Illinois CPA Society's Elaine Weiss Named a 2012 "Most Powerful Women in Accounting" Winner

CHICAGO, Oct. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Illinois CPA Society President and CEO Elaine Weiss was named as a 2012 "Most Powerful Women in Accounting" award winner by CPA Practice Advisor magazine at the recent American Society of Women Accountants (ASWA) Annual Conference in San Diego.

A partnership between the publication and ASWA, the inaugural award spotlights women with direct ties to public accounting who have made important contributions to the profession, including initiatives and actions they have started that made a difference within their organizations, their personal leadership, community involvement and mentorship to future women leaders. All of the winners were nominated by peers.

"Elaine is a visionary leader who fosters a culture of innovation and excellence," says Sheldon P. Holzman, retired Partner, Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP, and past Chairperson of the Illinois CPA Society Board of Directors. "She embraces the unique needs of a diverse membership and champions initiatives and technologies that are instrumental in keeping members on the cutting edge of change. This type of ingenuity is evident in the Society's recent launch of its groundbreaking learning management system which puts the power of managing training in members' hands and compliments the way they work today."

Other accomplishments during her tenure as President and CEO include leading over 1,000 CPAs in CPA Day Service the past three years, pioneering new technologies to bring revolutionary services to the CPA community and encouraging an increase in women's programming.

Prior to joining the Society in 2002, Weiss served as Associate Director of the American Bar Association (ABA). In 1993, she was appointed by President Bill Clinton to serve as Regional Director for the United States Department of Health and Human Services.  She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and a Juris Doctorate from the National Law Center at George Washington University. In 2011, she served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Association Forum of Chicagoland, where she led the development of an inaugural women's conference.

About the Illinois CPA Society
The Illinois CPA Society, founded in 1903, is the fourth largest state CPA Society in the nation, with more than 24,000 members. It is the premier professional organization that represents CPAs in Illinois. During its over 100 years of existence, the Society has advanced the highest ethical and financial standards of the profession, and has been a leader in educating the public on financial issues.

SOURCE Illinois CPA Society