2023 Spark Meeting
Speakers
DeAnne M. Aussem, PwC US and MX
Introduction to Mindfulness Workshop, Thursday, June 1, 2023. 2:00 pm -3pm
DeAnne Aussem serves as the Well-being Leader @PwC US and MX. As a Managing Director, leadership development expert and credentialed well-being coach, DeAnne draws upon more than 25 years of professional services experience supporting leaders, teams and organizations across the U.S. and globally. DeAnne is a recognized dynamic and innovative business leader with deep expertise in Strategy, Global Leadership Development, Well-being, Diversity & Inclusion and Human Capital which enables her to be a trusted advisor and source of strategic insight on today's most difficult leadership challenges and initiatives that champion the future of work.
As a sought after thought leader, keynote speaker, facilitator and coach who demonstrates exceptional cultural dexterity, DeAnne presented at the 2019 Great Place to Work Summit and the O.C. Tanner Influence Greatness conference. In 2017 and 2016, DeAnne was a featured speaker and cited as a ‘Leading Coaching Luminary' during the World Business and Executive Coaching Summit (WBECS), the world's largest digital gathering of business and executive coaches. DeAnne has also been featured extensively in the media including Working Mother, Forbes, The New York Post, Thrive Global, Huffington Post and Quartz at Work.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/DeAnneAussem
Twitter: @DeAnneAussem
Heather Goryoka, KPMG
Plenary Speaker, Friday, June 2, 2023, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
ESG and Sustainability: What are the Issues in the Profession and How do we Bring them to the Classroom?
Heather Goryoka is an audit Senior Associate based in Los Angeles at KPMG. Heather has five years of experience in auditing public and private companies in the consumer goods, healthcare, and entertainment industries. In her current role, Heather provides ESG reporting and attestation services to clients. She has delivered ESG services over a range of ESG subject matter including greenhouse gas emissions and human capital.
Heather earned her undergraduate degree in Business Economics with an Accounting minor at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a licensed CPA in California and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Je'nell Griffin, EY
Plenary Speaker, Thursday, June 1, 2023, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Update from Recruiting Leaders; Bring Your Questions!
Je'nell Griffin is the Campus Recruiting Leader at EY, responsible for the development of strategic and innovative processes, programs, and initiatives to support the exceptional candidate experience of early career talent hires in the U.S.. EY is a professional services organization and a global leader in assurance, consulting, tax and strategy and transaction services.
Since joining EY 9 years ago, Je'nell has been recognized for her ability to be a trusted advisor, providing guidance and insights to business partners, stakeholders, and team members in developing best practices when attracting and hiring top talent. Je'nell has consistently demonstrated the ability to bring creativity, strategy and relationship building to the forefront, resulting in new ways of working and successful team management. While at EY, Jenell has served as the US-West Assurance Lead and a Campus Recruiter to universities all through southern California. Her leadership and desire to learn led to a secondment at EY's Global Headquarters in London to support the rollout of workforce planning tools across EY's EMEIA region and eventually to the U.S.
Prior to joining EY, Je'nell enjoyed a successful career in student affairs, where she began guiding and supporting students' personal and academic development. Je'nell's deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by students provides valuable insights into the needs and expectations of emerging professionals. Her passion for early career talent and diversity and inclusiveness drives her commitment to staying at the forefront of industry trends and best practices. This dedication further enhances Je'nell's ability to provide innovative solutions and drive organizational success.
Je'nell earned her bachelor's degree in Social Science from San Diego State University. After several years working with student leaders across the country, Je'nell decided to pursue her master's degree in College Student Affairs Administration at the University of Georgia. Je'nell resides just outside of Los Angeles, California with her husband (who she met during her secondment in London) and their two-year old daughter. When Je'nell isn't working, she spends her time hosting family and friends, following college sports, and exploring good eats both locally and internationally.
Carmen Magee, KPMG ESG Center of Excellence
Plenary Speaker, Friday, June 2, 2023, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
ESG and Sustainability: What are the Issues in the Profession and How do we Bring them to the Classroom?
