Our Session Moderators

Gail Perry, CPA

Gail Perry is a CPA and the editor-in-chief of CPA Practice Advisor magazine. She has been advising the profession for over 20 years as an accounting journalist in addition to being a well-known public speaker, trainer, and the author of more than 30 books (including Mint.com For Dummies; Surviving Financial Downsizing: A Practical Guide to Living Well on Less Money; and, most recently, The Idiot’s Guide to Introductory Accounting). Gail facilitates two think tanks for the accounting profession – the Accounting Thought Leader Symposium and the Young Leaders Accounting Think Tank.

She is also the creator of Ensuring Success, a unique annual conference that brings leaders of the profession together to offer continuing professional education to thousands of accountants from the comfort of their own offices or homes. Gail is a member of the AICPA’s PFS Credential Committee, and the creator of a workshop for CPA.com designed to help tax accountants advance their practices to include personal financial planning services. Gail also maintains a small tax practice where she serves real estate agents and performing artists, and she has taught an online financial planning course for more than 10 years. Gail is a graduate of Indiana University where she earned her bachelor's degree in journalism. After returning to school to study accounting at Illinois State University, Gail earned her CPA and worked for Deloitte's Chicago office as a state and local tax specialist. She is a former tax columnist for the Indianapolis Star newspaper, has been a community college adjunct accounting professor, and was on staff for 10 years at the Indiana CPA Society as a computer applications instructor. Gail was the publisher and editor-in-chief of AccountingWEB before joining the CPA Practice Advisor team.

Alexandra DeFelice

Alexandra DeFelice is the Director of Marketing and Business Development for Payne & Fears LLP in Southern California. She has more than 20 years of diverse business development, coaching, and communications experience. Prior to joining Payne & Fears, Alexandra worked for a large regional law firm in Portland, Oregon, where she served as a business development manager for two of the firm’s six core industry groups. She previously served as senior manager for the North American headquarters of an international group of accounting firms.

Our Presenters from 2023

Andrew Argue, CPA

Andrew Argue, CPA, is the CEO and founder of Corvee, a software and solutions company serving tax and accounting firms. At Corvee, Argue works to help tax and accounting firms increase their revenue and profitability through tax planning.

Argue founded Corvee with the goal to create a road map for tax and accounting firms to make the transition from compliance to advisory services. Since then, the company has launched first-of-its-kind tax planning software to give accounting firms and tax professionals the ability to formulate a tax savings calculation, develop a proactive and strategic tax plan and be the trusted advisor clients need.

Prior to Corvee, Argue founded AccountingTax.com (now Corvee) and The Bean Counter (acquired by Roger CPA Review), and worked as an auditor at PwC.

Argue has been named twice on Accounting Today’s Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting – Ones to Watch list. He has a Master of Accounting and a Bachelor of Science in accounting from University of Tampa. He also holds Series 7, Series 66 and Certified Public Accountant licenses.

Tanya Baber EA, CTRS, NTPI Fellow

Tanya has been an enrolled agent since 2006 and received her bachelor's degree in Public Accounting and Business Administration from Colorado Mesa University. Tanya practices as a public accountant in the area of personal, business, and non-profit tax preparation, planning, consulting and representation as well as solving their complex tax problems. She is also a CTRS - Certified Tax Resolution Specialist. She has been practicing in accounting and taxation since 1994.

Tanya is a member in good standing of the National Society of Accountants (NSA), The American Society of Tax Problem Solvers (ASTPS), The National Society of Tax Professionals (NSTP), and the National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP). She also serves on the board of directors for a variety of local and national non-profits, and volunteers with Search and Rescue to give back to her community.

Ms. Baber enjoys teaching advanced level classes to CPA's, Accountants, Comptrollers, and other individuals seeking continuing education. She consults with and enjoys helping these same accountants and individuals with their own difficult tax resolution cases.

She also did a 30 minute radio program throughout the fall and winter of 2015. She enjoyed speaking about taxes and making sense of its complexity for the average person.

Cory Barwick Sr, Product ManagerReturns for Accountants, Avalara

With more than two decades of experience consulting with businesses in varying industries and of varying sizes, Cory has gained an intimate understanding of how businesses bring their vision to market. From product inception to product development and back end administrative functions, he has have learned to apply my public accounting and tax skills to the complex needs as businesses change or grow their product portfolio.

