Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) presents Michelle Engle, CHAE as the 2022 recipient of the Certified Hospitality Accountant Executive (CHAE) of the Year Award. The CHAE of the Year award honors the individual that scored the highest on the CHAE certification exam within a given year. She will be recognized during the 2022 HFTP Annual Convention taking place September 14-16 at the Hilton Austin in Austin, Texas USA.
Engle is the controller for Illini Country Club in Springfield, Illinois, a position she has held since 2007. She founded the Central Illinois Club Accountants Association, an organization dedicated to developing mutually supportive relationships among club accountants in downstate Illinois. Prior to her current position, Engle worked at RSM McGladrey as a senior tax manager. That experience provided her with a strong background for guiding a club through myriad tax issues, including sales taxes, COVID credits and the new “silo” rules. She holds a Master of Science in Taxation from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and was the Elijah Watt Sells Silver Medalist for the November 1993 CPA exam.
Engle decided to pursue the CHAE designation to show her commitment to the industry and to her club. She said, “At a time when the hospitality industry is losing people at all levels, I wanted our general manager and board of directors to know that I am dedicated to the club and to further developing the knowledge and skills that help me contribute to the long-term success of the club. The CHAE designation denotes a high level of professionalism and competence.”
The CHAE professional designation is an industry designation showing competency in the area of accounting, and is acknowledged throughout the hospitality industry as it elevates the professionalism of both the recipient and the industry. More than 1,600 hospitality accountants, from several countries, have earned the CHAE designation through HFTP since the certification program began in 1981. The CHAE exam, which features a more global finance focus, is now available in an all-in-one online platform powered by Ascend. HFTP also administers the examination and awards the Certified Hospitality Technology Professional (CHTP).
For more information on HFTP's certification programs (CHTP and CHAE), please contact HFTP Director of Career Development Robin Bogdon at robin.bogdon@hftp.org.