MACPA’s 2022-23 Board of Directors

BY BILL SHERIDAN, CAE

The MACPA’s 2022-23 slate of officers and directors was voted into place at the association’s Annual Meeting, held June 24 in Ocean City. Here’s a closer look at this year’s Board of Directors.

OFFICERS

Herbert J. Geary III, CPA, CGMA

Chair Employer: UHY Advisors LLC Title: Managing director Notable: An MACPA member since 1988. Has more than 30 years of accounting and auditing experience, specializing in areas that include closely held businesses, manufacturing, wholesalers, distributors, construction contractors, local governments, and non-profits. Has served on the MACPA’s Board of Directors and as a past president of the Eastern Shore Chapter of the MACPA. Past chairman and current board member TidalHealth, a hospital system on Maryland’s lower Eastern Shore. A member of the Greater Salisbury Committee.

Christine Aspell, CPA

Vice Chair Employer: KPMG LLP, Baltimore Title: Managing partner / audit partner Notable: An MACPA member since 1991. Has more than 25 years experience in providing assurance services to clients in the financial services industry and specializes in serving clients in banking, investment services, insurance, and real estate. Partner-in-charge of the Baltimore chapter of KPMG’s Network of Women, where she established the chapter in 2004. A member of KPMG’s Women’s Advisory Board, which helps oversee the advancement of women. Chair of the Loyola Accounting Advisory Board. A member of the Greater Baltimore Committee Board of Directors, the Downtown Partnership Board of Directors, the Center Club Board of Governors, the My Sister’s Place Leadership Council, the Maryland Zoo, the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland, the New America (Better Life Lab), and the St. Ursula School Finance Committee. A “Maryland Top 100 Women” winner in 2012, 2015 and 2018.

Thomas White, CPA, CGMA

Secretary / Treasurer Employer: CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Title: Director of Accounting Notable: An MACPA member since 2010. Has more than a decade of accounting and audit experience in various industries, currently focusing on health care. Has extensive knowledge of health care finance, internal audit, and compliance. Started his career in public accounting with large firms, focusing on international, public, and non-profit clients. Transitioned into industry at CareFirst. An active MACPA volunteer, including involvement with the association’s mentor program, Scholarship Committee, and Champions Program.

Lexy Kessler, CPA

Past Chair Employer: Aronson LLC Title: Lead partner, Government Contract Services Group Notable: An MACPA member since 1987. Has more than 30 years of experience in assurance, tax, and consulting. Named one of the 20 most powerful women in accounting for 2020 by the AICPA and CPA Practice Advisor. As a leader in her practice area and a former member of Aronson’s Board of Directors, she also helps drive Aronson’s strategic direction and growth objectives. Currently serving as chair of the AICPA’s PCPS Executive Committee. Her reputation as an expert in her field is part of the personal brand that makes her sought-after speaker, and she has provided interviews and expert commentary to such media outlets as The Wall Street Journal, Federal News Radio, Law360, and Federal Times. As the first female chair of Aronson’s Board of Directors, she advocates for women to pursue leadership roles. Named by The Daily Record as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women for 2018 and 2020. Recipient of the MACPA’s “Women to Watch” award in 2014 and the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce’s Chairman’s Award in 2013.

DIRECTORS

Karl Ahlrichs, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CSP

Employer: Gregory & Appel Title: Senior Consultant Notable: Joined the MACPA’s Board of Directors this year as a public (non-CPA) member. Involved with the MACPA for 15 years as a content provider and thought leader, Ahlrichs is a human capital expert in the people side of finance and accounting and holds the highest certifications of the human capital field. A contributor to the AICPA and the Business Learning Institute’s catalog of continuing education and a contributing author to the Journal of Accountancy. Has direct experience with the strategies accounting and finance professionals need to recover from the impact of the COVID19 pandemic. One of fewer than 800 speaking professionals who are qualified as a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) by the National Speakers Association. Routinely presents to business and industry audiences on challenging subjects.

Maxene M. Bardwell, CPA, CIGA, CIA, CFE, CISA, CITP, CRMA

Employer: Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission Title: Assistant Inspector General for Audit, Office of the Inspector General Notable: A well-credentialed executive with more than 20 years of experience leading internal audit establishments in the financial services and public utility industries. Earned her master’s degree from Notre Dame of Maryland University and a bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University. A member of several professional organizations. In addition to her exemplary career and professional achievements, she holds several board and committee positions. Currently serves as a member of the AICPA’s Auditing Standards Board, vice chairman for the City of Laurel Ethics Commission, vice president of the Central Maryland Chapter of ISACA, and board member of the Association of Inspectors General. A volunteer course manager and instructor for the Association of Inspectors General Institute and Mentor for the MACPA’s Mentor Program. Winner of the 2021 AICPA Outstanding CPA in Local Government Impact Award.

Elise Brouillette, CPA

Employer: PwC LLP Title: Senior Manager Notable: An MACPA member since 2010. Experienced in providing external audit, internal audit, and data transformation services to a diverse portfolio of clients. Currently resides in internal risk management, where she monitors firm compliance with external laws, regulations, and internal policies. Recognized as an “Emerging Leader” as part of the MACPA’s 2014 Women to Watch program.

