Parking is free for all attendees at the BWI Hilton, Baltimore BWI Airport (1739 W Nursery Rd, Linthicum Heights, Anne Arundel County, Maryland 21090-2906).
The day begins at 7:15 a.m. with breakfast and registration.
We are offering an optional sponsor session at 8:00 a.m., or you may choose to take your time arriving before the official start of the program at 8:30 a.m., which is the economic update with Anirban Basu.
Additional optional sponsor sessions will take place following lunch at 1:45 p.m. Please refer to the agenda for full session details.
ENGAGE THROUGH CONFERENCES IO
AGENDA
SPONSOR PASSPORT
SPONSOR DIRECTORY
Throughout the day, we’ll be using Conferences.io to make sessions more interactive and capture insights from attendees.
During each session, we encourage you to participate by:
We’ll also be asking a few questions throughout the day to gather your thoughts and perspectives.
Your participation helps us highlight the most valuable ideas from the conference and keeps the conversation going beyond the sessions.
Please choose the track you’re attending for the day.
| Time (EDT) | Session | Speaker(s) | Track | CPE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:15 AM – 8:30 AM | Registration and Breakfast | |||
| 8:00 AM – 8:25 AM (optional) | Cybersecurity as Financial Risk: What CPA Firms and Finance Leaders Must Prepare for in 2026 - Room AB | Daryl Burch | Sponsor Session – Data Networks | 0.5 Specialized Knowledge |
| 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM | First Brood - Room AB | Anirban Basu, PhD | General Session | 1.2 Specialized Knowledge |
| 9:30 AM – 9:45 AM | Networking Break | |||
| 9:45 AM – 10:45 AM | Leadership in Motion: How Finance Leaders Steady the Ship During Change - Room AB | Jessica McClain, Janice Stucke | Government / Not-for-Profit | 1.2 Specialized Knowledge |
| Update on Federal Markets and Market Opportunities - Room Coal Harbor | Alan Chvotkin | Government Contractors | 1.2 Specialized Knowledge | |
| Gen AI in Action as a Transformative Tool for Accountants - Room C | Byron Patrick | Business & Industry / Corporate Finance | 1.2 Specialized Knowledge | |
| Expert Witness Business Valuation Rebuttal Reports — Best Practices - Room D | Connor Thurman | Forensic Valuation | 1.2 Specialized Knowledge | |
| 10:45 AM – 11:00 AM | Networking Break | |||
| 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Emerging Tech, AI, and Risk Readiness for Nonprofits in 2026 - Room AB | Azunna Anyanwu, Karl Spanbauer | Government / Not-for-Profit | 1.2 Specialized Knowledge |
| DCAA Update - Room Coal Harbor | Jennifer Quinones | Government Contractors | 1.2 Specialized Knowledge | |
| A & A Update - Room C | Claudia Wolter | Business & Industry / Corporate Finance | 1.2 Auditing | |
| Daubert and the Exclusion of the Expert Witness - Room D | Alan Zipp, Eric Rollinger, Samantha Fisher | Forensic Valuation | 1.2 Specialized Knowledge | |
| 12:00 PM – 12:10 PM | Break | |||
| 12:10 PM – 1:10 PM | Predicting Growth Through Culture: A CFO's Guide to Human Capital Risk - Room AB | Don Rheem | General Session | 1.2 Specialized Knowledge |
| Leveraging AI in Business Valuations: Practical Applications and Ethical Considerations - Room D | Gregory Clark | Forensic Valuation | 1.2 Information Technology | |
| 1:10 PM – 2:10 PM | Lunch | |||
| 1:45 PM – 2:10 PM (optional) | Tax Controversy in 2026: Five Issues Every CPA Should Be Watching - Room C | Rebecca Sheppard, Peter Haukebo | Sponsor Session – Frost Law | 0.5 Specialized Knowledge |
| Maximizing Real Estate Tax Savings — Across the Ownership Cycle - Room Coal Harbor | Ty Hendrickson | Sponsor Session – CSA Partners | 0.5 Specialized Knowledge | |
| AI Automation in Tax Preparation: What CPAs Can Adopt Right Now - Room D | Jaideep Singh | Sponsor Session – FlyFin AI | 0.5 Specialized Knowledge | |
| Optional Free Time | — | — | — | |
| 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM | Form 990 Red Flags — A Case Study in Mistakes - Room AB | Mike Sorrells | Government / Not-for-Profit | 1.2 Specialized Knowledge |
| Regulatory Update: Where Do the Changes Lead? - Room Coal Harbor | Paul Calabrese, Steve Shamlian | Government Contractors | 1.2 Specialized Knowledge | |
| Avoiding Disaster: A Practical Discussion on Leading Projects That Succeed - Room C | Mike Molloy, Kevin Collingsworth | Business & Industry / Corporate Finance | 1.2 Specialized Knowledge | |
| Stress Testing Ethical Challenges - Room D | Cheryl Hyder | Forensic Valuation | 1.2 Specialized Knowledge | |
| 3:15 PM – 3:30 PM | Networking Break | |||
| 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Track Takeaways for the Day | Track facilitators | All tracks | 0.5 Specialized Knowledge per Track |
| 4:00 PM – 4:15 PM | Networking Break | |||
| 4:15 PM – 5:30 PM | SEE Clearly: Realigning Purpose Through Passion, Play, and Phinance (Closing Keynote) - Room AB | Dr. Tim Naddy | General Session | 1.5 Specialized Knowledge |
| 5:15 PM – 7:00 PM (optional) | Bonus Networking Happy Hour - Pre-Function Area | — | Sponsored by AICPA & CIMA |
Feel free to post event photos and tag MACPA! #MarylandCPAProud
Be sure to visit our sponsor tables throughout the day! During the breaks, stop by participating sponsor tables to learn more about their organizations and collect a stamp on your Sponsor Passport card.
Once your passport card is fully stamped, return it to the registration table to be entered into raffles for prizes that will be drawn during the closing keynote session. This is a great opportunity to connect with the organizations that support Converge and the MACPA community.
Thank you to our sponsors for making this event possible!
We encourage you to visit our sponsors during the conference.
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Conferences, seminars, and unique membership events to move your career and our profession forward, together.
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