2022 Vision Award Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the 2022 Katz, Sapper & Miller Vision Awards! These awards, now in their fourth year, recognize KSM employees whose work inside and outside of KSM exemplifies excellence in one of the three pillars of our Vision – People, Clients, and Community.

Nominations were solicited from all employees, and the winners were selected by a committee consisting of partners and firm leaders. The four deserving honorees were announced during a December all-firm virtual meeting.

2022 Inspiring People Winner: Andy McNeely

The Inspiring People Award recognizes KSM employees who are champions and leaders of our people. The criteria for this award include championing people initiatives and programs, spending a significant amount of time developing people, and inspiring KSM and our people to be better through courageous feedback, innovative ideas, and diversity of thought.

Congratulations to Andy McNeely, winner of the Inspiring People Award!

Andy was nominated by Andrew Goodman, a partner in KSM’s Audit & Assurance Services Group, for his positive leadership and talent for bringing out the best in others. An informal mentor to many, Andy is passionate about developing staff and ensuring they are learning and progressing in their career. He subsequently dedicates a great deal of time to teaching while balancing a portfolio of complex clients. Patient, kind, and engaged, Andy has played a key role in building and maintaining morale among his audit colleagues even during the most challenging times of the year.

Watch Andrew’s nomination for Andy:

2022 Client Service Excellence Winners: Arlene Mahaney and Tom Lowery

The Client Service Excellence Award recognizes employees for outstanding internal or external client service. The criteria for this award include making an effort to provide a consistently outstanding experience for clients that clearly stands out as going above and beyond, demonstrating tremendous tenacity and commitment in helping resolve a major client issue, and receiving an abundance of unsolicited feedback from inside and outside the firm that the nominee consistently exceeded expectations.

Congratulations to Arlene Mahaney and Tom Lowery, winners of the Client Service Excellence Award!

Arlene was nominated by Erin Wagoner, a director in KSM’s Audit & Assurance Services Group, for her seamless coordination of staff audit schedules, a monumental task with many moving parts. Arlene is intentional about serving our people, her internal clients, with fairness. She works diligently to strike a workload balance between the group’s nearly 100 auditors and to position each team for success. More than a colleague, Arlene is a trusted friend and confidant who truly embodies KSM’s value of nurturing.

Watch Erin’s nomination for Arlene:

Tom was nominated by Josh Malarsky, a partner in KSM’s Real Estate Services Group, for his many achievements as a first-year manager. Tom, who serves as the first point of contact for many of the firm’s real estate clients, is a creative problem-solver who consistently goes above and beyond in the service of his clients. Additionally, Tom is the non-partner leader of our aviation consulting practice and in this role is a tremendous internal resource for staff and partners around the firm. As a trusted advisor in this niche practice, he has built invaluable relationships, which have resulted in several client referrals. Tom is an incredible role model whose experiences demonstrate the types of opportunities that are available at KSM.

Watch Josh’s nomination for Tom:

2022 Community Service Excellence Winner: Sarah Schenkel

The Community Service Excellence Award recognizes KSM employees who are pillars and leaders in the community. The criteria for this award include investing a considerable amount of time and effort in representing KSM in the community on boards and/or committees, and significantly contributing to and moving a civic organization forward by enhancing the organization’s mission and positively impacting the community.

Congratulations to Sarah Schenkel, winner of the Community Service Excellence Award!

Sarah was nominated by Amy Lehrman, managing partner of KSM’s Fort Wayne office, for her deep involvement in the northeast Indiana community. A believer in leaving her community better than she found it, Sarah demonstrates her passion for making a difference by serving various nonprofit organizations, including the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, Science Central, and most significantly, Erin’s House. As board treasurer for Erin’s House, Sarah has helped lead the organization through the challenges of serving a record number of individuals needing grief support services through on-site and outreach programs. She also helped to oversee the planning and construction of the organization’s $500,000 teen club house. Sarah encourages young professionals to share their talents by serving on boards and committees. As a result, more than 50% of Fort Wayne’s audit team is involved with organizations within the northeast Indiana community.

Watch Amy’s nomination for Sarah:

We’re very proud of the contributions these four exceptional people have made to better our people, our clients, and our communities. They are truly inspiring – great people doing great things!