Thomas G. Stephens Jr, CPA, CITP, CGMA
Managing Partner / K2 Enterprises , Hammond, LA

AI continues to grow by leaps and bounds. One AI platform leading the way for businesses is Microsoft’s Copilot. Copilot’s strong data privacy and security foundation, coupled with its deep integration with Microsoft Office apps and services creates a tremendous value proposition for businesses of all sizes. Participate in this session to learn the best ways of using Copilot to achieve the results you desire. From creating effective prompts, to using Copilot to analyze data, to relying on Copilot to help you manage your email burden and summarize meetings, you will learn the skills necessary to truly master Copilot and maximize your ROI on your AI investment.

Adam Lean
CFO Project , St. Augustine, FL

Attendees will learn how to incorporate CFO advisory services in their firms in such a way that allows the firm to be both scalable (increase revenue without a substantial increase in cost) and sellable (allowing the firm to generate a consistent stream of revenue that does not depend on the firm owner).

Jeremy Wortman
HRD Initiatives LLC , Savannah, GA

98% of managing/senior partners say that it is critical that their firm be open and successful in 10-15 years. When asked, “How important are your firm’s employees to that long-term success?” they say absolutely critical. However, when then asked, “What is your firm’s talent management strategy?” you hear crickets. Over 90% of firms say they have little to no formal talent management strategy. During this session we will explore a simple, yet comprehensive model to help firm leaders create their talent management strategy to achieve the firm of the future.

Michael K. Cheng, CPA
Partner / Frazier & Deeter LLC , Atlanta, GA

Hear the latest updates from the FASB and the PCC. Dive into key updates and discuss their impact on financial reporting under U.S. General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Take this opportunity to relay feedback to a PCC member on standards setting.

Joshua Jenson
Joshua Jenson, CPA, PC , Edmond, OK

Big changes are here for business taxes in 2025, and they’re bringing fresh opportunities! Better understand federal updates to deductions, credits, and compliance rules and how they may apply to you or your clients. This is a crucial time to revisit tax strategies and take advantage of the new tax landscape.

Justin Headley, CPA, CISSP, CISA, CR
Warren Averett, LLC , Birmingham, AL

In this session, CPAs will gain critical insights into safeguarding corporate assets in an evolving digital landscape. Explore underlying information security issues, including common vulnerabilities and threats targeting financial data. Discover emerging trends shaping cybersecurity, from AI-driven attacks to advanced defense mechanisms. Learn how artificial intelligence is transforming both risks and solutions, and understand cyber best practices tailored for CPAs to ensure compliance, protect sensitive data and fortify corporate resilience. Equip yourself with actionable strategies to navigate today's complex cybersecurity challenges.

James D. Martin, CPA, CGMA
Owner / Martin & Co, CPA, PC , Dunwoody, GA

Relationships with your clients or employers don’t work out for a variety of reasons. However, sometimes it can be a refreshing feeling to rid yourself of situations that bog down your firm and your life. This class looks at a multiple of reasons why you should consider saying “You’re Fired” to your clients or employers and sample correspondence to do the deed!

Alex Romero
Galasso Learning Solutions LLC , Charlotte, NC

This comprehensive course provides the critical updates governmental accountants and auditors need to stay informed. Begin with a review of recent GASB standards, including compensated absences, asset disclosures, risk and uncertainty disclosures and financial reporting model improvements. Participants will also gain insights into GASB's current projects, exposure drafts and agenda progress to ensure they are up to date on what's ahead. For auditors, this session will cover key changes to governmental auditing standards, including the 2024 Yellow Book updates, the transition from quality control to quality management, and implementation timelines, with early adoption options. Single audit updates will include the 2024 Uniform Guidance changes and the 2025 Compliance Supplement.

Veronica A. Caputo, CPA, MT
Grant Thornton LLP , Atlanta, GA

Clark Calhoun
Alston & Bird, LLP , Atlanta, GA

Join this lively discussion focusing on current trends, hot topics, and recent tax updates in Georgia. Topics include voluntary disclosure agreements, sourcing revenue for both sales tax and income tax purposes, Georgia credits, state transfer pricing considerations and pass through entity elective taxes.

Johnathan Willis
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta , Atlanta, GA

Jon Willis, Vice President and Senior Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, will provide an overview of current economic conditions for the U.S. economy and will discuss the key drivers of the economy that will influence the direction of the economy going forward.

