Brandon Rooney (Tennessee), is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and a Master of Accountancy, is employed with EY in Nashville, TN.

Tina Sarkissian (California), a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, with a Bachelor of Arts in business economics and a minor in accounting, is employed with KPMG LLP in Los Angeles, CA.

Tyler Thimjon (Illinois), a graduate of Indiana University with both a Bachelor of Science in accounting and business analytics and a Master of Business Administration, is employed with EY in Chicago, IL.

Thanh Tran (Texas), a graduate of the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and a Master of Science in accountancy, is employed with Alvarez and Marsal Tax LLC in Houston, TX.

Hannah Van Meeteren (South Dakota), a graduate of Northwestern College with a Bachelor of Arts in accounting and business administration–finance, is employed with CliftonLarsonAllen in Des Moines, IA.

Sara Woodward (New York), a graduate of Roberts Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Master of Science in accounting from State University of New York Brockport, is employed with Flaherty Salmin CPAs in Rochester, NY.

Jack Wyatt (Alabama), a graduate of Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (majoring in accountancy) and a Master of Accountancy from Auburn University’s Harbert College of Business, is employed with Deloitte in London, England.

The AICPA, which develops and scores the CPA Exam, works with hundreds of volunteers and other stakeholders to maintain its relevance to the profession and alignment with the knowledge and skills required of a newly licensed CPA. To support candidates along their journey, the AICPA provides a wealth of information and tools, including the CPA Exam Blueprints, sample tests and tutorial topics and the Uniform CPA Exam booklet.

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