Accountants, Experts Gather at Upcoming Conference

A daylong conference for accounting professionals will cover a wide range of subjects, ranging from fraud and forensic accounting to the evolving federal tax code to new auditing standards.

More than 250 accountants from throughout the region are expected to attend the third annual Accounting CPE Conference, on Thursday, Nov. 13, in the Power Center Ballroom. Hosted by the accounting programs of the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business, the event provides attending accountants the opportunity to earn continuing professional education (CPE) credits, which are essential for maintaining licensure as a certified public accountant.

The experts in accounting, auditing and fraud detection slated to speak at the conference add a high level of credibility to the technical material being presented, according to Robert Kollar, assistant professor of accounting, who has served as the principal organizer and chair for all of the CPE conferences.

Kollar, himself a certified public accountant, cited this year’s keynote speaker, Susan Cosper, as an example of the conference speakers’ technical knowledge and authoritative credentials. Cosper, whose address will focus on changes in accounting standards, is the technical director and chair of the Emerging Issues Task Force for the FASB (Financial Accounting Standards Board), the nation’s most influential non-governmental organization establishing standards for financial accounting.

Among other events during the conference, William J. Lyons, the retired chief financial officer (CFO) of CONSOL Energy, will moderate a roundtable discussion with CFOs from Giant Eagle, Calgon Carbon Corporation and The Pittsburgh Foundation. Other speakers at the event represent major accounting firms, including Ernst and Young, Schneider Downs, and Kaufman, Hall & Associates.

Dr. James Weber, professor of business ethics and management and executive director of the business school’s Institute for Ethics in Business, will conduct the final session of the day, on ethics.