Speakers
Natalie T. Churyk, Ph.D., CPA
Plenary: Real Talk: Publishing in Diversity and Education
Saturday, October 26, 2024, 3:30pm to 4:30pm
Natalie T. Churyk, Ph.D., CPA is the PwC Professor of Accountancy at Northern Illinois University (NIU) and Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Accounting Education. Prior AAA leadership positions include TLC Section President, GIWB Section President, Midwest Region Co-President; Council; and Outstanding Accounting Educator Award Committee Chair.
Natalie has been awarded multiple research, teaching and service awards from her university, AAA sections/regions, and professional organizations. She has made over 150 presentations including keynotes and panels in the international arena. Her work appears in academic and professional journals such as Journal of Business Research, Issues in Accounting Education, Journal of Accounting Education, Advances in Accounting Education, Journal of Forensic Accounting Research, Strategic Finance, The CPA Journal, and Journal of Accountancy. Natalie also co-authored three John Wiley & Sons’ published textbooks: Accounting and Auditing Research: Tools and Strategies, Mastering the FASB’s Codification and eIFRS: A Case Approach, and Accounting & Auditing Research and Databases: Practitioner’s Desk Reference.
Kirsten Cook, Texas Tech University, Frank M. Burke Chair in Taxation; Director of Lyons School of Accounting
Plenary: Real Talk: Publishing in Diversity and Education
Saturday, October 26, 2024, 3:30pm to 4:30pm
Kirsten Cook is the Frank M. Burke Chair in Taxation, the director of the Lyons School of Accounting, and a professor of accounting in the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University. After graduating with an Associate in Arts from McLennan Community College and a Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Accountancy from Baylor University, he worked in the tax division at Jaynes, Reitmeier, Boyd & Therrell, PC before earning a PhD from Texas A&M University.
Cook taught for five years at the University of Arizona before joining the faculty at Texas Tech in 2013. He teaches undergraduate income tax accounting, graduate tax research and planning and a doctoral colloquium in tax accounting research. Cook has served on the dissertation advisory committees of more than a dozen doctoral students, chairing three. He also holds leadership positions in the American Taxation Association and the American Accounting Association Diversity Section, where he served as president in 2021-2022. He is an editor for Issues in Accounting Education and has served on the editorial review board of Journal of the American Taxation Association.
At Texas Tech, Cook has served on the Faculty Senate and as a Teaching Academy member and participated in the Texas Academic Leadership Academy. He has received the 2017 Excellence in Teaching Award, the 2021 Excellence in Faculty Service Award and the 2021 Jerry S. Rawls Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award from the Rawls College.
Cook's scholarship addresses taxation, earnings management, corporate social responsibility and diversity. He has published his work in Contemporary Accounting Research, Accounting Horizons, Decision Sciences, Human Resource Management, Issues in Accounting Education, Journal of the American Taxation Association, Journal of Business Finance & Accounting and Journal of Management Accounting Research.
Denise LeDuc Froemming, CalCPA, President & CEO
Plenary: Building the Next Generation of Accountants Panel
Friday, October 25, 2024, 1:30pm – 2:30pm
Denise LeDuc Froemming, President & CEO of CalCPA, leads a dynamic team serving over 40,000 members—California’s top CPAs, trusted advisors, students, and educators.
Her leadership centers on creating authentic, inclusive cultures that celebrate differences, foster honesty, and inspire excellence.
Before joining CalCPA, Denise was CEO of the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) and held leadership roles in international healthcare organizations. She’s a Certified Association Executive (CAE), a CPA, and holds an M.B.A. with an accounting focus.
Denise is deeply committed to mentoring women and supporting their growth in the accounting and finance fields, helping to cultivate the next generation of female leaders. Her favorite quote is - "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Maya Angelou
Lisa Gilbert, Washington University in St. Louis
Plenary Session: Inclusive and Trauma Informed Practices: Building Foundations for the Classroom and Program Development
Saturday, October 26, 2024, 9:00 am – 10:30 am
Dr. Gilbert possesses a multifaceted professional background that has allowed her to develop a deep understanding of multiple educational spaces and how formal and informal systems work together.