Aaron Berson

Aaron holds roughly ten “YouTube Diplomas”. Currently, he is studying engineering and mechanics rebuilding his car’s engine. He enjoys breaking new technologies, reading product roadmaps and FASB guidelines to help him sleep at night. You will often find him chasing a squirrel or two and attending networking events enjoying nerdy conversation and a glass of Balvenie, neat.

James C. Bourke

Jim is a Partner, Member of the Board of Directors and Management Committee at WithumSmith+Brown, is Director of Firm Technology and Managing Director of Advisory Services. Jim has been a frequent speaker around the globe to many Accounting Societies and International Accounting Associations, the AICPA, Industry Technology Organizations, Incubators, Co-Working Locations and others on topics specifically related to various accounting, tax and advisory services topics.

In Jim’s role as Managing Director of Advisory Services, Jim heads-up the Firm’s cloud solutions, business advisory, cyber, data analytics, info-security and transactional services initiatives for the firm.

He is Past President for the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants and past Board and Council Member for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Jim has been continually named by Accounting Today as one of the Top 100 Most Influential people in the Accounting Profession and has been named by The CPA Practice Advisor as a Top Thought Leader in Public Accounting Technology year after year.

Jayson Brannon

As Vice President, Sales & Partner Success at CPA.com, Jayson oversees CPA.com’s customer facing teams: Sales, Customer Success and Customer Service. In this role he leads a team who helps firms build, execute and grow their practice areas by implementing best-of-breed technology solutions, modern practice development and growth strategies as they move through digital transformation.

Jayson is a seasoned sales leader with nearly 15 years of experience selling fintech solutions to the accounting profession. Since joining CPA.com in 2018, Jayson and his teams have helped hundreds of firms evolve and grow, enabled by technology and practice development strategies.

Jayson is passionate about building successful teams to drive change by earning the opportunity to be called trusted advisor, both internally and externally.

Prior to joining CPA.com, he worked with Thomson Reuters Tax & Accounting first as a seller then leading sales teams. Jayson holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Western Michigan University (Go Broncos!) and resides in Southeast Michigan with his wife, Jessica.

David Cieslak

David Cieslak is Chief Cloud Officer and EVP with RKL eSolutions, a leading business process automation consulting firm with offices across the US. In his role, he is responsible for helping companies grow strategically with cloud-based solutions and industry-specific service expertise for ERP, CPM, CRM, AP Automation, and other critical business processes.

He is a frequent speaker for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), California Society of Certified Public Accountants (CalCPA) and other state accounting societies as his alter ego “Inspector Gadget.” He is a Sage Intacct Certified Consultant and holds the GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC). He is the past Chair of the AICPA IT Executive Committee and past president of the California CPA Education Foundation.

Nicole Davis

Nicole Davis stands at the helm of Butler-Davis Tax & Accounting, BD Payroll, and Groundworx Contractors as their founder and CEO, directing a dedicated team of 26 professionals. With over twenty years of expertise, she offers extensive knowledge in accounting, tax, financial oversight, and advisory services, catering to diverse clientele from various sectors. She possesses a unique prowess in tax strategy and is adept in small business accounting, notably within the construction, independent pharmacy, and service-oriented business industries.

Prior to establishing Butler-Davis, Nicole's professional journey was rooted in corporate accounting for prominent Fortune 500 entities. She initiated her career at ConocoPhillips, a leading oil and gas enterprise located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

Holding memberships with the American Institute of CPAs and the Georgia Society of CPAs, Nicole's educational accolades include an MBA from the University of Tulsa and a summa cum laude Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Grambling State University. Currently, she serves as the Vice Chair of the AICPA Practitioners Planning Committee and is a Committee Member for the Professional and Personal Liability Insurance Programs of the AICPA. Furthermore, Nicole is an active participant in both the Rockdale and Newton Chambers of Commerce.

Nicole and her spouse, JW, reside in Georgia, and are proud parents to five children. On social media, she's amassed a substantial audience of over 25,000 followers across various platforms, where she frequently posts about her life as a wife, mom, and CPA. Nicole is passionate about traveling, penning down her thoughts, whipping up meals, and indulging in reality TV shows.

