NJCPA Board of Trustees
2024/25 Officers
June M. Toth, CPA, CFF, CITP, CGMA, principal at WilkinGuttenplan, has been a member of the NJCPA since 1995. She has served in a variety of capacities at the NJCPA, including the Peer Review Executive Committee, Strategic Planning Committee and Volunteer Relations Committee, and was chair of the NJ-CPA-PAC Board of Trustees, chair of the Committee Operations Committee and vice leader of the Business Valuation, Forensic & Litigation Services Interest Group. She is also an active participant in the Accounting & Auditing Standards and Nonprofit interest groups. Before WilkinGuttenplan, June was the managing member of zbt Certified Public Accounting & Consulting, LLC. She is a former treasurer of Garwood Municipal Library; a recipient of NJCPA Volunteer Award in 2018 and Women to Watch Award in 2019; one of New Jersey Monthly’s Leading Women in 2015 and one of NJBIZ Accounting Power 50 from 2020 to 2022. June earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Rutgers University, graduating Summa Cum Laude.
John Szczomak, CPA, member of the firm at Smolin, Lupin & Co., P.A., has been a member of the NJCPA since 1990 and has served in a variety of capacities, including chairperson of the Professional Conduct and Finance committees and an NJ-CPA-PAC trustee. A practicing accountant for more than 23 years, John serves clients in the healthcare, distribution, real estate, retail and wholesale industries. He focuses on individual and business tax planning, retirement and professional services support. John is a graduate of William Paterson University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.
Katherine E. Zech, CPA, partner at PKF O’Connor Davies, LLP, has been a member of the NJCPA since 2010. She has served on the board of directors of the NJCPA Union Chapter since 2015 on the Emerging Leaders Council since 2014. At PKF O'Connor Davies, she works in the firm's Business Solutions Group and specializes in business consulting and advisory services, individual, partnership, corporate tax planning and accounting for privately held and family-owned businesses. Kait champions networking for young professionals within her firm and other industry organizations. She is a recipient of the Gateway Chamber of Commerce Generation Now Game Changer award (2019), the NJCPA Woman to Watch Award (2020) and the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey One to Watch award (2021). She is a graduate of Seton Hall University.
Ralph J. Evangelista, CPA, CGMA, MST, co-managing partner at Frazer, Evangelista, Sahni & Company, LLC, has been a member of the NJCPA since 1992. He is the chair of the Finance Committee, a trustee of the Education Foundation and a member of the Professional Conduct Committee and the State Taxation and Federal Taxation interest groups. A public speaker and discussion moderator, Ralph has testified on individual and corporate tax issues. He has testified before the New Jersey Assembly Oversight Committee and the Senate and Assembly Joint Legislative Committee. Additionally, Ralph was an adjunct professor at Seton Hall University where he taught graduate-level courses and at Monmouth University where he taught both undergraduate and graduate-level courses on forensic and investigative accounting. He is a member of the Tax Division of the American Institute of CPAs and the Taxation Committee of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association. Ralph was also inducted into the Seton Hall University Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Master of Science degree in Taxation from Seton Hall University.
Edward G. O’Connell, CPA, CGMA, CFF, CFE, partner at WithumSmith+Brown, joined the NJCPA in 1997. He has served as Secretary and Trustee of the NJCPA and is currently a Trustee of the NJCPA Scholarship Fund and a member of several committees and interest groups, including the NJ-CPA-PAC and the Accounting & Auditing Standards Interest Group. Ed has more than 30 years of experience and specializes in accounting, auditing and consulting services for both public and private companies, with a concentration in the technology and life sciences industries. He also has extensive experience with multinational organizations and is a member of HLB International’s Assurance Committee. Ed is also a member of the Board of Advisors of TechUnited New Jersey and a member of the Global Lyme Alliance. He is a past “Forty under 40” NJBIZ award winner. Ed earned his Bachelor of Science from Rider University.
CEO & Executive Director: Aiysha (AJ) Johnson, MA, IOM
Aiysha (AJ) Johnson, MA, IOM, is the CEO and executive director of the New Jersey Society of CPAs (NJCPA). Previously, she was executive director of BKR International’s Americas Region, where she was responsible for overseeing the implementation of all strategic efforts for BKR accounting and business advisory member firms in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to serving the accounting profession, AJ worked for a range of associations including Vizient, the nation’s largest healthcare performance improvement company, where she supported members with complex benchmarking needs. She has more than 20 years of wide-ranging global experience working for nonprofits and professional and trade associations. AJ was elected to the boards of the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ) in 2024 and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce in 2023. She was a member of BKR’s Center of Excellence Advisory Board and is on the boards of the Community Foundation of New Jersey, Together for Youth and Junior Achievement of New Jersey. In addition, she was recognized among the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting by Accounting Today (2023) and on the NJBIZ Power 100 list (2024) and has received numerous honors and recognition including being named No. 1 on NJBIZ’s Accounting Power 50 list in 2023 and 2024, and one of its 2023 People to Watch in Finance. She was also named one of ROI-NJ’s ROI Influencers: People of Color 2023. She served on the Alumni Board of the University of Chicago (2021-2023), where she graduated with a Master’s in Administration and Policy. She also completed the Senior Management Program in Business Management at University of Chicago/IE School of Business and holds a certificate in Management Accounting for Leaders. She holds a B.S. from Western Illinois University.
2023/24 Trustees