As a teacher educator, she brings over 10 years’ experience teaching university courses in instructional methods and culturally responsive pedagogy. She’s had rich pedagogical experiences in arts education beyond the school-based classroom which also contributes to her insights on the lived psychology of meaningful teaching and learning.
At WashU, Dr. Gilbert serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Educational Studies program and takes joy in her central work of teaching and advising students while collaborating with colleagues to the benefit of all.
Amelia Hart, Associate Professor of Practice, University of Tennessee
Plenary: Building the Next Generation of Accountants Panel
Friday, October 25, 2024, 1:30pm – 2:30pm
Moderator
Dr. Amelia Hart is a dynamic speaker, educator, and prominent figure in the accounting and financial services industry. A CPA and CGMA, she is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Accounting and Information Management (AIM) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business. Her teaching includes both undergraduate and graduate student courses. In 2024, Hart was honored within the College as the inaugural recipient of the Inclusive Leadership Award, supported by Corporate Partner EY. This prestigious accolade recognizes exceptional contributions to advancing inclusive practices both on campus and within broader industries and communities.
Beyond the Inclusive Leadership Award, Dr. Hart has received numerous accolades for her contributions and impact. These include the 2024 Rhea & Ivy Excellence in Teaching Award; the University of Tennessee (UT) President’s Award, Citation of Merit for Embracing Diversity; the 2023 Richard C. Reizenstein
Outstanding Commitment to Students Award from Haslam College of Business; the 2022 University of Tennessee Teaching & Learning Innovation Faculty Leader Award; the 2021 Course Redesign Institute Award; and the 2021 Decosimo Faculty Leadership Award. She was also named a finalist for the UT Chancellor’s Excellence in Teaching Award. Her work has been widely recognized across various platforms.
Yvonne L. Hinson, PhD, CPA, CEO American Accounting AssociationPlenary: Building the Next Generation of Accountants Panel
Friday, October 25, 20254 1:30pm – 2:30pm
Yvonne Hinson, PhD, CPA is the CEO of the American Accounting Association. Prior to assuming this role in September 2020, she served as the VP and Academic in Residence for the Association of international Certified Professional Accountants. She began her accounting career with Arthur Andersen in Charlotte, NC. After returning to the University of Tennessee to pursue her Ph.D., Yvonne accepted a position with Wake Forest University. During her over 18-year career at Wake Forest University she served as a faculty member, Director of Accountancy and Dean of Charlotte Programs. Yvonne has served on numerous academic and community committees and nonprofit Boards and is a past President of the Federation of Schools of Accountancy, past Chair of the AAA Membership Advisory Committee and past member of the Federal Government Cost Accounting Standards Board. She is currently a member of the PhD Project Board, the AACSB Board and the North Carolina Association of CPA’s Board. Her research has been published in both academic and practitioner journals. She earned her BS in accounting and MBA from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Aurora Kamimura, Washington University in St. Louis
Plenary Session: Inclusive and Trauma Informed Practices: Building Foundations for the Classroom and Program Development
Saturday, October 26, 2024, 9:00 am – 10:30 am
Dr. Aurora Kamimura (she/her/ella), is a lecturer in Education, and Assistant Provost for Inclusive Excellence. Her teaching, research, and administrative career of over 20 years has been founded on broadening access, equity, and diversity in the P-20/professoriate pathway. At each stage of Kamimura’s career, equity and equitable organizations remain central to her values and work.
Kamimura also currently serves as the Assistant Provost for Inclusive Excellence where she works on developing and implementing strategies to diversify faculty and provide more inclusive learning environments in classrooms. At a national level, Kamimura serves as the Treasurer-Elect on the Board of Directors for the American Association of Hispanics for Higher Education (AAHHE) and is involved in several national projects focused on the development of Latinx/a/o leadership.
