Meridith Elliott Powell
MotionFirst

For more than twenty years, President and CEO of MotionFirst, Meridith Elliott Powell, has been a leading expert on the subject of business growth covering sales, leadership, change and uncertainty.

With a background in financial services, manufacturing, healthcare and travel and tourism, she has real-world experience with developing teams, exceeding sales goals and dominating the marketplace by building centers of influence.

Her latest book THRIVE: Turning Uncertainty To Competitive Advantage has cracked the code on the greatest challenges facing business today.

Through her work as a Hall of Fame keynote speaker, award-winning author, and business growth strategist, Meridith is able to help companies and leaders learn to develop talent, drive sales, and strategically manage change and uncertainty.

Her work has been featured in Forbes, FastCompany, Inc Magazine, among others, and she has worked with companies such as Microsoft, FastSigns, Bobcat, Caterpillar, and IBM.

Her groundbreaking research, The State of Uncertainty and The Impact on American Business Today, is an annual report providing innovative solutions to business growth in turbulent times.

Sharon Bryson
NCACPA

In her role as CEO, Sharon works directly with the NCACPA Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, and the Strategy Advisory Committee to set the strategic direction of the Association. Additionally, she represents the membership before various state governmental entities, including the NC State Board of CPA Examiners, the NC Department of Revenue, and the North Carolina General Assembly.

Sharon currently serves as a member of the NC State University Master of Accounting Advisory Board, the ECU College of Business Advisory Board, the UNC MAC Program Advisory Council, and the Louisburg College Board of Trustees.

Sharon is Immediate Past President of the CPA Society Executives Association, Past President of the Association Executives of North Carolina, and former member of the AICPA National Commission on Diversity & Inclusion.

Sharon received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Robert Broome
NCACPA

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 Resource Group and Tax Resource Group.

Robert has extensive experience as a lobbyist, PAC fundraiser, and grassroots manager for professional 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, and he serves on the Board of Directors for Association Executives of North Carolina.

Outside of work, Robert volunteers with the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, and Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. He graduated from Austin Peay State University with a degree in political science. He and his wife, Brandi, are the proud parents of two daughters.

Arleen Thomas
NCACPA Chair

An experienced board member who brings extensive knowledge to organizations that are seeking to find opportunities in chaos. Quickly understands management’s vision and layers relevant knowledge to evolve business models and solve complex problems. Current Board work is focused in the not-for-profit sector with a concentration in education including K-12 and professional lifelong learning. Continues to focus on board governance engaging in discussions with other directors and investing in professional development. Current interest is in diversity, equity and inclusion and the role it plays in education and improving organizations’ profitability. Extensive experience comes from 25+ years as a senior executive at a large association where for 13 years she was responsible for the self-regulation of the accounting profession and the other years she was responsible for over $70 million of revenues from products and services. Her career started with KPMG auditing public and private companies in the energy and financial industries.

Keith Wood, CPA, JD
Carruthers & Roth, PA

Keith Wood, CPA, JD, an attorney with Carruthers & Roth, PA, in Greensboro, NC, is a Board-Certified Specialist in estate planning and probate law. Keith’s practice areas include tax planning, representation of clients before the Internal Revenue Service, corporate law and business transactions, and estate planning. Keith is a Certified Public Accountant and is an active member of the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants and a former member of its Board of Directors. Keith received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration and his law degree, with honors, from the University of North Carolina.

Mike Manspeaker, CPA, CGMA
SEK, CPAs & Advisors

Michael Manspeaker, CPA CGMA is an Assurance Services Partner with Smith Elliott Kearns & Company, LLC (Hagerstown, MD) serving clients primarily in the Mid-Atlantic area. He has over 40 years’ experience working with private companies and employee benefit plans. He is also active in the peer review process, performing peer reviews and working as CPA on Staff with Coastal Peer Review, who administers reviews for North Carolina and Maryland firms.

Mike is a member of the AICPA Accounting and Review Services Committee (ARSC) and serves on the Auditing Standards Board Attestation Standards Task Force and Audits of Less Complex Entities (LCE) Task Force. He is also a member of the IAASB LCE Reference Group. He is a past member and Zone 2 chair for the AICPA Technical Issues Committee, former Chair of the Maryland Association of CPAs and the MACPA Peer Review Committee and former member of the AICPA Auditing Standards Board.

