Nicole Cooper Selected to Attend AICPA Leadership Academy

Nicole Cooper, CPA, an assistant controller within Business and Finance, was one of only 30 CPAs honored by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) as a member of the Leadership Academy’s 12th graduating class. Nicole Cooper was selected based on her exceptional leadership skills and professional experience for the four-day Leadership Academy program, which will be held October 5-8.

She graduated with Highest Distinction from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 2015 with a Bachelor of Business Administration, majoring in accounting.  She received her MBA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2016.  Cooper is the Assistant Controller at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a military veteran, serving eight years in the Army National Guard including deployments to Iraq and Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The AICPA Leadership Academy was designed to strengthen and expand the leadership skills of promising young professionals while they network with a peer group of talented and motivated CPAs.

"I’m very excited and honored that I was accepted into the AICPA Leadership Academy." says Cooper, "It offers an amazing opportunity to be able to network and learn with peers from many different accounting backgrounds and leadership experiences."

The Leadership Academy features career-development workshops and sessions with some of the accounting profession’s most prominent influencers, including Tracey Golden, CPA, CGMA, chairman of the American Institute of CPAs and Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, American Institute of CPAs president and CEO, Association of Certified Professional Accountants CEO.

Participants were selected from public accounting firms of all sizes, business and industry, academia and consulting firms.

The 2020 Leadership Academy attendees were recommended by their employers, state CPA societies and/or volunteer organizations. Candidates submitted resumes and a statement explaining how participating in the Leadership Academy would impact them personally and professionally. They also wrote an essay on the topic “The future will bring significant changes to the accounting profession. What do leaders have to get right in order to successfully lead?”

To date, more than 385 CPAs have participated in the AICPA Leadership Academy, many of whom have gone on to take on leadership positions in their firms, businesses and volunteer organizations.

"I’ve heard great things about the academy, and I am looking forward to being able to be a part of it!"

For more information about the AICPA Leadership Academy, visit AICPA.org/Leadership.