ASCPA Converge Conference - Day 1 ONLY

Gary Fletcher

Gary, a University of Arizona Wildcat alumni, is an Attorney/CPA, in his 35th year of practice, and a Partner in his Tucson law firm. Gary is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC); has served on the Arizona State Bar Probate and Trust Executive Council and currently serves on the Business Law Executive Council. Gary is a frequent speaker on the Corporate Transparency Act throughout the United States and Canada.

Samuel DiPietro

Samuel is a certified public accountant, attorney, and adjunct professor with two advanced degrees in taxation. Samuel has successfully implemented plans that reduce income, gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer taxes in the context of succession planning for individuals and privately held businesses.

Jessica Levin

Dr. Jessica Levin is COO and North America Regional Director for Abacus Worldwide, a global association of independent accounting and law firms. Having worked with professional services firms for two decades, she understands their pain points and what it takes to create a culture that supports growth. Dr. Levin’s expertise in organizational leadership and development blends her understanding of communication, technology, approaching the creation of systems and processes with a strategic perspective. She is often sought out to provide guidance and consult on brand development, corporate culture, and professional development.

She’s the author of Perfect Pairings: The Art of Connecting People, Everyone Has Sh*t: Unsolicited Advice for Being Human, and BEing When You Grow Up. Her latest book - Accounting for Times – was released earlier this year.

Tim Tribe

Tim D. Tribe, CPA/CFF, CFE, CICA is the founder and Managing Member of Ingen Financial Forensics. He holds degrees from Arizona State University and Brigham Young University. He has approximately twenty-five years of experience as a Big 4 auditor, as an adjunct college instructor, and as a forensic accountant. He has spoken on fraud throughout the U.S., in London, U.K. and in Melbourne, Australia. His practice focuses on fraud examinations, litigation and expert witness services, and insurance claim support.

Bogdan Laza

Bogdan Laza, Vice President at Brown & Brown, specializes in Contractual Risk Transference, assisting commercial clients-especially manufacturers and contractors-in navigating the complexities of third-party contracts. With the CLCS designation, Laza focuses on property and casualty insurance, providing comprehensive coverage and risk management solutions.

Laza’s journey began in Romania when, at seven years old, his family immigrated to the US and became citizens. Growing up, he assisted in their family-run Adult Foster Care business, an experience that ingrained in him the values of integrity, honesty, hard work, and dependability. These values continue to guide his professional endeavors today.

At Brown & Brown, Laza collaborates with a dedicated team of over 10,000 members across 350 global offices, offering solutions for Property and Casualty, Personal Lines, and Group Health Benefit.

Michael Henry

Michael Henry is Drummond Group’s Vice President of Growth Strategy. Michael’s background includes commercial and business strategy and transformation, commercial enablement and execution, as well as extensive experience in market research, analysis, and investment in public and private equity markets. Prior to joining Drummond Group, Michael was a member of the Commercial Leadership Team of CSA Group, an OSHA Nationally Recognized Test Laboratory, where he oversaw the commercial responsibility of six unique, highgrowth global business units. Before joining CSA Group, Michael was an Associate with Linsalata Capital, a lower middle market private equity investment firm, and a Partner with Cleveland Research Company where he specialized in equity, market research, and consulting to investment firms and companies in the food, agriculture, life sciences, and medical device markets.

Julia Miessner

Julia Miessner is a Principal and Practice Leader for the Financial Forensics and Valuation Services Group of BeachFleischman PC. She has over 25 years of public accounting experience with a diverse background in audit, accounting, tax, forensic accounting, valuation and expert witness services.

Since 2002, Julia has specialized in forensic accounting and litigation consulting services. Julia has authored numerous reports and provided testimony as an expert witness in connection with various civil litigation cases involving marital dissolution, probate and trust accounting issues, lost profits and economic damages, and business valuation. She has served as a court appointed expert and performed work as a private mediator in marital dissolution matters.

Julia has also conducted investigations involving allegations of financial mismanagement and fraud in connection with civil and criminal cases. Julia is a Certified Public Accountant,

Ashley Byma

Ashley Byma is a Director for BeachFleischman’s Financial Forensics & Valuation Services department. She provides forensic accounting and litigation consulting services involving matters such as marital dissolution and economic damages. Ashley spent her first 10 years in public accounting in BeachFleischman’s Tax department, focusing on Corporate and multi-state taxation. She still provides accounting and tax services and leads the firm’s Cost Segregation service line.

Robert Warzel

Rob Warzel is a dedicated attorney working exclusively in corporate labor & employment law. With extensive experience in the field, Rob provides comprehensive legal counsel across all aspects of human resources management, employment litigation, and traditional labor law. His expertise is particularly valuable to organizations navigating the complexities of managing difficult employees, executing separations, and drafting and enforcing non-compete agreements.

Throughout his career, Rob has become a trusted advisor to his clients, offering strategic and pragmatic guidance on a wide range of employment issues, including compliance with leave laws and wage claims. His deep understanding of the legal landscape allows him to anticipate challenges and proactively address potential risks, ensuring his clients are well-prepared to handle any situation that arises.

