Canisius University Accounting Society Banquet to be Held April 26

BUFFALO, NY – George F. Kermis, ᾿70 PhD, CPA, professor emeritus of accounting at Canisius, will be honored as the Accountant of the Year at the 62nd annual Canisius University Accounting Society Banquet on Thursday, April 26 at Salvatore’s Italian Gardens.  Cocktails are at 5:30 p.m., dinner will be served at 6:15 p.m.

The Canisius University Accounting Society will also recognize David M. Schmidt ’90, CPA, partner, Ernst & Young LLP (EY), during the organization’s annual dinner. Schmidt will receive the Dr. Joseph R. Coppola ’40 Award, which recognizes the exceptional achievements of a Canisius University accounting alumnus.

Kermis has been a faculty member in the Department of Accounting for 40 years. He maintains an active consulting practice with national presentations and more recently developed an online accounting program focused on learning management systems, which he presented internationally. During his long tenure at the college, Kermis leveraged his practical experience gained from six years in public accounting and community involvement, for the benefit of his students on many levels. He is a past recipient of the Kenneth L. Koessler Distinguished Faculty Award. Presented annually the award recognizes one faculty member for teaching excellence and outstanding contributions to the academic world.

Kermis lends his time and talents within the community. He served on the Board of Trustees for both Nardin Academy and Elmwood Franklin School, and assisted in bringing the Nativity School model for Jesuit minority middle school education to Buffalo. At Canisius, he served on the Career Services Advisory Council, as president of Beta Gamma Sigma (national honorary society for AACSB accredited schools of business), and on the membership and student recruiting committees of the Council on Accountancy.

Kermis holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Canisius, and an MBA in finance and PhD in accounting from Syracuse University. 

As partner, for Ernst & Young, David Schmidt leads teams in performing internal quality reviews throughout the U.S. He has led numerous classroom and other learning events and is a frequent speaker on accounting topics at the firm and at other local  Continuing Professional Education (CPE) sessions.  Schmidt is active in Ernst & Young recruiting efforts for Cansius and has overseen Ernst & Young campus recruiting efforts for its Upstate New York practice since 2010.

Schmidt began at Ernst & Young in 1990 upon graduation from Canisius.  He has spent his career providing audit and other assurance services to public and private companies throughout Western New York, as well as assisting Ernst & Young audit teams in Detroit, Philadelphia and Cincinnati in serving companies specifically in the gaming and hospitality space.  In addition to leading teams in the performance of audits, Schmidt assists companies with initial public offerings, other SEC filings, as well as transformative acquisitions and divestitures.

Schmidt volunteers his time with various organizations. He is currently vice chair of the Canisius University Council on Accountancy and treasurer for The National Federation of Just Communities of WNY Inc. and the Friends of Marilla Inc. He is a past board member of the Western New York Venture Association and served as a volunteer for Catholic Charities and the American Cancer Society.

Schmidt holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Canisius University.

Tickets for the event are limited. For more information, call the Canisius University Department of Accounting at (716) 888-2870.

Canisius University is one of 28 Jesuit universities in the nation and the premier private university in Western New York. 

 

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