AICPA Recognizes Top 2022 CPA Exam Performers with Elijah Watt Sells Award

The American Institute of CPAs has announced the 50 winners of the 2022 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 2022.

Of the nearly 67,000 individuals that sat for the CPA Exam in 2022, the following 50 candidates met the criteria to receive the Elijah Watt Sells Award.

“A hearty congratulations to these 50 individuals. The CPA Exam is a rigorous assessment and these individuals have reached a level of understanding and excellence, which has been a milestone of this profession, on their first attempt” said Mike Decker, AICPA Vice President—CPA Examination and Pipeline. “These candidates are commended for an exceptional performance that very few individuals achieve.”

The Elijah Watt Sells Award program was established by the AICPA in 1923 to recognize outstanding performance on the CPA Exam. Sells, one of the first CPAs in the U.S., was active in the establishment of the AICPA and played a key role in advancing education within the profession.

The individuals listed below are the 2022 Sells Award winners in alphabetical order, followed by their board of accountancy affiliation, education, and present employer: 

1. Daniel Ambalu (New York), a graduate of Yeshiva University with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a Master of Business Administration from Baruch College of the City University of New York, is employed with BDO USA, LLP in New York, NY.
2. Victoria Saravia Bazoberry (New York), a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accountancy, is employed with KPMG LLP in New York, NY.
3. Danielle Beaulieu (Virginia), a graduate of New York University with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and English literature and a Master in Professional Accounting from The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business, is employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Washington, DC.
4. Mitchell Behling (Texas), a graduate of Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Master of Accountancy, is employed with Deloitte in Dallas, TX.
5. Rachel Binau (Kansas), a graduate of Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in accounting and a Master of Accountancy, is employed with FORVIS in Wichita, KS.
6. Cole Borwick (Iowa), a graduate of University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and a Master of Accountancy, is employed with CliftonLarsonAllen in Cedar Rapids, IA.
7. Justin Briggs (Texas), a graduate of The University of Texas at Dallas with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Master of Science in accounting, is employed with Capital One in Plano, TX.
8. Caroline Chipman (Georgia), a graduate of the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and Master of Accountancy, is employed by BDO in Atlanta, GA.
9. Justin Chudzik (Pennsylvania), a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (majoring in accounting) and a Master of Science in Accounting, is employed with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) in Norwalk, CT.
10. Michael Paul Donnelly, Jr. (Pennsylvania), a graduate of The College of New Jersey with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in finance and a Master of Professional Accounting from The Pennsylvania State University, is employed with Merck in West Point, PA.
11. Timothy Dragonette (Virginia), a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Bachelor of Arts in criminology and criminal justice, is a law student at the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville, VA.
12. Kaarin Kontio Evens (Minnesota), a graduate of Macalester College with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry, a Bachelor of Arts in music and a Master of Science in chemistry from University of Wisconsin, Madison (with additional business coursework at Augsburg University), is employed with Lottsa Tax and Accounting Services in Minneapolis, MN.
13. Harshil Fadia (Montana), a graduate of the University of Mumbai with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Chartered Accountant from Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, was formerly employed with Ernst & Young in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
14. Keely Loeffler Fergus (Texas), a graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and business honors and a Master of Science in accounting, is employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Seattle, WA.
15. John Gerling (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 Ernst & Young in Austin, TX.
16. Aaron Gibson (Virginia), a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and a Master of Accountancy from University of North Dakota, is employed with Washington Gas Light Company in Washington, DC.
17. Kenny Glover (Georgia), a graduate of Georgia Southern University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and a Master of Accountancy, is employed with Warren Averett LLC in Atlanta, GA.
18. Thomas Greco (New York), a graduate of Fordham University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting information systems and a Master of Science in taxation, is employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York, NY.
19. Stephanie Hetki (Ohio), a graduate of Cleveland State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting, is employed with BDO in Cleveland, OH.
20. Jason Hipp (California), a graduate of The University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Master of Business Administration from The University of Oklahoma, is a retiring Surface Warfare Officer in San Diego, CA transitioning into a career in accounting.
21. Kyle Jakubeck (Missouri), a graduate of The University of Missouri-St. Louis with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master of Accounting, is employed with RubinBrown LLP in St. Louis, MO.
22. Jacob Kecki (Illinois), a graduate of Indiana University-Bloomington with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and finance, is employed with Grant Thornton LLP in Chicago, IL.
23. Kristin Kitzinger (Pennsylvania), a graduate of West Chester University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting, is employed with Wipfli LLP in Radnor, PA.
