And the September VIP Award Goes To…

…Melisa Beauchamp!

The executive director of a technology incubator we sponsor discovered that her predecessor had not filed the appropriate tax return for their nonprofit. She began fretting over a potential IRS fine. Our sponsorship contact here at the firm turned to Melisa, the leader of the Nonprofit and Education group and the executive director of the Aprio Foundation.

Melisa successfully lobbied the IRS to waive the fine for this incubator, a big win for our relationship. The executive director thanked Melisa for “having generously dedicated [her] time and expertise to assisting [them] with this issue.”

Get to Know Melisa Beauchamp:

• Hometown: Derby, KS
• College: Wichita State University
• Favorite vacation spot: Culebra, Puerto Rico
• Favorite TV show: “Game of Thrones”
• Hobbies: Reading, camping and cooking
• Is she more Facebook, Twitter or Instagram? “I love Twitter!”
• Favorite Aprio Way fundamental: Be Relentless about Improvement. “I never want to stop growing and learning about new subject matters. I believe any person or company can do or be anything as long as they continue to focus on ways to improve.”

So, how can you win a VIP Award?

First, go Above & Beyond the Call of Duty (ABCD) and be nominated by a colleague in an email to cooleafcommittee@hawcpa.com. Each month, we choose a VIP Award winner from the previous month’s ABCD Award winners, based on business impact. The winner receives the employee parking spot for an entire month.

Congratulations to Melisa and our other August ABCD Award winners: Karen Cox, Aneta Mazurkiewicz, Danielle Maurer and Julie-Marie Dalbello.