Assessing Independence Under the New Yellow Book

Melisa Galasso, AICPA

Melisa Galasso is the founder of Galasso Learning Solutions, LLC. She has nearly 15 years of experience in the accounting profession including in public accounting, education and industry. She specializes in creating custom training courses that promote genuine learning and drive improved outcomes. Melisa teaches courses in advanced technical accounting and auditing, including not for profit and governmental accounting, as well as courses dealing with essential professional and soft skills. Her goal is to customize each course to deliver exceptional return on investment by leaving each participant with actionable takeaways and clear means to apply what was learned. Melisa monitors regulatory bodies for changes in auditing and accounting guidance and serves as a subject matter expert in implementing the updated guidance. She is a member of and frequent instructor for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants (NCACPA), and the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (VSCPA). Melisa served as Past-President of the Board of NCACPA’s Charlotte Chapter and is Past-Chair of the A&A Committee for the NCACPA. She was appointed in 2016 to the AICPA’s Technical Issues Committee (TIC) which is responsible for monitoring the activities of the various accounting and attestation standard setting boards and submitting comments and recommendations during the due process phase. She was recognized as a Super CPA by Virginia Business Magazine in 2007 and received the 2013 Women to Watch - Emerging Leader Award from the NCACPA and AICPA. She is also a graduate of the 2014 class of the AICPA’s Leadership Academy. In 2016, Melisa was honored as one of the 50 Most Influential Women by the Mecklenburg Times and received the Top 5 Under 35 Award from the VSCPA. She received a 5.0 Speaker award from the NCACPA in 2015 and 2016. In 2016, Melisa received the Don Farmer Award from the NCACPA for the highest combined average scores on knowledge, skills, and materials from participant evaluations for all courses taught in a technical area. Melisa received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting and International Business from Georgetown University. Melisa has also completed the Association for Talent Development (ATD) Master Trainer™ Program.