Amy is the Co-founder and Principal Partner at AccruePartners, the largest independently owned Staffing, Search, and Project Solutions provider in the Charlotte region. With 50+ internal employees, her company supports both mid-size and large, Fortune 500 companies across the following lines of business: Information Technology, Human Resources, Finance and Accounting, Marketing, Corporate Support, and Financial Services. Amy is well known as an experienced thought leader in the staffing industry. The organization has successfully expanded the AccruePartners footprint nationally across 41 states. Recently recognized by the Charlotte Business Journal as a Top Woman in Business, she actively participates in the Charlotte community. Amy currently serves on the board for Good Friends Charlotte and is an active member of the Women Executives of Charlotte and on the Executive Leadership Team for Go Red. In both her personal and professional life, Amy is dedicated to being a valued talent solutions provider and building the people, companies and careers of the Queen City.

Anna Beavon Gravely is the Executive Director of the North Carolina FreeEnterprise Foundation, a non-partisan research organization that works to understand trends and inform decision making. NCFREE is a leader in connecting the dots for North Carolina’s political landscape and business growth.
Gravely joined the organization in 2019, after serving as the North Carolina Deputy State Director and Spokesperson for Americans for Prosperity (AFP). She has advanced several successful state-based issue campaigns for organizations including Generation Opportunity, Americans for Prosperity Foundation, and North Carolina Family Action.

Well-recognized for her natural ability to lead, Gravely is a strategic thinker, trusted visionary, and savvy challenger of the status quo.
She is a regular panelist on NC Spin and has been a guest on Carolina Business Review, Carolina Journal radio, and WPTF. Her thought leadership has also appeared in the Raleigh News and Observer, Charlotte Observer, Greensboro News and Record, and The North State Journal.
Gravely is a graduate of Meredith College; she holds a degree in Political Science, Writing, and Ethics. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Cal Christian, PhD, CPA, is a professor of accounting at East Carolina University teaching International Accounting and Accounting for Decision Making. He is a registered CPA in North Carolina and Mississippi, and has more than 10 years of experience in the public accounting profession with the former international accounting firm of Ernst & Whinney in Houston, TX, and Jackson, MS; and in industry with LDDS (the predecessor to WorldCom) and the Mississippi law firm of Holcomb, Dunbar. Cal holds a PhD from Florida State University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Mississippi. He teaches continuing education classes for the NCACPA, AICPA, CPA firms, and publicly traded companies, and has been recognized as an NCACPA Outstanding Conference Speaker. While at ECU, Cal has been honored as a College of Business Teaching Fellow and has been awarded the UNC Board of Governors’ Outstanding Teaching Award and the ECU College of Business Scholar/Teacher Award. Cal also has several service responsibilities with ECU including serving as The NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative. Cal has been involved within the CPA profession as a NCACPA Board Member and within the Greenville Community as President of the Eastern NC Ronald McDonald House.

David Sumner is a director in the Financial Advisory Services Group. He has more than 20 years of auditing, forensic accounting, financial reporting and internal control design and implementation experience serving clients in a variety of industries, including life science, pharmaceutical, health care, manufacturing, non-profits and retail. David has a comprehensive background working with compliance stakeholders to conduct forensic investigations into allegations of fraud, misconduct, corruption and theft in addition to evaluating and developing compliance programs.

David also has experience in designing corporate investigative functions, assisting internal audit teams with anti-bribery and anti-fraud procedures and evaluating and assisting companies respond to allegations of fraud. His investigation experience ranges from large regulatory investigations to code of conduct violations.

Prior to joining the firm, David was a director at a Big 4 accounting firm where he led complex investigations involving financial statement fraud, corruption and asset misappropriation. He was also heavily involved in the management and processing of thousands of lost revenue claims as a result of a man-made natural disaster. In addition to his client responsibilities, David designed and delivered annual training courses on investigations, compliance and ethics topics.

