This course explores how CPAs can recognize and navigate complex ethical challenges that arise in today’s professional environment. Through practical examples, case studies and decision-making frameworks, participants will strengthen their ability to evaluate difficult situations, apply professional standards and respond with integrity and sound judgment. Attendees will learn how to address workplace values conflicts and confidently communicate ethical concerns in a constructive and professional manner. This course includes the Georgia-specific ethics content approved by the Georgia State Board of Accountancy. Complete this pre-conference workshop and check off all of your ethics requirements for the 2025-2026 reporting cycle.

This optional add-on session is an additional $125.

Jonathan Lokhorst, CSP, CPA, PCC
Your Best Leadership LLC , Princeton, MN

Artificial Intelligence promises greater efficiency and insight, but it also introduces new temptations to cut corners, obscure risk or shift responsibility. Recent behavioral research shows a higher likelihood of unethical behavior when decisions are delegated to AI tools. This session equips leaders to identify common ethical risk factors tied to AI, recognize real-time dilemmas from marketplace breakdowns and explore the key elements of building an ethical culture with clear guardrails. Participants will apply a simple framework to strengthen professional judgment in AI-assisted work with clients, colleagues and other stakeholders.

Kevin Dancy
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta , Atlanta, GA

This overview of current U.S. economic conditions will include the key factors fueling the future direction of the economy.

Boyd E. Search, MBA, CAE
The Georgia Society of CPAs , Alpharetta, GA

Kendra L. LaFleur, CPA
Director / Forvis Mazars , Atlanta, GA

AI. Talent. Technology. Transformation. The accounting profession is evolving faster than ever, and the future will be shaped by those willing to help define it. Join Boyd Search and Kendra LaFleur for an interactive Future Forum inspired by the AICPA's Rise2040 initiative. Together, attendees will explore emerging trends, share ideas and contribute to a broader global conversation about the future of accounting and finance.

Anson Asbury, J.D., LL.M.
Asbury Gardner Tax Counsel , Decatur, GA

Alla Raykin, Esq.
Asbury Gardner Tax Counsel , Decatur, GA

Anson Asbury and his newest partner, Alla Rankin, will cover the latest trends in both federal and state tax controversy. Anson will discuss the latest in IRS controversy and federal guidance. Alla will weigh in on the new Georgia Tax Court, the Atlanta Occupational Tax and other state tax developments.

Marcey Rader, CSP
RaderCo , Raleigh, NC

Ring. Ping. Buzz. Enough! Stop using habits that drain willpower. This session restores attention, builds your single-tasking muscle and helps you shrink digital noise. Attendees can achieve higher accuracy and review quality with faster turnarounds, lower cognitive load and burnout risk and increased protection of billable focus time without 24/7 availability. This session is perfect for staff to seniors and new managers, audit and tax teams, and client-service teams navigating busy season, year-end, and extension deadlines.

Jonathan Lokhorst, CSP, CPA, PCC
Your Best Leadership LLC , Princeton, MN

Critical thinking in your day-to-day work and in high-value decisions create value in your business. Build a repeatable habit stack for better judgment under pressure and deadlines. Learn to scan context, ask smarter questions, label trends versus anomalies and uncover root causes. Explore concrete tools to test assumptions, review trends and patterns and translate analysis into decision-ready recommendations. Employ AI as a tool to enhance (not replace) judgment by adding context, questioning outputs and converting results into your own words.

Jeff Ritchie, CPA
Fust Charles, LLP 5784 Widewters Pkwy , Syarcuse, NY

As more organizations adopt and integrate AI into various aspects of their operations, it is imperative that they implement the proper safeguards and internal controls. This session will cover common risks and challenges organizations may face while utilizing AI, as well as practical strategies that can be used to strengthen the design and effectiveness of internal controls.

Stay ahead of the curve with the latest insights and updates from the Department of Revenue. As the regulatory landscape continues to evolve, it's imperative for accounting professionals to remain informed and equipped to navigate the complexities of taxation effectively. Join us for an in-depth exploration of recent developments, updates and initiatives directly from representatives of the Department of Revenue.

Theodore H. Brown, CPA
IDiscovery Solutions, Inc. , Washington, DC

Dirty data is not always an accident. Sometimes the mess is the message. This session teaches accountants to look at their own data through a forensic accountant’s eyes by recognizing the patterns, anomalies and red flags that distinguish ordinary data quality problems from indicators of fraud, manipulation or control failures. Using real-world detection techniques, live demonstrations and examples, attendees will learn to distinguish noise from signal in their own systems and understand when a data quality issue warrants a deeper look. The session includes a hands-on exercise applying detection techniques to a sample data set.