Carmen Magee is a Managing Director at the KPMG ESG Center of Excellence. She assists clients with understanding how ESG reporting can lead to value creation while mitigating risks and complying with rapidly evolving regulation. Carmen specializes in ESG reporting readiness which include assessing key components of client's ESG reporting process and assisting clients to address any gaps on their road to assurance. Carmen also provides ESG assurance services, which include assurance of use of proceeds of green bonds, standalone greenhouse gas emissions reports, and full corporate responsibility reports. In addition to serving clients, Carmen plays a key role at KPMG in developing infrastructure to scale the firm's capabilities to provide ESG services. She served as KPMG US representative on the World Economic Forum and Big Four technical team for development of the Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics in support of consistent ESG reporting of sustainable value creation from 2020 – 2021.
Amir Mazarei, BDO
Plenary Speaker, Thursday, June 1, 2023,
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Update from Recruiting Leaders; Bring Your Questions!
Born and raised in Thousand Oaks, CA about 40 miles outside of Los Angeles. Amir currently lives in Bel Air, CA. He graduated with a BS in Accounting and Minor in Economics from the University of Redlands in 2007. He joined BDO in 2010 as an assurance associate. He stayed in the assurance department for a little under 5 years and transferred to the Recruiting department November 2014. When not working, Amir enjoys playing golf, basketball, tennis, going on hikes, watching sports and spending time with family and friends.
Scott McQuillan, Deloitte
Plenary Speaker, Thursday, June 1, 2023, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Update from Recruiting Leaders; Bring Your Questions!
Scott McQuillan currently serves as a National Talent Acquisition Leader at Deloitte. Scott has responsibility for leading the US campus recruiting strategy and programs as well as leading university relations and recruiting efforts for the US-India practice; overseeing the hiring over 16,000 campus hires.
Prior to joining Deloitte, Scott worked in a variety of roles in higher education including college admissions, academic advising and career services. Scott's 25+ years of experience has always involved working with college students and assisting with their career exploration and professional development. Scott just recently completed his term as President of Beta Alpha Psi and on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
Scott is a graduate of Central Michigan University where he earned both his Bachelor's and Master's degree.
In his free time, Scott is an avid traveller and has visited over 48 countries. He enjoys running and has completed 10 marathons, including eight marathons in Chicago where he calls home.
Alexa Merschel, PwC
Plenary Speaker, Thursday, June 1, 2023,
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Update from Recruiting Leaders; Bring Your
Questions!
Alexa Merschel is the U.S. Talent Acquisition Strategy, Operations & Onboarding Leader at PwC, one of the world's largest professional services firms. In her role, she leads strategic initiatives, onboarding, entry level experiences, and TA technology for a team of 500 who hire ~25,000 resources in FY22.
Alexa began her career in the Philadelphia office of PwC in 1996 as an intern and then started as an associate where she worked primarily on consumer industrial product clients. Alexa's passion for recruiting began as Market Sourcing Leader in Philadelphia. She held various roles in human resources focusing on career development and talent management. In 2011, she joined the U.S. Recruiting Team's national office as the Campus Recruiting Leader. Prior to assuming her current role, Alexa was the U.S. Talent US Tax Talent Acquisition Leader, with a total of 17 years focused on Talent Acquisition for the firm.
Alexa earned her degree in accounting from the University of Richmond. She obtained her CPA in 1998 and more recently her Senior Professional Human Resource Certification (SPHR). Alexa lives in Devon, Pennsylvania with her husband, Jeff, and three sons. She likes to stay active hiking, skiing, exercising with a love for the outdoors and vacationing. She is also a marathon runner and has completed the Philadelphia, Boston, New York, and Big Sur Marathons.
Justin Neff, Moss Adams
Plenary Speaker, Friday, June 2, 2023, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
ESG and Sustainability: What are the Issues in the Profession and How do we Bring them to the Classroom?
Justin has practiced public accounting since 2005 and serves as the leader of the firm's Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) assurance practice and is the Partner in Charge of the firm's Seattle Office. Justin has over a decade of experience providing assurance services over ESG reporting, including greenhouse gas emissions disclosures and green bond proceed allocations. Justin is also a frequent speaker and author on the topic of ESG.
Reagan Richmond, EY
Plenary Speaker, Friday, June 2, 2023, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
ESG and Sustainability: What are the Issues in the Profession and How do we Bring them to the Classroom?
