Speakers

Plenary Speaker, Monday, August 12, 2024
Trust & Inspire

Stephen M. R. Covey is co-founder of CoveyLink and the FranklinCovey Global Trust Practice. A sought-after and compelling keynote speaker and advisor on trust, leadership, ethics, and collaboration, he speaks to audiences around the world. He is the New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Speed of Trust , a groundbreaking and paradigm-shifting book that challenges our age-old assumption that trust is merely a soft, social virtue and instead demonstrates that trust is a hard-edged, economic driver. The Speed of Trust has been translated into 22 languages and has sold over 2 million copies worldwide.

Stephen is also the author of the newly released Wall Street Journal bestseller, Trust & Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others , which was named as the #1 Leadership Book of 2022 by the Outstanding Work of Literature Awards. While the world has changed, our style of leadership has not. Most leaders and organizations—faced with ever new and disrupting challenges—continue to operate from a base model of “Command & Control;” they’ve just become more advanced and sophisticated at it, what Stephen calls “Enlightened Command & Control.”

In contrast to Command & Control, Trust & Inspire is all about unleashing greatness in others. Leading in a way that both inspires and empowers people to become the best version of themselves—tapping into a sense of purpose, meaning, contribution and inclusion. The result is a level of belonging, collaboration, and ultimately innovation that Command & Control is simply not capable of producing. Stephen asserts that trust has become the new currency of our world, and that having the ability to develop, extend, and restore trust with all stakeholders is the number one competency of leadership needed today. He passionately delivers this message and is dedicated to enabling individuals and organizations to reap the dividends of high trust throughout the world. Audiences and organizations alike resonate with his tangible, practical approach to trust.

Stephen is the former CEO of Covey Leadership Center, which, under his direction, became the largest leadership development company in the world. He personally led the strategy that propelled his father’s book, Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, to become one of the two most influential business books of the 20th Century, according to CEO Magazine. A Harvard MBA, Stephen joined Covey Leadership Center as a Client Developer, became National Sales Manager, and then President & CEO. Under Stephen’s leadership, the company achieved Inc. 500 status, nearly doubled revenues while increasing profits by 12 times, and expanded into over 40 countries. This greatly increased the value of the brand and company. Within three years of being named CEO, Stephen had increased shareholder value by 67 times in a merger with then FranklinQuest to form FranklinCovey.

Over the years, Stephen has gained considerable respect and influence with executives and leaders of Fortune 500 companies as well as with mid- and small-sized private sector and public sector organizations he’s consulted. Clients recognize his unique perspective on real-world organizational issues based on his practical experience as a former CEO.

Stephen serves on numerous boards, including the Government Leadership Advisory Council, and he has been recognized with the lifetime Achievement Award for “Top Thought Leaders in Trust” from the advocacy group, Trust Across America/Trust Around the World.

Stephen resides with his wife and children in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains.

Presidential Scholar, Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Kathryn Kadous is the Schaefer Chaired Professor of Accounting at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. She earned a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. Prior to that, she worked as an auditor and controller.

Professor Kadous is active in doctoral education, having served on 26 doctoral dissertation committees. She recently completed two terms as Goizueta Business School’s Associate Dean for Ph.D. Programs and is a member of the Laney Graduate School’s Executive Council.

Professor Kadous’ research considers judgment and decision-making issues in auditing and accounting. Her current research focuses on using psychology theory to improve auditor engagement and decision making and on methodological issues in experimental research. Professor Kadous has published over 35 peer-reviewed research articles in journals including The Accounting Review, Contemporary Accounting Research, Journal of Accounting Research, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Accounting, Organizations, and Society, The Journal of Behavioral Finance, and Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory.

Professor Kadous has extensive editorial experience and is currently the Senior Editor of The Accounting Review. She has held several positions with the American Accounting Association, including President of the Auditing Section.

Presidential Scholar, Tuesday, August 13, 2024
The Road Less Traveled: A Nontraditional Path to Teaching and Scholarship

Jennifer M. Cainas, DBA, MAcc, CPA, is a Professor of Instruction at the Lynn Pippenger School of Accountancy and currently serves as the Associate Dean for Financial Management and Organizational Well-Being for the Muma College of Business at the University of South Florida. She earned her DBA from the University of Florida. Prior to teaching, she worked as a controller for a publicly traded title insurance company.

Dr. Cainas currently teaches large, mass lectures classes for introductory financial and managerial accounting, but has also taught both upper-level and graduate accounting courses, as well as a doctoral-level class on college teaching. She has taught in a variety of formats, including mass lectures, online, hybrid and hyflex classes. During her teaching career, she has taught and mentored over 25,000 business students and has won numerous teaching awards at the college, university, state, and national level. She is also the faculty adviser for the Delta Gamma Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi and received the national outstanding faculty advisor award sponsored by RSM, in 2023 and 2013.

Dr. Cainas is a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the American Accounting Association (AAA), the Institute of Management Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants. She is a member of the Management Accounting Section as well as the Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum Section, and served on several committees for the AAA. She has published articles in journals such as Issues in Accounting Education, Journal of Emerging Technologies, and Strategic Finance. She regularly presents at AAA section, regional and national meetings.

Luncheon Speaker, Tuesday, August 13, 2024
Breaking Boundaries: AI and the New Era of Intelligent Accounting

Focused on leveraging AI and building confidence in its potential. Passionate about bringing innovation to our clients and people. Based in Silicon Valley.

Richard Jackson is the Global Assurance AI Leader at EY. In his role, Richard drives global efforts to accelerate the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in assurance. Additionally, he collaborates with regulators, policymakers and other AI professionals to develop new assurance services that cater to clients' needs in this rapidly evolving field. Richard also serves clients operating in the technology and life sciences industries.

Leveraging his nearly 30 years of experience working with leading technology innovators, Richard guides the investment of EY teams’ four-year commitment of more than US$1b to deliver its next-generation assurance technology platform. Richard holds a BA in English from University College of Swansea, Wales.

Plenary Speaker, Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Boldly Building our Future: Will YOU Join Us?

Audrey A. Gramling, PhD, CPA (GA), CIA, has over twenty-five years of higher education experience, including ten years of administrative experience. Audrey served on the AICPA's Auditing Standards Board (2018-2021) and as an Academic Accounting Fellow in the Office of the Chief Accountant at the SEC (2014-2015). Audrey has also served in volunteer roles with the IIA. She served as a Task Force member and Advisory Council member for COSO. Audrey has also held leadership positions with the American Accounting Association.

Audrey is currently Professor and Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Endowed Chair in the School of Accounting at Oklahoma State University. Before earning her PhD at the University of Arizona, Audrey worked as an external and internal auditor.

She has received multiple awards, including the Kennesaw State University Coles College Distinguished T.P. Hall Service Award and Distinguished Professor Award.

Audrey’s research focuses on the decision behavior of auditors, external auditor independence, internal auditing, and internal controls. She has numerous articles in academic journals and practitioner publications. Audrey currently serves or previously has served on the Editorial Boards of several journals.