The award honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the association and the equipment finance industry. Sebik will be formally recognized during a ceremony at the 56th ELFA Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida, in October.

In its citation, the association said Sebik, who has been a CPA in New York for more than 35 years, has been a major contributor to ELFA’s advocacy and outreach efforts concerning lease accounting and financial reporting for more than a decade. He has served as an active member of the Financial Accounting Committee for the past 13 years, helping to analyze issues related to the lease accounting project and other critical accounting matters.

In addition, Sebik has played an instrumental role in ELFA’s federal advocacy efforts, with a special focus since 2014 in the area of tax reform. For the past three years, he has served as chairman of the Federal Tax Committee, helping to analyze and monitor legislative and regulatory tax issues and their impact on the equipment finance industry. He has also written extensively on industry issues.

Before joining Siemens Financial Services, Sebik worked for Price Waterhouse, IBM Credit Corporation, Chase Equipment Leasing, Citicorp Global Equipment Finance and JP Morgan’s tax-oriented investment group.

“We are delighted to present this honor to Joe in appreciation of his outstanding contributions to ELFA and the equipment finance industry,” said ELFA president and CEO Ralph Petta. “I’ve known Joe personally for a number of years. His dedicated volunteer spirit and leadership, especially in the areas of financial accounting and reporting, federal advocacy and professional development, have had a positive impact on the ELFA membership and the industry as a whole.”