Michigan Tech senior Jim Brisson's work to help students connect with business professionals, industries and the accounting community has earned him the 2026 Campus Influencer of the Year award from the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants. He'll be recognized at MICPA's Celebrate Awards event on Nov. 11 in Detroit.
Jim Brisson has made it his mission to help fellow Huskies start their own life-changing conversations, because he knows how much a conversation can matter. The Michigan Technological University accounting student can trace his career path through a series of them: with a brother who helped him imagine working in professional sports; a Michigan Tech athletics leader who opened his eyes to the versatility of a business degree; and a network of professionals, led by a Tech alum, who showed him where a CPA license could take him.
Accounting wasn't part of Brisson's original game plan.
The Ferndale, Michigan, native grew up around sports. Both his brother and sister played college sports. Brisson gravitated toward basketball, tennis and bowling. When he arrived at Tech, he enthusiastically dove into intramural sports.
When he was still a junior in high school, his brother planted an idea while they were watching an NBA game.
"You're not good enough to be one of the players," he recalled his brother telling him, with the unstinting honesty siblings are often known for. "But you could be one of the guys in the suits."
The observation captured Brisson's imagination.
He arrived at Michigan Tech as an exercise science major, thinking it might provide his route into a sports-related profession. It didn't take long for him to figure out that he needed an adjustment. While he loves to work out and encourage others to stay in peak condition, physical therapy wasn't his thing.
"I definitely don't want to work on people," Brisson said, laughing.
Tech's sports and fitness management degree brought him closer to what interested him: the business behind the game. Then an introductory accounting class caught his interest. Two fellow Huskies helped him turn his interest into a decision.
MICPA President and CEO Bob Doyle '98 visited one of Brisson's first-year classes to talk about the accounting profession. It made a huge impression. Brisson also took two classes taught by Suzanne Sanregret, Michigan Tech's vice president for athletics and recreation and a Michigan Tech College of Business alumna. Learning how her career developed helped him visualize where an accounting degree might lead.
"When I think back, that conversation I had with her just kind of got me to that next level of confidence," Brisson said. "I was like, 'OK, let me put some more effort into this. I'm going to switch my major.' It just all started clicking."
He began to see accounting as a foundation. The versatility of the degree could take him into sports, nonprofit organizations, public accounting or professions he'd yet to consider.
Finding His Place in Husky Nation
While it took Brisson time to find his right-fit degree, he'd always had Michigan Tech on his radar. His father grew up in nearby Baraga, Michigan, where Brisson's grandpa still lives. His mother attended Northern Michigan University. Two older cousins chose Michigan Tech.
Brisson craved an environment less urban than metro Detroit. The Keweenaw offered
a distinct alternative.
"I wanted to just kind of get out, feel the wind and see where it takes me a little
bit," he said.
An autumn visit to campus for Michigan Tech's Leading Scholar program sealed the decision. He remembers the fall colors and a trip to Brockway Mountain. Brisson could picture himself at Tech, going on hikes, playing broomball and finding a campus community that likes to work and play as hard as he does. He's made full use of every opportunity that came his way.
"I'm always doing the most," Brisson said, laughing. "I love being a Husky."
That includes involvement in the Pavlis Honors College, Michigan Tech's Applied Portfolio Management Program (APMP), Kappa Sigma Iota Accounting Club and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, where he serves as intramurals chair and vice president of recruitment.
Each experience has provided different opportunities.
Brisson applied to join APMP, a year-long program that's open to students across campus, because he wanted to broaden his business knowledge even though he isn't focused on a finance degree. Students selected for the team manage a more than $3 million investment portfolio. While being accountable for so much money was a huge responsibility, Brisson said the real pressure wasn't about the trade decisions.
Students had to work as a team, meet deadlines, develop an investment philosophy and strategy, present their picks to the APMP Advisory Board and be ready to defend their choices under rigorous questioning.
He developed more confidence in public speaking, teamwork and making a case for a decision. He also made new friends and professional connections.
"I'm so happy I did it," he said. "I highly recommend it for anyone thinking about joining."
Brisson joined his fraternity during spring of his first year at Tech. "I really value it because it helps me surround myself with really good people with important values," he said. Like Brisson, who has worked in the Student Development Complex Fitness Center for two years and previously worked at the QuadCore Fitness Centers in residence halls on campus, his fraternity brothers enjoy working out to stay in shape. And, Brisson said, "Grades always come first. We're consistently one of the fraternities with the highest GPA."
Like many Huskies, Brisson always looks forward to Michigan Tech Winter Carnival, especially the snow statue building. Fun fact: his fraternity's 2026 snow statue was the last to melt on the Michigan Tech campus — vestiges of "Wall-E and His Plant" remained at the fraternity's statue site between the Academic Office Building and the ROTC Building well into May.
