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.
Instructor
Karl Ahlrichs is a national speaker, web presenter and author, often quoted in the local and national media on the people issues in modern organizations.
He has broad experience in Human Resources, Operations and senior level problem solving, working with all industries.
Karl’s experience is perfectly suited to times of great global challenges. He has decades of strategic consulting to all industries, using risk management and good organizational development theories to bypass “best practices” and move directly to “next practices”.
Karl joined Gregory & Appel, an Indianapolis‐based insurance firm, after serving as a founding partner of ExactHire, a human resources services firm. Prior experience was as a Senior Consultant for Professional Staff Management, and Vice President in the Indianapolis office of Marsh & McLennan, and Vice President of Right Management Consultants. At those firms, his clients included IU Health, Suburban Health, Roche Diagnostics, Boeing, Apple, and Frito Lay.
Karl facilitates a weekly COVID web‐based roundtable with advisors, and an invitation‐ only roundtable for CFOs, and for more than a decade he was the Program Chair for the Indiana Society for Human Resources Management annual conference. He is a member of SHRM, and the Association for Talent Development.
Karl has been named the SHRM Human Resource Professional of the Year for the State of Indiana. He has presented at the Annual Global SHRM Conference for more than 20 consecutive years and holds the SHRM‐SCP (Senior Certified Professional) and SPHR (Senior Professional Human Resources) certifications and is a CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) with the National Speakers Association.