Michael Kimbrough, Ph.D., CPA

Employer: University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business Title: Professor and Chair, Department of Accounting and Information Assurance Notable: An MACPA member since 2021. Joined the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland in 2010 after spending eight years at Harvard Business School as a faculty member in the Accounting and Management Unit. Earned his B.A. in economics from Washington University in St. Louis and his Ph.D. in accounting from Indiana University in Bloomington. Prior to returning to graduate school for his doctoral studies, he worked as a CPA with Price Waterhouse. His teaching and research focuses on corporate financial reporting, and his research has been published in leading academic journals. A member of the American Accounting Association, Professor Kimbrough has received numerous teaching awards, including the Krowe Award for Teaching Excellence, the highest teaching honor at the University of Maryland’s Smith Business School.

Kimberly Mustard, CPA, CGMA

Employer: HCFL Title: Partner Notable: An MACPA member for more than 20 years. Leads her firm as quality control advisor. Has more than 25 years of audit and accounting experience, including extensive experience with her favorite industry, not-for-profit organizations. Conducts peer reviews and serves on the MACPA’s Peer Review Committee (Coastal Peer Review, Inc.). Has participated and continues to participate on various NFP boards as treasurer, as well as other board positions.

Dave Ryan, Esq., CPA (retired)

Employer: CompensationGPS Title: Managing Director Notable: An MACPA member since 2011. Has more than 30 years of in-depth consulting and corporate leadership experience in the design and implementation of executive and employee compensation programs for a wide range of for profit and notfor-profit U.S. and global companies across many industries. Since founding his firm in 2010, has served as an expert compensation advisor for Maryland attorneys, CPAs, and their clients. His special expertise is in assisting boards and senior management in the governance, design, and development of impactful total executive reward programs. Prior to founding CompensationGPS, led executive and global compensation and advised the Board Compensation Committees at Black & Decker and Pitney Bowes, and had area leadership responsibility for compensation and benefits consulting services in the Connecticut offices of Ernst & Young, LLP. Currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Community Law Center, and has written and presented for the MACPA on compensation matters.

Brett Sanders, CPA

Employer: Bird Global Inc. Title: Senior Accounting Manager Notable: An MACPA member since 2014. Has nine years of audit and accounting experience, including experience in financial services, power and utilities, and the new micromobility industry. Has served on Penn State THON supporting fundraising efforts for pediatric cancer research, and on the board for the Academy of Finance of Baltimore County. Recently served on the PwC National Assurance Staff Council and the MACPA Champions Committee. Currently serves on the University of Baltimore Accounting and Advisory Board.

Savedra N. Scott, CPA, CGMA, CrFAC, MSA, MBA

Employer: Savvy Financial Solutions. Title: Owner Notable: An MACPA member since 2007. An outsourced accountant and owner of Savvy Financial Solutions. Has been in business for 10 years and has 20 years of experience. Earned a master’s degree in accountancy from George Washington University and an MBA from Frostburg University. Loves working with nonprofit clients to make their lives easier so they can focus on their work while she focuses on the numbers. When not working, she loves hanging out with family and binging her favorite shows.

Herbert Geary named chair of MACPA’s Board of Directors

BY BILL SHERIDAN, CAE

Herbert J. Geary III, CPA, CGMA, partner with UHY LLP in Salisbury and managing director of UHY Advisors, has been named chair of the 2022-23 Board of Directors of the Maryland Association of CPAs. Geary was elected chair by the MACPA membership during the association’s 2022 Annual Meeting, held on June 24 in Ocean City, Md. He succeeds Aronson LLC Partner Lexy Kessler, who served as 2021-22 chair. In his remarks to Maryland CPAs, Geary outlined a broad agenda for the coming year that includes four main tenets: • Channeling the work of the MACPA

Foundation to help grow and support the pipeline of new CPAs into the profession. • Serving as a “lookout post” for

Maryland CPAs by keeping members informed and looking forward. • Continuing to make good on the

MACPA’s Member Promise, which pledges community, advocacy, professional development, and vital resources to help Maryland CPAs stay future-ready. • Creating vibrant communities of interest and collaboration among members. “Our future isn’t created, it’s co-created,” Geary said. “That kind of collaboration among the MACPA’s board, our volunteers, and our leadership team has resulted in a shared vision for our association’s future and a solid strategy for how to achieve it. I’m committed to realizing that vision by creating and expanding opportunities for our members, volunteers, and leaders to collaborate. We can build a blueprint for the profession of tomorrow, but only if we work together.” An MACPA member since 1988, Geary has more than 30 years of accounting and auditing experience, specializing in areas that include closely held businesses, manufacturing, wholesalers, distributors, construction contractors, local governments, and non-profit organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors and several committees for TidalHealth, a hospital system that services Maryland’s lower Eastern Shore. He is also a member of the Greater Salisbury Committee, a nonprofit organization committed to improving the Salisbury community. In addition to his work on the MACPA’s Board of Directors, Geary is a past president of the association’s Eastern Shore Chapter and a current member of the Governing Council for the American Institute of CPAs.