Tommy Stephens, CPA
K2 Enterprises

• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Major in Accounting, Auburn University
• Master of Science, Major in Finance (emphasis in Corporate Finance), Georgia State University
• Thirty-seven years of public accounting & private industry experience
• Twenty-seven years of experience as a continuing professional education discussion leader
• Member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants; past member of the Institute of Internal Auditors
• To date, has presented over 2,800 continuing education sessions to over 71,000 participants

Gary Kohut, PhD
UNC Charlotte – The Belk College of Business

Dr. Gary Kohut joined the Belk College faculty in 1983. His research focuses on corporate communication strategy, leadership and management development and applied technology in business communication. He is co-author of three books: Business Communication: A Functional Perspective, Contemporary Business Report Writing, and Write to Win. He has published articles in both academic and practitioner journals, and has written chapters and cases in communications, management and marketing texts. Dr. Kohut has conducted management development seminars and workshops for several major regional and national corporations. Dr. Kohut is an active member of professional associations and is a member of the board of Comtech Enterprises.

Mike Manspeaker
Smith Elliott Kearns & Company, LLC

Michael Manspeaker, CPA CGMA is an Assurance Services Partner with Smith Elliott Kearns & Company, LLC (Hagerstown, MD) serving clients primarily in the Mid-Atlantic area. He has over 40 years’ experience working with private companies and employee benefit plans. He is also active in the peer review process, performing peer reviews and working as CPA on Staff with Coastal Peer Review, who administers reviews for North Carolina and Maryland firms.

Mike is a member of the AICPA Accounting and Review Services Committee (ARSC) and serves on the Auditing Standards Board Attestation Standards Task Force and Audits of Less Complex Entities (LCE) Task Force. He is also a member of the IAASB LCE Reference Group. He is a past member and Zone 2 chair for the AICPA Technical Issues Committee, former Chair of the Maryland Association of CPAs and the MACPA Peer Review Committee and former member of the AICPA Auditing Standards Board.

Tommy Stephens
K2 Enterprises

• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Major in Accounting, Auburn University
• Master of Science, Major in Finance (emphasis in Corporate Finance), Georgia State University
• Thirty-seven years of public accounting & private industry experience
• Twenty-seven years of experience as a continuing professional education discussion leader
• Member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants; past member of the Institute of Internal Auditors
• To date, has presented over 2,800 continuing education sessions to over 71,000 participants

Gary Kohut, PhD
UNC Charlotte – The Belk College of Business

Dr. Gary Kohut joined the Belk College faculty in 1983. His research focuses on corporate communication strategy, leadership and management development and applied technology in business communication. He is co-author of three books: Business Communication: A Functional Perspective, Contemporary Business Report Writing, and Write to Win. He has published articles in both academic and practitioner journals, and has written chapters and cases in communications, management and marketing texts. Dr. Kohut has conducted management development seminars and workshops for several major regional and national corporations. Dr. Kohut is an active member of professional associations and is a member of the board of Comtech Enterprises.

Cal Christian
East Carolina University

Cal Christian 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.

Tommy Stephens
K2 Enterprises

Tommy Stephens received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree (Major in Accounting) from Auburn University in 1985. In 1992, he earned a Master of Science degree (Major in Finance) from Georgia State University in Atlanta. Presently, Tommy is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Information Technology Professional, and a Chartered Global Management Accountant.

During his professional career, Tommy has gained valuable experience in a variety of positions, including:

Working as an auditor and technology consultant for an Atlanta-based public accounting firm;
Leading an Internal Audit staff and managing a Cost Accounting team for a Fortune 500 company;
Serving as a Chief Financial Officer for an international engineering organization; and
Founding and managing his public accounting firm that provides accounting, tax, and consulting services to individuals and a variety of small and emerging businesses.

In 1995, Tommy began authoring and presenting continuing professional education courses to accounting and finance professionals. In 2003, he affiliated with K2 Enterprises, and in 2007, he joined the firm as a partner. Over the past twenty-seven years, Tommy has presented over 2,900 educational sessions to over 73,000 participants throughout the United States and Canada.

Tommy maintains professional memberships with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants. Additionally, he is a past member of the Institute of Internal Auditors.

