Previts, Shamis, Simko and Vitale honored as Ohio’s Most Influential CPAs
(COLUMBUS, April 27, 2009) - Four Northeast Ohio professionals have been named among Ohio’s Most Influential CPAs, an award which recognizes CPAs who have had a significant, positive influence on the growth and development of the CPA profession and The Ohio Society of CPAs.
To commemorate The Ohio Society’s 100th anniversary, members across Ohio nominated their peers for the award. A member-led selection committee chose the finalists which included the following Ohio Society members:
Gary J. Previts, CPA, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland
Previts is the E. Mandell de Windt Professor at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. He has served the accounting profession in many roles including member of the AICPA’s Board of Directors, and he recently served as president of the American Accounting Association and as member of the United States Department of the Treasury Advisory Committee on the Auditing Profession. Previts also was the founding president of The Academy of Accounting Historians.
In addition, he served as chair of the Executive Board of The Ohio Society of CPAs and is a trustee on The Ohio CPA Foundation Board.
Some of Previts’ many awards include AICPA’s Gold Medal and the award for Lifetime Contribution to Accounting Education. In 2002 he received The Ohio Society’s Gold Medal for Meritorious Service to the Accounting Profession.
Previts has authored many books, papers and other publications on the subjects of accounting history, regulation, financial reporting and education.
Gary S. Shamis, CPA, SS&G Financial Services, Inc., Solon
Shamis is the managing director of SS&G Financial Services. He founded The Advisory Board, a consortium of leading consultants to the CPA industry and is chairman emeritus and founding member of The Leading Edge Alliance. He currently serves on the editorial board of CPA Practice Management Forum and has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Accountancy in addition to several other publications. He is chair of North Coast Community Homes Inc., Hillel at Kent State University and Cleveland Jewish News, and was recently appointed to the board of trustees for the Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy. Shamis has also served on the boards of the Jewish Community Federation, the Better Business Bureau, the Cleveland Museum of Art and the National Center on Nonprofit Enterprise. He has been named one of Accounting Today’s Most Influential People in the Industry 10 times.
David A. Simko, CPA, Ernst & Young LLP, Cleveland
Simko is a partner in Ernst & Young’s Professional Practice Standards & Methodology department at the firm’s Cleveland office.
Simko served as chair of The Ohio Society’s Executive Board in 2006-2007 and has served as an Ohio designated representative to AICPA Council. As a member of The Centennial Campaign Steering Committee , his efforts helped raise more than $1.5 million for The Ohio CPA Foundation, The Ohio Society’s charitable arm.
In 1992, Simko received the Junior Achievement of Dayton Distinguished Leadership Award. Last year, he participated in a panel chaired by Doug Carmichael at the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy’s Center for Public Trust 3rd Annual Audit Conference at Baruch College in New York. Dave’s community service activities include United Way Humanitarian Society, Ernst & Young Community Service Day volunteer and past member of the St. Peter Chanel High School Development Board.
Mary Eileen Vitale, CPA, CFP, Howard Wershbale & Co., Cleveland
Vitale is director of tax services and a senior principal of Howard, Wershbale & Co. in Cleveland. As a CFP, a NASD Series 7 and 66 licensed investment advisor, and a licensed insurance consultant, she advises clients on financial and estate planning matters. She is a frequent speaker for state and national seminars on federal and Ohio issues and for Ohio Society programs.
Vitale served on the Executive Board and as president of the former Cleveland Chapter.
She is a member of the Kent State Accounting Advisory Council, the Leadership Council of the Cleveland Chapter of the American Diabetes Association, the Estate Planning Council of Cleveland and the Tax Club of Cleveland.
The Ohio Society of CPAs, established in 1908, represents more than 23,000 CPAs in business, education, government and public accounting. The Ohio Society’s members not only meet statutory and regulatory requirements as CPAs, but also embrace the highest standards of professional and ethical performance. This is achieved through ongoing professional education, comprehensive quality review and compliance with a strict Code of Professional Conduct.
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LAST UPDATED 4/28/2009