Joining Geary on the 2022-23 MACPA Board of Directors are:

• Vice chair: Christine Aspell, CPA, managing partner / audit partner,

KPMG LLP in Baltimore

• Secretary / treasurer: Thomas White,

CPA, CGMA, director of accounting,

CareFirst BC / BS

• Past chair: Lexy Kessler, CPA, partner,

Aronson LLC

• Karl Ahlrichs, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CSP, senior consultant, Gregory & Appelz • Maxene Bardwell, CPA, CIA, CFE,

CISA, CRMA, CIGA, assistant inspector general for audit, Office of the Inspector General, Washington

Suburban Sanitary Commission • Elise Brouillette, CPA, senior manager, PwC • Michael Kimbrough, Ph.D., CPA, professor and chair, Department of Accounting and Information

Assurance, University of Maryland

Robert H. Smith School of Business

• Kim Mustard, CPA, CGMA, partner, HCFL • Dave Ryan, Esq., CPA (retired), managing director, CompensationGPS • Brett Sanders, CPA, senior accounting manager, Bird Global Inc. • Savedra Scott, CPA, owner, Savvy

Financial Solutions

Also at the June 24 Annual Meeting, Tricia Katebini, CPA, a partner at GRF CPAs and Advisors, was awarded the MACPA’s 202122 Max Teichmann Award for her tireless volunteer work as an MACPA champion and volunteer.

“Tricia is not just a champion of the MACPA, she is passionate about this profession, offering her strategic and innovative insights to make it better, locally and nationally,” said MACPA CEO Jackie Brown. “She is deeply committed to the profession’s future and actively engaged in mentoring the next generation of CPAs and leaders. We are extremely grateful for all she does to make MACPA better.”

Named in honor of the association’s founder, the award recognizes an MACPA member who has made significant contributions on behalf of the profession.

NEWS & VIEWS

Rebekah Brown named president and CEO of Maryland Association of CPAs

BY BILL SHERIDAN, CAE

Rebekah J. Brown, CPA, a 10-year veteran of the MACPA’s staff who most recently served as the association’s director of development, has been chosen by the MACPA’s Board of Directors as the organization’s next president and CEO. Brown succeeds Jackie Brown, who will be retiring on June 30 following a 42-year career with the association.

“As a passionate CPA in the great state of Maryland and a proud product of the MACPA’s vast community of leaders, I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to continue work with our members, partners, and team as we, together, build an even better, futureready profession,” Rebekah Brown said. “I believe in this profession and in this community. The MACPA’s mission, vision, and values — co-created in collaboration with the MACPA team and volunteer leaders — inspire me every day.” “Rebekah’s passion for our profession, her long history of service to Maryland CPAs, and her forward-thinking leadership are perfect fits for the MACPA, which is considered one of the most progressive and future-focused associations in the country,” said Lexy Kessler, a partner with Aronson and chair of the MACPA’s Board of Directors. “She’s a catalyst for innovation who has a demonstrated ability to adapt to changing and complex environments — characteristics that will serve her well in her new role. We’re thrilled to have her and eager to see what she brings to the table.”

As a CPA and the MACPA’s former director of development, Brown has strong ties to the profession — not just in Maryland, but throughout the country. She is a recognized thought leader who represents the MACPA and its members on a broader national scale, and she has a wealth of experience as a strategic facilitator with an eye toward future-focused leadership. As important, she has a decade of direct experience with the MACPA’s leadership team and its members, which ultimately will mean stability and continuity at the association’s highest levels. “The MACPA will continue to be a lookout post for our members,” Brown said. “We will continue to innovate and be at the forefront of the profession while creating more intimate and collaborative relationships with and among our members and all stakeholders in our profession. “Our member promise — our purpose, values, and focus, co-created by our board and team, is the vision and the unchanging why of the MACPA,” she added. “In an environment in which an inclusive culture and community are critical, we have a rock-solid foundation, strong volunteer leaders, and a tenured and passionate team poised to lead the MACPA into the future.” Brown joined the MACPA staff in 2012, and in 2014 was named the organization’s manager of membership development and engagement. She became the director development in 2018 and helped lead the association through the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the departure of longtime CEO Tom Hood, and the sale of the Business Learning Institute to the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.

“After the very thorough work of our Search Committee, which interviewed candidates from across the country, we are proud to welcome Rebekah as the MACPA’s new CEO,” said Herbert Geary, CPA, a partner with UHY Advisors and incoming chair of the association’s board. “Her leadership skills are as impressive as her passion and commitment to the profession, and we are fortunate to have her.”

In 2020, Brown was named a Maryland “Leading Woman” by The Daily Record. She was included in CPA Practice Advisor’s annual list of 40 Under 40 Professionals in 2019 and 2020, and was awarded the 2019 President’s Award for Community Service by the Baltimore chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants.

Prior to joining the MACPA team, Brown served as a senior auditor with SC&H Group in Sparks, Md. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University. Bill Sheridan, CAE, is editor of The Statement and chief communications officer for the MACPA.