AICPA Recognizes Six RSM Employees with 2017 Elijah Watt Sells Award

RSM US LLP (“RSM”) – the nation’s leading provider of audit, tax and consulting services focused on the middle market – is pleased to announce that six of its employees were recently named by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) as winners of its 2017 Elijah Watt Sells Award.

According to the AICPA, the award was bestowed upon 58 CPA candidates who have obtained a cumulative average score above 95.50 across all four sections of the CPA Examination, passed all four sections of the Examination on their first attempt and completed testing in 2017. A reported 98,858 test-takers sat for the exam in 2017, with just 58 Elijah Watt Sells Award recipients in all.                                                                       

“The CPA Exam protects the public interest by ensuring, along with education and experience requirements, that only qualified individuals are able to become licensed as Certified Public Accountants,” said Mike Decker, Association of International Certified Professional Accountants vice president of examinations. “Passing the Exam is a career milestone. And the extraordinary performance of this year’s Sells Award winners is truly an impressive accomplishment.”

Congratulations to the 2017 RSM Elijah Watt Sells Award winners:

• Jennifer Chan – San Francisco, CA
• Michael Cote – Boston, MA
• Thomas Jerzy Galewski – Phoenix, AZ
• Robert Don Moon IV – Philadelphia, PA
• Christopher Pacitto – Boston, MA
• Wesley Sweigart – Charlotte, NC

“We’re very proud of Jennifer, Michael, Thomas, Robert, Christopher and Weslev for receiving such a prestigious honor within the industry,” said Katie Lamkin, chief human resources officer at RSM US LLP. “Our people consistently provide high-quality service and demonstrate excellence to both our clients and to one another. We’re thrilled to celebrate this award with our teammates and to honor their hardwork and their dedication to the profession.”

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