Chris Smith from Schellman & Company, LLC
Selected to Attend AICPA’s 2021 Leadership Academy
Tampa, FL – August 3, 2021 – Schellman & Company, LLC, a leading provider of attestation and compliance services, is proud to announce that Chris Smith, CPA, CISSP, CISA, CIPP/US, ISO 27001 LA is one of only 30 CPAs to be honored by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) with a place as part of the Leadership Academy’s 13th graduating class. Chris was selected based on his exceptional leadership skills and professional experience for the four-day Leadership Academy program, which will take place virtually October 25-28, 2021.
Chris Smith is a Manager with Schellman based in Raleigh, North Carolina. He has over eight years of audit and compliance experience and holds multiple CPA licenses, as well as CISSP, CISA, and CIPP/US certifications. Having previously worked as a financial statement auditor with a concentration on private equity and business development companies, Chris now primarily focuses on SOC examinations and cybersecurity assessments.
The AICPA Leadership Academy was designed to strengthen and expand the leadership skills of promising young professionals while they network with a peer group of talented and motivated CPAs. It features career-development workshops and sessions with some of the accounting profession’s most prominent influencers, including William (Bill) Pirolli, CPA/CFF/PFS, CGMA, chairman of the American Institute of CPAs and Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, American Institute of CPAs president and CEO, Association of Certified Professional Accountants CEO.
The 2021 Leadership Academy attendees were recommended by their employers, state CPA societies, and/or volunteer organizations. Candidates submitted resumes and a statement explaining how participating in the Leadership Academy would impact them personally and professionally. They also wrote an essay on the topic, “The future will bring significant changes to the accounting profession. What do leaders have to get right in order to successfully lead?” Chosen members of the latest graduating class were selected from public accounting firms of all sizes, business and industry, government, and consulting firms.
To date, more than 415 CPAs have participated in the AICPA Leadership Academy, many of whom have gone on to take on leadership positions in their firms, businesses, and volunteer organizations. Chris Smith is the second professional from Schellman & Company chosen to take part—Danny Manimbo, now a Director at Schellman, previously represented the firm as part of the 2018 class.
About Schellman
Schellman is a leading provider of attestation and compliance services. We are the only company in the world that is a CPA firm, a globally licensed PCI Qualified Security Assessor, an ISO Certification Body, HITRUST CSF Assessor, a FedRAMP 3PAO, and most recently, an APEC Accountability Agent. Renowned for expertise tempered by practical experience, Schellman's professionals provide superior client service balanced by steadfast independence. Our approach builds successful, long-term relationships and allows our clients to achieve multiple compliance objectives through a single third-party assessor.