Lexy Kessler, CPA, partner-in-charge of Aronson’s Government Contract Services Group, has been elected chair of the Maryland Association of CPAs’ 2021-22 Board of Directors.
Kessler was elected during the MACPA’s Annual Meeting, held virtually on June 18. She succeeds 2020-21 Chair Avonette Blanding, CPA, who remains on the Board of Directors as immediate past chair.
An MACPA member since 1987, Kessler has more than 30 years of experience in assurance, tax, and consulting. She was named one of the 20 most powerful women in accounting for 2020 by the AICPA and CPA Practice Advisor. As a leader in her practice area and a former member of Aronson’s Board of Directors, she also helps drive Aronson’s strategic direction and growth objectives.
Kessler currently serves as chair of the AICPA’s PCPS Executive Committee.
Her reputation as an expert in her field is part of the personal brand that makes her sought-after speaker, and she has provided interviews and expert commentary to such media outlets as The Wall Street Journal, Federal News Radio, Law360, and Federal Times.
As the first female chair of Aronson’s Board of Directors, Kessler advocates for women to pursue leadership roles. She was named by The Daily Record as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women for 2018 and 2020. She also received the MACPA’s “Women to Watch” award in 2014 and the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce’s Chairman’s Award in 2013.
Joining Kessler on the 2021-22 MACPA Board of Directors are:
- Vice Chair: Herb Geary, CPA, CGMA, managing partner, TGM Group LLC
- Secretary / Treasurer: Christine Aspell, CPA, managing partner / audit partner, KPMG LLP in Baltimore
- Past Chair: Avonette Blanding, CPA, CFO, Maritime Applied Physics
- Tim Samuel, CPA, CFO, Bridgeway Church
- Kim Mustard, CPA, CGMA, partner, HCFL
- Maxene Bardwell, CPA, CIA, CFE, CISA, CRMA, CIGA, assistant inspector general for audit, Office of the Inspector General, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
- Thomas White, CPA, director, CareFirst BC / BS
- Elise Brouillette, CPA, senior manager, PwC
- Jeff Wilson, CPA, PFS, CFE, CGMA, CDFA, principal, W2 Group LLC
- Dave Ryan, Esq., CPA (retired), managing director, CompensationGPS
- Leon Katznelson, director and CTO, IBM Skills Network
Also at the Annual Meeting, Karen Syrylo, CPA, was awarded the MACPA’s 2020-21 Max Teichmann Award for her tireless volunteer work on behalf of the association’s tax communities and all of its members.