Marcus Dillon

President & Founder of Dillon Business Advisors, Marcus began firm ownership in 2011 at age 28. Building a team of 17 professionals, Marcus transformed his firm from general tax and accounting to a full-service CAS business, generating substantial monthly recurring revenue. He's dedicated to helping firm leaders find a balance between business ownership and personal life. Marcus contributes as a speaker, thought leader, and strategic advisor in the accounting industry. Beyond work, he cherishes time with his wife, Rachel, and daughters Kynley and Avery.

Sean Duncan

Sean M. Duncan, CPA is the president of SMD Consulting & Accounting and founder of Chief Proactive Advisors, LLC. built his reputation as a thought leader in the accounting industry by focusing on advising, teaching, and helping clients with proactive strategy and planning.

CPAs across the United States possess so much valuable knowledge about business, finances, AND taxes; but all too often they shy away from sharing their wisdom in a timely and actionable manner.

Over the last 25+ years, Sean has accumulated a diverse and unique set of credentials and knowledge that he shares through speaking at conferences and events, in private seminars, one on one with clients, and with his very talented team at SMD.

A recognized expert on comprehensive financial and business strategy, Sean M. Duncan, CPA has been a speaker at AccountingWeb Live, Insightful Accountant’s Future Forward, Scaling New Heights, and many other conferences. He is a member of ADP’s Accountant Advisory Council, and Ignitions Client Council.

He has contributed to Intuit’s Accountant blog, and is a frequent contributor to articles in The Dallas Morning News, Insightful Accountant and other publications and has made numerous appearances as a TV or radio show guest, and often speaks at conferences across the United States.

DiAndria Green, CPA, CITP

DiAndria “Dee” Green is a Partner in Bennett Thrasher’s State and Local Tax (SALT) consulting practice, where she focuses on providing state income/franchise tax consulting, sales/use tax consulting and other state tax services to clients of varying sizes and legal entity types. In this role, she assists clients in reducing their tax liability and effective state tax rates. Additionally, Dee leads the SMART Compliance practice, which assists clients with meeting state sales tax compliance requirements and implementing and managing an automated sales tax software solution.

While at Bennett Thrasher, DiAndria has also advised motion picture studios, television networks, independent film producers and digital entertainment companies across the country on how to pursue, utilize and monetize movie production incentives and film tax credits. Her work primarily consists of educating clients on the law surrounding available state film tax credits and the qualifications required in pursuing those credits. While assisting clients with claiming film tax credits, DiAndria has also analyzed production expenses to determine qualifying expenditures, conducted due diligence reviews and drafted due diligence reports that indicated relevant procedures and findings.

DiAndria has more than 15 years of tax consulting and business development experience. Prior to joining Bennett Thrasher, she worked at Ernst & Young, where she focused on Research & Development (R&D) credit study services, and at PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Washington National Tax Office, where she provided merger and acquisition tax consulting services to public and privately-held corporate clients.

Andrew Hatfield

Andrew leads revenue growth, strategic partnerships, and defining SafeSend’s long-term priorities and agenda. He is a recognized industry speaker and thought leader, and enthusiast for emerging technologies that impact tax and accounting firms. Andrew focuses on market dynamics, customer feedback and needs, and profession trends with an eye toward identifying new pathways to growth. For nearly two decades, Andrew has lent his automation technology expertise and deep domain knowledge of the profession to help create innovative software solutions – each providing exponential efficiency gains for tax and accounting professionals.

Joey Havens

JOEY HAVENS, CPA, is currently serving HORNE as managing partner of strategic growth. He joined HORNE in 1984 and previously served as executive partner from 2012 to 2021, leading more than 1,800 team members to build the Wise Firm while passionately living out his life’s calling to help others see and reach their full potential. Prior to being named executive partner in 2012, Joey served as HORNE’s managing partner of health care services and the managing partner of government services, respectively.

Joey actively challenges the mainstays of business culture and strategic planning. He advocates growing leaders faster using holistic approaches and intentional sponsorship. In addition to his weekly beBetter blog, he is the author of numerous white papers and articles, including “Becoming the Firm of the Future,” published by AICPA. He has coauthored four books during his career at HORNE.

