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OKLAHOMA CITY — Certified public accountant John A. Marshall received the highest industry honor from the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants on Friday. Marshall was named 2008 Outstanding CPA in Business and Industry during the OSCPA Industry Conference at the Renaissance Hotel in Tulsa, Okla.

“It is an honor to even be considered for the award,” Marshall said. “The recognition by the Society is one of the great highlights of my career and I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to be in a profession that continually promotes service.”

OSCPA President Dick Shanahan, CPA, a sole practitioner in Tulsa, said Marshall earned the honor with his leadership and dedication to his organization.

“More than half of our members work in industry and John’s career in accounting has exhibited the many facets required of our industry members,” Shanahan said. “His responsibilities to his employers have not only dealt with accounting, but also with operational aspects. John’s employers have praised his leadership, which reminds all of us of our commitments to our employers, clients and communities.”

Marshall, who graduated from then Central State University (now University of Central Oklahoma), served four years in the United States Navy and obtained Executive Development and Advanced Executive Development education from the University of Notre Dame. He earned his CPA license in July 1983 and became an OSCPA Fellow Member in October 1983.

Marshall began his accounting career in 1977 as vice president and controller of property and casualty insurance for Independence Fire & Casualty Company, served as accounting manager for John A. Brown Company in 1981, and as the controller for Happy Foods Stores Inc. in 1988.

Since 1992, Marshall has been with the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency, serving as the assistant director of Finance, the Special Initiatives team leader and the Housing Development team leader. As the Housing Development team leader, where Marshall currently serves, he is responsible for managing 30 employees through direct supervision of a management team consisting of a manager and four supervisors. The programs administered are the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Program, the Housing Trust Fund, the Single Family and Multi-Family Mortgage Revenue Bond Program, the Oklahoma Linked Deposit Program and the Performance-based Contract Administration for HUD. These programs provide direct assistance in affordable housing resources in excess of $280 million, with the Housing Tax Credit program leveraging other resources in excess of $40 million.

Dr. Dennis Shockley, OHFA executive director, said, “I have worked with John Marshall for over 11 years. As one of my team leaders, he has reported directly to me for the last nine of those years. When I first became the executive director … John was the assistant controller. Based on my evaluation of him, I elevated John to a team leader position. He has more than exceeded my expectations.”

Another OHFA colleague, Linda Sargent, the organization’s director of human resources, said, “Good leaders are characteristically task-oriented, confident, disciplined, flexible, open-minded, trustworthy and ethical. They lead by example. In the many years I have worked with John, I have found him to have all of these characteristics.”

Marshall’s influence was also echoed by business professionals who work with him through the OHFA. Loutitia Denison Eason, an attorney with Lawrence & Eason, which represents the OHFA, said, “As part of our representation, we work closely with the staff of the OHFA, all of whom are extremely dedicated to OHFA’s mission to provide affordable housing to the citizens of Oklahoma, none more so than Mr. Marshall. Since he joined the OHFA, it has been my observation that Mr. Marshall has always given 100 percent to whatever task he has been assigned, providing leadership and the critical eye of a certified public accountant.”

OSCPA Fellow Member Jim Rice nominated Marshall for the award. Rice, president of Arzon Development LLC in Stillwater, said, “Since John was named as Housing Development Team Leader in 2001, he has radically transformed his department… As a result of John’s leadership, the agency’s communication with the public and level of professionalism and efficiency has greatly improved. Throughout his career, he has exemplified the professionalism and ethical values that are a model for CPAs in industry.”

The award, sponsored by the OSCPA Members in Industry Committee, recognizes individual achievement and helps foster the CPA designation as the premier professional credential for financial managers in business and industry. Each year, the OSCPA awards a member in the field who has made significant contribution to the growth, enhancement and success of the profession and to his or her employer organization or a notable entrepreneurial achievement.

With more than 6,000 members in public practice, industry, government and education, the OSCPA is Oklahoma’s only statewide professional association of CPAs. For 90 years, the organization has continued to provide professional education, conduct quality reviews and promote and maintain high standards of integrity and competence within the accounting profession. Visit OSCPA’s online business page at http://www.knowwhatcounts.org/ for a free CPA referral and 30-minute consultation or to post CPA job positions for free in the online OSCPA Job Source.

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