2012 Hosts and Trainers at Wipfli's National Training Conference

Meet your Conference Hosts, Trainers and Keynote Speakers

Steve Lipton, your conference host and leader of Wipfli LLP's Nonprofit and Government Practice (NGP) focuses on helping organizations improve the way they work, while staying in compliance, so they can focus on their mission. Working with organizations on diverse operational improvement and planning efforts, Steve helps ensure organizations are working as effectively as possible. He works with senior leadership, assisting them to organize their efforts through strategic and technology planning. In particular, Steve has helped many organizations create more effective IT governance, leading to improved integration of business needs and technology. At the department level, he helps organizations understand opportunities for improvement and how to take action to implement those opportunities.

Denes Tobie, your conference host, is the partner who leads training development in NGP. In addition, Denes oversees audit engagements and consulting opportunities and works with clients to maintain compliance with laws and regulations. As a leader in NGP, Denes trains nonprofits and government agencies in regulations, best practices, and governance. Denes knows nonprofit organizations rely on black ink for their operating budgets. She works with a variety of nonprofits providing financial and compliance audits, tax-exempt reporting and compliance, and an assortment of management consulting services. "Being proactive, instead of reactive, in our services is how we add value and help our clients succeed," says Denes. Governance training has also been keeping Denes busy. Boards, policy councils, staff, and management have all seen the positive results that come from training in this area. Denes enjoys presenting the results of Wipfli's work — and helpful recommendations — to the boards of directors and management teams who control the destiny of the organizations she serves.

Janet Johnson, your conference host, leads the Internet Subscription Service Membership Site for NGP. Janet combines her expertise in the analysis of financial and administrative systems and processes to gain greater productivity and effectiveness for her nonprofit clients. She has worked with small and large nonprofit organizations and units of state government, including State of Wisconsin Investment Board, State of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, and the University of Wisconsin System. Janet is always eager to share her knowledge and skills with clients by providing education on how to implement new processes, and change old ones, to save time and money. To uncover revolutionary ideas on how to work smarter, she uses interview techniques, flow chart analysis, and process description tools to develop recommendations for improvements that clients can easily implement. Janet's experience includes total quality management, planning, training, and facilitation with a variety of organizations. In addition, Janet offered her extensive knowledge and was a coauthor of Wipfli's Model Accounting and Financial Policies and Procedures Manual.

Deb Pagel, your conference host, leads the Consulting area in NGP. Deb is highly skilled at analyzing situations and getting to the real issue in order to help clients implement effective solutions. In addition to her operations and vast human resource experience, Deb also has a sound understanding of systems and logic from her MIS background. Deb is a human resource veteran with a background in change management, recruiting, hiring, compensation, training, and organizational and team development that allows her to provide her clients the best possible advice based on real-world experience. A highly accomplished trainer and facilitator, Deb has presented numerous workshops on many human resource topics including change management, leadership and development, interviewing, compensation, time management, supervisory skills, and harassment.

Brian Angus is the chief executive officer of the Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission. During his nearly 40-year history working in the Community Action network, he has been a leader and an innovator in addressing issues of poverty.

The hallmark of Brian's career has been building community responses to emerging issues. He was responsible for organizing three nationally recognized community coalitions. Brian's work with and the impact of the Safe and Healthy Neighborhood Coalition (SHNC) led to Fitchburg, Massachusetts, being named a 1994 All America City by the National Civic League. Most recently, Brian organized community and institutional leaders into Poverty Task Forces in northern Kentucky and Anne Arundel County, Maryland, to create a poverty reduction framework.

Randy Beard is a partner in our Rhinelander office. Randy received the AICPA Governmental Accounting and Auditing Certificate of Educational Achievement when it was first offered. He has assisted several clients in obtaining the Certificate of Achievement in Financial Reporting. Randy gained his experience from being a financial statement reviewer for ASBO for more than 10 years. He has provided significant insight into obtaining the certificate for clients.

Randy is currently the leader of the auditing and accounting services provided by Wipfli's NGP group. He has served on the firm's Quality Assurance Committee for over 25 years and in that role concurs on NGP financial statements prepared by offices throughout the firm. His governmental and nonprofit background is broad and includes technical colleges, school districts, Native American tribes, community-based and grant-funded nonprofits, counties, utilities, municipalities, and A-133 audits. "Providing quality and timely service is a goal for every client, every year. One without the other does not meet the client's needs," says Randy.

David Bradley, your Keynote Speaker, is the executive director for the National Community Action Foundation. He gives a voice to the voiceless. For nearly three decades, David has been the preeminent advocate in Washington, D.C., working closely with the Congressional leadership and with numerous administrations to ensure federal policies related to major social service programs make a difference in the lives of low-income Americans.