David is the author of several published articles and is a frequent speaker before professional audiences on various topics, including managing third party risk, fraud deterrence and detection and investigation best practices. In addition, he has lectured at universities and has helped to develop a graduate-level forensic accounting course.

Denise Ryan helps light the fires of enthusiasm so people can do great things. She is an author, an MBA and a CSP (Certified Speaking Professional), a designation of excellence that is held by less than 10% of professional speakers.

Her programs have been heard by audiences around the country – ranging from corporate leaders to federal prison employees. She has worked with IBM, Wells Fargo, even the Department of Homeland Security. And she recently made Meeting & Convention Magazine’s list of planners’ favorite speakers alongside Bill Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, and Anderson Cooper.

She has spoken at many CPA conferences and events and was NCACPA’s Speaker of the Year in 2008 and again in 2015. She has worked with several CPA firms to help their people communicate more effectively, be more productive, and have more fun.

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.

Dr. Kohut is Director of the MBA Program, Director of the Dual MBA Program with EGADE Business School in Monterrey, Mexico and Professor of Management in the Belk College of Business at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in business and executive communication, leadership and negotiation. A recognized expert on communication in business, he is the coauthor of three books: Business Communication: A Functional Perspective, Contemporary Business Report Writing, and Write to Win.

Dr. Kohut is active as a consultant and speaker on communication and management development for organizations such as American Express, Balfour Beatty Construction, Bank of America, Duke Energy, Eastwood Homes, General Dynamics, Greer & Walker, LLP, Harris Teeter, Inc., IBM, Ingersoll Rand, Lowe’s, Muratec Machinery USA, Inc., North Carolina Association of CPAs, TIAA, and WSOC television.

Among numerous teaching and speaking awards, Dr. Kohut is the 2002 recipient of the Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence, the university’s most prestigious teaching honor and a 2003 recipient of the UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Kohut has also received the 2015 North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants’ 5.0 Discussion Leader Award.

Graham Rogers is a Principal in the Financial Advisory Services Group. His professional career spans more than 30 years. For more than 20 of these years, Graham has been assisting clients with their intellectual property needs. He has been retained as an expert to determine economic damages in a variety of litigation matters including patent infringement, trademark infringement, theft of trade secrets, and copyright infringement disputes. Graham has testified in several federal jurisdictions as well as various state courts.

Additionally, Graham is certified to provide Fair Market Value opinions of intangible assets for a variety of needs. Graham has also assisted clients with their intellectual asset management needs including intangible asset inventories, pricing, and royalty audits.

Prior to joining EisnerAmper, Graham operated his own firm, Rogers Damages and Valuation Services LLC, for more than nine years. Prior to Rogers DVS, Graham held senior leadership positions at national and regional accounting firms. While at these firms, Graham assisted clients with their litigation support and valuation needs. His prior experience has provided him the practical foundation (economic modeling, discovery assistance, financial statement review and industry/market research) required to successfully handle expert witness needs, valuation matters, and intellectual asset management needs.

Graham served as a naval officer in the U.S. Navy for seven years. While in the navy, Graham was an engineering officer aboard two naval warships responsible for machinery and personnel management, and quality control. While assigned to U.S. Space Command’s Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Base, Graham was the most junior officer to ever attain the position of Missile Warning Center Crew Commander and Chief of Standardization and Evaluation.

Graham is a speaker on a variety of topics including intellectual property damages and intellectual property valuation.

Herschel Frierson is a partner-elect with Crowe LLP with over 24 years of experience. He has done governmental consulting and general consulting. His work has involved analysis of cash flows for various governmental units in preparation for proposed financings; revenue studies and tax impact studies. He has assisted many communities with municipal bond issues, short and long term financial planning, capital improvement plans, and budget consulting. He has also provided assistance in economic development activities including feasibility studies; financing activities for tax increment and other incentive programs and annexation analysis. Herschel has done many presentations and workshops throughout the Country in the areas of municipal finance and budgets. Herschel also serves on the firm’s leadership team with the Inclusion Excellence Council which focuses on Diversity and Inclusion for the Firm. Herschel also oversees the Firms Business Resource Groups.