How Huskies Find Their Professional Community
Kappa Sigma Iota, Michigan Tech's accounting club, further expanded Brisson's circle of mentors and colleagues. The club helps students see how expansive the accounting field can be. Public accounting and CPA licensure are two possibilities among many. Brisson finds particular value in the professionals who come to speak with students.
As the club's secretary, Brisson listens, learns and takes notes. But he also shares his own experiences with students who are considering accounting or wondering whether pursuing a CPA is right for them. Brisson wants students to have sufficient information and professional exposure to make their own decisions. Taking a leadership role felt natural.
"I wanted to help out and give back a little bit to what I got out of the club," he said.
His mission aligns closely with MICPA's Campus Influencer Program. Formerly known as MICPA Student Champion, it's designed to connect college students with the statewide professional organization and provide opportunities to share accounting resources and career information on their campuses.
For Brisson, influencing has little to do with accumulating followers. He talks with people. He introduces them to other people. He brings professionals and students into the same room. He answers questions when he can and helps students find someone who can answer when he can't.
"I love the accounting community, first of all," he said. "Everyone I've met in accounting has been amazing."
The approach caught MICPA's attention.
"Jim stood out to our team for the connections he has helped build at Michigan Tech," said Emily Olson, student engagement senior coordinator for MICPA. Olson, who worked directly with Brisson over the past year, nominated him for the award.
"Through his leadership in the KSI Accounting Club, he's helped connect fellow students with CPAs through guest speakers and career conversations, and his involvement in the Applied Portfolio Management Program and our Campus Influencer Program has given him additional opportunities to connect students, business professionals and the accounting community," she said.
Olson said Brisson's own route to accounting helps explain his commitment to making those connections available to others.
"He told me how valuable it was to have a network and people he could turn to while figuring out his own path," she said. "Now, he wants to help other students explore careers, meet accounting professionals and have those same kinds of connections, even if they're still figuring out whether accounting is right for them."
Brisson further articulated his philosophy on helping fellow Huskies explore the profession in a video highlighting his achievement.
Doyle, who has led MICPA since 2020 and spoke to Brisson's class during that first year at Tech, knows quite a bit about influencing himself. He's an active advocate for the profession as a versatile, in-demand career. He's also well-known at Tech for the support and mentorship he provides across campus.
Most recently, Doyle, who graduated from Tech with a degree in environmental engineering, delivered the annual lecture for first-year engineering students at MTU. In a recent issue of the College of Business' Impact Magazine, he spoke about the nationwide shortage of accountants and how Michigan Tech is helping to fill it.
"Michigan Tech has been a great partner in helping students discover accounting and see all the possibilities this profession can offer," Doyle said.
"Jim is the perfect example of what happens when we create those opportunities. He found his path, and now he's helping others find theirs by sharing his experience, building connections and opening doors."
Road to a CPA Includes a Tax Season Internship
During summer 2026, Brisson worked in audit for CBIZ CPAs P.C. in Rochester, Michigan. He found the position through the Handshake app, created by Tech alumni, and worked on several engagements, including audits and a compilation. Much of his work involved nonprofit clients, a connection that felt particularly meaningful. Both of Brisson's parents worked in the nonprofit sector. His dad served as president of Gleaners Community Food Bank and his mom was a vice president at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.
"I kind of grew up with that giving, paying-it-forward ethic," Brisson said. "I hope to always be able to do that kind of work."
At CBIZ, recently acquired by major firm Grant Thornton, he experienced the kind of professional support he values. He had plenty of questions. Colleagues were willing to answer them, including an intern buddy who had worked there previously.
Brisson could choose to graduate in spring 2026, but he's deferring his expected graduation until fall 2027 to get work experience at the busiest time of year for accountants: tax and year-end audit season. He'll spend the spring semester of 2026 as an audit intern with another top accounting firm, Baker Tilly.
Public accounting appeals to him as a place to gain experience early in his career before seeing where life takes him. Earning his CPA is an integral part of the plan.
Through networking opportunities, he met CPAs who began in public accounting and went on to businesses of their own and leadership roles across industries. The credential, he said, demonstrates a depth of knowledge and professional experience that travels well.
"CPA is the benchmark," he said. "By going through this tough experience, it separates you and differentiates you. Once you get it, you're set."
Earning it will require plenty of work — there are four separate exams, each requiring more than 100 hours of study. Other requirements include a year of work experience under a current CPA. Brisson has prepared for the challenge by keeping his sights on the reward.
"It's been quite a journey to get where I am," said Brisson. "Accounting is a great foundation for life, and for having a good career. A lot of CPAs go on to have their own firms, their own businesses. They can be CEOs, they can be CFOs — they can go wherever they want to go."
Michigan Technological University is an R1 public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan's flagship technological university offers more than 185 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, computing, forestry, business, health professions, robotics, psychology, social sciences, humanities, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
