BKD Colorado Associate, Ashley McDowell—has been awarded the 2018 Elijah Watt Sells Award. According to the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), CPA candidates must obtain a cumulative average score above 95.50 across all four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination®, pass all four sections on their first attempt and have completed testing in 2018 to be eligible for the award. Only 110 individuals qualified out of the approximately 86,000 exam takers. McDowell was one of three BKD Associates, along with Michael Kimble of Louisville and Benjamin Lyford of Springfield, to earn this honor .
BKD CEO Ted Dickman said, “It’s not easy to win the Elijah Watt Sells Award, and it couldn’t be accomplished without intensive dedication. Ashley, Michael and Benjamin are excellent representatives of BKD values, and we’re proud of their achievements. Our team is excited to see how they’ll continue to grow their careers. New associates help build the future of our firm, and if these individuals are any indication, we can look forward to great success.”
McDowell graduated from University of Nebraska–Lincoln with her bachelor’s and MPA degrees and is with the firm’s Colorado Springs office.
According to the AICPA, the Elijah Watt Sells Award program was established in 1923 to recognize outstanding performance on the CPA exam. Sells, one of the first CPAs in the U.S., was active in establishing the AICPA and played a key role in advancing professional education within the profession.
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