Illinois CPA Society honors Triton College instructor with Outstanding Educator Award
The Illinois CPA Society will honor Triton College accounting instructor Julie Gilbert, MAS, CPA, with the 2014 Outstanding Educator Award.
The award recognizes Illinois educators at a community college, college, or university who excel in leadership and teaching, and who make continuous and outstanding contributions to accounting education in the state. Ms. Gilbert will accept the award on Monday, June 9 at the Leadership Recognition Dinner, hosted by the Illinois CPA Society.
Ms. Gilbert teaches financial, managerial, cost and basic accounting courses. She enjoys teaching culturally diverse students, connecting the classroom to real world examples and current events. Julie's passion for teaching accounting led to the formation of the first Triton Accounting Club in 2007, creation of the Homework Connection program, involvement in many other opportunities to engage students and, among other awards, recognition with Triton College's Outstanding Faculty Award in 2012.
The Accounting Club promotes students' growth in their personal, academic and professional lives through: workshops; guest speakers; fieldtrips; and recruiting student volunteers for the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program. Julie fosters a continuous relationship between the Club members and the Illinois CPA Society. The Accounting Club has grown to become one of the largest and most active clubs on Triton's campus, recognized with Triton College's Student Club of the Year Award 2011-2012 as well as recognizing Julie as the Club Sponsor of the Year in 2011-2012 and 2013-2014.
Julie was recognized with a 2012-2013 Innovation of the Year Award by the national League for Innovation in the Community Colleges for creating the "Homework Connection" program. She has also participated in other innovative student success programs including: serving as the faculty mentor to a first-generation college student in Triton's TEAM mentoring program; and piloting the Supplemental Instructor (SI) Program in her classroom. Julie served as a member of the Triton College team that developed, and continues to advise in, a Dual Credit Pathway Program in Accounting under the Illinois Program of Study and co-presented the program at the American Association of Community Colleges Annual Conference. Julie also co-developed and presented at the first Math Summit between Triton College and local high schools in 2013 to foster student success and awareness of math related careers.
Ms. Gilbert has been recognized through the Triton College Outstanding Faculty Member Award 2011-2012, nomination for the same award in 2010-2011, and represented Triton College as its 2012 ICCTA (Illinois Community College Trustees Association) Outstanding Full Time Faculty Award nominee. Additionally, Julie's other activities include: serving as the Chair of the Academic & Scholastic Standards Committee and a Senator on the Academic Senate; co-chaired the Mandatory Placement Task Force; member of the (Triton) President's Leadership Academy class of 2012; served as a member of the Triton Achieving the Dream Core Team; serves as a faculty mentor to a new faculty member; and has chaired and served on other committees and task forces at Triton College.
"I have enjoyed teaching culturally diverse students, who add to the richness of the classroom environment, accommodating different learning styles and connecting the classroom to real world examples and current events," said Gilbert. "It has been my great pleasure to work with our wonderful students and witness their successful progression toward their academic and professional goals."
Julie Y. Gilbert has been a full time accounting instructor in the business department at Triton College in River Grove, Illinois, since August 2006. She earned a B.S. in accounting with Bronze Tablet Honors and passed the CPA exam at the University of Illinois in Champaign. After gaining experience in both public and corporate accounting, she earned her M.A.S. from Northern Illinois University, awarded the M.A.S. Alumni Teaching Assistant Scholarship and co-authored an article published in Management Accounting.