Instructor
Rebekah (Brown) Olson, CPA, is the CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs and an influential figure in the accounting profession, recognized as one of Accounting Today's Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting for 2022.
Joining the MACPA in 2012, Rebekah assumed the position of Manager of Membership Development and Engagement in 2014. In 2018, she was appointed Director of Development, where she served on the leadership team steering the association through the complex challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the departure of longstanding CEO Tom Hood.
Passionate about the future of the accounting profession, Rebekah is a sought-after speaker who frequently shares her insights on professional trends and opportunities. As a certified facilitator, she has guided numerous organizations, both in the United States and Canada, in the strategic planning process.
Rebekah's contributions have garnered recognition from various prestigious entities. CPA Practice Advisor recognized her as a top thought leader under 40 in the CPA profession in 2017, 2019, and 2020. In 2019, she was honored with the President's Award by the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) Baltimore Chapter for her community service. Additionally, Rebekah was named a Maryland Daily Record Leading Women Honoree in 2020.
Rebekah holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, dual specializing in Accounting and Sports Management, from The Max M. Fisher School of Business at The Ohio State University, which she earned in 2009. She obtained her CPA designation in 2011. After gaining invaluable experience at a Top 100 firm, Rebekah decided to leave public accounting and leverage her talents and experiences to work on behalf of the profession at the Maryland Association of CPAs.
The MACPA Business & Industry Conference will give you insight into recent trends and topics affecting not only CPAs but all financial professionals in the business and industry sectors. The B&I Conference will be in person as well as online. We are very excited to bring back nationally known economist Dr. Anirban Basu!
We have SOLD OUT of our IN-PERSON seats for this year's event! You can still register for the virtual format.
If you would like to be added to the IN-PERSON waitlist please email team@macpa.org.
Change Fee - In-Person & Virtual/Simulcast Events - 14 (or fewer) days before the event:
Due to financial obligations incurred by the MACPA, any requests to convert a registration from In-Person to Virtual within 14 days (or fewer) before the event will be subject to a change fee of $25.00
Interested in sponsoring this event? Learn more here .
Executive Vice President, Business Growth and Engagement
AICPA
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.
890 Elkridge Landing Rd, Linthicum Heights, Anne Arundel County, Maryland 21090-2903
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Speaker: Anirban Basu, MPP, MA, JD, Ph.D., Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Sage Policy Group, Inc.
Has the Federal Reserve successfully engineered a soft landing? Or, is the confluence of geopolitical conflict, a presidential election, rising consumer debt levels, and still high-interest rates conspiring to produce an economic downturn in 2024? It is difficult to know whether 2024 will be a good year – but one thing is clear – it will be a very interesting one. This presentation will supply an in-depth analysis of major factors shaping economic outcomes, including interest rates, global conflict, wage dynamics, business confidence, and demographics. It will then turn toward a forecast for the coming year, highlighting the major risks that economic stakeholders will likely encounter.
Speaker: Claudia Wolter, CPA, CCIFP, CCA, Shareholder, KatzAbosch
This course provides a practical overview of the most important issues facing most companies and their accountants. The focus is on explaining the basis behind major issues and trends in plain language, enabling professionals to understand the most important aspects of relevant standards and why any planned or potential changes are coming down the pike.
Speakers: Brian Deffaa, Chief Marketing Officer, Kerry Weber, MsM, Employer Branding & Recruitment Marketing Specialist,, LifeBridge Health
In today's competitive job market, attracting and retaining top talent is essential for the success of any organization. Join us for an insightful session on Employee Recruiting and Retention, where we will explore effective strategies and best practices to attract, engage, and retain skilled employees.
Speaker: Oleg Tarkovsky, MA, LCPC, MBA, Director of Behavioral Health Services, CareFirst, BCBS
This presentation will focus on basic and complex concepts within behavioral health. Thorough definitions of mental health and mental illness will be provided. The audience will learn about the brain, stress, and stress management, burnout, mental illness prevalence data, and the best ways to improve your well-being.
Speaker: Craig Bowden, Principal, SC&H, and Nick Stewart, J.D., Partner Duane Morris
Craig and Nick will begin with a short brief on the state of M&A, then walk through a transaction timeline from pre-sale planning and buyer selection – with both private equity and strategic to due diligence and closing. We will touch on the basics of what to expect, considerations of buyers and sellers, and focus on current trends in the market and how they relate to our clients and their finance departments.
Jeff Cook, CPA, CITP, CISA, Principal, Fortreum, LLC
Casually posting on social media? Entering your email for every offer out there? Am I at risk? What can I do? This session will answer these questions and more by exploring various personal privacy risks and how you can mitigate them. Geared more towards the individual rather than company, we'll dive into discussions of online exposure, fraud prevention, and other ways you can "train your brain" to use caution and be more secure in your digital life.
Learning Objectives:
Panelists: Heather C. Latham, CPA, CFP®, CGMA, Chief Financial Officer, R&F Metals, Inc. Robert Goldstein, CPA, Chief Financial Officer, Paul Davis Restoration of Greater Baltimore, Tom Hood, CPA, CITP, CGMA, Executive Vice President Business, Engagement & Growth, AICPA, Joselin Martin, CPA, CCIFP, CGMA, Founder, True North CFP, LLC., Rebekah Olson, CPA, Chief Executive Officer, Maryland Association of CPAs
A panel discussion of how companies are building their financial team. Including the discussion of the AICPA's CGMA Apprenticeship Program. This is a tool that can be done by companies of any size.