Chris Menard, MCT
Chris Menard Training , Marietta, GA

Unlock the full potential of Microsoft 365 with Copilot. This comprehensive course is designed to introduce you to the powerful capabilities of Copilot across Excel, Word, PowerPoint, OneDrive and Outlook. Whether you're looking to streamline your workflow, enhance productivity or leverage AI-driven insights, this course will equip you with the skills needed to make the most of Copilot's features.

Alex Romero
Galasso Learning Solutions LLC , Charlotte, NC

The AICPA is buzzing with activity in 2025, and this course will ensure you stay ahead of the curve. Explore the new quality management standards in effect this year and their impact on practice management. Dive into the latest ethics standards, recent SSARS updates, and changes to the peer review program driven by quality management requirements. Highlight the initiatives of the National Pipeline Advisory Group to address the talent pipeline challenge. Don't miss this comprehensive overview of what's happening at the AICPA!

Joshua Jenson
Joshua Jenson, CPA, PC , Edmond, OK

Get ready— there are exciting updates for individual taxpayers! From expiring tax laws to adjusted deductions to refreshed tax codes, these changes equate to tax strategies to help you and your client be prepared. Clients are looking for proactive tax planning and this is one of the most monumental shifts in the tax universe that creates these opportunities.

Jon D. Hightower, CCSFP, CHQP, CISA
Mauldin & Jenkins CPAs LLC , Raleigh, NC

Most cyber-risk assessments use color-coded charts to rate risks. If you are a decision maker, you are only getting half the story with these type of risk assessments. Do you really know the true cost of a breach to your company? Have you estimated this based on multiple breach scenarios? Using quantifiable risk models can answer these questions and turn ambiguous color-coded risk assessments into dollars and cents information that decision makers can take action upon. In this session, attendees will learn about the FAIR (Factor Analysis of Information Risk) Model that uses cyber, financial, production, HR, payroll information and statistical modeling to get a more accurate understanding of risk and the cost of a breach. To demonstrate, the instructor will go through a case study, showing what data was used, the risk scenarios created, how to set up the statistical attributes, and present the results. 

Jeremy Wortman
HRD Initiatives LLC , Savannah, GA

There are a lot of leadership models in existence, but which one is the one your firm should adopt? During this session, explore an evidence-based leadership framework that is proven to positively influence followership and drive business results.

Michael L. Brand, CPA, CGMA
Barfield, Murphy, Shank & Smith, PC , Birmingham, AL

The effective date for the quality management standards is quickly approaching. As with any new standards, there will be numerous considerations as to how this will affect our practices. Since the standards apply to a CPA firm’s accounting and auditing practice, how will this affect your peer review?  This session will look at the standards from a practitioner and peer reviewer aspect. The AICPA peer review team is busy updating checklists and working on guidance. Learn what is available and what is to come.

Hale E. Sheppard, Esq.
Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP , Atlanta, GA

The IRS is increasing scrutiny in many different areas, including conservation easements, employee retention credits, self-employment taxes for limited partners, foreign assets and activities, high-income taxpayers, abusive trusts, tax insurance and elsewhere. This presentation identifies and explains recent tax cases, administrative rulings and other key developments.

Chris Menard, MCT
Chris Menard Training , Marietta, GA

Unlock the full potential of Excel with this comprehensive data analysis session. Customize PivotTables for better insights, automate data preparation tasks with Power Query, learn advanced sorting, cleaning and other useful, complex functions. Designed for intermediate to advanced users, this session will equip you with the skills to transform raw data into insightful, actionable information.

Tracy Johnson, RN, CCM, CDCP
Premier Care Management of Georgia , Atlanta, GA

As the number of older adults choosing to age without a traditional family support system grows, the need for proactive, personalized care planning becomes increasingly urgent. Drawing from over three decades of clinical and care management experience, Tracy will outline the key components of a care plan designed to promote safety, autonomy and peace of mind. Gain insight into how care managers collaborate with financial professionals to assess risks, coordinate services and ensure continuity of care for clients without immediate family advocates. This session will empower financial experts with strategies to identify at-risk clients, initiate meaningful planning conversations and build interdisciplinary partnerships that support holistic well-being and financial security for solo agers.