Joey is an active member of CPA Practice Advisor’s Top 30 Thought Leaders, where he works with other accounting professionals to help lead and shape the industry. Joey is a frequent presenter/teacher/facilitator on creating a culture of belonging, strategic planning, and leadership development and loves to teach young professionals the “ABCs to Outstanding.”

He currently serves on the board of The Mustard Seed, a Christian community for adults with developmental disabilities and Empower Mississippi. He is a past board member of HORNE LLP, Friends of Children’s Hospital, JDRF, Make- A-Wish Foundation, and AICPA Women’s Initiative Executive Committee. Joey earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Mississippi. He attends St. Francis Catholic Church with his wife, Cathy.

Randy Johnston, MCS, MCP

Randy Johnston has been an entrepreneur, technologist, and teacher for most of his career. He has helped start and run many businesses, and founded Network Management Group, Inc. and owns half of K2 Enterprises. He has written for accounting and technology publications for four decades, and for CPA Practice Advisor since 2000.

Al-Nesha Jones, CPA, MBA, MOM

Al-Nesha Jones is the founder of ASE Group, a full-service accounting, tax, and advisory firm focused on empowering small business owners to build strong and sustainable businesses. She was recently recognized as a 2023 Top 100 ProAdvisor by Insightful Accountants, one of Ignition's 2023 Top 50 Women in Accounting, a 2022 NJCPA Ovation Award Winner for her firm's DEI efforts, and also as a 2021 CPA Practice Advisor "40 Under 40" Professional.

She is currently a Participant in the ProConnect Customer Council for Intuit Inc., 2021 – 2024, a member of the Intuit Trainer/Writer Network, an inaugural member of the CHIP Professionals Council (CHIP is bridging the gap between consumers of financial products and financial professionals of color), a member of the National Society of Black CPAs (NSBCPA), a member of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA), and a mentor at her high school (Saint Vincent Academy) and college (Montclair State University) alma maters. Outside of being a self-proclaimed 'cool mom', her biggest accomplishment to date has been creating rewarding career opportunities for her team members that mirror the opportunities she didn’t have when she left her corporate career. She currently leads a 100% female team, where they have flexibility in both their schedule and work location, to ensure they can prioritize all of the nouns that bring them joy.

Roman Kepczyk

Roman H. Kepczyk, CPA, CITP, CGMA, is the Director of Firm Technology Strategy for Rightworks. His primary focus is helping firms throughout North America effectively use information technology and accounting applications by optimizing their tax, audit and administrative production workflows. He has spent the past 27 years consulting exclusively with CPA firms and 10 years with the CPA firm of Henry & Horne where he was the partner in charge of administration and information technology. Roman has served as a member of AICPA Council, PCPS Executive Committee, AICPA IT Executive Committee, and is also an Advisory Board Member to the CPA Firm Management Association and BDO Alliance IT Advisory Board.

Roman was named by INSIDE Public Accounting as one of the profession’s Most Recommended Consultants from 2005 through 2022, CPA Practice Advisor’s Top 25 Thought Leaders from 2011 through 2023, and Accounting Today’s Most Influential People in Accounting (17 years and counting). He currently writes for AICPA Professional Insights, Thomson Reuters Audit and Accounting Update, and CPA Practice Advisor.

Becky Livingston

Becky Livingston is the Owner and CEO of Penheel Marketing, a NJ-based firm specializing in social media and digital marketing for CPAs. With over 25 years of marketing and tech experience, she is the author of “The B2B Marketer's Guide to AI: Strategies, Tactics & Tools for Success,” “SEO for CPAs - The Accountant’s SEO Handbook,” “The Accountant’s Social Media Handbook,” and “SEO Secrets, Myths and Truths to Being Found Online.” In addition to being a practitioner, she is a dog lover, an active Association for Accounting Marketing’s (AAM) committee member, an adjunct professor, and HubSpot partner. Learn more about Becky and her firm at https://Penheel.com.