David is the principle author of the Community Services Block Grant, which provides the core funding to the nation's CAA network. He has been widely praised by leaders of both political parties. Sargent Shriver, the first leader in the War on Poverty, said it best: "No one has done more to keep the War on Poverty alive and fresh in the minds of individuals."

The unique role he has crafted in Washington and his nearly unrivaled access to powerbrokers in the Congressional leadership has made David a popular presence on the speaker circuit. His speaking engagements provide his audiences with an insider's perspective of the political climate in Washington that is gleaned directly from political and party leaders. He frequently is asked to provide his analysis of upcoming elections, as well as pending legislation.

David has bachelor's and master's degrees from George Washington University. In 1987, he was a Senior Executive Fellow at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government. He served in President Carter's Administration as Congressional liaison at the Small Business Administration.

In his spare time, David is part owner of three AAA baseball teams: the Albuquerque Isotopes, the Bowie Baysox, and the Frederick Keys.

Mark Burger is a senior consultant in Wipfli's Information Technology practice. He strives to develop long-term relationships with clients by providing cost-effective solutions and excellent customer service. He provides outsourced IT consulting services for many of Wipfli's clients who find this arrangement to be a very cost-effective solution for meeting their IT needs. Mark believes there is a distinct difference between a consultant and a vendor, and he prides himself on looking out for the best needs of his clients, providing them with the associated costs and benefits of various options in an easy-to-understand manner.

Prior to joining Wipfli, Mark worked as an information technology consultant in K-12 school districts, where he led several large IT infrastructure projects. He works diligently with clients to help them reach their long-term technology goals. His thorough and patient approach ensures business leaders can make well-informed IT decisions.

Alicia Cameron is a member of the Nonprofit and Government Practice and uses her many years of experience and knowledge of the nonprofit environment not only to provide the audit, tax, and consulting services organizations need, but also to leverage that same knowledge to provide services organizations want. She has experience with federally funded programs, low-income housing entities, and HUD projects. Alicia also works with charitable organizations, religious organizations, private foundations, educational organizations, and business leagues. She is familiar with the financial reporting requirements of nonprofit organizations through her ability to draft and analyze financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP and to report those findings to members of management, as well as the board of directors. Alicia adds value to working with organizations by seeking to improve the effectiveness of internal control structures within their organizations through analysis and application of best practices.

Stephanie Cavadeas, a senior accountant with Wipfli, demonstrates exemplary analytical and client service skills in a wide range of industries, especially nonprofits. Included in that experience is tax and assurance work for more than 30 nonprofit organizations. Stephanie enjoys a challenge and does not shy away from digging deeply into her clients' situations. This in-depth experience has helped her develop a keen sense of industry best practices, which she uses to help all of her clients succeed.

Bob Cedergren is the partner leading Wipfli LLP's Risk Advisory and Forensic Services Practice. Bob has developed an extensive base of knowledge and provides expert consultation services on issues relevant to his clients. Drawing upon his extensive experience, Bob is able to understand the day-to-day issues that affect Wipfli's clients and provide a level of service that is appropriate for each client. He works with clients in the areas of risk management, strategic planning, information security, business continuity planning, and business planning and assessment. Bob offers a unique approach to his clients, with a focus on the business itself as a top priority. He understands the importance of getting to know clients' businesses, followed by understanding their technology.

Marc Courey has diverse experience in forensic accounting, law practice, information technology systems, and corporate management. He has conducted financial forensic investigations and fraud risk assessments, assisted public companies with Sarbanes-Oxley compliance requirements, and conducted regulatory compliance engagements and internal investigations disclosing fraud and resulting in regulatory enforcement action and referral for criminal prosecution. He also has significant experience assisting organizations with e-discovery and litigation readiness preparedness and formation and governance issues including risk management, business ethics, and employment practices. Prior to joining Wipfli LLP, Marc was responsible for the forensic accounting and investigative services for a national accounting and consulting firm, assisting clients with proactive risk management activities; reactive forensic, litigation, and investigative issues; and assessment, development, and implementation of internal controls and business process improvements. Marc also was an adjunct professor teaching forensic accounting at Minnesota State University-Mankato.

Deana Dearry has an extensive background in accounting, human resources, technology planning, and project implementation. In her role as enterprise solutions manager with Insperity, she is able to focus on partnering with nonprofit organizations across the country to help them define the requirements for and implement effective workforce management solutions. She has also facilitated and led human resources and technology training sessions specifically targeted to nonprofit and grant-funded program requirements and staff. Deana believes that she knows what it takes to get the work done and will take the time to get to know each agency's individual needs. She views an organization's goals as her goals, their challenges as her challenges. Deana and the Insperity team are committed to the ongoing development of human resource, payroll, and time and attendance automation solutions for nonprofits!