Herschel Frierson is the 27th Chairman of the Board of Directors with the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) and is a lifetime member. Herschel was recently named by Accounting Today as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting. In the past, Herschel Frierson served as a National Director with NABA, the Chair of Organizational Effectiveness and Personnel. He has also chaired Membership where he focused on Student and Professional Membership Development and Growth. Herschel has served as the Central Region President for NABA, Chairman of the Audit Committee for NABA, and Chairman of the National Ethics Committee. He also served as a member of the Audit Committee, secretary to the Central Region, and served in various capacities for the Central Region Student Conference and Indianapolis Chapter President. Herschel has also been involved with Big Brothers of Indianapolis, Center for Leadership Development, Academy of Finance, 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee Member; NFL Community Impact. Herschel is a proud Graduate of Butler University and a lifetime member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc.

Dr. Holly Sullenger is an award-winning, internationally renowned veteran in the fields of corporate speaking, training, and consulting. She offers expert speaking and training opportunities in the areas of leadership, professional development, and technology.

Dr. Holly has worked with individuals representing a vast array of different occupations and industries. She is known for being able to present high-level topics in ways that make the content easy to understand, to assimilate, and to act on. Dr. Holly’s passions include prompting “light bulb moments” in her participants, and helping professionals stay relevant in their fields.

Dr. Holly has a PhD in Adult, Workforce and Continuing Professional Education from NC State University, as well as degrees in Adult Education, Business Management, Computer Science and Liberal Arts. This enables her to combine an in-depth knowledge of business and industry with adult-education techniques and infused humor in order to bring unparalleled knowledge and assistance to those she partners with.

Isaac is the co-founder and CEO of Trullion, an AI Accounting technology company. The Trullion platform creates business transparency by using software to power real-time visibility into company financials and form a single source of truth.

He has an extensive background in finance & software, including a 2014 IPO with Sabre Holdings. His experience with FASB & IASB regulatory changes has helped drive successful partnerships with leading accounting firms, from regional leaders to Big 4 global providers.

He has a BA from the University of Texas @ Austin and an MBA from the University of Texas @ Dallas. He lives between New York and Israel where he loves spending time with his wife and daughter.

Jack Cathey is an Associate Professor in the Turner School of Accountancy at the Belk College of Business at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is the Director of the Master of Accountancy program and has previously served as both a Department Chair and an Associate Dean in the Belk College. He earned a Ph.D. and Masters in Accounting from Virginia Tech. His undergraduate degree is also in Accounting from Wake Forest University. Dr. Cathey is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in North Carolina.

Dr. Cathey’s professional experience includes working as senior auditor with KPMG in Charlotte, NC. Dr. Cathey has published articles in a number of journals including Strategic Finance, Internal Auditing, Management Accounting, The Tax Advisor, The Journal of Accountancy, The American Subcontractor, and various academic journals. He is a co-author of Financial Accounting Theory and Analysis, 13th Edition, by John Wiley & Sons.

Dr. Cathey frequently speaks to professional groups on topics related to technology and financial reporting. The NCACPA recognized Dr. Cathey’s contributions to continuing professional education by awarding him their Chapter Speaker Award. Dr. Cathey previously served as the Vice Chairman of the Board and a Director at NewDominion Bank, a community bank based in Charlotte, NC and as a Director of Camber Ridge LLC, a Charlotte-area startup focused on meeting the needs of the automotive industry for an advanced tire testing services.

