Director Collins named Outstanding Leader by Washington Society of CPAs 

WSCPA President and CEO, Kimberly Scott (left), presenting Director of Local Audit Kelly Collins, CPA, CFE (right) with the 2021-2022 Outstanding Leader award.

SAO's Director of Local Audit Kelly Collins, a 30-year SAO employee and certified public accountant, was recently named a 2021-2022 Outstanding Leader by the Washington Society of CPAs.

Collins received the award, which is given for active leadership and dedicated service to the organization, on June 9 at the WSCPA annual meeting. She has served on the WSCPA Government Accounting and Auditing Committee for 20 years.

“Kelly's dedication to Washington's local governments is a hallmark of her leadership,” said State Auditor Pat McCarthy. “She's spent her career making sure SAO's audits help them be accountable and transparent to the public, and this award is well-deserved.”

Founded in 1904, the WSCPA has more than 6,500 members and is a professional community of CPAs and financial professionals who work in business and industry, education, government, not-for-profit organizations, and public accounting.

Collins oversees approximately 2,000 audits of local governments annually. In addition to being a board member of the Washington Finance Officers Association, she is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and its Pacific Northwest chapter, as well as the West Olympia Rotary.