Kelsey Mayo
Poyner Spruill LLP

Kelsey Mayo is a partner with Poyner Spruill LLP, a law firm based in North Carolina. Her practice is focused in the areas of Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation. She routinely represents clients before the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Labor and has extensive experience in virtually all aspects of retirement, welfare, fringe benefit, and executive compensation arrangements. Kelsey has a particular love for qualified and non-qualified pensions—so much so that she’s now passed 5 of the exams necessary for her ASA designation. Kelsey was a long-time volunteer on both ASPPA and ACOPA’s Government Affairs Committees and recently began to serve as the American Retirement Association’s Director of Regulatory Policy. As icing on the retirement-plan-geek cake, Kelsey spends her free time co-editing the Journal of Pension Benefits.School of Law.

Jonathan Kraftchick, CPA
Cherry Bekaert Advisory LLC

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.

Steve Arrington
The Arrington Firm, P.C.

Steven W. Arrington, J.D., is a solo practitioner from Greensboro, North Carolina and the owner of The Arrington Firm, P.C. Steve’s areas of concentration are elder law, estate planning, guardianship and estate administration. Before becoming an attorney, Steve worked as a legal assistant for a number of years. He has worked in the field of law for almost twenty-five years, with the majority of those years devoted to the specialty of elder law. Steve has been invited to speak before various civic and professional groups on the topics of elder law, estate planning and guardianship.

Steve received his Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from Guilford College in 1995 and his Juris Doctorate from North Carolina Central University School of Law in 2005. In addition to serving on local boards, he is currently a member of The North Carolina State Bar, The North Carolina Bar Association, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), The Greensboro Estate Planning Council and the Triad Retirement Living Association (TRLA).

Kelsey Mayo
Poyner Spruill LLP

Kelsey Mayo is a partner with Poyner Spruill LLP, a law firm based in North Carolina. Her practice is focused in the areas of Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation. She routinely represents clients before the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Labor and has extensive experience in virtually all aspects of retirement, welfare, fringe benefit, and executive compensation arrangements. Kelsey has a particular love for qualified and non-qualified pensions—so much so that she’s now passed 5 of the exams necessary for her ASA designation. Kelsey was a long-time volunteer on both ASPPA and ACOPA’s Government Affairs Committees and recently began to serve as the American Retirement Association’s Director of Regulatory Policy. As icing on the retirement-plan-geek cake, Kelsey spends her free time co-editing the Journal of Pension Benefits.School of Law.

Jaclyn Veno
Galasso Learning Solutions

Jaclyn Veno is a licensed CPA and holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Accounting from Clemson University. Before joining, Galasso Learning Solutions, she was an auditor for two top-10 CPA firms. Jaclyn has extensive experience developing both staff and interns including the onboarding of overseas staff. She has fond memories of her time spent completing dozens of acquisition audits for one growing client. Jaclyn holds certificates in adult learning and instructional design from the Association for Talent Development (ATD) and will be completing her Training & Facilitation Certificate this spring.

Kate Davis
TaxCredible

Kate joined the Alpharesults team over 10 years ago and serves as an Account Manager. She assists hundreds of companies each year with GA state tax credits and federal tax credits, partnering with CPAs to help clients reduce their tax burdens. Prior to joining Alpharesults, Kate was a Commercial Lender with SunTrust Bank.

Stephen MacNeil
Alpharesults

Stephen MacNeil Chief Knowledge Officer Stephen joined Alpharesults as the Director of Operations in mid-2021. In addition to leading the production team in the calculation and delivery of Georgia State credits, Stephen has led the firm’s Employee Retention Tax Credit team. Prior to joining Alpharesults, Stephen was a tax director for ADP, The Howard Hughes Corporation, and General Growth Properties.

Trent Green
Tax Director Services

I’m a CPE seminar leader, technical author, and corporate tax contractor and consultant through my company, Tax Director Services.

I began my career in public accounting with Coopers & Lybrand/PwC, working on corporate, partnership, and individual income tax issues. As I gained knowledge, experience, and progressed in my career, my passion turned to professional education. My goal is now to share what I’ve learned with my fellow tax professionals.

Jaclyn Veno
Galasso Learning Solutions

Jaclyn Veno is a licensed CPA and holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Accounting from Clemson University. Before joining, Galasso Learning Solutions, she was an auditor for two top-10 CPA firms. Jaclyn has extensive experience developing both staff and interns including the onboarding of overseas staff. She has fond memories of her time spent completing dozens of acquisition audits for one growing client. Jaclyn holds certificates in adult learning and instructional design from the Association for Talent Development (ATD) and will be completing her Training & Facilitation Certificate this spring.

