Olfano recognized as Accountant of the Year

By Matthew Biddle

Established in 1984, the Accountant of the Year award honors an alumnus who has been successful in the accounting profession and made significant contributions to the school and its students. Olfano accepted the honor at the department’s annual awards banquet in May.

Since 2014, Olfano has served as CEO of PCA Technology Group, a leading IT consulting and service firm in Western New York. In this role, Olfano leads the overall management and strategy for the company, where he and his team guide companies to success using technology.

Previously, Olfano spent seven years as chief financial officer and operations manager at the company. He also possesses diverse industry expertise in electronics, manufacturing, HR and education from roles at such organizations as Bryant & Stratton College, TAM Ceramics and KPMG.

In his free time, when Olfano isn’t spending time with his wife, Krista, and their three children, you’ll often find him here at the School of Management. Olfano is a past member of both the Accounting Advisory Council and the School of Management Alumni Association board and participates regularly in the Corporate Champions program. In 2019, he was one of several CEOs who joined Paul Tesluk, dean of the School of Management, in signing an open letter calling for policy change in the country’s approach to high-skilled immigration.

In particular, Olfano enjoys assisting in the classroom. He has participated several times as a mock board member for Harold Star’s “Strategic Management” capstone course. And, during each of the last five years, Olfano has developed consulting cases for Alex Ampadu’s course on risk management, engaging with students during various stages of their projects.

In addition to celebrating Olfano’s accomplishments, the Accounting and Law Department also lauded many exceptional students at its annual awards banquet. The students and the awards they received were:

• Katriel Agregado, the PwC Emerging Leader Award, which recognizes a role model in Beta Alpha Psi who demonstrates inclusive and collaborative thinking, a positive attitude and a drive for professional and personal development
  
• Dishita Guwalani, the David Kim Memorial Award, presented to a Beta Alpha Psi member who promotes inclusivity by exhibiting strong leadership, a willingness to help and an outgoing, uplifting nature
• Sydney Merritt, the PwC Outstanding Service Award, given to a graduating senior and Beta Alpha Psi member who has demonstrated outstanding service and leadership
• Emily Piscitelli, the Eddy Lin Memorial Award, presented to a graduating student focusing on a career with a mid-size public accounting firm. The recipient must mentor others and exhibit scholastic excellence, a passion for learning, and a caring and fun attitude
• Kasey Pacanowski and Hannah Reed, the New York State Society of CPAs (NYSSCPA) Award of Honor, given to graduating bachelor’s and master’s students, respectively, for scholastic excellence
• Pacanowski also received the Lisa Friedman Memorial Award, which honors a female accounting senior who is highly regarded by her peers for her integrity and potential contributions to the profession
• Mitchell Ryczek, the New York State Society of CPAs (NYSSCPA) John T. Kennedy Memorial Award, given to a junior accounting major for scholastic excellence
• Patrick Shanks, the Federation of Schools of Accountancy Award, presented to a student in the fifth year of a 150-hour program based on academic performance and service
• Adam Wyckoff, the University at Buffalo Accounting Association (UBAA) Michael S. Dockery Memorial Senior Award, given to a graduating UBAA member who has provided exemplary leadership and service to the club and school

Finally, the department also recognized the following scholarship winners:

• Huiwen Chen, Xiao Xia Deng, Jessica Lau, Arifa Paulus, Sarah Paquette and Christopher Pellenz, Accounting and Law Department MS Accounting Scholarships
• Michelle Li, Kasey Pacanowski, Christina Pham, Emma Rowzee and Melicia Skeen, Accounting and Law Department Undergraduate Scholarships
• Maria Adam, the Judith and Allan Felong Trinkwald Endowed Fellowship
• Sebastien Henry, the Accounting Advisory Council Fellowship
• Lalana Huang, Alison Portnoy and Shuwen Wu, the Gloria and Oscar Goldstein Memorial Fellowship
• Emily Jurkowski, the Paul W. Sweet Memorial Health Care Finance Student Financial Assistance Fund
• Josephine Lindberg, the KPMG Accounting Excellence Fellowship
• Sydney Merritt, the Kathleen M. Hamm, BS ’85, Accounting Fellowship
• Adam Wyckoff, the Keith M. Stolzenburg Fellowship
• Stephanie Zeng, the PCAOB Scholarship
• Justin Zulewski, the Victor and Joan Brown MS Accounting Fellowship