Alumnus honored with 2019 AICPA Elijah Watt Sells Award

For the third consecutive year, an alumnus of Tulane University’s A. B. Freeman School of Business has been recognized with the prestigious Elijah Watt Sells Award.

Michael Kreisman (BSM/MACCT ’18), an associate with KPMG in Boston, received the award for his performance on the 2019 Uniform CPA Examination. He is the fourth Freeman School graduate in the last six years to receive the honor.

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants presents the award to CPA candidates who obtain a cumulative average score above 95.50 across all four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination and pass all four sections of the exam on their first attempt. Out of the nearly 75,000 candidates who sat for the exam in 2019, Kreisman is one of just 133 candidates to meet the criteria.

“This award could not have gone to a more deserving candidate,” said Christine Smith, professor of practice in accounting and assistant director of the BSM/MACCT program. “I have known Michael since his freshman year at Tulane in a number of capacities — student, advisee and teaching assistant. His commitment to excellence and learning was unparalleled. There’s no doubt in my mind that he will achieve wonderful things.”

The Elijah Watt Sells Award program was established by the AICPA in 1923 to recognize outstanding 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 in advancing professional education within the profession.

“For graduates entering public accounting, there's no honor greater than the Elijah Watt Sells Award,” said Ira Solomon, dean of the Freeman School. “I couldn't be prouder of the accounting education delivered by Freeman School faculty and, in particular, of Michael for earning this most impressive distinction.”