Speaker Biographies
Rebecca Bloch, Ph.D., CPA is Department Chair and Associate Professor of Accounting at Fairfield University in Connecticut. She joined the Fairfield University faculty in 2013 and has received awards both for excellence in teaching and research. Dr. Bloch specializes in governmental and nonprofit accounting research, and her research has been published in Accounting Horizons, the Journal of Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting, Advances in Public Interest Accounting, the Municipal Finance Journal, Current Issues in Auditing, among others. Dr. Bloch teaches an undergraduate service learning course in nonprofit accounting, as well as Introduction to Financial Accounting, Introduction to Managerial Accounting, Intermediate Accounting, and graduate-level Financial Statement Analysis. Prior to her academic career, Dr. Bloch worked as an auditor specializing in nonprofit and governmental entities, and as an Accounting Manager for a nonprofit organization, which fueled her interest in this area of research. Dr. Bloch serves on the Executive Committee of the Governmental and Nonprofit Section of the American Accounting Association. She received her Ph.D. in Accounting from Rutgers University in and is a CPA in New York.
Nancy Chun Feng is a Professor of Accounting at Suffolk University and received her D.B.A. in accounting from Boston University. Her research interests include nonprofit and governmental accounting and auditing. She has been an Associate Editor of the Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management (JPBAFM) and a guest co-Editor of a special issue of JPBAFM since 2018. She currently serves as the President-Elect of the GNP Section of the American Accounting Association.
Shannon Gray is the Marijuana Communications Specialist for the Colorado Department of Revenue, with a particular focus on leading the strategic communication initiatives and media relations efforts for the Executive Director's Office and Marijuana Enforcement Division. Previously, Shannon worked at the University of Denver in several positions, including the Center for Professional Development, University Advancement, the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and as an adjunct faculty member at the Department of Film, Journalism and Media Studies. Personally, Shannon is passionate about championing the causes she believes in, including animal welfare, education for all, and providing opportunities for low-income families to achieve financial independence through employment. To that end, she currently serves as the Chair of the Leadership Council for the Center for Work Education and Employment (CWEE). Shannon has an MS in Strategic Communication from the University of Denver and a BA in History, minor in Journalism from Wake Forest University. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, reading, cooking, traveling and hiking with her husband Ryan and their rescue black lab mix, Avery.
Kara Hand is a Senior Associate in the KPMG Federal Audit practice. In this role, her primary responsibilities include working with clients to understand business processes and internal controls while performing financial statement audits in accordance with contractual requirements, requisite standards, and firm methodology. She enjoys opportunities to utilize various computer applications to create visual models, transforming data into actionable insights.
Travis Haley joined the State of Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) to assist in matters related to the passage of HB19-1090 by starting the Investments & Transactions team. Travis assists licensees and applicants navigate structuring, investments and offerings, and M&A transactions within the Colorado marijuana industry. Travis has been a CPA since 2004 and has a Masters in Accounting and a Bachelors in Business from Trinity University. Travis’ prior experience includes Main Street Capital as a Managing Director and Ernst & Young among others. Travis helped Main Street Capital grow over 10+ years to become a $2+ billion publicly-traded investment firm focused on investing debt and equity in small and family-owned businesses. On behalf of Main Street Capital and others, Travis has invested in or acquired more than 25 businesses and has served on the board of more than 15 companies. Travis is an advocate for early childhood education and currently serves on the board and as treasurer for a DPS charter school, the Odyssey School of Denver.
Patricia Johnson, M.B.A., CPA, CGMA, CFE, is currently an adjunct faculty member at Southern New Hampshire University and Mercy College. She spent over 20 years teaching at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York where she developed and served as program coordinator for a master’s program in forensic accounting. Pat has a broad variety of experience—education, public accounting, and industry and maintains an accounting practice that focuses on small businesses and not-for-profit entities. Her teaching interests include fraud examination and forensic accounting, government and nonprofit accounting and advanced accounting. Pat is a past recipient of the Mark Chain/FSA Award for Innovation in Graduate Teaching sponsored by the AICPA. She has presented regularly at AAA regional, section and annual meetings and held leadership roles in several sections. Pat has served on a number of nonprofit boards and committees, currently serving as President of the Foundation for Accounting Education, which administers the continuing professional education initiative for the NYSSCPA. She currently serves on the editorial review board of The CPA Journal and actively participates in the nonprofit organizations committee. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from St. Bonaventure University and an M.B.A. from University at Buffalo, SUNY.
