Kimberly is a Global Technology and Finance leader with over 30 years of career achievements. She is the Chief Executive Officer of KET Solutions, LLC, a consulting firm focused on business growth, innovation, strategy, transformation and inclusive leadership. Ellison-Taylor is a sought after keynote speaker and has received many awards and recognitions for her expertise and leadership including Accounting Today’s Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting and CPA Practice Advisor’s 25 Most Powerful Women in Accounting. She is a Past Chair for both the American Institute of CPAs and the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.

For almost 17 years, Ellison-Taylor served in global leadership roles for Oracle Corporation. Kimberly advised C-Suite Executives on cloud solutions that innovate and transform business. Ellison-Taylor is also an adjunct professor for Carnegie Mellon University’s Chief Information Officer Certificate program teaching Emerging Technologies & Innovation. Kimberly is an independent board director for US Bancorp, Mutual of Omaha, Evercommerce and Marathon Petroleum.

Other professional achievements include tenure at Prince George’s County Government, KPMG, Motorola, and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Ellison-Taylor has an undergraduate degree in Information Systems from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, a MBA from Loyola University Maryland, an Accounting Certificate from the Community College of Baltimore County and a Master of Science from Carnegie Mellon University in Information Technology Management as well as a Chief Information Officer certificate. She is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Information Technology Professional, Certified Global Management Accountan and Certified Information Systems Auditor.

Kimberly is a volunteer leader and supports a number of organizations and causes including as Chair of the AICPA’s National Commission on Diversity and Inclusion, Chair of the Maryland CPAs Foundation, Loyola University MD’s Board of Trustees, and the Carnegie Mellon University Heinz College Dean’s Advisory Board. She is also a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc where she supports programs for the youth, families, women, seniors, and military in her local chapter.

Gary Cokins is an internationally recognized expert, speaker, and author in enterprise and corporate performance management improvement methods and business analytics. He is the founder of Analytics-Based Performance Management, an advisory firm located in Cary, North Carolina (www.garycokins.com). Gary received a bachelor’s degree with honors in industrial engineering and operations research from Cornell University in 1971. He received his MBA with honors from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in 1974.

Gary began his career as a strategic planner with FMC’s Link-Belt Division and then served as Financial Controller and Operations Manager. In 1981, Gary began his management consulting career first with Deloitte, and then in 1988 with KPMG. In 1992, Gary headed the National Cost Management Consulting Services for Electronic Data Systems (EDS), now part of HP. From 1997 until 2013, Gary was a Principal Consultant with SAS, a leading provider of business analytics software.

His two most recent books are Performance Management: Integrating Strategy Execution, Methodologies, Risk, and Analytics and Predictive Business Analytics. His books are published by John Wiley & Sons. (updated on 3/26/21)

David Peters is the Founder and Owner of David Peters Financial Group and Peters Tax Preparation & Consulting, PC.

David has over fourteen years of experience in financial services, including 3 years in the hedge fund industry and six years in the insurance industry. David was the first-ever Chief Financial Officer at Compare.com – a position he held for more than three years.

Currently, David is a National Instructor for Don Farmer and Surgent. He regularly teaches courses in accounting, finance, insurance, financial planning, and ethics throughout the United States. David holds four masters degrees, and is currently pursuing his PhD in Financial Planning. He contributes regularly to various CPA publications, including NCACPA’s Interim Report, SCACPA’s CPA Report, and VSCPA’s Disclosures.

David was also a co-author of the 2018 Virginia CPA Ethics course – a required course for all CPA’s licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Rick is currently the Senior Director of Americas Accounting at Red Hat, a world leader in enterprise open source software and services solutions.  He provides strategic and operational oversight to teams in the US and Latin America responsible for revenue and general accounting, order management and credit and collections.  Prior to Red Hat, Rick worked for several high-tech companies in the hardware, software, and services industries leading large organizations in regional and global roles responsible for accounting and financial services, risk management, and transformation.  He has an undergraduate degree in Accounting from Va Tech and a masters of accounting from Auburn University and is a CPA and CMA.  When not leading accounting operations, Rick and his wife, Stephanie oversee a house divided with one son a recent graduate of NC State and the other one starting at UNC Chapel Hill in the fall of 2024.