Rob is a popular speaker, known for his ability to engage and entertain audiences by delivering insightful presentations on complex legal topics with a dose of humor and realism. His dynamic speaking style and deep knowledge of employment law make his presentations enjoyable and informative.

Mark Wille

Mark F. Wille started with Arthur Andersen & Co. as an audit and tax accountant. In the mid 1980’s, Mr. Wille started a private practice specializing in small business and real estate, providing professional services in financial, accounting and tax-related areas. Mr. Wille became a CPA firm peer reviewer for the American Institute of CPAs in 1990. He has served on the California State Accounting Principles and Auditing Standards Committee and the Audit Oversight Committee for the County of Orange. Additionally, he teaches continuing education courses for CPA’s and attorneys. The practice serves small business clients providing substantial strategic planning and financial coaching. Mr. Wille is a Director at JLK Rosenberger, LLP.

Brian Tankersley

Brian F. Tankersley, CPA.CITP is a consultant based in Farragut, TN. He has just been named, September 2012 to the newly created position of director of Strategic Relationships for K2 Enterprises. In this position, Tankersley will be responsible for maintaining and strengthening relationships between K2 Enterprises and the technology clients the organization serves in marketing and consulting capacities. He will continue to work with K2 Enterprises developing and delivering continuing professional education courses to the accounting profession, Tankersley is a frequent speaker at national continuing education courses on auditing and technology for K2 Enterprises, and publishes a nationally recognized blog on accounting and technology (www.cpatechblog.com). He also writes a column and serves as the Technical Editor for The CPA Practice Advisor. Tankersley was recognized as one of the Top 25 People in Public Accounting Technology in 2011 and 2012 by Cygnus Business Media. He received the 2009 Outstanding Discussion Leader Award from the Tennessee Society of CPAs, and is a Senior Faculty Member with Becker CPA Review. In 2007 and 2008, Tankersley was selected by The CPA Technology Advisor as a “40 Under 40” honoree. His areas of practice include accounting systems, IT consulting, and general business consulting. His public accounting experience includes system implementations, tax, analysis, and audits. His information technology experience includes technology strategy, technology management, software design review, systems implementation, and technical training. Tankersley is both a certified public accountant (Tennessee) and certified information technology professional, and has bachelors’ degrees in both accounting and finance, cum laude, from the University of Tennessee. Tankersley also holds numerous vendor software certifications, and is a frequent speaker at software user conferences. He is a member of the Tennessee Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs. He has also served as an officer and director for numerous area community and professional organizations.

Brian Hartstein

Brian Hartstein serves as Director of Corporate Development for Bayntree Wealth Advisors. Through educating clients and partnering with accountants and legal advisors, he creates efficiency in planning, leading clients toward the value they seek in their lives and the lives of their families. His areas of focus include tax, business and retirement planning, as well as specialized and general insurance planning. Over two decades of diverse experience has allowed Brian to provide guidance to thousands of individuals and families.Publications where Brian has been published or recognized include Accounting Today, Journal of Financial Planning, Journal of Financial Service Professionals, Arizona Republic, 401K Specialist Magazine and more. In the past, he served as president of the Financial Planning Association of Greater Phoenix and held a Board of Director position for over a decade with the organization. Additionally, Brian serves on the Board of Directors of the Phoenix Tax Workshop, First Financial Resources and is a member of the Society of Financial Service Professionals. Brian is also a national speaker and educator, especially in the accounting industry, and actively works with various charities.Brian’s financial experience began with a job at his family’s pension firm in his early teens. As a third generation financial professional, he learned early on the importance of communication in creating successful long-term client relationships. Originally from Edison, New Jersey, Brian’s family relocated to Scottsdale, Arizona when he was in middle school. Brian earned his bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College and his master’s degree in financial services from The American College of Financial Services. He enjoys spending time with his wife and three teenage sons. In addition to reading, traveling, mountain biking, and paddle boarding, he enjoys live music and coaching various youth sports for his sons.

David McGuire

David McGuire is a leading expert on cost segregation, fixed assets and depreciation law and a co-founder of McGuire Sponsel. He has reviewed real estate portfolios ranging in size from six-figure acquisition costs to billions of dollars in value and has provided cost segregation services for companies in a wide variety of industries. While serving in consulting and management roles with Big Four accounting firms, he acquired a thorough understanding of the Internal Revenue Code’s depreciation provisions. He has also shared his expertise in depreciation techniques and practices through speaking engagements and workshops for industry groups and accounting firms, including the American Bar Association and multiple CPA Real Estate groups. McGuire continues to grow McGuire Sponsel’s national presence in cost segregation and depreciation. He is the primary resource for alliance firms in regards to how tax law affects depreciation. His knowledge in determining asset costs and classifications has held up against IRS scrutiny and has built the firm into a trusted industry resource. McGuire’s expertise in depreciation extends beyond the engineering portion of a study. He is often called on to consult in other areas including bonus depreciation and the effects of depreciation on complex transactions, such as Step Up in Basis, Section 108, and Passive Loss Limitations. McGuire is a recognized expert in areas such as 179D and Alternative Energy Tax Credit Consulting. McGuire earned a degree in civil engineering from the University of Notre Dame with a concentration in structural design.