Strategic Foresight

Executive Vice President, Business Growth and Engagement, AICPA

"Hood uniquely combines three vital traits: He sees the future of the profession clearly; he discovers or creates supremely practical ways to move the profession toward that future; and he generates tremendous enthusiasm for the move in everyone he meets.” - Accounting Today Magazine

Tom is one of the most influential leaders in the Accounting Profession. He has been named the Second Most Influential Person in Accounting since 2011 by Accounting Today Magazine (His fifteenth year on the Top 100). He was also one of the first five thought leaders inducted into the Accounting Hall of Fame (2015) by CPA Practice Advisor.

Linked-in recruited Tom as one of their Top 100 Influencers and he was named to the Top 25 Influencers in Learning by HR Examiner. He is known for his prolific digital footprint and now has over 780,000 followers on Linked-in, Twitter and other social accounts.

Tom is on a mission to help CPAs, Finance and Accounting Professionals thrive in these times of exponential change. He firmly believes that what got us here, won’t get us there as the Profession faces unprecedented changes and opportunities.

Tom's recognition and awards reflect his leadership in helping CPAs be more #FutureReady through his work at the Maryland Association of CPAs and the Business Learning Institute (BLI), a center for the development of leadership, strategic thinking, and collaboration skills for CPAs. BLI has a catalog of over 600 programs and 30 ‘top gun’ instructors who provide state of the art learning and curriculum for the Top 500 CPA Firms, Fortune 500 corporations, non-profits, State CPA Societies and even internationally.

He is a graduate of Loyola College (B.A. in Accounting) and has a Master’s in Finance (Real Estate) from Johns Hopkins University. He also obtained the Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP) certification and the Certified Global Management Accountant (CGMA) certification from the AICPA.

Jennifer is a Visibility Strategist working on your team’s professional brand, communication and connection skills to immediately influence and impact your organization’s success. Transform your accounting and finance professionals to admired advisors.

After 15 years as a CFO in manufacturing, construction, and services, Jennifer understands the difference between information and influence. As a keynote speaker Jennifer is known for being energetic and enthusiastic. She has presented to over 15,000 people in 48 states and 6 countries. She makes the complicated simple, practical and profitable.

Jennifer is the co-author of “Faster Disaster Recovery” published in 2019 by John Wiley and Sons. CPA Practice Advisor named Jennifer one of the Top 25 Women in Accounting in 2018. She was also named “2015 Woman to Watch” by the AICPA and MACPA. Jennifer has been awarded Outstanding Facilitator by the AICPA multiple years.

Jennifer earned the designation of Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), making her one of the only 10 people worldwide who hold both the CPA and CSP designations. Jennifer is Certified Virtual Presenter through e-speakers.