Erica Barker from Georgia Recognized with Elijah Watt Sells Award for CPA Examination Performance
AICPA Award Honors Outstanding CPA Exam Performers
Atlanta, Georgia (November 16, 2022) – The American Institute of CPAs has recognized Erica Barker as a winner of the 2021 Elijah Watt Sells Award.
The award is bestowed upon candidates who have obtained a cumulative average score above 95.50 across all four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination, passed all four sections of the Examination on their first attempt, and completed testing in 2021. More than 72,000 individuals sat for the Examination in 2021 with 57 candidates meeting the criteria to receive the Elijah Watt Sells Award.
“In a profession full of some of the best and brightest, Erica’s accomplishments help her to stand out. We are so very proud to have her as a leader within GSCPA and the profession.” said Boyd Search, CEO of The Georgia Society of CPAs.
Erica graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a concentration in accounting. She currently works at PwC as a Trust Solutions Associate.
“Erica’s commitment has not only shown in her CPA Examination scores but has translated to her performance thus far in the accounting profession. Her accomplishments this early into her career have been impressive, and I am grateful to get to work alongside her and watch her grow both personally and professionally.” - Alexa Palczynski, Manager at PwC.
“Passing the CPA Exam is a milestone and to do so early in her career with top scores is a tremendous accomplishment. Erica has already begun to apply the foundational knowledge gained from the CPA Exam to real-world examples, and I look forward to seeing her excel in the practice. - Tara Walker, Senior Associate at PwC.
The Elijah Watt Sells Award program was established by the AICPA in 1923 to recognize outstanding performance on the CPA Examination.
"The CPA Examination, along with education and experience requirements, ensures that only qualified individuals with the knowledge and skills to play a role in protecting the public interest earn the CPA license,” said Michael Decker, AICPA Vice President of Examinations. “On behalf of the AICPA, I would like to congratulate the winners of this year’s Elijah Watt Sells Award for their exceptional performance on the CPA Examination.”
Sells, one of the first CPAs in the United States, was active in the establishment of the AICPA and played a key role advancing professional education within the profession.
For more information on the Uniform CPA Examination, visit http://www.aicpa.org/cpaexam.
A list of previous winners is available online.
GSCPA is the premier professional organization for CPAs in the state of Georgia. With almost 13,000 members throughout the state, the purpose of GSCPA is to achieve excellence by providing superior advocacy, leadership, service, lifelong learning and personal and professional development opportunities. For more information, visit www.gscpa.org.
Contact: The Georgia Society of CPAs: Brandi Kornegay, communications manager, 404-504-2937, bkornegay@gscpa.org