Vaughan Long

Vaughan is an Enrolled Agent (EA) and the founder of both Tax Solutions Alliance (a firm that specializes in IRS Tax Resolution) as well as the owner of Ally Tax & Accounting (a firm that specializes in small business taxes and accounting). Vaughan is based in Richmond, VA. Vaughan was mentored in the world of the IRS by a former IRS Revenue Officer and the two of them worked many cases together over the years until his mentor retired in 2019.

Michael Ly

Michael Ly is a serial entrepreneur, speaker and cloud accounting professional. He is Founder & CEO of Reconciled, an online bookkeeping and business advisory firm. Founded in 2015, Reconciled has grown to over 50 team members working remotely from 10 states and serving small businesses throughout the country. Reconciled has been recognized by accounting industry leaders like Intuit for their pioneering approach and future oriented business model.

Michael speaks nationally on the topics of remote work, company culture, entrepreneurship, cloud accounting, and diversity in leadership. Prior to Reconciled, Michael did accounting consulting work for companies in Vermont. He was also VP of Finance for The Mosaic Company based in Renton, WA, where he led the finance function for six years during a significant time of growth. Michael has a B.S. in Business Administration from Arizona State University and a MBA from Babson College.

Gaynor Mielke, Chief Opportunity Officer, Charisma Ink, MS, CBC, CTC, CTRC-E

Gaynor Meilke is a business strategist and certified business and transformational coach. She is the owner of Charisma Ink, a marketing and B2B consulting firm that specializes in services for accounting and tax professionals. She is a ghostwriter and the author of multiple books, including Avoiding App-athy:Your Step-by-Step Guide to Winning More Sales and Customer Advocates in the Accounting Channel, The Bank Your Brain Blueprint™, and The Market Ownership Method which are available on Amazon.

Mackenzie Patel

Mackenzie Patel is a CPA and the CEO and founder of Hash Basis, a crypto native accounting firm. She started Hash Basis to share her crypto accounting & tax expertise with the blockchain industry. She also does the accounting for dOrg, the first DAO to be incorporated as an LLC in the United States. Mackenzie is based in San Francisco and in her spare time loves studying Ancient Roman history.

Enrico Palmerino

Enrico is the founder and CEO of Botkeeper, which provides accountants with an automated bookkeeping platform using human-assisted machine learning and AI. Botkeeper's platform delivers the fastest, most accurate, and low-cost bookkeeping available to accounting firms seeking a scalable CAS solution for their clients.

Enrico also serves on the Board of OnProcess Technology and Fidelity Bank and is an investor and advisor in several prominent tech companies. He has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting, Top 30 Most Inspiring Business Leaders, and 2020 Golden Bridge Entrepreneur of the Year.

Botkeeper has raised $90M from marquee investors and serves several thousand companies and 80+ accounting firms, processing 40M+ transactions per quarter.
Prior to Botkeeper, Enrico was co-owner and Managing Director of SmartBooks, a cloud accounting firm which grew from 6-40 employees in 3 years before he was bought out in 2015 so he could launch Botkeeper. Early in Enrico’s career he was ranked 2nd among Bloomberg’s Top 25 Entrepreneurs Under 25 in recognition of his co-founding of ThinkLite. Enrico grew ThinkLite from a dorm-room startup to $8.5M ARR before graduating college and successfully exiting the venture.

Jeff Phillips

Jeff Phillips is an entrepreneur and accounting industry leader. He is CEO of Padgett Business Services, one of North America’s largest accounting service and business consulting providers. He also is a Co-Founder of Accountingfly, the accountant hiring platform for remote talent. Jeff was previously with Monster.com where he delivered recruitment solutions for Fortune 500 companies such as Verizon, H&R Block, and Shell.

Brandi Price

Brandi has 12 years of experience in the tax credits and incentives profession and has secured savings of over $100 million for a diverse array of clients during that time. Brandi has serviced some of ADP’s largest accounts, including Walmart, Apple and UPS, and has also worked with numerous small and medium-sized businesses, giving her invaluable perspective on tax issues across the spectrum of businesses.

As the current practice leader of ADP’s Research & Development Tax Credit team, she helps secure valuable federal and state tax incentives for small and mid-sized businesses engaging in scientific and technological development. Servicing over 800 clients annually, ADP is an industry leader in R&D incentives and Brandi and team deliver significant tax savings to ADP’s client base in partnership with ADP’s CPA partners.

