Two Maryland accounting and finance professionals recognized for leadership and impact as new retreat brings CPAs together for mentoring, learning, connection

ANNAPOLIS, Md., Sept. 24, 2026 — The Maryland Association of CPAs honored two of the accounting and finance profession’s outstanding leaders with its 2026 Women to Watch Awards during the association’s inaugural Rise Together Retreat on Sept. 23.

Megan McKnew, CPA, of CohnReznick received the 2026 Women to Watch Award in the Emerging Leader category, while Laura Vansuch, CPA, of CLA was honored in the Experienced Leader category.

The annual Women to Watch Awards recognize women who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, made significant contributions to the accounting and finance profession and their communities, and helped pave the way for future generations of professionals.

Emerging Leaders are professionals who have made significant contributions to the profession and their communities but have not yet reached the highest levels of advancement. Experienced Leaders are professionals who have established themselves as leaders within their organizations, advanced to the highest levels of management or ownership, and demonstrated a commitment to mentoring those who follow in their footsteps.

The two recipients were selected from 10 Women to Watch honorees by a judging panel consisting of MACPA Board members, profession champions and past honorees. Judges independently reviewed and scored applications and letters of recommendation based on criteria established for each award category.

2026 Women to Watch honorees

In addition to the winners, this year’s honorees including the following in the Emerging Leader category:

• Hannah Bumbaugh, SHRM-CP, of SEK, CPAs & Advisors
• Lauren Jones, CPA, of GRF CPAs & Advisors
• Elena Moseyko of LedgrAI;
• Harleigh Price, CPA, of Roland Park Country School
• Kellan Reinikka, CPA, of SC&H Group

Other Experienced Leader honorees were:

• Emily Courter, CPA, of KPMG
• Julie Hulem, CPA, of GRF CPAs & Advisors
• Joye Sistrunk, CPA, CGFM, of Premier Group

“These remarkable professionals demonstrate the kind of leadership our profession needs — leadership that not only achieves results but lifts others along the way,” said MACPA CEO Rebekah Olson, CPA. “Our Women to Watch honorees remind us that the future of this profession is shaped by people who are willing to share what they know, invest in others and create opportunities for those coming behind them. Celebrating their accomplishments is one of the highlights of our year.”

Inaugural Rise Together Retreat creates space for connection, mentoring and growth

This year’s Women to Watch Awards served as the culmination of the MACPA’s first-ever Rise Together Retreat, a day-long gathering designed to bring professionals from across generations and career stages together for leadership development, mentoring, reflection and meaningful connection.

The retreat featured interactive discussions on leading through change, speed mentoring sessions, and a cross-generational panel examining what professionals at different stages of their careers can learn from one another.

“Rise Together was created around a simple idea: None of us builds a meaningful career alone,” Olson said. “We grow because people challenge us, mentor us, share their experiences with us, and sometimes simply remind us that we belong. We wanted to create a different kind of professional experience — one that gives people room to learn from one another, build relationships across generations and leave feeling inspired to take tangible action. That spirit of community and connection is at the heart of what the MACPA and the MACPA Foundation are all about.”

Among the retreat’s sessions was “Leadership in Motion: How to Steady the Ship During Change,” featuring Janice Stucke, CPA, CFO of The Council for Professional Recognition, and Joye Sistrunk, CPA, CGFM, founder and CEO of Premier Group.

Attendees also participated in "Mentoring in Motion," a series of small-group speed-mentoring conversations, as well as “Across Generations: What We Can Learn From Each Other,” featuring Sofia Volkov, an accounting and finance student at the University of Maryland; Tricia Katebini, CPA, partner at GRF CPAs & Advisors; Christine Aspell, CPA, former MACPA chair and affiliate faculty member at Loyola University; and Amy Myers, CPA, vice president of corporate treasury at the University of Maryland Medical System.

Past Women to Watch honorees Sarah Glynn, CPA, and Susan Colladay, CPA, also shared their experiences during a discussion moderated by MACPA Foundation Chair Kimberly Ellison-Taylor, CPA, CGMA, CISA, CITP, CIA, CEO of KET Solutions and a past chair of the AICPA and MACPA.

The retreat concluded with a keynote address from Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, Maryland’s 10th lieutenant governor and the first woman of color and immigrant elected to statewide office in Maryland.

"Leadership isn’t just about the doors we walk through, but about holding them open for the next person," Miller said following the event. "Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees, and thank you for helping build the next generation of women leaders in Maryland."

Throughout the day, attendees were also encouraged to participate in the "Rise Together Library: Books That Built Us," sharing books that have inspired them and selecting books recommended by other participants. Plein air artist Pamela Chase created an original watercolor inspired by the retreat and its surroundings, which was awarded to an attendee at the conclusion of the event.

The inaugural retreat was supported by MACPA Foundation corporate donors CohnReznick, GRF and RSM, as well as event sponsors Aon and GW CPAs.

“We hope everyone who joined us leaves with more than a few new ideas,” Olson said. “We hope they leave with new relationships, new sources of inspiration and a renewed understanding of what’s possible when we invest in one another. That’s what it means to rise together.”