Jill Feldman, MBA
Catapult

As Director of Strategic HR Services at Catapult, Jill leads a team of experienced HR experts who help our members to attract, retain and motivate employees, maximize productivity, elevate organizational effectiveness, and improve employee engagement. With locations in Raleigh, Charlotte, and High Point, North Carolina, Catapult serves employers across the Southeast. Managing challenging workplace issues, ensuring HR compliance, and solving complicated employment situations can be demanding. For more than 60 years, we have been the go-to-resource for employers seeking practical solutions to help build engaged, well-managed and low-risk workplaces through human resources, employment law and management advice, HR consulting, training, survey data, and public policy advocacy.

Jill is a career HR leader with broad expertise across multiple industries, including health care, manufacturing, technology, non-profit, and professional services. As a results-oriented and collaborative problem solver, Jill prides herself on delivering innovative, analytical, and operational solutions that align human resource initiatives with business strategies and organizational goals. Jill earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees from Union College in New York.

Don Tomoff, MBA
AICPA-CIMA

Don is the founder of Invenio Advisors LLC, a consulting firm specializing in data analysis and data literacy training, digital information management, process improvement, reporting and, as well as education and training. Don’s experience includes “Big 4” public accounting, senior-level industry finance positions, and consulting. Don’s industry experience included serving eight years with Jo-Ann Stores as VP, Finance and Treasurer.
Don focuses his efforts with executives and companies on digital process improvement, data analytics and training initiatives. His efforts are focused on the identification of process improvement opportunities and leveraging readily available technology tools to drive that change. In addition to consulting and training through Invenio Advisors, Don is an instructor and course developer for the Business Learning Institute and a regular speaker for the AICPA, companies and at conferences.

Tara Hughes
Deloitte & Touche LLP

Tara is a Managing Director with more than 20 years of experience providing audit and assurance services to public and private companies, ranging from emerging growth to large multinational clients and spanning a spectrum of industries, including life sciences and healthcare, manufacturing and industrial products, and technology.

She has extensive experience in external audit, internal controls, SEC reporting, as well as complex transactions and accounting matters, including IPOs and secondary offerings, acquisitions and divestitures, and revenue recognition matters. Tara also serves as the ESG leader in the Deloitte Raleigh marketplace, serving as a trusted advisor to provide advice and insights to clients embarking or continuing on their ESG journey.

She holds a Masters in Accounting and an undergraduate degree in Business from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Blane Parker
Deloitte & Touche LLP

Blane is a senior manager in Raleigh, NC with over 10 years of experience serving public and private multinational clients, primarily in the life sciences industry. She has extensive experience with US GAAP, SOX implementation and compliance, and SEC reporting as well as experience advising clients on technical accounting matters and transactions. In addition to serving clients in an external auditor and advisory capacity, she also works with Tara as an ESG leader in the Raleigh market, advising companies on ESG reporting, internal controls, and emerging regulations.

She also completed a two-year deployment in Deloitte’s Global Capital Markets Group in London, where she specialized in SEC reporting, US market transactions and IFRS and US GAAP accounting and advisory projects.

Blane holds a Masters in Accounting from East Carolina University and an undergraduate degree from North Carolina State University.

Lynne Sanders
NC State Board of CPA Examiners

Lynne Sanders is the Deputy Director at the NC State Board of CPA Examiners. She has over 30 years of experience working in higher education, governmental operations, and the nonprofit sector. Her primary experience consists of internal and external auditing, enterprise risk management, business process improvement, strategic planning, financial accounting and reporting, working with governing boards, and building strategic business relationships.

As Deputy Director for the State Board, she assists the Executive Director in directing Board operations, managing board meetings, overseeing financial matters, and executing the Board’s strategic plan. Prior to joining the State Board, Lynne was the Vice President for Compliance and Audit Services at the UNC System Office where she managed the internal audit function, oversaw the Business Process Compliance Program for the University, and managed enterprise risk management efforts and other compliance level projects. Lynne also worked for the Office of the State Auditor for 21 years. Lynne is a Certified Public Accountant and graduated from North Carolina State University.