During her tenure, Brandi has also worked on numerous Federal incentives, including the Indian Employment Credit and the Empowerment Zone Credit, as well as a myriad of State tax incentives in multiple jurisdictions, including Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Nebraska, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, and California, among others.

James Rainwater

James Rainwater, a distinguished graduate of the University of Baltimore, holds an MBA in Finance and Leveraged Information Systems. With over two decades of expertise in the Accounting and Tax industry, James has been the proud principal and owner of RainwaterCPA.com since 2001. This national CPA firm, headquartered in Bel Air, Maryland, has enabled him to collaborate with some of the nation's most elite attorneys, financial advisors, and CPAs, developing cutting-edge strategies for tax reduction and wealth creation.

Since 2016, James has served as a Technical Instructor at Corvee, specializing in tax compliance, tax planning, and tax advisory topics. His commitment to sharing his wealth of knowledge has positively impacted thousands of accounting firm owners across the United States. As an Expert Coach on Tax Planning & Wealth Management for Corvee, James has become a highly sought-after instructor, equipping accountants and tax professionals with the advanced tools and strategies necessary to optimize their business operations.

Outside of his professional endeavors, James enjoys spending quality time in the great outdoors, camping with his two sons, or taking leisurely walks with his beloved rescue dog, Maggie.

Wayne Richard

A seasoned eCommerce accounting specialist with a passion for empowering entrepreneurs Wayne Richard brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the table, having spent 15 years as a management accountant at tech giant Hewlett Packard before venturing into the world of eCommerce accounting. His journey led him to Bean Ninjas, a cloud accounting firm he initially discovered through a blog post. Two years later, Wayne's involvement with Bean Ninjas has transformed from a simple comment to a full-fledged equity partnership.

Wayne's expertise lies in helping eCommerce businesses achieve financial success and lifestyle freedom. When he's not leading a global team at Bean Ninjas, he's busy being an everyday superhero to his wife and five children.

At Bean Ninjas, Wayne and his team provide a comprehensive suite of accounting services, including bookkeeping, financial reporting, and analysis, specifically tailored to the needs of fast-paced eCommerce brands. Their expertise helps businesses overcome cash flow challenges, enhance profitability, and make informed financial decisions that drive growth.

Wayne's passion for accounting and his dedication to empowering entrepreneurs make him a valuable speaker and thought leader in the eCommerce industry. His insights and expertise can help accountants and small business owners alike navigate the complexities of eCommerce accounting and achieve their financial goals.

Nadia Rodriguez

Nadia Rodriguez is a Senior Tax Analyst Programmer at Intuit where she is part of the team that builds the Lacerte and ProConnect Tax Online professional tax software for individual and business tax.

Nadia earned her CPA license in 2009 and Masters in Taxation in 2007 from the University of North Texas. At Intuit, Nadia is also an instructor for their training and tax education program. Nadia has experience in Public Accounting where she performed tax planning projections and prepared tax returns for high net worth individuals and different types of businesses. She is an active CPA that continues to assist taxpayers with tax compliance and advisory services. Nadia has a passion for sharing her knowledge with others, from helping her son and daughter find the common denominator in fractions to teaching her peers about the latest tax law changes and industry insights. Nadia has also been named a 20 under 40 Top Influencer by CPA Practice Advisor in 2022.

Andy Root

Andy brings nearly a decade of sales and firm operations experience to the table. Over the years, he's worked closely with the Rightworks member base (over 800 firms) to gain a deep understanding of firm owners' needs at every level of a modern business model. He continues to work daily with firm partners and staff to help them progress with Rightworks Business Model Basics™—the core elements that make up a successful, modern enterprise.

Cathy Rowe

Cathy Rowe is an accomplished Product Manager with an established record of building a strong, high performing team that delivers innovative solutions that drive increased profitability for global Fortune 500 companies. She has a proven ability to manage and lead new and existing product development which will increase user productivity. Cathy has contributed to strategic planning and execution, as well as experience with roadmap and budget preparation and resource analysis required for execution. Her passion is ensuring customers are able to have an optimal workflow that will allow them to best meet the needs of their clients, and remain profitable.