24. Lane Knott (Nebraska), a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Master of Professional Accountancy, is employed with Labenz & Associates, LLC in Lincoln, NE.
25. Pamela Krumviede (Illinois), a graduate of The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Science in finance and a Bachelor of Science in accountancy, is employed with Baker Tilly US, LLP in Chicago, IL.
26. Lalit Kumar (Montana), a graduate of Delhi University with a Bachelor of Commerce in finance and accounting and a Chartered Accountant from Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, is employed with KPMG Assurance and Consulting Services LLP in Gurgaon, Haryana, India.
27. Kenny Lam (New York), a graduate of College of Staten Island with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Master of Science in accounting from Hunter College, is employed with The Conference Board in New York, NY.
28. Trishla Maniar (Montana), a graduate of Gujarat University with a Bachelor of Commerce in accounting and a Chartered Accountant from The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, is employed with Vodafone Idea Ltd. in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
29. Erin Marcom (Texas), a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Master of Business Administration, is employed with Apex Dental Partners in Dallas, TX.
30. Riley McKean (Texas), a graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and Master of Financial Management, is employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dallas, TX.
31. Kelsey Meyer (Illinois), a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting, is employed with Duly Health and Care in Downers Grove, IL.
32. Anum Mohsin (Alaska), a graduate of Karachi University with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Chartered Accountant from Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and Institute Chartered Accountants of Pakistan, is employed with Enovis Corporation in Houston, TX.
33. Ryan Murphy (Virginia), a graduate of College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University with a Bachelor of Arts in accounting, is employed with Deloitte in Rosslyn, VA.
34. Maroun Nammour (Pennsylvania), a graduate of Lebanese University with a Bachelor of Business Administration specializing in accounting and auditing and a Master of Arts in accounting and finance, is employed with Farhat Accounting Lectures in West Chester, PA.
35. Dhruv Patel (Montana), a graduate of Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda with a Bachelor of Commerce in accounting and financial management and a Master of Commerce in taxation, and a Chartered Accountant from The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, is employed with Ernst & Young in Mumbai, India.
36. Nathan Peasland (North Dakota), a graduate of the University of North Dakota with a Bachelor of Accountancy and a Master of Accountancy, is employed with Brady Martz and Associates in Grand Forks, ND.
37. Patrick Walter Poe (Texas), a graduate of the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Accountancy and a Master of Accountancy and Data Analytics, is employed with Ernst & Young in Houston, TX.
38. Ryan Quade (Missouri), a student in the integrated Juris Doctor/Master of Accountancy program at Brigham Young University, is employed with Universal CPA Review.
39. Joshua Seest (South Carolina), a graduate of Bob Jones University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting, is employed with RSM US LLP in Charlotte, NC.
40. Karsyn Sewell (South Carolina), a graduate of the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and Master of Accountancy, is employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Spartanburg, SC.
41. Mitchell Stanek (North Carolina), a graduate of Davidson College with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and a Master of Accountancy in valuation from Vanderbilt University, is employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Charlotte, NC.
42. Maddison Sumners (Minnesota), a graduate of Bethel University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and finance, is employed with Deloitte in Minneapolis, MN.
43. Jordan Vitt (Kansas), a graduate of the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Science in business, accounting and a Master of Accounting, is employed with Glass Consulting, LLC in Lawrence, KS.
44. Jiayun Wang (California), a graduate of Shanghai Jiao Tong University with Bachelor of Accounting and MSc in management and strategy from the London School of Economics and Political Science, is employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers in San Jose, CA.
45. Justin Warren (Arizona), a graduate of Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in finance, a Bachelor of Science in accountancy, and a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in accounting, is employed with CBIZ MHM, LLC in Phoenix, AZ.
46. Colin Webber (Missouri), a graduate of Pittsburg State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and a Master of Professional Accountancy and Master of Business Administration from Pittsburg State’s Kelce College of Business, is employed with Ernst & Young in Kansas City, MO.
47. Douglas Whittlesey (New Hampshire), a graduate of Hamilton College with a Bachelor of Arts in economics, a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Accounting from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler School of Business, is employed with Optum in Eden Prairie, MN.
48. Wilson Wu (Texas), a graduate of University of Houston with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and a Master in Professional Accounting from The University of Texas at Austin, is employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Houston, TX.
49. Ryan Yanke (Wisconsin), a graduate of University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and a Master of Science in accountancy from Edgewood College, is employed with State of Wisconsin Investment Board in Madison, WI.
50. Josh Young (New York), a graduate of the University of Missouri with a Master of Accountancy, is employed with Armanino LLP in Dallas, TX.

The AICPA, which owns 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.