In May 2016, Mark joined the North Carolina Association of CPAs as their Chief Operating Officer where he oversees communications, engagement, professional development, learning and innovation, finance and administration. In addition, he works with the CEO and the Board of Directors in the development and implementation of the organization’s strategic direction. Prior to this position, Mark worked for Fidelity Bank, a community bank of approximately $2 billion in assets with 60 branches in North Carolina and Virginia, as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for three years where he oversaw several operational departments, information technology, project management and strategic planning, as well as co-created the Bank’s Business Solutions department. Prior to this position, Mark worked for Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP for 10 years, rising to the level of senior manager in the firm’s financial institutions group. He has experience with both SEC registered and privately held clients providing assurance services, M&A and other due diligence consulting, SEC reporting and outsourced Sarbanes-Oxley/FDICIA-related services.

Mark is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the State of North Carolina. He was a member of AICPA Council from 2013-2016 and served on various Boards of Directors including the NCACPA as a Board member and then Treasurer, the Triangle Land Conservancy as a Board Member and Treasurer. He is currently a board member of Junior Achievement of Eastern North Carolina and also serves on both the Wake Technical Community College and NC State University’s Poole College of Management’s Accounting Department Advisory Board.

All that aside, Mark loves spending time with his wife of 9 years, Lisa, and his children Penelope and (Little) Mark. He received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Florida State University and is an avid Seminoles fan! To relax, he loves to cook, especially authentic Lebanese food. Mark’s a huge fan of Harry Potter, all of the Marvel movies, Boston sports teams and well-folded clothes.

A Partner in the Raleigh office, Jonathan serves as the head of the Firm’s Innovation team. After graduating from the University of North Carolina, he began as an auditor for many years before moving into course development and delivery. Outside of his work at Cherry Bekaert, Jonathan served as an adjunct professor at Elon University in their accounting department. In 2018, Jonathan was the first-ever recipient of the NCACPA Elevating Women Award, which recognizes a male in the CPA profession who actively supports the advancement of women. In 2017, Jonathan was named as one of CPA.com’s Innovative Practitioners of the Year, which recognizes innovation in process, services, or technology implementation in public accounting firms. He also recently served on the Board of the North Carolina association of CPA’s.

David Peters is the Founder and Owner of David Peters Financial Group and Peters Tax Preparation & Consulting, PC.

David has over fourteen years of experience in financial services, including 3 years in the hedge fund industry and six years in the insurance industry. David was the first-ever Chief Financial Officer at Compare.com – a position he held for more than three years.

Currently, David is a National Instructor for Don Farmer and Surgent. He regularly teaches courses in accounting, finance, insurance, financial planning, and ethics throughout the United States. David holds four masters degrees, and is currently pursuing his PhD in Financial Planning. He contributes regularly to various CPA publications, including NCACPA’s Interim Report, SCACPA’s CPA Report, and VSCPA’s Disclosures.

David was also a co-author of the 2018 Virginia CPA Ethics course – a required course for all CPA’s licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Gene Marks is a columnist, author, and small business owner. Gene writes every day on business, politics and public policy for the Washington Post and weekly for Forbes, Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur and the Huffington Post. Gene has written 5 books on business management, specifically geared towards small and medium sized companies. Gene owns and operates the Marks Group PC, a highly successful ten-person firm that provides technology and consulting services to small and medium sized businesses. Prior to starting the Marks Group PC Gene, a Certified Public Accountant, spent nine years in the entrepreneurial services arm of the international consulting firm KPMG in Philadelphia where he was a Senior Manager.