Stephani Mason, Associate Professor, DePaul University, School of Accounting & MIS at the Driehaus College of Business
Plenary: Real Talk: Publishing in Diversity and Education
Saturday, October 26, 2024, 3:30pm to 4:30pm
Stephani Mason is an assistant professor in the School of Accounting & MIS at the Driehaus College of Business. Mason has more than a decade of experience working in investment management at JP Morgan Investment Management, the JP Morgan Private Bank and US Trust. Her academic research interests include the impact of valuation and accounting standards, financial regulation and corporate governance on financial reporting, capital market behavior, investing/financing decisions and executive compensation.
Along with a group of well-known academics, Mason has conducted numerous research studies focused on fair value accounting and the valuation process, including a project that was awarded a grant by the International Audit and Assurance Standards Board/Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland/International Association for Accounting Education & Research Informing the IAASB Standard-Setting Process Program. In addition, she has received external grants from the Governmental Accounting Standards Board and Institute of Management Accountants for her research in this area. While her academic research has been published in top journals and presented at prestigious academic conferences, she has also published papers in practitioner and educational journals, including Issues in Accounting Education, Accounting Perspectives, Accounting in Europe, and Current Issues in Auditing.
Mark H. Taylor, University of South Florida
Plenary: Building the Next Generation of Accountants Panel
Friday, October 25, 2024, 1:30pm – 2:30pm
Mark H. Taylor is a Professor and holds the Dan and Tina Johnson Endowed Directorship in Accountancy at the Lynn Pippenger School of Accountancy, University of South Florida (USF). Previously he held appointments at Case Western Reserve, Creighton, the University of South Carolina, and the University of Nebraska. He earned a PhD in Accounting from the University of Arizona and holds MAcc and BS degrees from BYU. Mark has received the following awards: 2021 Best Paper in AJPT (with co-authors S. Glover and Y. Wu), 2020 USF Outstanding Research Achievement, 2019 Ohio Region/OSCPA Outstanding Educator, 2015 National Beta Alpha Psi Business Information Professional of the Year, and 2011 Weatherhead School of Management Graduate Student Outstanding Teacher. Mark’s research has been published in The Accounting Review; Contemporary Accounting Research; Accounting, Organizations & Society; Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory; Accounting Horizons; Behavioral Research in Accounting; International Journal of Auditing; Journal of Accountancy and other journals.
Adam Ward, KPMG
Lunch with Keynote Speaker: Embracing AI and Innovation: A Look from the Profession
Saturday, October 26, 12:15 pm - 1:30 pm
Adam is a Senior Director in KPMG’s audit practice and is a national leader in our use of technology in audit. In this role, he specializes in the strategic use of our audit technology and the enablement of our professionals with automation, analytics, and artificial intelligence capabilities.
Prior to his current responsibilities, Adam served public and non-public audit clients in the industrial manufacturing, consumer products, and non-profit industries. In that role, he managed engagements reporting under U.S. GAAP and IFRS in accordance with PCAOB, AICPA, and ISA standards. His audit experience includes U.S. domestic and multi-national companies and has served as both a group auditor and component auditor.
He also seized an opportunity for secondment in Zurich, Switzerland, with KPMG AG’s U.S. Accounting and Reporting Group (USARG). In that role, he served as a U.S. accounting and auditing standards subject matter professional for the Swiss firm. His primary responsibilities included managing audit engagements under standards of the PCAOB, AICPA, ISA and Swiss Code of Obligations. Serving in the USARG included providing accounting advisory services, facilitating national training on U.S. standards, and assisting partners with internal quality reviews. As part of the KPMG network in Europe, he also served as a subject matter professional on SEC Rule 144A exempt offerings across the European region.
Adam has significant experience working with his clients and engagement teams to deliver data-driven audits with global consistency and quality.