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Young leader wins AICPA’s Outstanding Young CPA Award

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Dan Griffiths
Dan Griffiths

Dan Griffiths, CPA, director of strategic planning at Tanner LLC, received the Outstanding Young CPA Award in Honor of Maximo Mukelabai. Griffiths was recognized for his leadership role with the Utah Association of CPAs (UACPA) and service to his local community.

The Outstanding Young CPA Award recognizes a young CPA who personifies an unwavering commitment as demonstrated through successful practices and involvement in and contributions to the accounting profession. The annual award is named for Maximo Mukelabai, a member of the inaugural class of the AICPA Leadership Academy and the youngest chair of the North Carolina Association of CPAs board of directors, who died at age 36.

Griffiths has served as chair of the AICPA Young CPA Network Committee and other UACPA and accounting-related organizations in his home state. He was a founding board member of Financial Ready Utah, a not-for-profit organization affiliated with the UACPA to promote financial preparedness, and he currently serves on a legislative commission of the state of Utah dedicated to fiscal preparedness. He has also served as a board member of the Utah State Board of Education, has worked as a Hispanic Outreach Committee leader, and has provided tax-preparation assistance through the VITA program.

“Having known Maximo personally, it’s very humbling to receive an award created in his honor,” Griffiths said.

Peers, AICPA staff, employers, and state CPA societies submit nominations for the award, and the AICPA Young CPA Network Task Force then reviews all qualified nominations and determines a winner, based on the following primary criteria:

  • Passion and eagerness to encourage and pique students’ interest in accounting as a career.
  • Recommendations and best practices toward improving processes and/or activities.
  • Performance in committee and/or other volunteer activities that relate to the engagement and advancement of the profession.
  • Involvement in community-based organizations to improve the lives of citizens.