Calvin J. Wong, CPA, CISSP
Director of IT / The Georgia Society of CPAs , Alpharetta, GA

GSCPA's Director of Technology gives a high-level technology review that includes a breakdown of the current trends in hardware, software and policies, while providing a look forward to upcoming innovations that may affect your business and daily life.

Samuel Konigsberg, CIMA, CBDA
BlackRock , Atlanta, GA

With Bitcoin frequently in the news, industry professionals have more questions than answers. Sam Konigsberg is an industry-leading investment professional leading Bitcoin and blockchain education for BlackRock in the southeast. Learn the fundamentals of Bitcoin and blockchain technology from a contributor to BlackRock’s digital asset thought leadership.

Charles Rettig
Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Aughtry , Atlanta, GA

Thomas Cullinan
Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Aughtry , Atlanta, GA

The former IRS commissioner and former counselor to the IRS commissioner will provide practical context for the current IRS enforcement priorities and challenges ahead. You will hear practical advice based on decades of private practice and internal IRS leadership experience focused on various IRS Compliance Campaigns targeting the use of business aircraft, issues regarding digital assets and similar, Syndicated Conservation Easements, Microcaptive insurance arrangements, Private Placement Life Insurance, Puerto Rico Act 60 and related. Advice “from the tax trenches” on current and anticipated future IRS enforcement efforts.

Ashley F. Hinkson, J.D.
Hinkson Law , Atlanta, GA

CPAs are often the first professionals to see that something is wrong. A pattern in the financials, an expense that doesn’t add up, an employee situation that has quietly gotten complicated. What happens next matters.
This session is designed for CPAs who want a clearer understanding of when and how to bring legal counsel into a client situation, and what that collaboration looks like in practice. Ashley Futrell Hinkson, a former federal and state prosecutor and crisis management and employment attorney at Stanton Law in Atlanta, will speak candidly about the cases that land on her desk and what, in hindsight, could have been caught earlier. The goal is not to turn CPAs into lawyers. It is to help them recognize the signals that warrant a call, understand what legal counsel can and cannot do in sensitive situations, and build a referral and advisory relationship that genuinely serves their clients.

Matt Paige
HatchWorksAI , Atlanta, GA

Discover how businesses are moving beyond basic AI tools to adopt powerful “agentic” models that can plan, act and execute work autonomously. Learn practical strategies to bridge the gap between today’s AI usage and its true potential, driving efficiency, speed and innovation. Walk away with actionable insights to transform AI from a feature into the foundation of your organization’s future.

Gary R. Nelson, CPA, CISA,CISSP,FIP
Principal / Schellman & Company, LLC , Tampa, FL

Standard auditing is evolving from a compliance-heavy checklist to a nuanced, risk-based methodology that benefits from a meaningful post-implementation review (PIR) of SAS 145. Moving past basic adoption, this session provides a framework for understanding the "spectrum of inherent risk" and the enhanced requirements for IT General Controls. We will examine how to measure implementation success through improved audit quality and engagement efficiency, ensuring that the "stand-back" requirement is more than a formality, but a strategic tool for professional skepticism and accuracy.

Adam Young
Fox Rothschild LLP , Atlanta, GA

This presentation explores the IRS's scorched earth approach to conservation easements and recent Tax Court and Courts of Appeals' opinions regarding valuation and tax technical issues. Get a preview of the year ahead in conservation easement litigation.

Darcy C. Harper, CPA
Client Services Manager / YPTC , Atlanta, GA

This session includes thinking strategically about financial information, anticipating future financial needs, using data to guide decision making, strengthening long term sustainability, and aligning financial practices with mission-driven goals. It's about shifting from day-to-day transactional work to a broader, forward looking perspective that supports organizational strategy.

Tim Naddy, CPA, CFE
CFO and Professor / Savannah Bananas , Savannah, GA

In today’s business landscape, data alone isn’t enough. CPAs must be able to turn insights into compelling stories that drive decisions. This session explores how to transform complex financial information into clear, engaging narratives that resonate with clients, executives and stakeholders. Learn practical storytelling techniques to elevate your communication, strengthen your influence and make your insights more memorable and impactful. Walk away with the confidence to move beyond reporting numbers and start telling stories that inspire action.