Joe Dickinson is a seasoned data use, privacy and security lawyer with more than 25 years of business and legal experience advising technology companies as well as healthcare and government entities. Joe’s extensive experience includes helping clients to identify their risks and to design, implement and manage data privacy and security programs, HIPAA compliance, data breaches and governmental privacy-related investigations, technology licensing and transfer, contracts involving data flows and managing the related legal risks and obligations, intellectual property and information technology, and conducting internal investigations related to corporate compliance. His practice also includes evaluating the software development process, advising clients in responding to software audit requests and on the risks associated with the use of the Internet on an international basis.

Joe leads Smith Anderson’s Data Use, Privacy and Security practice and is Certified in Healthcare Privacy Compliance (CHPC®). His focus is on helping clients identify their risks and designing, implementing and managing data privacy and security programs that are appropriate for their business, industry and stage of development.

In addition to having a robust private practice, Joe is also a former privacy and chief information security officer for a large academic medical system. With his background that spans both business and law, Joe knows firsthand what it is like to be in the shoes of his clients, and is able to quickly create and operationalize data security programs for real world applications.

Joe is a speaker on data privacy, cybersecurity and healthcare topics, and has presented at some of the nation’s most prestigious technology and healthcare conferences. He is also an active member of several key technology, legal and healthcare based industry associations.

A partner in the Raleigh office, Jonathan also serves as the head of the Firm’s Innovation team. Since 2001, he has conducted audit engagements for a variety of companies and industries throughout the country, as well as writing and delivering courses both inside and outside of the Firm. Outside of his work at Cherry Bekaert, Jonathan served as an adjunct professor at Elon University in their accounting department. In 2015, Jonathan was awarded the “Taking it to the Max” award by the NCACPA, which honors the legacy of former NCACPA Chair Maximo Mukelabai. He has also received NCACPA’s 5.0 Discussion Leader Award and their Outstanding Seminar Discussion Leader award on several occasions. 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 participated and placed second runner-up in CPA.com’s Innovative Practitioner of the Year, which recognizes innovation in process, services or technology implementation in public accounting firms.

Dr. Joseph Reid is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a professional member of the National Association of Black Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the American Accounting Association, and other industry associations. Dr. Reid is particularly experienced in the accounting space. He is highly experienced in all aspects of accounting and is a professor at East Carolina University, instructing the next generation of Auditing and Accounting professionals. Dr. Joseph Reid is also a serial entrepreneur, personal development and empowerment specialist, investor, business strategist and brand. He is a proponent of the values of empowerment, sustainable success, accountability and tapping into economic collectivism in entrepreneurship and personal goal achievement.

Leah Donti, an internationally recognized seminar leader and speaker in accounting and auditing, has been doing seminars full time for 29 years through her seminar business. She conducts in-house training at CPA firms and various multinationals and does CPE courses through the CPA societies. As well, she speaks at numerous conferences across North America each year.

She speaks on FASB update, Private company GAAP developments, IFRS, variable interest entities, accounting and auditing update, SEC and PCAOB update, revenue recognition, stock-based compensation, business combinations, compilation and review, and fair value accounting.

She also provides proprietary prep seminars for the IQEX reciprocity exam where foreign accountants obtain the US CPA credential.

Prior to beginning her seminar business in 1991, Ms. Donti worked for a major information management consulting organization, where she provided training to offices across North America. She also worked with an accounting software firm, offering accounting education courses to clients on site. In addition, she held positions in internal audit and Accounting with Canadian Pacific, one of the largest companies in Canada, dual listed in Toronto and New York.

In 1984, she graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor in Accounting and Finance. In 1990, she obtained her MBA from Concordia University in Montreal.

For the last 11 years (2010 to 2020), Leah has received the AICPA Outstanding Discussion Leader Award for her passion, energy and ability to speak at all levels of professionals and made her a most sought-out speaker.

As the HR Business Partner & Advisor at Capital Associated Industries, Linda provides tactical and strategic guidance to members in all areas of HR including employee relations, performance management, state and federal compliance, policy interpretation and design as well as HR management. CAI is a non-profit membership organization emphasizing long-term relationships with North Carolina employers.

