The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) has announced the winners of the 2006 Elijah Watt Sells Awards. The award is presented annually to the 10 candidates earning the highest cumulative scores on the four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination. These candidates must have completed testing during the previous calendar year and passed each exam section on their first attempt.

The 2006 award winners (in alphabetical order, followed by their State Board affiliation) are:

• Irene Altman, (CA), a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, currently employed by KPMG, LLP in San Francisco.
• Jeffrey P. Barrows, (NC), a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, currently working at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP in Charlotte, NC.
• Jonathan Patrick Booth, (LA), a graduate of Louisiana State University, employed by KPMG, LLP in Baton Rouge, LA.
• Lina Ginan Dimachkieh, (TX), a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, currently working toward her JD from Harvard Law School.
• Robert W. Hybiak, (CO), a graduate of the University of Denver, currently employed by Deloitte & Touche, LLP in Denver, CO.
• Jason B. Jiskoot, (IA), a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, currently working at the Pella Corporation in Pella, IA.
• Keith A. Piwko, (MI), a graduate of Michigan State University, currently working for Plante & Moran, PLLC in Auburn Hills, MI.
• Kurt B. Piwko, (MI), a graduate of Michigan State University, currently working for Plante & Moran, PLLC in Clinton Township, MI.
• Svetlana Rodinskaya, (AK), a graduate of St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University, Russia, currently working at Ernst & Young in St. Petersburg, Russia.
• Wendee Mariko Shinsato, (CA), a graduate of Hawaii Pacific University, currently working at the Defense Contract Audit Agency in Los Angeles.

The award was created to honor Elijah Watt Sells in 1923, the year prior to his death. Sells was one of the country's first CPAs under the provision of a New York State law enacted in 1896, and a leader in advancing professional education. He was active in the establishment of the AICPA and was a founder of New York University's School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance.

You can find out more information about the Uniform CPA Examination.

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants is the national, professional association of CPAs, with approximately 330,000 members, including CPAs in business and industry, public practice, government, and education. It sets ethical standards for the profession and U.S. auditing standards for audits of private companies; federal, state and local governments; and non-profit organizations. It also develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination

Headquartered in New York, the AICPA also maintains offices in Washington, D.C.; Durham, N.C.; Ewing, N.J. and Lewisville, TX.