Christine Kuglin is the Director of Truth in Accounting at the University of Denver. She has over 20 years of tax and accounting firm experience. Christine served as a NASA grant accountant overseeing multi-million-dollar grant fund awards at the University of Montana, taught at four diverse, post-secondary schools in Colorado, was the Chair of the School of Professional Accounting at Eastern Washington University (EWU). She was awarded the Instructor of the Year by the College of Business, the Faculty Senate and the Student Honor Society at Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2016. She won the 2019 National American Bar Association Tax championship while attending the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. As Chair at EWU, she was awarded the Faculty Mentor Award and was recognized as a Distinguished Chair. Christine has published several professional and academic articles on governmental and public accounting issues. Academically, she holds Bachelor and master’s degrees in Accounting, a Juris Doctorate (JD) with an emphasis in corporate and commercial law, and a post-JD Masters of Laws in Taxation. She is an actively licensed CPA in Washington and an attorney in Washington and Colorado. She also is a Certified Fraud Examiner and an Enrolled Agent.
Sharon Lassar, Ph.D., CPA (Florida) is the John J. Gilbert Endowed Professor and Director, School of Accountancy at the Daniels College of Business. She is an author and editor of a series of tax textbooks published by Cengage, a member of the Governing Council of the AICPA, and past chair of the Colorado Society of CPAs (COCPA). She has served as president, chair, or member of many similar entities.
Emily Law is a Senior Manager in KPMG’s Federal Audit Practice based in Washington, DC. She is currently on a rotation with KPMG’s Department of Professional Practice. In her 11 years with KPMG, Emily has worked on audit and attestation engagements for various federal government agencies. Most recently, Emily led the integrated financial statement audit of a large cabinet-level agency, where she supervised engagement team personnel and planned and reviewed test work over internal controls. Emily serves as a national instructor for KPMG’s training programs and has also been involved in developing and delivering federal industry-specific trainings to KPMG professionals. Emily currently serves as the co-director of membership for the DC chapter of AGA. She received her undergraduate and master’s degrees in accounting from the College of William and Mary. Emily is a member of the AICPA and a licensed CPA in Colorado, Virginia, and Washington, DC.
Andrew Lewis is the Partner-in-Charge of KPMG's U.S. Federal Government Audit Practice. Andrew leads over 500 professionals who provide financial and technology assurance services to more federal government agencies than any other public accounting firm and operates from six major "hubs" in the United States (Washington, DC; Columbus, OH; Indianapolis, IN; Denver, CO; Knoxville, TN; and Huntsville, AL). Andrew also co-leads KPMG's global assurance and integrity network, which links KPMG professionals around the world who provide assurance and internal audit services to government entities. Andrew is one of the national audit leaders of KPMG's diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and is focused on transforming the experiences of KPMG's 11,000 audit professionals to make KPMG the most diverse audit practice among the Big 4 firms. Andrew was an adjunct professor for 11 years at The George Washington University (GWU), and taught courses on government accounting and auditing in the masters of accountancy program. He currently serves on the Board of Advisors for the GWU School of Business, and previously served on the GW School of Business' Corporate Council. Andrew is a Senior Fellow in KPMG's Government Institute and has published more than 20 research articles and professional publications on a variety of government-related topics, such as federal financial reporting, government transparency, artificial intelligence, and government leadership, and has been published in the Journal of Government Financial Management, the Federal Times, and through the KPMG Government Institute. Andrew is dedicated in many ways in the profession, including currently serving as the chair of the Association of Government Accountants' (AGA) Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting (CEAR) board. He previously served as AGA's national treasurer, chair of the Higher Education taskforce, regional vice president, and president of the Montgomery/Prince George's County chapter. Andrew is also the past chair of the Greater Washington Society of CPA's Federal Issues and Standards Committee. Andrew is a CPA, a Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM), a Project Management Professional (PMP), and a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP), and holds a BS in Accountancy from GWU.
Suzanne Lowensohn is an Associate Professor and Director of the MAcc Program at the University of Vermont. Having served in most GNP Section roles since becoming a member in 1992, she is currently the Section’s AAA Council representative and the AAA’s representative on the Governmental Accounting Standards Advisory Council. She has published numerous articles on governmental accounting and auditing and is a coauthor of the textbook, Accounting for Governmental and Nonprofit Entities.
