Beta Alpha PSI Recognizes Business Professionals With Award For Contributions In Academia, Business And Government

At the 2012 Beta Alpha Psi Annual Meeting Kecia Smith; Bruce Behn, PhD, CPA; and Mary Pat McCarthy, CPA were awarded the Business Information Professional of the Year Award. Sponsored by IMA, the award is presented to individuals who make significant contributions to the business information professions. End Quote

Durham, NC (1888PressRelease) August 13, 2012 - Beta Alpha Psi awarded three professionals the Business Information Professional of the Year award, sponsored by the Institute of Management Accountants, Inc. (IMA®), at the Beta Alpha Psi Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. The award, created in 1974, is presented annually to individuals who make significant contributions to the business information professions in the areas of academia, business, and government.

Candidates are nominated by a Beta Alpha Psi chapter and chosen by the Beta Alpha Psi board of directors. The award recipient's nominating chapter receives a $2,000 scholarship from IMA.

"Beta Alpha Psi congratulates these inspiring individuals who continue to excel in the academic, business, and government realms of business information. The work they've done will not only continue to put them at the forefront of their industry, but also highlight the caliber of professionals associated with Beta Alpha Psi," stated Mary P. Stone, president of Beta Alpha Psi.

"It's imperative to recognize and reward role models who inspire and educate the next generation of leaders in our profession," said Jeff Thomson, CMA, IMA president and CEO. "For the second year in a row, we're excited to support the efforts of Beta Alpha Psi."

The following individuals are the 2012 award winners, in alphabetical order, followed by their nominating school, education, current employer, and notable accomplishments.

Bruce K. Behn, PhD, CPA (University of Tennessee, Knoxville), a graduate of Arizona State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is the Ergen Professor of Business and Center for Business & Economic Research (CEBR) faculty fellow at The University of Tennessee. He is currently chair of the Pathways Commission and the AICPA's Precertification Education Executive Committee. He is a past vice president of the American Accounting Association (AAA), past president of the AAA International Accounting Section, and the Federation of Schools of Accountancy (FSA). He has received numerous teaching awards, including the AAA's Innovation in Accounting Education award. He also has been published in many journals, including The Accounting Review and Journal of Accounting Research.

Behn said, "After looking over the list of prior honorees, I am truly honored and humbled to be included among them. All of these individuals have given so much to the accounting profession and made a difference in many lives. I just hope I have contributed to this ideal in my own way. The accounting profession has provided me with many wonderful opportunities, and it all started with Beta Alpha Psi when I was an undergraduate accounting student."

Mary Pat McCarthy, CPA (Creighton University), a graduate of Creighton University and the KPMG International Development Program at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, is the former US vice chair and executive director of the Audit Committee Institute for KPMG LLP. In 2002, McCarthy was named Creighton University's College of Business Alumni of the Year. In 2008 through 2011, she was recognized by Directorship magazine as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People on Corporate Governance and in the Boardroom. She is the coauthor of five books published by McGraw-Hill and has been quoted in many national publications, among them Forbes and The New York Times.

"My heartfelt thanks go to Beta Alpha Psi for recognition as a Business Information Professional of the Year for Professional Services. I am touched and honored to be bestowed such a prestigious award. Beta Alpha Psi is a remarkable organization that makes a real difference in peoples' lives, and I am deeply grateful for this acknowledgement and also for your support of the Creighton University chapter," McCarthy said.

Kecia Williams Smith (North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University), a graduate of her nominating chapter, is a former associate director in the Division of Registration and Inspections of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). While at the PCAOB, she served as an inspector and was the primary architect of the Inspections Training Office. Prior to her role at the PCAOB, Smith was a senior manager at Deloitte. She was recognized by Who's Who of Atlanta in 2004 and received the Rising Star award from the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) in 2005. She has been a speaker for several NABA conventions, the University of Memphis Law Review's Financial Services Reform, and the AICPA Accounting Leadership Workshop. Smith is currently pursuing a doctorate in accounting at Texas A&M University.

Smith said, "Receiving the Beta Alpha Psi Business Information Professional of the Year award is a tremendous honor. Being recognized for my professional accomplishments by a world-class honorary organization serves as a testament to my commitment to excellence, service, and mentoring. I am extremely proud of the students in the Zeta Sigma Chapter, and I will continue to 'lift as I climb' in my future professional endeavors."

About Beta Alpha Psi:
Founded in 1919, Beta Alpha Psi is an honorary organization for financial information students and professionals. The primary objective of Beta Alpha Psi is to encourage and give recognition to scholastic and professional excellence in the business information field. This includes promoting the study and practice of accounting, finance, and information systems; providing opportunities for self-development, service, and association among members and practicing professionals, and encouraging a sense of ethical, social, and public responsibility. Headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, Beta Alpha Psi has 300 chapters on college and university campuses with over 300,000 members initiated since Beta Alpha Psi's formation.

About IMA®
IMA, the association of accountants and financial professionals in business, is one of the largest and most respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) program, continuing education, networking, and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of more than 65,000 members in 120 countries and 200 local chapter communities.

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