CHICAGO, Sept. 3, 2025 – The Illinois CPA Society (ICPAS)—one of the largest state associations serving the certified public accountant (CPA) community—is pleased to share that ICPAS member Arun Zachariah, CPA, was one of only 36 professionals selected to join the 17th class of the American Institute of CPAs’ (AICPA) Leadership Academy.
Zachariah was selected to attend the four-day academy, which will be held Dec. 8-11, 2025, based on their exceptional leadership skills and professional experience.
Zachariah currently holds a senior accountant position with The Joyce Foundation, a Chicago-based private, nonpartisan philanthropy that invests in public policies and strategies to advance racial equity and economic mobility for the next generation in the Great Lakes region. Zachariah is a graduate of DePaul University in Chicago and is a current ICPAS member.
“It’s exciting to see one of our young professional members be selected to participate in the AICPA’s Leadership Academy. Standing out among candidates from across the nation to earn this opportunity is a testament to Arun’s potential as an emerging leader,” says Geoffrey Brown, CAE, ICPAS president and CEO. “We thank the AICPA for their commitment to investing in the future leaders of the accounting and finance profession, and we can’t wait to see what Arun accomplishes because of this experience.”
The academy was designed to strengthen and expand the leadership skills of promising emerging professionals while they network with a peer group of talented and motivated CPAs. The academy features career development workshops and sessions with some of the accounting profession’s most prominent influencers.
Academy participants—who were recommended by their employers, state CPA societies, and/or volunteer organizations—were selected from public accounting firms of all sizes, corporate finance, government, non-profit, academia, and consulting. Candidates submitted resumes and a statement explaining how participating in the academy would impact them personally and professionally. To date, more than 510 CPAs have participated in the academy, many of whom have gone on to take on leadership positions in their firms, businesses, and organizations. Click here to learn more about the academy.
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About the American Institute of CPAs
The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) is the world’s largest member association representing the CPA profession, with 397,000 members and a history of serving the public interest since 1887. AICPA members represent many areas of practice, including business and industry, public practice, government, education, and consulting. A founding member of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, the AICPA sets ethical standards for the profession, attestation standards, and U.S. auditing standards for private companies, not-for-profit organizations, and federal, state, and local governments. It develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination, offers specialized credentials, partners across the profession to build future talent, and drives continuing education to advance the vitality, relevance, and quality of the profession.