NJCPA Congratulates Joseph F. Hunt, CPA, of CliftonLarsonAllen on his AICPA 2026 Leadership Academy Selection

The New Jersey Society of CPAs (NJCPA congratulates Joseph F. Hunt, CPA, PSA, assurance manager in the nonprofit group at CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA) LLP and a member of the NJCPA Board of Trustees, on being selected to the American Institute of CPAs’ (AICPA) 2026 Leadership Academy. Hunt was among 36 professionals chosen nationally to be included in the Academy’s 18^th graduating class. The program takes place Dec. 1-4 in Durham, North Carolina.

A member of the NJCPA since 2018, Hunt has steadily worked to educate and inform young professionals about careers in accounting. Prior to his NJCPA board involvement, Hunt was the chair of the Society’s Emerging Leaders Council and leader of the Emerging Leaders Interest Group, where he led the charge at countless networking and student-oriented programs for the Society, including its annual Food Drive and Volunteer Day, Accelerating Scholars in Accounting event and its Pipeline Task Force. He is a regular speaker and author for the NJCPA, an active member of the Nonprofit Interest Group as well as a two-time NJCPA Ovation Award winner. He was named to the 2023 and 2024 NJBIZ Accounting Power 50 lists.  

At CLA, Hunt is known for his relationship-driven approach, partnering closely with clients to strengthen financial reporting, improve internal controls and implement practical solutions that enhance operational effectiveness. In addition, he serves on the board of the CLA Foundation and is active in the Liv Like a Unicorn Foundation, a New Jersey-based pediatric cancer nonprofit. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration and his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Marywood University.

“Joe’s passion for serving others is evident in everything he does. We are so grateful to members like him who share their stories with aspiring CPAs and engage the next generation of accounting and finance professionals. We look forward to his continued leadership at the NJCPA,” said Aiysha (AJ) Johnson, MA, IOM, CEO and executive director at the NJCPA. 

The AICPA Leadership Academy was designed to strengthen and expand the leadership skills of promising emerging professionals while they network with a peer group of talented and motivated CPAs. Participants were selected from public accounting firms, corporate finance and consulting firms as well as from nonprofits, wealth management and academia.

Selections to the Academy were made by employers, state CPA societies and/or volunteer organizations. To date, more than 550 professionals have participated in the AICPA Leadership Academy.