Speakers
Eric Cohen, Cohen Computer Consulting
Plenary Speaker, Friday, May 3, 8:10 am – 9:15 am
Shifting Foundations in an Era of Change: Technology and Accounting Education
Eric Cohen is the owner of Cohen Computer Consulting, a consultancy focused on emerging accounting and audit technologies, including audit data standards, Blockchain, Continuous Audit and XBRL. His practice initially focused on helping growing businesses cope with and benefit from accounting software, leading to his role as a co-founder of XBRL and development of XBRL’s Global Ledger Taxonomy Framework (XBRL GL). As an ambassador of XBRL, he has worked in cooperation with virtually every other standards work attempting to standardize accounting and audit data, including assuming the role of Domain Coordinator for the United Nations CEFACT Accounting and Audit Domain and work as a national expert to the ISO in accounting data standardization and blockchain technologies.
Mr. Cohen is a prolific author and willing speaker, teacher and trainer, having written or contributed to numerous books (including Guide to Customizing Accounting Software (CTS) and The Accountant’s Guide to the Internet (John Wiley) and hundreds of articles for the business, professional and academic press. He enjoys a long partnership with the academic community, cooperating with many professors in research and curriculum building on emerging audit technologies. He takes great pride in recognition in 2012 as Best Reviewer for the Journal of Information Systems.
Ann C. Dzuranin, Northern Illinois University
Plenary Speaker, Friday, May 3, 9:15 am – 10:15 am
Data and Analytics: Curriculum Innovation to Meet Employer Needs
Dr. Ann C. Dzuranin is the Dean’s Distinguished Professor of Analytics in Accounting at Northern Illinois University. She earned her B.S. from Fairleigh Dickinson University, her MBA from New York University, and her Ph.D. from the University of South Florida. Ann is a CPA (NJ) and has 15 years of experience in both public and corporate accounting.
Dr. Dzuranin is interested in behavioral research in managerial decision-making, incentive compensation, and accounting information systems. Specifically, she is interested management accounting decision making and the ways in which accounting information systems interact with those decisions. Her research has been published in Issues in Accounting Education, Journal of Information Systems, Journal of Business Ethics, Management Accounting Quarterly, and Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance.
Dr. Dzuranin’s work in data analytics curriculum development has resulted in invitations to present on the topic of Data Analytics and Accounting at both academic and professional conferences. Her presentations have reached over 1,500 people in the last 15 months with more than 40 universities requesting additional information regarding NIU’s approach to incorporating data analytics into the curriculum.
Robert W. McCutcheon, Retired Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Lunch Speaker, Friday, May 2, 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Technology and The Future of The Accounting Profession
As a member of the PwC leadership team, Bob was the U.S. Industrial Products Leader and the Managing Partner for PwC’s Pittsburgh office where he oversaw more than 5,500 PwC professionals in the U.S, providing comprehensive financial, operational, and strategic services to clients across the market and the sector.
With twenty-eight years of experience providing services to multinational clients, Bob provided thought leadership for the strategic direction of the firm’s services. He worked closely with senior client executives to help with business and operational strategies, M&A, and accounting and reporting issues. He is dedicated to helping clients solve problems and achieve their business objectives through the sharing of industry insights and through the development of thought leadership and industry publications. Bob has written extensively on topics such as the manufacturing resurgence, the shale gas revolution and disruptive technology in manufacturing as well as mergers and acquisitions. He is a frequent speaker at manufacturing and energy industry conferences and was often quoted in the media such as The Wall Street Journal, CNBC.com, Forbes, The New York Times and key industry trades.
Bob’s clients in Pittsburgh included Alcoa, PPG and U.S. Steel. Bob is a graduate of Robert Morris University. He is a member of the Pennsylvania and American Institutes of Certified Public Accountants (CPA). Now Retired, Bob is the Owner and President of The Vault Recording Studio, and he continues to serve on multiple community boards including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and WQED.
David M. Stott, Ph.D., CPA, AAA Council Chair, Ohio University
Plenary Speaker, Saturday, May 4, 8:20 am – 8:50 am
Bold Transformations Toward a Prosperous Society
David M. Stott joined the Ohio University faculty in 2016 and serves as the Director of the School of Accountancy and the O’Bleness Professor of Accountancy. He previously served as the Director of Graduate Programs in Accounting and Chair of the Department of Accounting and MIS at Bowling Green State University where he held the Maurer Family Distinguished Professorship in Accounting.
Dr. Stott received his undergraduate degree in Accounting from Texas State University and both his Master of Accountancy and Ph.D. degrees from Washington State University. He initially received his CPA certificate in Texas and is currently certified and licensed to practice in Ohio. Dr. Stott's research and teaching interests are primarily in financial accounting and reporting, auditing, and the conceptual framework. His research has appeared in Accounting Horizons, the Journal of Accounting, Ethics and Public Policy, Management Accounting Quarterly, the Journal of Accounting Education, International Journal of Auditing and the American Journal of Business.
Dr. Stott is active in both academic and professional organizations. He is a member of the American Accounting Association (currently serving as Council Chair), the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Before returning to academia, he spent several years working for Arthur Andersen & Co. in Houston (leaving well before the Enron debacle!). David and his wife Ann have two wonderful adult children – Randi and Michael.