By: Alison Mendys, NCACPA Content & PR Specialist
For those of you who know Melisa Galasso, you are privy to the fact that she is an audit wiz, an unbelievably involved NCACPA member and community volunteer, a rising star in the accounting profession, and a proud wife and mom. Her other wow-factors include receiving the 2013 Women to Watch—Emerging Leader Award, and being featured in the Interim Report 1st Edition’s “Meet the Member” feature article. We wanted to share some news on her latest achievement—being one of 38 young CPAs selected to participate in the AICPA’s 6th annual Leadership Academy!
This exclusive group of accounting’s rising stars will learn strategic planning techniques and develop personal success skills for handling complex management challenges. Leadership Academy participants, all under 36-years-old, will discuss pressing issues facing CPAs and the accounting profession with some of its most influential leaders, including AICPA Chairman Bill Balhoff, CPA, CGMA, and Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, the Institute’s President and CEO.
When asked about the Academy for a recent press release, Bill had the following to share: “The AICPA’s Leadership Academy annually selects promising young CPAs and gives them the tools they need to continue to make an impact in the accounting profession. As these CPAs continue to develop their careers, both the connections they make and the training they receive at the Leadership Academy will help guide them along the way.”
The selection process for this honor included narrowing down to 38 individuals from 100 highly impressive candidates, who were handpicked by their employers, state CPA societies, or both, to compete for the opportunity to attend. They were then required to submit resumes, work histories, licensure information, professional volunteer activities, community service, and award honors for consideration—all of which were reviewed in great detail by the AICPA.
Melisa graduated from Georgetown University, received her license and was recognized as a “Super CPA” by Virginia Business Magazine in 2007—a title that seems to only ring truer as time goes on! Today, she is an Audit Professional Practices Manager with more than 10 years of experience, and currently assists with technical issues and quality control of Cherry Bekaert, LLP’s assurance services practice. She monitors regulatory bodies including the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB”, Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB), and the AICPA for changes in auditing and accounting guidance. She also assists her firm in implementing the updated guidance.
Your association is tremendously proud of you for such an outstanding accomplishment and the track record of success that has led you to it! Congratulations Melisa!
About the AICPA’s 6th Annual Leadership Academy:
The 2014 AICPA Leadership Academy will be held from September 28–October 2, at the Washington Duke Inn, in Durham. Additional information is available at AICPA.org/youngcpanetwork.
Alison is NCACPA’s content creator and fights the ‘good fight’ against typos, autocorrect failures, and run-on sentences. She received her B.A. in Interpersonal & Public Relations—a discipline in the field of communication—accompanied by a minor in English, from North Carolina State University. Prior to cooking up content for NCACPA, her professional roles have included writer, webmaster, designer, project manager, and political lobbyist. Her personal interests include visual arts, the medical field, music, politics, and tinkering in mechanics. She also enjoys instances of excessive alliteration.