Becker Professional Education, a global leader in professional education
and a part of DeVry Inc. (NYSE: DV), announced that all 19 of the 2010
Elijah Watt Sells Award winners prepared for the exam with Becker’s CPA
Exam Review. Since the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants (AICPA) began recognizing the Elijah Watt Sells Award
recipients nationally in 2005, a remarkable 89 percent of the winners,
66 of 74, have studied with Becker’s CPA Exam Review.
The Elijah Watt Sells Award, first awarded by AICPA in 1923 to honor CPA
pioneer Elijah Watt Sells, is presented to the 10 CPA candidates, who,
on their first attempt, achieve the highest cumulative scores for all
four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination. In 2010 several candidates
received identical cumulative scores, resulting in ties and increasing
the number of award recipients to 19.
“We would like to congratulate these outstanding candidates for their
achievement,” said John Roselli, president of Becker Professional
Education. “We recognize the hard work required to earn the CPA
credential, and we are honored that so many of the nation’s top students
have turned to Becker to help them achieve their goals.”
The 19 Becker students who were honored with the prestigious 2010 Elijah
Watt Sells Award are:
Seth D. Albin (Kansas), a graduate of Fort Hays State University
with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and a Master of
Business Administration, is currently employed with Exacta Aerospace,
Inc. in Wichita, Kan.
Bryan T. Avery (Michigan), a graduate of Grand Valley State
University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance and a
Master of Science in Accounting, is presently employed with Bader Martin
in Seattle.
Michael Berryman (Maryland), a graduate of the University of
Maryland with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Bachelor of
Science in Supply Chain Managements, is currently employed with Ernst
and Young in Baltimore, Md.
Kristen Adele Brands (Minnesota), a graduate of Dordt College
with Bachelor’s degrees in Accounting and Business Administration, is
presently employed with Ernst and Young in Louis Park, Minn.
Michael Robert Dean (Washington), a graduate of the University of
Washington Foster School of Business with a degree in Business
Administration and a Master of Professional Accounting, is currently
employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Seattle.
Jeffrey D. Downs (Connecticut), a University of Connecticut
graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a
Master of Science in Accounting, is presently employed with
PricewaterhouseCoopers in Hartford, Conn.
Shane C. Drake (Florida), a graduate of Florida Gulf Coast
University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master of
Science in Accounting and Taxation, is presently an employee of
Wiltshire, Whitley, Richardson and English in Fort Meyers, Fla.
Jaymie A. Farr (California), a graduate of Brigham Young
University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Master of
Accountancy, is currently employed with Deloitte in San Francisco.
Trevor Steven Goss (Arizona), a University of Arizona graduate
with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Masters in Accounting
with an emphasis on Tax, is currently employed with Ernst and Young in
Phoenix.
Eric Emil Hartel (Georgia), a graduate of Liberty University with
a Bachelor of Science in Business Finance who holds a Master of Business
Administration from Lakeland College, is presently an employee of CCH
Small Firm Services in Kennesaw, Ga.
William Thomas Jachym (Connecticut), a graduate of the University
of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, is currently an
employee of McGladrey and Pullen in New Haven, Conn.
David E. Johnson (Illinois), a graduate of University of Richmond
with a Bachelor of Science in Economics, who holds a Master of Business
Administration from Loyola University in Chicago and a Master of Science
in Taxation from DePaul University, is presently an employee of KPMG in
Chicago.
Emily Kiser (Texas), a University of Texas at Austin graduate
with a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Professional
Accounting, is currently employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dallas.
Zhi P. Liu (Michigan), a Michigan State University graduate with
a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science in Accounting, is an employee
of Plante Moran in Southfield, Mich.
Jenna K. Mehalic (Illinois), a graduate of the University of
Illinois at Urbana Champaign with a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy
and a Master of Accounting Science, is presently an employee of State
Farm Insurance in Bloomington, Ill.
Heather Brilyn Saleeby (Georgia), a graduate of the University of
Georgia with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and a
Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, is currently an employee
of PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York.
Christopher Joseph Schoell (New York), a Lehigh University
graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Business and Economics and a
Master of Science in Accounting and Information Analysis, is presently
an employee of PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York.
Christopher David Tkach (Missouri), a Saint Louis University
graduate with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Accounting, is
currently an employee of RubinBrown in St. Louis.
Paul Zimbardo (New York), a graduate of Lehigh University with a
Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance and a Master of Science in
Accounting and Finance, is presently an employee of Grant Thornton in
New York.
Becker Professional Education offers a fully integrated and
comprehensive CPA Exam Review course that mirrors the exam in every way.
Since Becker’s founding, almost half a million students have
successfully passed the CPA Exam using its course. Based on pass rates
published by the AICPA, Becker students pass the CPA Exam at double the
rate of non-Becker candidates. This track record of success has earned
Becker partnerships with 99 of the top 100 accounting firms around the
world including the Big Four and more than 140 top universities.
About Becker Professional Education
Becker Professional Education, a part of DeVry Inc. (NYSE: DV), is a
global leader in professional education serving the accounting, finance,
project management, and healthcare professions. Nearly half a million
professionals have advanced their careers through its CPA Exam Review,
PMP® Exam Review, USMLE Exam Review, COMLEX Exam Review and
Continuing Professional Education courses. Throughout its more than 50
year history, Becker has earned a strong track record of student success
through world-class teaching, curriculum and learning tools that enable
its students to develop the knowledge and performance skills necessary
to stay ahead in an ever-changing business world. For more about Becker
Professional Education, please visit www.becker.com.