Michele Mark Levine, Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). Michele Mark Levine serves as the Director of GFOA’s Technical Services Center (TSC). Prior to joining GFOA, Michele served as Deputy Comptroller for Accountancy and Chief Accountant of the City of New York, where she oversaw the City’s accounting and financial reporting, including the preparation of Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports which have consistently been awarded GFOA’s Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. Under Michele’s leadership, the City issued its first Popular Annual Financial Reports (PAFR), which also received GFOA’s awards. Michele’s previous positions include serving as the Director of Accounting Services of the New York City Office of Management and Budget, Comptroller of seven City-related public authorities and local development corporations, and on the audit staff of Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers).
Michele was graduated Summa Cum Laude by the State University of New York at Binghamton, and holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the Maxwell School of Public Administration at Syracuse University.
Her professional activities include having been a member and past chairperson of GFOA’s Committee on Accounting, Auditing, and Financial Reporting, past president of the New York State GFOA, service in technical and leadership positions within the American Institute of CPAs and the New York State Society of CPAs, and membership on the Editorial Board of the CPA Journal. She has also served on numerous taskforces of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. Michele was honored to have been named the 2011 Outstanding CPA in Government by the New York State Society of CPAs.
Brian McAllister is the Wilcox Endowed Professor of Accounting in the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) College of Business. Brian is also the Department Chair for Accounting, Finance and Business Law in the UCCS College of Business. Brian previously worked as an auditor of the not-for-profit organizations for the Colorado Springs office of BKD, LLP (now FORVIS). Brian currently teaches financial accounting courses at UCCS. Brian has published in the areas of governmental and not-for-profit accounting, financial accounting and auditing. Brian is the current President of the Government and Nonprofit Section of the American Accounting Association and is a current member of the FASB Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee.
Corbin Neiberline is an Audit Partner in KPMG’s Washington DC Federal Practice. He has more than 23 years of experience providing financial statement audit and performance improvement advisory services. Corbin has provided audit services to several large federal departments in accordance with the authoritative guidance promulgated by the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASB) and Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). He has performed numerous audits in accordance with Government Auditing Standards (the Yellow Book), OMB Bulletin No. 22-01, Audit Requirements for Federal Financial Statements, and its predecessors. Using his strong Federal background and technical expertise, Corbin has been able to provide his clients with meaningful insight in meeting agency accountability and reporting challenges. Corbin is an proud member of the University of Maryland’s (UMD) Smith School Analytics Consortium, active member of VSCPA Innovation Advisory Council, Lead Campus recruiter for UMD, Vice President of Practice for AAA (2023), Board Treasurer for Northern Virginia Science Center; a licensed CPA, a Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM), and holds a BS in Accountancy from UMD, College Park.
Fuller Overby is a Manager in KPMG's Federal Audit - Technology Assurance Practice in Denver, Colorado specializing in IT audit and advisory services. In this role, her primary responsibility is to supervise Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA) performance audits, which includes testing systems and the department-wide policies and procedures of Federal agencies for each FISMA metric domain, in accordance with guidance provided by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). She also has experience supporting core audit teams on Financial Statement Audits (FSA), responsible for supervising General IT Control and application control testing, in accordance with Government Accountability Office (GAO) Federal Information System Controls Audit Manual (FISCAM) and Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS). Fuller joined KPMG in 2017 after graduating from Virginia Tech with a degree in Business Information Technology. She is an Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) Denver Chapter Member and holds an active Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA).
Linda M. Parsons is the Joe Lane Endowed Professor of Accounting at the University of Alabama (UA). She discovered nonprofit accounting research while in graduate school and has spent the last 25 years working in this growing field of study. Her research has been published in a wide range of journals and she teaches government and nonprofit accounting at the undergraduate level. Linda is actively involved in UA's doctoral program, teaching the introductory seminar and chairing five dissertation committees.
Amanda Peterson is an associate professor at East Carolina University and currently serving as the Education Chair for the GNP Section. She teaches Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting to undergraduate students and other accounting courses to MBA students. She has published articles in various journals in the areas of both nonprofit and governmental accounting, as well as governmental auditing.
Alan Skelton was named Director of Research and Technical Activities of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), effective April 1, 2021. In his role as GASB director, he leads the staff and serves as the principal advisor to the chair and Board. Immediately prior to joining the GASB, Mr. Skelton was the State Accounting Officer for the State of Georgia, a position he was initially appointed to by the governor in 2012. He was reappointed to the role in 2019. As State Accounting Officer, Mr. Skelton provided accounting leadership for the State of Georgia, including oversight of statewide financial reporting, issuing accounting policy and application interpretations of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, and implementing business process improvements. He served as deputy state accounting officer from 2009 to 2012. Previously, Mr. Skelton had more than a decade of experience in public accounting, primarily with Ernst & Young. Mr. Skelton served on the GASB’s Advisory Council—the Governmental Accounting Standards Advisory Council—from 2015 to 2021, including as its Vice Chair since 2018. He is a graduate of Florida State University and a CPA.
