Two outstanding business leaders have been chosen by the Maryland Association of CPAs as Maryland’s “Women to Watch” for 2022.

The honorees are:

• Kathryn Klose, Ph.D., CPA, accounting coordinator with Montgomery College, in the “Experienced Leader” category.
• Renee Collins, CPA, a principal in the Audit and Accounting Department of Ellin & Tucker in Baltimore, in the “Emerging Leader” category.

Launched in 2014 by the American Institute of CPAs, the awards highlight the accomplishments and contributions of women in the CPA profession and demonstrate to emerging female leaders that success is not out of reach.

“We are incredibly proud of this year’s winners — indeed, of all the honorees for this year’s awards,” said MACPA CEO Rebekah Brown, CPA. “They represent the best this profession has to offer, and they serve as role models not only for other women in the profession, but for every accounting and finance professional on the planet.”

“We had 21 total honorees for this year’s awards,” said Herb Geary, CPA, chair of the MACPA’s 2022-23 Board of Directors. “This symbolizes a commitment on the part of every person in this room and once again sets Maryland CPAs apart in a way that makes me proud.”

Here’s a closer look at the winners and honorees in each of the two “Women to Watch” categories:

Experienced Leader: Kathryn Klose, Ph.D., CPA
Dr. Klose is an accomplished faculty and administrator at Montgomery College with more than 18 years of experience in higher education. She possesses a unique blend of education and work experience with demonstrated success in educational and corporate settings. She is accomplished in the areas of strategic, operational and financial management; program design and administration; curriculum development; online education; educational research; and student learning assessment. She is an expert faculty member who is committed to helping students achieve their educational goals through innovative curriculum design and best pedagogical practices. She is adept at designing, implementing, and teaching various experiential learning models, including competency, project, proficiency, and action-based learning.

Her research has focused on issues of social class and socioeconomic status in educational environments; success of first-generation and underrepresented college students; educational finance; tutoring and coaching initiatives for learners; employing technology to build richer learning experiences; partnering with external organizations to bring real-world case analyses to the classroom; and issues of ethics and personal integrity in education and carry over in to professional conduct.

Dr. Klose has extensive experience as a thought leader and presenter on topics of importance to the profession, and has been published in several renowned journals and publications.

Other honorees in the Experienced Leader category are:

• Amy Baker, CPA, senior manager with RSM US LLP in Baltimore.
• Robin Booth, CPA, managing principal of Booth Management Consulting, LLC, in Columbia, Md.
• Marian Brown, CPA, MBA, accounting and advisory services practice leader with OneSource Consulting in Beltsville, Md.
• Michele Chalmers, CPA, principal with CliftonLarsonAllen LLP in Baltimore.
• Nelly Gizdova, CPA, principal with UHY LLP and UHY Mid-Atlantic Advisors in Columbia, Md.
• Angela Lynch, CPA, audit principal with SC&H Group, Inc., in Sparks, Md.
• Maryna Marshall, CPA, managing director with Ernst & Young in Baltimore.
• Sue McGovern, CPA, tax partner with Cohen and Company in Baltimore.
• Maral Nakashian, CPA, co-founding partner of MN Blum LLC in Rockville, Md.
• Laura Shuman, CPA, principal with Gorfine, Schiller & Gardyn, P.A., in Owings Mills, Md.

Emerging Leader: Renee Collins, CPA
As a principal in the Audit and Accounting Department of Ellin & Tucker, Collins provides high-quality audit, accounting, tax, and advisory services to some of the firm’s most influential clients. She is a trusted advisor for a wide-range of private business owners, from well-respected, multi-generational, established family businesses to investor-backed, high growth start-up companies.

She is actively involved as a member of the MACPA and the American Institute of CPAs; as a member of the Executive Committee of the Accounting Advisory Board at Towson University; as a member of St. Paul Catholic Church and its Finance Council; as a member of the Finance Committee of Resurrection-St. Paul School; and as a member of the Ellin & Tucker Giving Back Committee.

Other nominees in the Emerging Leader category are:

• Petergay Brown, CPA, senior manager with Booth Management Consulting, LLC, in Columbia, Md.
• Samantha Haines, CPA, director of tax services with Rosen, Sapperstein & Friedlander, LLC, in Towson, Md.
• Alejandra Jensen, CPA, CFE, senior manger, non-profit audit at GRF CPAs & Advisors in Bethesda, Md.
• Sabrina Knott, CPA, CGMA, director of tax and compliance, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc., in Columbia, Md.
• Jacqueline Ray, CPA, senior accountant, Taurus CPA Solutions in Ellicott City, Md.
• Rachael Reiter, CPA, assurance manager with RSM US LLP.
• Christine Stravino, CPA, MS, tax partner with Cohen & Company in Baltimore.
• Brina Zinter, CPA, controller, Maryland Zoological Society in Baltimore.

The 2022 MACPA “Women to Watch” awards were made possible by the MACPA Foundation, which is committed to building a diverse CPA talent pipeline to secure the future of our profession.

The awards also were made possible by the following strategic partners:

Event Sponsors

• Deloitte
• CLA
• RSM

Table Sponsors

• AON
• ADP
• Aronson
• Bookminders
• Booth Management Consulting
• CLA
• Cohen & Company
• Deloitte
• Enterprise Community
• Garbelman Winslow CPAs
• GRF
• GSG
• KET Solutions
• RS&F
• RSM
• SC&H Group
• UHY