New Scholarship Supports Local Accounting Students at CNU
PBMares, in cooperation with Christopher Newport University (CNU) and the Christopher Newport University Education Foundation (CNUEF), has established a new endowed fund to support a scholarship honoring the Firm’s co-founder and former CEO, Alan Witt. Mr. Witt has served as the Dean of CNU’s Luter School of Business since July 2021 and will retire effective July 1, 2025.
The Alan S. ’76 and Deborah Q. ’78 Witt Endowed Scholarship (the “Scholarship”) expects to begin student awards in the 2025-26 academic year. Consistent with PBMares’ commitment to furthering the accounting profession – and in line with Mr. Witt’s longstanding contributions to CNU, his community, and the Firm as a whole – the Scholarship will be awarded to an academically outstanding Accounting major in CNU’s Luter School of Business. Additionally, Scholarship recipients will be considered for potential internships with PBMares.
Commenting on the Scholarship, PBMares CEO Harvey Johnson said, “At PBMares, Alan cultivated a culture built on integrity, creativity, and teamwork – ideals that remain foundational for how we work. This scholarship is a reflection of his longstanding legacy in the profession and in our local Newport News community.” PBMares COO Mary Aldrich, who has served on the Board of Advisors at the Luter School of Business for several years, remarked that “Alan has always been so involved in and dedicated to his local community. After establishing this successful company, for him to then share his knowledge as Dean with so many next generation accounting and business students; we’re simply grateful for his many contributions to the profession and community, and this was a way to honor those contributions.”
In establishing the endowed fund that supports the annual Scholarship, CNU aims to honor Mr. and Mrs. Witt and provide an accessible, affordable pathway so future students could have the benefit of a CNU education. CNU President William G. Kelly said, “Alan and Debbie Witt embody what it means to be Captains for Life. They are the kind of leaders who lift others, they are mentors who believe in the next generation, they are friends who always show up, and together they are visionaries who remind us what’s possible when a couple commits to doing something special and different with their lives.”
“The Witts’ passion for education, student scholarship, and professional growth inspired generous support for the Alan and Deborah Witt Endowed Scholarship. It will be a lasting legacy for Alan and Debbie Witt and afford access to an exceptional Christopher Newport University education for future Captains.”
The Alan S. ’76 and Deborah Q. ’78 Witt Endowed Scholarship reinforces PBMares’ ongoing commitment to furthering the accounting profession. In 2010, the Firm partnered with the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (VSCPA) Educational Foundation to develop the Mares Scholar Fund. The fund, which was created in memory of PBMares’ other co-founder, Mike Mares, still supports an annual scholarship to Virginia accounting students. PBMares also contributes to two other scholarship funds through the University of North Carolina Wilmington and James Madison University. Additionally, dozens of interns from colleges and universities in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina complete on-site, hands-on programs at PBMares each year.
About PBMares, LLP
PBMares is a Certified Public Accounting and consulting firm focused on serving the audit, tax, accounting and consulting needs of companies and individuals. Founded in 1963, PBMares serves clients across the United States from 13 offices located in Virginia, Northern Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina. PBMares represents companies ranging from closely held private businesses to leading non-profits and Fortune 500 multinationals. The Firm has industry practices specializing in construction, real estate, financial institutions, government contracting, hospitality, franchises, not-for-profit, and state and local government. Services include cybersecurity, cloud accounting, wealth management, and more.
PBMares has been perennially ranked among the top 100 firms across the country by Accounting Today, Inside Public Accounting, and Forbes.
