Accounting Night is the premier event for the Knox School of Accountancy in the Hull College of Business.
The event gives accounting students a networking opportunity to engage with accounting employers and alumni to learn about career options and employment opportunities in the field.
The event is typically held within the first few weeks of the start of the fall semester.
The Abram J. Serotta Award is bestowed annually during Accounting Night to a local
accountant for outstanding service to students and education while serving as an advocate
for the accounting profession.
Serotta was born and raised in Augusta, where he graduated from the Academy of Richmond County. He went on to earn a Bachelors in Accounting from the University of Georgia in 1968, where he also earned his Masters of Accountancy in 1969. Serotta passed his CPA exam while in college. Serotta has been with SME since 1969 and served as Managing Partner from 1971 until 2012.
Serotta has been selected twice as one of Accounting Today’s 100 Most Influential CPAs in the United States; the Chairman of Augusta State University’s College of Business Advisory Committee; and elected “Alumni of the Year” by University of Georgia, Terry College of Business. He has testified before Congress on tax issues and served on the AICPA Committees on Individual Tax and Tax Legislation.
Serotta mentors and lectures to college students on the practical aspects of career planning. He has chaired the Metro Augusta Convention and Visitors Bureau, Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce, and the Community Foundation and is also a past member of the Board of Directors of the Morris Museum. He has served on many not-for-profit boards and has been an advisor and consultant to others in activating the Community Foundation.
Previous winners of the Abram J. Serotta Award:
2023: John Snider, Audit Director, SME CPAs
2022: Beth Morrison, Partner, Cherry Bekaert Advisory LLC
2021: Tabitha Holimon, President of Virtual Tax & Consulting
2020: *no event due to COVID-19 pandemic
2019: Clay Sprouse, Vice President of Audit, Compliance Ethics and Risk Management for Augusta University
2018: Beth Cullum, CFO for Center for Primary Care
2017: Michael Dugan, DBA, Peter S. Knox, III Distinguished Chair of Accounting, Hull College of Business
2016: Greg Van Bladel, Operations Group Controller for John Deere