Paula is a recognized thought-leader in navigating retirement readiness and the unique financial challenges of women. Paula created two national AICPA podcast series – Retirement Readiness and Women and Wealth and is a TEDx presenter on Retirement: Longevity and Security. Paula is regularly published and quoted in national and local publications, including The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, US News & World Report, Kiplinger’s, The Business Journal, The Tax Adviser, Journal of Accountancy, NCACPA Interim Report, How Stuff Works and more.

Gary German is a Principal of the consulting firm G.L. German Forensic Accounting, LLC. His particular areas of expertise include audit, forensic accounting and Fraud investigation. He joined the firm of Price Waterhouse & Co. and developed a broad base of experience that includes both manufacturing and financial services. He spent 25 years in the insurance segment and has held senior management positions with some of the most respected names in the industry. He has worked hand-in-hand with state and federal law enforcement as the lead forensic investigator in major fraud investigations. He has also designed and implemented internal audit functions for major companies.

Mr. German served as clinical professor in the International MBA program at the Fox School of Business – Temple University. He has also taught an executive ed program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. A frequent speaker, his audiences have included The Financial Executives’ Institute, Institute of Management Accountants, Institute of Internal Auditors, U.S. Secret Service, Federal Reserve, various CPA and law enforcement groups, and a number of colleges and universities. He is a licensed CPA in the State of North Carolina.

Rafe has over thirty years of experience in the IT industry as a software developer and managing partner for a digital services firm. Rafe brings a wealth of experience to his role as Chief Revenue Officer at ComTech and enjoys helping clients leverage technology to achieve their goals.

Recognizing the future is undeniably AI-driven, Rafe recently earned a certificate from MIT’s prestigious executive program on Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy.

Rafe holds the position of HIPAA Compliance Officer at ComTech and ensures the company’s HIPAA certification as a Managed Services Provider. Currently, ComTech provides support to more than 30 medical and dental practices.

Outside of saving the world from inferior tech providers, Rafe has too many hobbies to count. His favorites are playing in a bluegrass band, driving sportscars, the Jeep life, smoking pork shoulders and spending time with his wife of 34 years and their three children.

SK Valentine serves as the Director of Consulting Services at Vaco, a leading consulting and talent solutions firm. She specializes in creating customized interim staff augmentation and consulting solutions for organizations with business challenges in the back office of accounting, finance, and IT. In this capacity, she leverages her 15 years of expertise in controllership and financial leadership experience from both global publicly traded and domestic privately held organizations.

SK graduated from SUNY Geneseo with a Bachelor’s degree in Physics, laying a strong foundation for her analytical skills and solution oriented focus. While in university, SK led the MARS rocket program for NASA & the NYS Space Consortium, showcasing her ability to manage complex projects and teams effectively.

In addition to her professional endeavors, SK is an active participant in the financial community, currently serving as an Advisory Board Member for The CFO Leadership Council and as a Strategic Alliance Partner for the Charlotte Chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization. These roles allow her to share her insights and expertise with fellow professionals, contributing to the advancement of financial leadership practices.

Maria recently joined Vaco, drawing from a background in both public accounting and corporate finance, Maria leverages her expertise to help match top talent with companies that align with their skills, career objectives and resonate with their values.

Prior to joining Vaco in 2024, Maria worked as a Technical Accounting Consultant at RSM, helping clients with complex financial reporting issues, new standard implementations, SEC reporting and ASC 842 lease Implementation projects. Maria was also a senior technical accountant for a Fortune 500 company with operations in North and South America, Asia and Europe, and annual revenue of over $4 billion. Maria assisted with researching new accounting pronouncements, managed footnotes and disclosures, reconciled ASC 842 balances of over 4,000 leases between two operating systems, as well as executing impairment testing. Her experience includes close to four years of Big Four public accounting at Deloitte, where she provided audit services to public and private clients in real estate investment trust (REIT), consumer products and technology.