Melisa Galasso Selected for American Institute of CPAs’ Leadership Academy
July 23, 2014
Cherry Bekaert LLP’s (“the Firm”) Melisa F. Galasso has been selected as one of 38 young Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) to participate in the American Institute of CPAs’ (“AICPA”; “the Institute”) sixth annual Leadership Academy in Durham, North Carolina, this fall.
Galasso will join an exclusive group of rising stars in the accounting profession to learn strategic planning techniques and develop personal success skills for handling complex management challenges. Leadership Academy participants, all under age 36, will discuss pressing issues facing CPAs and the accounting profession with some of the profession’s most influential leaders, including AICPA Chairman Bill Balhoff, CPA, CGMA, and Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, the Institute’s president and CEO.
“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,” said Balhoff. “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.”
Selected and reviewed by the AICPA, attendees of the Leadership Academy were chosen from over 100 candidates recommended by employers, state CPA societies or both. Candidates submitted resumes which included work history, licensure information, professional volunteer activities, community service, and awards and honors. Submissions included a statement provided by the candidate explaining why their participation in the Leadership Academy would be personally important to them.
A licensed CPA and Audit Professional Practices Manager with more than 10 years of experience, Galasso assists with technical issues and quality control of the Firm’s assurance services practice. She monitors regulatory bodies including the Financial Accounting Standards Board, Government Accounting Standards Board and AICPA for changes in auditing and accounting guidance, and assists Cherry Bekaert in implementing the updated guidance. She received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting and International Business from Georgetown University, and was recognized as a “Super CPA” by Virginia Business Magazine in 2007. Galasso also received the Woman to Watch (Emerging Leader) Award from the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants and AICPA in 2013.
The American Institute of CPAs 2014 Leadership Academy will be held from September 28th to October 2nd at the Washington Duke Inn in Durham. Additional information is available at AICPA.org/youngcpanetwork.