Frank Messina, DBA, professor of accounting in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Collat School of Business, was awarded the Silver Bowl — a lifetime achievement award — from the National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives at the organization’s annual meeting in Denver, Colorado. Recognizing NSAC members who have had a profound impact on the profession, this award is the highest honor the society bestows.
The Silver Bowl honor, which was created in 1960, is not an annual award. It is awarded to individuals who have distinguished themselves over a significant period of years by services that have substantially enhanced the image and operations of the NSAC and the cooperative community.
“Through his tenure as NSAC’s The Cooperative Accountant journal editor and his active involvement in NSAC at all levels, Dr. Messina has had a profound impact on the many thousands of highly skilled cooperative industry professionals and members throughout the country for over a quarter of a century,” said NSAC Past President Bill Miller. “The Silver Bowl award expresses our gratitude for the passion, professionalism and commitment Dr. Messina has shown.”
The NSAC is a 2,000-member service organization of professionals actively involved with the financial management and planning of cooperative businesses. NSAC provides accounting, tax and business education uniquely tailored to cooperatives, supports cooperatives in business interests, and offers networking and professional development opportunities.
“Through NSAC, I have been able to educate, learn from and work with some of the smartest financial leaders in the cooperative industry,” Messina said. “I am excited to receive such a prestigious award from my peers and mentors.”
Messina has served as editor of The Cooperative Accountant for the past 15 years. He has been involved with the organization for 25 years, serving on national committees, teaching education courses and serving in the society’s South Atlantic Chapter.
“The quality of the research, pedagogical and practical articles our society has been able to share with our members under his editorship has been a tremendous contribution to our profession and to how NSAC fulfills its mission,” Miller said.
Messina is the Endowed Alumni and Friends Professor of Accounting at the UAB Collat School of Business. He earned his Doctor of Business Administration degree in accounting from Mississippi State University and teaches graduate-level tax courses. He also serves as the university’s faculty athletics representative to the NCAA and was recently appointed to its prestigious Division I Football Oversight Committee.