Two Fisher alumni receive prestigious CPA award

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Fisher School of Accounting alumni Emily Buzby and Michael Dougherty received the Elijah Watt Sells Award, given to CPA candidates who obtain a cumulative average score above 95.90 across all four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination, pass all four sections on their first attempt and have completed testing in 2018.

Out of the nearly 86,000 people who took the CPA Exam in 2018, only 110 candidates met the criteria to receive the Elijah Watt Sells Award. Buzby and Dougherty are two of the four award recipients from Florida.

Buzby received her BSBA in Accounting and Master of Accounting degrees in 2018. She now works at KMPG in Jacksonville, Florida.

“Earning this award, along with Michael, really is a testament to the quality of the Fisher School’s professors,” she said. “I am incredibly grateful for the education I received.”

Dougherty received his BSBA in Accounting and Master of Accounting degrees in 2018. He is employed at Dixon Hughes Goodman, LLP in Jacksonville, Florida.

“Winning the Elijah Watt Sells Award is a testament to the hard work I exerted when studying for and taking the CPA Exam,” he said. “I am truly honored to receive this award!”

The Elijah Watt Sells Award program was established by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) in 1923 to recognize outstanding performance on the CPA Exam. Sells, one of the first CPAs in the U.S., was active in the establishment of the AICPA and played a key role advancing professional education within the profession.