Schaffstall honored as Accountant of the Year

By Katherine Paladino

Michael Schaffstall, BS ’90, Partner at Chiampou, Travis, Besaw & Kershner (CTBK), was named Accountant of the Year for 2024 by the UB School of Management’s Accounting and Law Department.

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. Mike Schaffstall accepted the honor at the department’s annual awards banquet in May.

Schaffstall is a partner at CTBK and has been with the firm since 2005. He currently serves as director of tax, providing tax compliance and consulting services to large pass-through entities, high net worth individuals and corporations. Prior to joining CTBK, Schaffstall was a senior manager at Ernst & Young and a corporate franchise tax auditor for the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.

In 2010, alongside his late wife, Vicky, and daughter-in-law, Lexie, Schaffstall co-founded Blush Boutique, a women’s clothing and accessories store with locations in Orchard Park and Williamsville. He remains involved with all major business decisions and helps keep the books on weekends.

As a dedicated UB alumnus, Schaffstall is active on the UB Accounting Advisory Council, currently serving as chair of the Placement and Mentoring Committee, and regularly visits campus as a guest lecturer and  for recruiting and student club events.

Honoring outstanding students

In addition to celebrating Schaffstall’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:

• Ai Wei Zheng, 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.
• Kristina Jiang, the PwC Outstanding Service Award, given to a graduating senior and Beta Alpha Psi member who has demonstrated outstanding service and leadership.
• Sunny Chen and Trey Kubitz, 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.
• Justin Froese, the EY Community Impact Award, given to a member in good standing of the UB Accounting Association (UBAA) who aspires towards active citizenship in the Buffalo community, as evidenced through their involvement with the VITA program. They are committed to giving back to the community by using their technical accounting skills to assist low-income residents in completing their income tax returns.
• Trey Kubitz, the EY Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award, given to a member in good standing of the UBAA who goes above and beyond in order to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for UBAA members and students in general. They are an advocate for others, fostering both success and belonging for everyone in the club.
• Trevor Samplinski, the EY Transformational Leadership Award, given to a member in good standing of the UBAA who is invested in actively mentoring and coaching others and is a role model for their peers. They are a positive influence, connecting with others and lifting them up with their advice and support.
• Shawn Frans, the EY Outstanding Involvement Award, given to a member in good standing of the UBAA who has been actively seeking out personal and professional development opportunities through their participation in UBAA initiatives and events. They are highly motivated, curious and dedicated to furthering their growth in numerous facets.
• Rachel Iavicoli, 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.
• Kristina Jiang and Hannah Mueller, the New York State Society of CPAs (NYSSCPA) Award of Honor, given to graduating bachelor’s and master’s students, respectively, for scholastic excellence.
• Lauren Pollock, 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.
• Shawn Frans, the NYSSCPA John T. Kennedy Memorial Award, given to a junior accounting major for scholastic excellence.
• Mitch Ryczek, the Accounting and Law Outstanding Fifth-Year Student Award, presented to a student in the fifth year of a 150-hour program based on academic performance and service.
• Trevor Samplinski, the 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.
• The following students were recognized for successful completion of the Institute of Internal Auditors Internal Auditing Education Partnership Program: Andrew Chin, Melissa Christensen, Gilberto Del Orbe, Dominic Drexinger, Giovanni Fini, Dishita Guwalani, Colin Irving, Rachel Kowalski, Tanner Kulbacki, Edison Lin, John Maier, Kelley Morgan, Tim Morris, Jamey Natoli, Mac Neuwirth, Garrett Phelan, Adam Rosenthal, Stephen Roulley, Mitch Ryczek and Aidan Snyder.

Finally, the department also recognized the following scholarship winners:

• Sunny Chen, Zengzeng Mu, Nathan Walck and Michael Waters, Accounting and Law Department MS Accounting Scholarships
• Simei Huang, Junwei Shi, Quinn Stotnicki and Minwoo Yun, Accounting and Law Department Undergraduate Scholarships
• Su Wine, the Judith and Allan Felong Trinkwald Endowed Fellowship
• Hafiz Adesina, the Accounting Advisory Council Fellowship
• Haiyin Kuang, Amanda Lin and Farjana Siddiquee, the Gloria and Oscar Goldstein Memorial Fellowship
• Victoria Lawrence, the Paul W. Sweet Memorial Health Care Finance Student Financial Assistance Fund
• Juliette Roma, the KPMG Accounting Excellence Fellowship
• Bethany Ocampo, the Kathleen M. Hamm, BS ’85, Accounting Fellowship
• Kristina Jiang, the Keith M. Stolzenburg Fellowship
• Diana Dolan and Morgan Stockmeyer, the Victor and Joan Brown MS Accounting Fellowship