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2025-26 CalCPA Chairs

 has, over the past five years, awarded $350,000 annually to students in California, 40 percent of whom attend(ed) community colleges. For the 2024–25 academic year, more than 335 students received CalCPA scholarships and were awarded an average of $1,500 each.

“These numbers reflect not just tangible gains for students—classes, books, exam fees—but support of the CPA profession, and the public trust and accountability it provides,” said CalCPA President and CEO Denise LeDuc Froemming.

California State University, Bakersfield students received the most scholarships for 2024, with the total amount to students at the university topping out at $21,500, and San Diego State University students right behind them with $18,500 in scholarships to accounting and accounting-adjacent majors. Other schools with large scholarship awards also included Cal State University Fullerton, Menlo College and Golden Gate University.

“Scholarships are a lifeline for me, representing the chance to pursue higher education despite the obstacles I’ve faced. As a first-generation college student from a Native American background, growing up in a financially strained environment in a tough neighborhood, scholarships are more than just financial aid—they’re a ticket to a better future,” said San Diego State University student Michael Bonillas from the 

CalCPA is focused on fueling the talent pipeline into the profession and transforming the career experience for accounting students and young professionals. The scholarship program is a commitment to that vision by helping them to excel in their academic and professional endeavors.

Established in 1903, CalCPA is the largest state CPA society in the country, representing and supporting certified public accountants and related professionals in California.

CalCPA Empowering Students

More than 300 aspiring CPAs were awarded CalCPA scholarships in 2024–25, with an average of $1,500 to support their education.

Student Scholarships

CalCPA Staff

—At its annual Members Club Summit, CalCPA welcomed new leadership, appointing 

, partner at Meloni Hribal Tratner LLP, as chair and 

, founder of PDM CPAs, as chair of the CalCPA Education Foundation.

Both leaders bring deep CalCPA roots and a passion for strengthening the future of the CPA profession.

A member of the CalCPA Board of Directors and past president of the CalCPA Los Angeles Chapter, Phan had her eyes set on a medical career while in college, but found herself instead drawn to accounting classes, changed her major and has never looked back. 

"Accounting just clicked with me," said Phan, who sees attracting the next generation as the biggest issue facing the profession. 

"There is a talent shortage, and we need tech-savvy professionals to lead the CPA profession into the AI-driven future," she said.

Also a past president of the CalCPA Los Angeles Chapter, Donnelly has served as a member of the CalCPA Estate Planning, Communications Advisory and Technology committees. 

As someone who enjoys working with numbers, Donnelly also landed on a CPA career while in college.

"When I transferred into the business school at Cal State University, Long Beach I started to hear more about CPAs. I took an audit class and didn’t like it very much," he said. "I met with my counselor, and he suggested I take tax classes. I was hooked after the first day of the individual taxation class."

Donnelly also believes attracting students to pursue an accounting degree and career is paramount for a profession that "has so many avenues to pursue," he said.

CalCPA Welcomes New Chairs

At our annual Members Club Summit this week, CalCPA appointed Jillian Phan as chair and Scott Donnelly chair of the CalCPA Education Foundation. Both leaders bring deep CalCPA roots and a passion for strengthening the future of the CPA profession.