105th Annual Conference Topics Opening Keynote with Kimberly N. Ellison-Taylor, AICPA Recent Past Chair

Limitless Possibilities: Technology and Tomorrow's Profession

Artificial intelligence. Big data. Blockchain. Technology is creating limitless possibilities for the accounting

profession. Association of International Certified Professional Accountants Chairman Kimberly Ellison-Taylor,

CPA, CGMA, discusses the many opportunities for accounting and finance professionals to harness the power

of emerging technologies to go beyond the scope of today, creating even more value for the clients and

businesses they serve.

Kimberly has a lengthy history of volunteering for the profession, including serving as a member of the AICPA

Business and Industry Executive Committee as well as the AICPA Board of Directors where she served as a

member of the Audit and Finance committees. Kimberly also worked with the Benevolent Fund and has served

as a Council representative.

She is a past Chair of the Maryland Association of CPAs and has served on many of its committees, including

the New Young Professional Network and Tomorrow's CPA.

Kimberly is currently the Global Accounting Strategy Director for the Financial and Professional Services

Industries for Oracle America, a leader in cloud solutions and enterprise technology. In this capacity, she

provides insight to help drive innovation in this important domain, particularly as disruption is enabled by

technology to include Cloud, Software as a Service, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Data, and Robotics Process

Automation to name a few.

Previously, she served as the Global Practice team leader for Oracle's Health and Human Services Industry

Practice, working with teams worldwide where she developed and executed strategies on Cloud, Big Data,

Security, Fraud Prevention/Detection, Customer Experience, and Modernization. Prior to Oracle, Kimberly

worked in leadership roles at numerous other major companies and organizations, including the NASA

Goddard Space Flight Center; Motorola; KPMG; and Prince George's County Government, where she served as

Chief Information Technology Officer.

She is a sought-after speaker and has received numerous awards. Notably, Kimberly has been recognized by

Accounting Today as a one of the 100 Most Influential People in Accounting in 2016 and also by CPA Practice

Advisor as one of the Most Powerful Women in Accounting for 2016. As of July 2017, Kimberly is also a

member of the Robert H. Smith School of Business Advisory Board.

Kimberly received her bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; an Accounting

Certificate from the Community College of Baltimore County, an MBA from Loyola University and Masters of

Science in Information Technology and a Chief Information Officer Certificate from Carnegie Mellon University.

FASB and Private Company Council Townhall

FASB and PCC will hold its first Montana private company town hall meeting to discuss private company

accounting issues and share input with stakeholders on current and future agenda topics of both the FASB and

the PCC.

Panelists:

• Rick Reisig (PCC member)

• Dev Strischek (PCC member)

• Sue Cosper (FASB member)

• Christine Botoson (FASB member)

• Jeff Mechanick (FASB Staff)

• Mike Cheng (FASB Staff)

Success in Montana Join us as we welcome these trail blazers in our state!

Vim & Vigor Uncommon Ground

Missoula, MT Helena, MT

vimvigr.com uncommongroundmt.com

Simms Consumer Direct Care Network Montana

Bozeman, MT Missoula, MT

simmsfishing.com consumerdirectmt.com

MSCPA Book Club: The Ideal Team Player, by Patrick Lencioni This optional early morning class on Friday will review Patrick Lencioni’s concrete tools to identify, hire and

develop ideal team players in any kind of organization.

Please read the book ahead of time (you can purchase it from AmazonSmile and benefit the MSCPA Legacy

Foundation).

Tech Talk Panel: Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence and the future of accounting We’ve gathered technology experts from various professions across the state to come together and answer

YOUR questions!

Expert Panelists are:

Murali Iyer, Wipfli

Dawn Temple, State of Montana

Mike Sangray, Anderson ZurMuehlen

Kelsea Kimerly, Pine Cove Consulting

How will Blockchain affect the accounting and financial industries? Will robots take over for CPAs? How will

technology drive change in our industry?

Please submit your questions ahead of time to molly@mscpa.org.

Top 5 Estate Planning Mistakes to Avoid with Joanne McCormick Estate planning means preparing for death and lifetime disability by having the proper legal documents such

as a Will, Trust, Powers of Attorney, Living Wills, etc. Joanne will discuss the basics needed for a good plan by

sharing the top mistakes she sees every day in her law practice.

The State of the Economy: Local, State and National Trends with Bryce Ward Bryce Ward is associate director at the Bureau of Business and Economic Research and director of the

bureau’s health care research program. Bryce will give both state and national updates and discuss rising and

declining trends that will affect the accounting industry and the clients we serve.

Closing Keynote: BlindSpot Zone with Kevin McCarthy (Earn 2 Ethics credits by attending) If you have ever said to yourself, “I didn’t see that coming!” then Welcome to the BlindSpot Zone™ is a

program you won’t want to miss!

Our closing speaker spent 33 months in a federal prison for a crime he didn’t knowingly commit because… he

had blind spots. What are your blind spots doing to you?

The problem with making ethical decisions is you don’t always know you are in the middle of an ethical

dilemma. You simply don’t know what you don’t know! And, sometimes the things you think you know simply

are not so.

Blind spots are those unconscious biases, implicit associations, memory traps and thinking errors that affect

our behavior and decision-making abilities.

We all have numerous blind spots. They are nearly impossible to recognize if we are not looking for them. In

fact, it is easier for us to identify blind spots in others than in ourselves.

Through Kevin’s presentation you will learn how to identify your own blind spots and mitigate their impact at

work and at home. As a result, you will be able to make better, more ethical decisions, enjoy better

communications, deeper relationships and, ultimately, live your best life. Join us. You won’t want to miss even

one minute of Kevin’s opening story!

Back by popular demand: Young Professionals Track Speed Mentoring Join us for this optional session Friday morning during breakfast. Grab your breakfast and coffee and take

advantage of all the mentors available at this conference! The MSCPA staff will help facilitate the mentoring

opportunities. Sign up early to get the most out of this session. We will send a survey out in advance to help

pair each mentee up with a small group of mentors!

Real Colors: Interpersonal Communications Workshop with Tara Mastel and Katie Weaver At one time or another, everyone has reached a point where they can only shake their head and wonder,

"Why do people do the things they do?" The answer may surprise you!

Fact is, everyone has a distinct temperament spectrum comprised of four colors: Blue, Gold, Orange and

Green. Learn to identify a person's Real Colors® and you'll gain insight into the things that are most important

to them, discover the secret of what motivates them, and much more.

Real Colors® is easy to use at work, at home, anywhere you meet people!

Real Colors® Personality Instrument is presented in a fast, fun, interactive format where participants can learn

how to quickly identify their own temperament or "color" and that of others. Using this powerful knowledge,

they can develop more effective communication skills and build better relationships, in and out of the

workplace.

Building Capacity for Professional Growth with Colleen Rudio Connecting purpose, skill and strategy.