Grand Haven Tribune, Mich.
(TNS)
Grand Haven native Michelle Gallagher was recently honored with the Impact Award, the most prestigious award granted each year by the Michigan Association of CPAs (MICPA).
Formerly Michelle Burdick, Gallagher works for Adamy Valuations in Grand Rapids.
From the MICPA:
“Michelle has spent her career elevating the accounting profession through expertise, advocacy, and education. Her impact can be felt through expert witness testimony in courtrooms, and even the halls of Congress. In 2025, Michelle provided congressional testimony at a Ways and Means Committee hearing on the importance of extending key tax provisions – just one of many times she has used her voice to advocate for the profession.
“As chair of MICPA’s Legislative Advisory Committee and an AICPA federal key person Michelle has cultivated relationships with local, state and federal legislators strengthening our profession’s ability to adapt, influence policy, and protect the public interest. From her work combating elder financial abuse with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office to her mentorship of peers through educational programs, Michelle embodies the power of expertise in action.”
During her acceptance speech, Gallagher paid tribute to her family, including parents Mike and Patti Burdick of Grand Haven, her husband, Pat, and her kids, Tripp and Grace, as well as her accounting teacher at Grand Haven High School, Joe Prinzi.
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“I’m truly humbled and full of gratitude,” Gallagher said during her acceptance speech. “From a young age, my parents, Mike and Patti Burdick, taught me the importance of giving back, sharing my time, talent and treasure to help others.
“Now, I’d like to take you back to 1985. This is when I took my first accounting class at Grand Haven High School. I took it a year early because my older brother was taking it and I thought I could do better than him. He also became an accountant. I instantly loved it. The debits and credits and how everything balanced, was so orderly. It was just amazing. I knew at that moment that accounting was for me.
“My teacher at that time, Joe Prinzi, saw that spark and encouraged me to keep going. We’ve talked a lot tonight about educators. He even arranged for me to take a college-level accounting course my senior year. … Without his support 40 years ago, I would not be standing here tonight.”
Photo caption: Michelle Gallagher provides testimony on extending the Trump tax cuts for working families during a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Jan. 14, 2025.
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© 2025 the Grand Haven Tribune (Grand Haven, Mich.). Visit www.grandhaventribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC.
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