She excels in problem solving, and user-centered design. In 2013, Cathy was named as one of the Top 40 Under 40 thought leaders in the accounting profession by CPA Practice Advisor due to the fact that she made significant progress in bringing the customer workflow perspective into the Design and Development processes at CCH. CCH customers are now consulted & involved in all phases of Design and Development within the CCH Axcess and Prosystem fxproducts at CCH. This initiative drives increased Productivity and Ease of Use into all aspects of the CCH products while streamlined integrations between products is occurring to match the end-to-end work CCH customers are conducting.

Donny Shimamoto

Donny is the founder and managing director of IntrapriseTechKnowlogies LLC, an advisory-focused CPA firm focused on innovation acceleration and organizational development for small businesses, middle market organizations, and nonprofits. Donny is a recognized thought leader and educator in the fields of accounting technology, IT risk management, and performance management. His dedication to helping accountants and organizations strategically leverage technology while proactively managing their business and technical risk is paramount.

Donny also serves as an business transformation advisor and outsourced “IT partner” for local & regional firms, finance departments, and internal audit departments who lack in-house IT executive leadership and IT audit expertise; He helps with risk assessments, IT-related advisory services, development of innovation strategies, streamlining of internal firm/department operations, and increasing staff proficiency with IT tools supporting internal operations and accounting/audit services delivery.

Dr. Sean Stein Smith

Sean is an Associate Professor at the City University of New York – Lehman College. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Wall Street Blockchain Alliance, where he chairs the Accounting Working Group. Sean also serves as an Advisor to Crescent City Capital, a cryptoasset investment fund. Sean has also been named one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting, and has been named a past winner of the NJCPA Ovation Award for Innovation.

He has also been named a 40 under 40 in the accounting profession from 2017-2022 by CPA Practice Advisor and the NYSSCPA in 2021. Sean was named on the NJBIZ Power 50 in Accounting in 2021 & 2022. He was also awarded the Outstanding Young CPA of the Year Award by the AICPA in 2022. In 2022, Sean also earned the Certified Cryptocurrency Auditor certificate offered by the Blockchain Council, and in 2023 he completed an Executive Education program in AI Strategy at MIT.

Annie Terry

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Annie Terry is the Product Operations Director of eCommerce at Xero with over 15 years experience working at SaaS companies. Previously the COO of LOCATE Inventory, an advanced inventory solution that was acquired by Xero, she now works on the team building a best in class inventory solution that helps small businesses manage their inventory in multiple sales channels and grow their business through accurate financial insights.

Lucia Valenzuela

Lucia Valenzuela, is a seasoned Tax Executive at Instead by Corvee, a licensed California Attorney, and passionate about helping taxpayers save money on their taxes. Lucia's career journey is marked by a commitment to excellence, beginning with foundational work in tax controversy at KPMG, leading to a pivotal role as a Partner at MGO where she managed complex client portfolios and spearheaded innovative solutions in specialty tax.

Currently at Instead, Lucia leverages her vast experience to oversee the successful launch and widespread adoption of the pioneering tax software, Instead. This software, designed to demystify complex tax strategies like the R&D tax credit, stands at the intersection of Lucia's career-long endeavors. Lucia is deeply passionate about educating tax professionals, equipping them to tackle the intricacies of tax law with newfound confidence and efficiency.

Garrett Wagner

As an emerging leader in the CPA landscape and an expert at understanding the new millennial generation, Garrett focuses on monitoring the evolving technologies and best practices in the industry to achieve the highest degree of success without being afraid to break free from traditional methods.

Garrett works with CPA firms across the country helping them to implement lasting change by understanding the unique needs of each organization.

Garrett specializes in corporate taxation and can successfully implement ideas and change by using his communication style to get support from key members of the Firm. With his ability to think outside the box, develop procedures, and train staff it has allowed Garrett to have tremendous success in bringing about lasting change.

Garrett believes that the public accounting landscape is undergoing a tremendous change and that by focusing on developing the next generation of leaders and understanding the shift in the profession to providing value added consulting services, that Firms can obtain long lasting success.

Started the LinkedIn group Innovating Trailblazers to provide support for the next generation of leaders by allowing them to share ideas, frustrations, and support each other's growth.

Specialties: CPA, CITP specializing in helping business owners achieve personal and professional success.