Reagan is a seasoned social impact and sustainability practitioner with more than 14 years of diverse sustainability experience, including working in climate policy, clean energy, electric utilities, state and local government. An EY US senior manager, her focus areas include sustainable innovation, ESG strategy, materiality, decarbonization, sustainability program implementation and change management.
Reagan's experience work spans many sectors and topics, including natural capital valuation for JetBlue, sustainable supply chain strategy for fashion leaders, strategic partnership development at the Connecticut Green Bank, and community solar deployment for affordable housing. Reagan also currently serves as an Adjunct Instructor of Management and Entrepreneurship at Hofstra University's Zarb School of Business. Her commitment to innovation for sustainability has been recognized by Environmental Defense Fund, EPA Green Power Partnership, and Center for Resource Solutions.
She holds an M.B.A. in Sustainability from Bard College and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Tennessee.
Kathleen Schaum, KPMG
Plenary Speaker, Thursday, June 1, 2023,
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Update from Recruiting Leaders; Bring Your
Questions!
Responsible for leading, staffing, developing, motivating, and retaining KPMG's US University Talent Acquisition team including strategy development, branding and communications, innovative program design, inclusion and diversity, faculty relations and industry best practice standards. Collaborate with the firm leaders to deliver on hiring goals and initiate and drive programs and talent practices needed to build engagement with and positive brand to a broad range of diverse students and universities. Responsible for collaborating on the design of programs that leverage technology to provide a consistent candidate experience reflective of KPMG's values and the firm's inclusion and diversity strategy.
Kathy started her career in the Audit practice of KPMG's Washington DC office. She transferred to San Francisco where she was ultimately a Senior Manager in our Financial Services Audit practice. She moved into University Recruiting where she served as the lead Campus Recruiting Manager for our San Francisco office, the West Area Director of University Recruiting and the National Director Audit Campus Recruiting before taking on her current role. Kathy won a KPMG National Chairman's Award in 2016, serves as a KPMG Culture Champion and is a member of the San Francisco office Culture Council, KPMG's Network of Women and our African-Ancestry Network.
Kathy is active in many different organizations. She serves as the VP-Practice for the Gender Issues and Worklife Balance section of the American Accounting Association. She has been a Board Member for the Federation of Schools of Accountancy (FSA) and was awarded the FSA Practitioner of the Year award. She is an active member of California Society of CPA's (CalCPA), including serving as a long-time member and past Chair of CalCPA's Statewide Accounting Education Committee (AEC), Chair of the AEC Scholarship Committee and member of CalCPA Outstanding Educator Award taskforce.
Kathy is a member of the American Accounting Association, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and National Association of Colleges and Employers.
Kathy received a Bachelor's of Business Administration Degree with an emphasis in accounting, from the College of William and Mary.
Hayley Tilton, Deloitte
Plenary Speaker, Friday, June 2, 2023, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
ESG and Sustainability: What are the Issues in the Profession and How do we Bring them to the Classroom?
Hayley joined the Sustainability & ESG Services team in June 2022 after eight years in external financial statement audit, four at Deloitte and four at a southeast regional accounting and consulting firm. She focuses primarily on the banking and real estate sectors.
Hayley received her BSM in Finance & Masters of Accounting from Tulane University in 2014 and is a CPA in the state of Louisiana. In 2020, she returned to Tulane part-time to earn a Masters in Sustainable Real Estate Development, jump-starting her career in sustainability. She is a GRI Certified Sustainability Professional and earned the IFRS Foundation FSA Credential in 2022.
Hayley is passionate about the benefits of the urban tree canopy. She is a Member of the Board of Directors of Sustaining Our Urban Landscape (SOUL), a nonprofit that plants trees and advocates for protecting and increasing the urban tree canopy in New Orleans, one of the most deforested cities in the United States.
Sheila A. Weinberg, CPA, Truth in Accounting
Plenary Speaker, Saturday, June 3, 2023
Providing Citizens with Transparent Governmental Financial Information
Sheila A. Weinberg, CPA, 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. 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, and numerous state legislative hearings on matters of proper government accounting.
Ms. Weinberg earned her Bachelor of Accounting degree from the University of Denver, which she attended on an academic scholarship. She received her certified public accountant (CPA) credential in 1981. Ms. Weinberg was active in the Concord Coalition from its inception in 1992, and was honored in 1998 with their Outstanding Volunteer Award.
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.