Frank Trainor
NC State Board of CPA Examiners

Frank Trainor has been the staff attorney for the NC State Board of CPA Examiners since 2011. He provides general legal advice to the Board and supervises the Board’s Professional Standards Section, which focuses on the discipline of CPAs in the State of North Carolina and enforcement against the unauthorized use of the CPA title in the State. Prior to his current position, Mr. Trainor was in private practice focusing on administrative law. He represented other occupational licensing boards as well as licensees facing disciplinary action. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his JD at Tulane University.

David Nance
NC State Board of CPA Examiners

David joined the NC State Board of CPA Examiners as its Deputy Director beginning August 1, 2012; and was promoted to Executive Director effective January 1, 2022. During his time at the Board, David’s responsibilities have included overseeing financial activities and the preparation of monthly financial statements for Board review; oversight of personnel activities; involvement with both the CPA examination and licensing processes; and technical involvement with the Board’s professional standards section in reviewing disciplinary matters. He previously worked 30+ years as an audit manager for the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor.

David received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in December 1981 and successfully passed the “quiz” and became a Certified Public Accountant in 1986. On a personal side, David enjoys spending time at the beach and listening to beach music bands; basically, all good live music (especially the 70’s bands!).
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Don Tomoff, MBA
AICPA-CIMA

Don is the founder of Invenio Advisors LLC, a consulting firm specializing in data analysis and data literacy training, digital information management, process improvement, reporting and, as well as education and training. Don’s experience includes “Big 4” public accounting, senior-level industry finance positions, and consulting. Don’s industry experience included serving eight years with Jo-Ann Stores as VP, Finance and Treasurer.
Don focuses his efforts with executives and companies on digital process improvement, data analytics and training initiatives. His efforts are focused on the identification of process improvement opportunities and leveraging readily available technology tools to drive that change. In addition to consulting and training through Invenio Advisors, Don is an instructor and course developer for the Business Learning Institute and a regular speaker for the AICPA, companies and at conferences.

Michael Walden, Ph.D
Walden Economics Consulting

Michael Walden, Ph.D., is a William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor Emeritus at North Carolina State University and President of Walden Economic Consulting, LLC. 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 thirteen books and over 330 articles and reports, and he has made 3200 personal appearances. Walden is also a frequent contributor to the national and state media and has appeared on all the major national news outlets. He continues to write a biweekly newspaper column distributed throughout North Carolina.

Walden has served on several public committees and commissions, including the “Future of Wake County” and the “NC FIRST Transportation Commission.” He has won numerous awards, including two Champion-Tuck Awards for Excellence in Broadcasting, the UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Public Service, the Holladay Medal for Excellence from North Carolina State University, and the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. His latest book is Re-Launch: How the Family Can Be Renewed and the American Dream Revived in the New Independent Lifestyle of the Post-Pandemic Economy. Walden is a member of the North Carolina Economic Development Association, and he resides in Raleigh with his wife, Mary.

Jamie Ousterout, CDE
The Diversity Movement

Jamie (she/her) is a Certified Diversity Executive and as the vice president of client success at The Diversity Movement, she is the main point of contact and advisor for TDM’s clients. She helps clients move forward and take action on their diversity, equity, and inclusion journeys. In addition, she helps implement operational processes for TDM internally.

Jamie has spent over 12 years in creative, marketing, and digital companies. She has served clients across various industries, including healthcare, pharmaceutical, financial, technology, and non-profit. While predominantly working in client service and project management roles, she always has had a keen focus on operations. Jamie founded Stabilimenta, an operational strategy consulting firm, in 2018 to help innovative and creative professional services organizations establish and optimize their processes to more effectively serve their clients and engage their employees. She graduated from Cornell University in 2009 with a bachelor of arts in English and history.

Jamie serves as the board co-chair for Raleigh City Farm, a non-profit urban farm in downtown Raleigh that strives to connect and nourish the Triangle community through regenerative agriculture. She also volunteers as an alumni admissions ambassador for Cornell University conducting informational meetings for potential incoming students.

David Cieslak
RKL eSolutions

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.

A frequent speaker for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), California Society of Certified Public Accountants (CalCPA), other state accounting societies, and various business groups, Mr. Cieslak moonlights as his alter ego, “Inspector Gadget,” to keep business leaders entertained and informed on ways they can effectively leverage the latest technology in their personal and professional lives.

David is a Sage Intacct Certified Consultant, a Salesforce.com administrator, 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.