Banco Popular de Puerto Rico

Mark is Vice President � Firm Services & Global Alliances at the AICPA. He oversees the development, ongoing improvement and delivery of services to members in PCPS/Firm Practice Management as well as International relations with various CPA related groups.

Brian Andrews is the Vice President, Customer Experience & Business Excellence for Intuit’s Accounting Professionals Division (APD). Among other responsibilities, Brian is responsible for ensuring APD is delivering extraordinary customer experiences. Brian represents Intuit at the NPS Loyalty Forum, a group of world class companies focused on improving customer experiences and building loyalty, and provides guidance to Intuit’s CEO.Prior to his current role, Brian led the Product Management function. His innovation work as the PM leader was recognized in key industry publications, Time, and BusinessWeek. Brian joined Intuit as the Process Excellence leader, where he was an early champion in the adoption of the Net Promoter approach.Prior to Intuit, Brian played a senior leadership role within the Quality & Customer Satisfaction function for Compaq/Hewlett-Packard for five years. He led efforts for the $6B Commercial Desktop Division and for Global Accounts.Brian earned an MBA from Purdue University and spent 9 years in management consulting, including stints with Coopers & Lybrand, the American Productivity & Quality Center, and his own firm. Brian helped transform numerous companies; some going on win the prestigious awards – the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the Deming Prize, and the Shingo Prize.

David has been in the accounting industry for many years and has been a practicing accountant since 1966. While at the IRS he held various positions: agent, trainer, speaker and technical chief. He received his CPA and a Master's in Taxation from Long Island University's CW Post College. He was an accounting professor at Suffolk County Community College in New York for over 15 years. He is well-known as a speaker and thought-leader in the field of utilizing new technology to improve the efficiency of operations in tax, accounting, practice management and workflow management.In 2011, he was the recipient of the 'On the Edge' Innovation Award from the Leading Edge Alliance, which recognizes industry leaders for their vision and significant contributions to the accounting profession.In 2012, he received the Brand Ambassador Award from Enterprise Worldwide.

Eric founded SmartVault Corporation in November of 2007, and currently serves as the company's Chief Executive Officer. As founder, Eric has made it his personal mission to deliver a simple, low-cost, paperless, SaaS solution to small businesses using QuickBooks®. He contributed heavily to the initial formation and conception of SmartVault, and continues to play a vital role in the overall product design, roadmap, and go-to-market strategy.Prior to SmartVault, Eric founded and served as CEO and Chairman of BindView Corporation, a leading supplier of security management software solutions. Under his management, the company successfully evolved from a privately funded software development group through a successful IPO, and the ultimate sale of the company to Symantec Corporation in 2006.Eric is also an active member of the executive boards for the Holocaust Museum Houston, Teach for America, and the Houston Technology Center. He provides philanthropic support to arts, health care, and educational organizations.

Joel Sinkin is the president of Transition Advisors, which exclusively consults on mergers & acquisitions for public accounting firms. He is an expert in practice evaluation, succession planning and transaction structure. He has personally overseen hundreds of transaction closings working with firms from sole proprietors to large regional and international firms. He consults on internal and external succession planning and provides complete transaction support including valuations, alternative deal structures, documentation, due diligence and transitional issues regarding partners, staff and clients. Joel has had dozens of articles published on this subject and the AICPA just published his third book: CPA Firm Mergers & Acquisitions, How to Buy a Firm, Sell a Firm and How to Make the Best Deal. In 2012 & 2013 Accounting Today named Mr. Sinkin one of the top 100 most influential people in accounting. Reach him at (866) 279-8550.

John R. Ezell, CPA, is the President of ProHorizons Network, Inc. ProHorizons is a national brokerage and consulting company focusing on tax and accounting practice sales, acquisitions, and business development services. John has advised hundreds of clients in the merger and acquisition of accounting and tax firms since founding the company in 1995.John is the principal author of the book, Successful Practice Sales: The Complete Guide to Buying, Selling or Merging Your Accounting, Consulting or Tax Practice. This 200-page book serves as a guide through every nuance of the potentially daunting business transactions, including financing your acquisition to exploring the complete lifecycle of a sale, and much more.  He is also a frequent speaker and presents seminars and webinars regarding buying, selling and merging accounting and tax practices. Previously, John operated his own CPA practice in the Washington, DC area that he successfully sold in 1994. Prior to starting his practice, John worked with two CPA firms in Washington, DC, including BDO Seidman, an international accounting and consulting firm.John is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in California. He has earned the designation of Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) from the Exit Planning Institute® for completion of their spring 2009 program. He is also a licensed California Real Estate Broker. He holds a BS in Accounting from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants.John served in the US Marine Corps and was an embassy guard in Moscow and Berlin.John is married to Jennifer and they have four children. He coaches youth baseball and soccer, and serves his community in a variety of volunteer leadership positions.