Kyle Smith is an Assistant Professor of Accounting at Mississippi State University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Alabama with a dissertation focused on nonprofit accounting issues. His research focuses on how private foundations use accounting information, as well as a variety of tax, managerial, and compensation topics in nonprofit organizations.
Alan K. Styles, Ph.D. is Professor of Accounting and Department Chair at California State University San Marcos. He has taught the undergraduate Government and Nonprofit Accounting course since 2012. He has served as ad hoc reviewer for government accounting pedagogical papers submitted to Issues in Accounting Education and Journal of Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting. Professor Styles has published research articles in Journal of Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting; Journal of Accounting and Public Policy; Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management; Accounting and the Public Interest; Accounting Horizons; and Research on Professional and Ethics in Accounting. He is a Past-President of the American Accounting Association’s Government and Nonprofit Section, and a two-time Past-President of the American Accounting Association’s Western Region.
Jan Taylor, PhD, CPA, CGMA serves as the AICPA’s Academic in Residence and Senior Director of Academic and Student Engagement. She retired in 2021 from her position as an Associate Professor of Accounting at Sam Houston State University where she taught both undergraduate and graduate students. Jan has taught multiple courses in the accounting curriculum, primarily financial accounting related and auditing. She has published on a variety of topics in multiple journals through her career, has served in numerous volunteer and leadership roles at AICPA, Beta Alpha Psi, and the Texas Society of CPAs, and is the recipient of numerous awards for teaching, research, and service. Jan is licensed as a CPA in Texas and is a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) through the AICPA.
Dan Tinkelman is Marshall G. Kaplan Associate Chair in Municipal Government Accounting at Brooklyn College. He became department chair in January 2019. He taught full time at Lehman College for one year, Pace University (11 years), and Hofstra University (9 years), as well summer courses in Rome, Italy and Bremen, Germany. Courses he has taught at the undergraduate or graduate levels, include introductory financial and managerial accounting, intermediate accounting, advanced accounting, governmental and nonprofit accounting, financial statement analysis, and auditing. His 32 publications include a textbook, two book reviews, a book chapter, three law review articles, and articles in peer-reviewed academic and practitioner accounting journals. His work has been cited over 1,000 times. He is a CPA. Prior to joining academia, he was an Audit Manager for Arthur Andersen & Co. and a Financial Vice President for WPP Group plc. Dr. Tinkelman also does litigation consulting on accounting and valuation matters.
Tammy Waymire is a Professor of Accounting at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and the MTSU Accounting Advisory Board Outstanding Professor, having previously served on the faculty at Northern Illinois University (NIU). She joins the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) as Senior Research Manager this year. She is a member of the author team on the textbook, Accounting for Governmental and Nonprofit Organizations (Cambridge Business Publishers), serves on several editorial boards, and is engaged in national and regional service opportunities, including presentations at AGA, GFOA, and TSCPA conferences.
Sheila A. Weinberg is the founder and CEO of Truth in Accounting, whose mission is to compel governments to produce financial reports that are understandable, reliable, transparent and correct. Ms. Weinberg received her certified public accountant (CPA) credential in 1981. Since 2002 Ms. Weinberg has led Truth in Accounting's research initiatives, which include "The Truth about Balanced Budgets: a Fifty State Study," the "Financial State of the States," and the "Financial State of the Union." Because of her expertise in governmental budgeting and accounting, Ms. Weinberg has testified before the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB), the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB), and numerous state legislative hearings on matters of proper government accounting. Ms. Weinberg is a member of the Association of Government Accountants' Financial Management Standards Board, the University of Denver's School of Accountancy Advisory Board, and is a member of the Union League Club of Chicago's Public Affairs Committee. Ms. Weinberg also sits on the Consultative Advisory Group for the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board. She has served as an independent legislative adviser to members of Congress on federal budgeting and accounting issues. She was also a member of the Comeback America Initiative Advisory Council, the Academy of Government Accountability Advisory Council and two FASAB Task Forces. Her commentary on the federal budget, Social Security, Medicare and other national issues has appeared repeatedly in numerous publications, including USA Today, Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. She has been a guest on local and national television and radio shows, and is often engaged to speak on federal and state budget and accounting issues.