IMA Sponsors Beta Alpha Psi’s “Business Information Professional of the Year” Awards

IMA®, the association for
accountants and financial professionals in business, announces its sponsorship
of the 2011 Beta Alpha Psi “Business Information Professional of the Year”
awards. The awards, which have been bestowed since 1974, recognize the
accomplishments of one individual in each of three fields: education, industry
and government, and professional services. This is the first time that the
awards have been sponsored by an outside organization.

Nominations for the
awards were made by Beta Alpha Psi chapters, which were invited to nominate
outstanding alumni or honorary members whose personal and professional work
has, in the words of the award guidelines, “affected a great number of lives.”
The three chapters whose nominees were selected by Beta Alpha Psi’s
International Advisory Forum each receive a cash prize of $2,000 for student
chapter scholarships, funded by IMA’s Memorial Education Fund. In addition,
each winner receives a one-year IMA
membership.

Winners of the Beta
Alpha Psi 2011 “Business Information Professional of the Year” awards are:

• Education: Kenneth W. Milani, Ph.D., CPA, of Notre Dame,
  Ind., accountancy professor at Notre Dame University’s Mendoza College of
  Business (nominated by Beta Alpha Psi’s University of Notre Dame chapter)
• Industry and Government: John F. Gehring, of Omaha, Neb.,
  executive vice president and CFO of ConAgra Foods (nominated by Beta Alpha
  Psi’s University of Nebraska-Lincoln chapter)
• Professional Services: Samuel L. Burke, CPA, of Jersey
  City, N.J., partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers’ National Independence office
  (nominated by Beta Alpha Psi’s Elon University chapter)

“IMA is pleased to
sponsor these prestigious awards, which acknowledge the accomplishments of
three outstanding professionals,” said Jeff Thomson, CMA®, IMA president and
CEO. “These individuals have played an important role in encouraging students
in their pursuit of a career in accounting, something which IMA both supports
and applauds. We are thrilled that this award also benefits the next generation
of leaders in our profession.”

Commented Hadassah Baum, CMA,
CPA, CAE, executive director of Beta Alpha Psi, “With this generous sponsorship
from IMA, our student chapters will have additional incentive to identify
outstanding professionals from the fields of education, business, government,
and professional services. We believe that exposure to these inspiring
individuals has a lasting impression on the students who meet them.”

The three award
recipients will be recognized at the 2011 Beta Alpha Psi Annual Conference,
which will be held in Denver, Colo. on August 11-13, 2011. The winners will
also be acknowledged in Beta Alpha Psi’s annual report.

/news_and_events/news_articles/article/9127/ima-sponsors-beta-alpha-psi-s-business-information-professional-of-the-year-awards