Richard L. Engebretson is Vice President, WealthStar AllianceSM for Aviva USA. Rich is responsible for the leadership of the CPA distribution channel, WealthStar AllianceSM , a turn-key program providing the CPA with a comprehensive platform designed to equip them with the necessary tools, resources, and training to effectively meet the complex needs and demands of their clients in the areas of asset management, retirement distribution planning, and wealth transfer.Prior to joining Aviva USA, Rich was Chairman and CEO of Trusted Advisors – a financial services company that specialized in working with CPAs to integrate investment services into their practices. Rich founded Trusted Advisors in 1989 and created a successful financial services organization that provided over 300 CPAs and tax professionals with access to a wide array of financial products and services. Once the CPA became a registered representative of Trusted Advisors, the accounting professionals used the company’s financial tools available and their in-depth knowledge of their client’s financial needs to create customized financial solutions. These included: tax management, estate planning, capital accumulation and investments, and asset and income protection.Prior to founding Trusted Advisors, Rich worked for eleven years at KPMG – a leading global professional services firm.Rich received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Pace University in Pleasantville, New York. A Certified Public Accountant, he is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants.Rich and his wife, Jeanene, have one daughter, Megan and three sons, Thad, Collin and Tyler. They reside in Edina, Minnesota.

Ed Kless joined Sage in July of 2003 and is currently the senior director of partner development and strategy. He develops and delivers curriculum for Sage business partners on the art and practice of small business consulting including the Sage Consulting Academy, Business Strategy and Customer Experience Workshops. He also facilitated the Sage Leadership Academy, a year-long program designed to assist Sage Software partners develop a continuous process of improvement in their organizations and serves as liaison to the Strategic Leadership Association.Ed is also the cohost of the VoiceAmerica talk-show The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the Knowledge Economy with Ron Baker, founder of the VeraSage Institute where Ed is also a senior fellow.Prior to joining Sage, Ed worked with Tipping Point Advisors, an organization dedicated to the growth and development of software implementation partners. In 1996, he co-founded Third Wave Business Systems, a Microsoft Dynamics GP partner that grew to 20 team members and $5 million in revenue. At Third Wave, Ed developed the implementation methodology and led the CRM and ERP consulting teams.Ed is a contributor to industry publications, including the Journal of Accountancy, Harvard Business Review and HR.com, and has spoken at many conferences worldwide on project management, pricing, and knowledge workers. He is also active in the Information Technology Alliance (ITA), Toastmasters, and is a senior fellow at the VeraSage Institute. He lives north of Dallas with his wife and two children and ran for Texas State Senate in 2010 and 2012 as a Libertarian.Follow him on his blog at www.edkless.com or on Twitter @edkless.�

Joel E. Ackerman, CPA, MST is Director at Fuoco Group, LLP. Joel specializes in the real estate industry, specifically helping property owners minimize their tax liabilities through Cost Segregation Studies and Energy Efficiency Studies. In addition to the real estate industry, Joel has provided tax and accounting services to clients in diverse industries, from manufacturing, warehousing and healthcare, to hotel construction and management. His experience also encompasses taxation of individuals, corporations, and not-for-profit organizations.Joel has authored a number of articles in local and national publications, including The Tax Advisor, New York Real Estate Journal, Suffolk Attorney, and New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants – Suffolk Chapter. He has conducted many technical seminars for professional audiences and industry trade groups. Joel is active in numerous accounting and industry trade organizations and is a founding member of the Warehouse Solutions Group, a resource group for warehouse owners.He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA), where he is the Secretary of the Suffolk Chapter and chairs the Members in Industry Committee. Also, Joel is currently a Board Member of the Institute of Management Accountants – Long Island Chapter.In 2008, Joel was named to the “Ones to Watch in Accounting” list in Long Island Business News and also was previously included in the “Ones to Watch in Commercial Real Estate” list. Joel also was named to the Long Island Business News 40 under 40 Class of 2009, recognizing his success and accomplishments.Joel is extremely active in his community. He has been intimately involved with the Epilepsy Foundation of Long Island, where he serves on its Board of Trustees. In 2008, Joel was honored by the Epilepsy Foundation as Family of the Year. In addition to being involved with these organizations, Joel volunteers his time at North Shore Synagogue, where he is a member of the Board of Trustees, and recently served as Brotherhood President. Joel earned his B.S. degree in Accounting at Syracuse University in 1993, and his M.S. degree in taxation from Long Island University – C.W. Post in 2000.

Bob�s career has focused around technology and education. He gained his technical expertise working for major computer hardware manufacturers and software developers of Windows and cloud-based software applications. He holds a BS in Education from NYIT that led him to become NYS certified teacher. He also holds an MBA from Dowling that drove him to become the owner of a brick-and-mortar computer training and consulting business.Bob spent 16 years helping accountants implement new technology solutions while at AccountantsWorld, a Hauppauge-based cloud software firm. He frequently speaks on various technology topics at industry conferences or via internet webinars. Bob is also certified webmaster, certified social media specialist, and blogger.His passion for emerging technologies and education drove him to create BAT Consulting Group, a B2B consulting firm. The convergence of the cloud, social media, and mobile technologies are creating amazing opportunities for all businesses, including the accounting industry. BAT Consulting Group helps professionals capitalize on these emerging technologies to help them compete and win in this rapidly changing relationship-driven economy.