Lisa’s passion for investments and financial planning spans over three decades, allowing Pinafore Wealth Counsel to offer wisdom, perspective, and customized wealth solutions. Lisa helps you navigate change confidently by integrating her experience with the facts and figures, often going beyond the numbers. Lisa has a strong dedication to risk management and a steady commitment to helping you grow and protect your wealth. She offers unbiased and objective advice with a commitment to transparency.

Lisa’s experience includes 20+ years as an institutional investor for such notable names as Duke Management Company and Oak Value Capital Management prior to returning to her roots advising successful families and individuals. Lisa is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and holds the Chartered Financial Consultant designation, ChFC®. She is a frequent speaker on Tax Smart Retirement Strategies, Legacy Planning, and Wealth Building for Women.

Lisa serves on the Advisory Board of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Duke University and also serves as an instructor. Lisa serves on the Board of the Duke Campus Club and is the Interest Group Leader of the “Money Matter$” financial education interest group. Lisa co-founded the annual “Having it All” for women event held each Spring in Research Triangle Park. Lisa is an active member of the Durham-Orange Estate Planning Council and First Presbyterian Church and is a former Board member of the NC Council for Women, Durham County Women’s Commission, and the NC State Women’s Center Community Advisory Board.

Mark has over ten years of experience helping clients manage risk. He currently serves as a senior manager within Deloitte’s Sustainability & KPI Services group. He focuses on advising companies on their quest to improve Environmental Health and Safety programs, establish sustainability reporting, development of Greenhouse Gas emission inventories, Global Reporting Initiative reports and with various other non-financial Environmental Social and Governance topics. He has experience auditing and implementing financial, operational, and technology controls and processes. He has led and managed projects to review and test both environmental management systems and controls across a variety of industries.

Michael Walden is a Professor Emeritus at North Carolina State University and a private consultant. During his 43 years on the faculty at NC State, Walden became recognized as an expert on the state economy and public policy. He is the author of twelve books and over 300 articles and reports, and he has made 3000 personal presentations. Walden is also a frequent contributor to the national and state media. He has won numerous national, state, and academic awards, including two Champion-Tuck Awards for Excllence in Broadcasting, the UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Public Service, the Holladay Award for Excellence from North Carolina State University, and the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. His newest books are “Real Solutions” and “Disunionia: A Political Thriller.” He resides in Raleigh with his wife.

Nick is President and owner of BMA. Since 2002, Nick and has leveraged his Lean Accounting experience and philosophy in assisting BMA clients in developing, leading and coaching them in their Lean Accounting transformations. Clients Nick has served range of organizations world-wide from family-owned businesses to multi-national companies in industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, software, engineering and service.

Nick is an early pioneer of Lean Accounting. In the 1990’s, as CFO of Bullard, Nick implemented a complete lean management accounting system in conjunction with Bullard’s Lean transformation, which included eliminating standard costing.
Nick is a regular speaker at the annual Lean Accounting Summit and has also presented at conferences in the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Nick is the author of “The Lean CFO” (2013), which has been translated into Turkish and Italian, and co-author of “The Lean Business Management System” (2007).

Randy Johnston is a nationally recognized educator, consultant, and writer with over 40 years of experience in Strategic Technology Planning, Accounting Software Selection, Paperless, Systems and Network Integration, Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning, Business Development and Management, Process Engineering, and outsourced managed services. He was listed as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting Today from 2004–2018 and holds a Masters degree in Computer Science from Wichita State University.

Robert works with our members to develop, implement, and communicate NCACPA’s advocacy agenda to legislators and regulators. He serves as staff liaison to the Advocacy Advisory Council and Taxation Committee. Robert has extensive experience as a lobbyist, PAC fundraiser, and grassroots manager for trade associations. A native of Tennessee, he worked in Nashville and Atlanta before moving to Raleigh in 2013. He earned his Certified Association Executive credential in 2020.