The Maryland Association of CPAs announced on Friday that four female leaders have been named their 2018 “Women to Watch.”

Launched by the American Institute of CPAs in 2014, the awards recognize experienced and rising women in the profession who have exhibited successful leadership over the last year.

“We are incredibly proud of this year’s winners — indeed, of all the leaders who were nominated for this year’s awards,” said MACPA executive director Tom Hood in a statement. “They represent the best this profession has to offer, and they serve as role models not only for other women in the profession, but for every accounting and finance professional on the planet.”

“We had 21 nominees for this year’s awards,” stated Samantha Bowling, chair of MACPA’s 2018-19 Board of Directors. “This symbolizes a commitment on the part of every person in this room and once again sets Maryland CPAs apart in a way that makes me proud.”

The 2018 MACPA Women to Watch are as follows:

Emerging Leaders:

• Maxene Bardwell: Bardwell is the first female director of internal audit at the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University and a master’s degree from Notre Dame of Maryland University.

• Ebony Hypolite: A manager in SCH Group’s Business Performance Management consulting practice, she is an alumnus of Stevenson University, where she established the Ebony Hypolite ’06 Annual Scholarship for juniors and seniors.

Experienced Leaders:

• Jill Gansler: Gansler currently serves as CFO of Regional Management Inc. in Baltimore. She has over three decades of experience in the areas of corporate finance, tax, governance and oversight. She previously founded and served on multiple fundraising programs on the national and local level.

• Heather Latham: As director of accounting and finance at RF Metals, Inc., Latham served on the board of MACPA’s Southern Maryland Chapter for 21 years, with two terms as president of the chapter. She lives in St. Mary’s County with her husband and seven children.

For more on the 2018 awards, head to MACPA’s site here.