DURHAM, N.C. (Dec. 16, 2025) — The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) is pleased to announce that 36 CPAs from around the country have recently graduated from the AICPA Leadership Academy.
The program, now in its 17th year, was held in Durham, North Carolina, from December 8-11. The AICPA Leadership Academy was created to inspire, nurture and empower the next generation of CPA leaders by providing them with advanced leadership training. Since its founding, more than 540 CPAs have graduated from the program.
“The Leadership Academy empowers the next generation of future-ready leaders to embrace an ownership mindset that emphasizes strategic thinking, relationship-building within peer networks and communities, and the expansion of leadership competencies across their organizations and the accounting and finance profession. This growth is grounded in the profession’s core principles of trust, integrity, ethics, and service,” said Lexi Weber, the AICPA’s senior manager of emerging professionals initiatives. “It’s a transformative four days of self-reflection on who you are as a leader. I can speak from my own experience as a 2023 AICPA Leadership Academy graduate that graduates leave empowered and motivated to make a lasting impact on 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 Lexy Kessler, CPA, CGMA; and AICPA President and CEO Mark Koziel, CPA, CGMA.
The first half of the program focuses on leadership of self, a self-examination of personal leadership and actionable takeaways on where improvements can be made; and the second half of the program focuses 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.
"Participants in the Leadership Academy emerge ready to think differently about leadership, ready to be collaborators, thought leaders and mentors,” said AICPA chair Lexy Kessler. “They leave Durham prepared and excited to make a real impact that strengthens our profession and the clients and communities we serve."
This year’s class included representatives from 23 states. Participants represented all areas of the accounting and finance profession, including public accounting firms, corporate finance, government, nonprofit and consulting firms. The 2025 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 genders. The average age of the attendees was 33.
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 ACPA Leadership Academy is an investment in the future of our profession, which is facing tremendous change,” said AICPA president and CEO Mark Koziel. “These graduates are the future leaders who will guide the way firms and the business community engage with radically new technologies, increased globalization and complex regulatory landscapes. The excellence they demonstrate is assurance that the CPA profession is in great hands.”
The full 2025 Leadership Academy class is listed below:
Jessica Blake, CPA, Landmark CPAs, Sheridan, AR
Kevin Bordner, CPA, Corcentric, Marlton, NJ
Kelsey A. Callaghan, CPA, MST, AKA Advisory, Wilmington, DE
Jared R. Carpenter, CPA, MACC, Persing Professional Group, Reno, NV
Robert D. Chumley, CPA, Seamless, Fort Worth, TX
Rachel A. Commerford, CPA, Elliott Davis Advisory, LLC, Gastonia, NC
Magan A. Cuka, MBA, CPA, Wohlenberg, Ritzman, & Co., LLC, Yankton, SD
Jennifer Daves, CPA, UHY Advisors, Inc, New Hudson, MI
Dana Dobrowolski, Pennsylvania CPA, MS Business Administration, MS Taxation, PRG Real Estate Management Inc, Philadelphia, PA
Chaleise J. Fleming, CPA, CFE, Barnes Dennig, Zionsville, IN
Kathryn Rose Friedman, CPA, Wipfli, St. Louis, MO
Benjamin Gardner, CPA, WellsColeman, Richmond, VA
Tamera A. George, MBA, CPA, Berkowitz Pollack Brant, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Ara Grigorian, CPA, CCIFP, Percent Complete CPA, PLLC, Oklahoma City, OK
Sarah Griger, CPA, Omaha, NE
Joseph Hamilton, CPA, FirmKey Solutions, Centennial, CO
Dalton Hopper, CFE, CVA, ABV, BMSS, LLC, Gadsden, AL
Rachael Hulet, CPA, University of Wyoming Foundation, Laramie, WY
Mohammad S. Khan, CPA, CBIZ, Lorton, VA
Ryan Kelly, CPA, WithumSmith+Brown, Orlando, FL
Jason Lam, CPA, CISSP, CISA, Schellman Compliance, LLC, Austin, TX
Brannin P. Leglue, CPA, Hannis T. Bourgeois, LLP, Alexandria, LA
Cory J. Lopes, CPA, MPAc, DiSanto Priest & Co., East Providence, RI
Jessica Markellos, CPA, BDO USA, Hatfield, PA
Sarah R. J. Monroe, CPA, EGP, PLLC, Cabot, AR
Elizabeth Pappas, CPA, CFP, Linscomb Wealth, Houston, TX
Elizabeth Powers, CPA, RML & Associates CPAs, Laramie, WY
Erin Riecke Rowan, CPA, Erin Riecke Rowan, CPA, LLC, Covington, LA
Caitlin Smith, CPA, SKC & CO CPAs LLC, Jefferson, NJ
Anthony P. Tramontano, CPA, MBA, PMMP LLP, Melville, NY
Sabrina Trang, CPA, Windes, Inc., Garden Grove, CA
Campbell R. Troup, CPA, Eide Bailly, Reno, NV
Maria M. Walsh, CPA, MBA, The Levy Company, APC, Baton Rouge, LA
Fidel Wambura, CPA, C&W, Arlington, VA
Arun Zachariah, CPA, The Joyce Foundation, Chicago, IL
Angel Zhen, CPA, MST, EA, Angel Zhen, CPA, Pasadena, CA
Details for the 2026 Leadership Academy will be released in the first quarter of 2026.
To learn more, visit the AICPA Leadership Academy home page.
About the American Institute of CPAs
The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) is the world’s largest member association representing the CPA profession, with 397,000 members and a history of serving the public interest since 1887. AICPA members represent many areas of practice, including business and industry, public practice, government, education, and consulting. A founding member of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, the AICPA sets ethical standards for the profession, attestation standards, and U.S. auditing standards for private companies, not-for-profit organizations, and federal, state, and local governments. It develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination, offers specialized credentials, partners across the profession to build future talent, and drives continuing education to advance the vitality, relevance, and quality of the profession.