Lisa Desotelle is a partner in the Minnesota Region. She has been providing high-quality auditing and consulting services to nonprofit organizations and local governments for 20 years. Lisa has vast audit experience in a wide range of industries, with specialized knowledge relating to nonprofit operations, especially large, diversely funded organizations with complex accounting issues. She prides herself on thinking outside the box and offering proactive solutions to save her clients time and money. Lisa specializes in audits of nonprofit organizations including foundations, grant-funded programs, and A-133 single audits, along with the preparation of financial statements and nonprofit federal and state tax returns. She offers clients customized consulting engagements including consulting and training in computerized accounting systems, internal controls, and indirect costs and cost allocations.

Greg Dunham is a partner in the Rockford office. He has more than 30 years of public accounting experience. Greg performs audits for a wide variety of clients, specializing in governmental and nonprofit entities including school districts, colleges, and municipalities. Combining exceptional client service with personalized attention, he assists clients with their specific needs and issues. Greg understands the importance of taking time to learn his clients' businesses. Listening to his clients' needs in order to provide the service they are expecting is a top priority. Greg helps his clients with financial audits, financial statements, regulatory reporting, and the preparation of nonprofit federal and state tax returns.

Karl Eck dedicates his time to performing audits of nonprofit organizations. He has worked with more than 30 different nonprofit organizations, including Community Action organizations, Head Start programs, and Workforce Investment Boards. He has substantial experience completing and reviewing Form 990 returns, as well as in-depth knowledge of federal regulations. With this knowledge, Karl helps clients navigate through the audit and provides solutions to mitigate any findings. "Providing clients with a clear and concise picture of their finances gives them assurance that their organization is functioning properly. If there are any issues, we can help solve them," says Karl.

Don Emery is a senior consultant in Wipfli's Information Technology (IT) and Nonprofit and Government Consulting groups. Drawing upon his extensive information technology experience, he is able to work closely with his clients to provide technology needs assessments and solution recommendations. Understanding the client's needs and providing expert support services are his top priorities. By first familiarizing himself with his clients' business, Don is able to accurately assess their needs in order to determine the most appropriate action and offer beneficial support. Prior to joining Wipfli, he worked in technology roles with several Fortune 500 companies and managed technology for a local nonprofit organization. Don is able to draw on these diverse experiences to provide a wide range of services and is able to secure successful results.

Peggy Farah uses her broad experience as a nonprofit finance professional to help Wipfli's nonprofit clients optimize their impact on the communities they serve through effective and efficient business processes and, ultimately, high-level accountability. She believes that through accountability, nonprofits can enhance their response to the communities they serve. In her consulting role at Wipfli, Peggy provides planning, training, implementation, and support services for the Sage 100 Fund Accounting and Sage Fundraising 50 products. She also provides interim CFO and other financial management services to her nonprofit clients. Prior to her consulting role with Wipfli, Peggy served in a financial leadership role with the American Lung Association in Minnesota (ALAMN) for over 11 years and helped guide ALAMN through periods of significant growth and change. Peggy, a licensed CPA, earned her MBA from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and her BA in marketing management from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. She currently serves as treasurer and steering committee member for the Twin Cities Nonprofit Financial Group and as treasurer of the United States Air Force Academy Parents' Club of Minnesota.

Seth Finestack helps Wipfli clients achieve their missions by partnering on strategic planning and organizational development. Drawing from a decade of consulting for Fortune 1000 organizations, he now helps nonprofit and public sector agencies transform into community and industry leaders. Seth trains, consults, and facilitates transformation planning, change leadership, and organizational alignment priorities. He is a certified professional facilitator and brings a deeply collaborative approach to our clients' challenges.

Dave Globig is a partner in NGP with a very hands-on approach. This makes him highly skilled in getting to the heart of the issue and producing results. Dave's perspective is that of a professional who has "worked in the trenches." He prides himself on making tough issues easy to understand and providing common-sense solutions to complicated and difficult problems. Dave has significant expertise in the not-for-profit sector including community-based organizations. In the not-for-profit specialty, he has successfully consulted on internal control reviews, implemented board oversight responsibilities, performed strategic planning, and solved government contract reimbursement issues. Dave's active participation in not-for-profit organizations allows him to provide highly capable consultative services with confidence. He has adeptly assisted long-term retirement communities, social service agencies, government contract compliance, trade associations, and various charities.

Kristen Hager assists her small to mid-sized corporate clients with their accounting and tax needs. Prior to joining Wipfli, she spent almost 10 years managing a small financial services firm. As a business manager, she learned the needs of a small business, especially the importance of having a good accountant who understands the accounting needs within your industry, and she brings this experience to Wipfli's nonprofit clients. Kristen's parents were both executive directors of nonprofits. Kristen considers herself raised by the nonprofit industry because of the demands the organizations placed on her parents. Her life experience as a youth and her business experience as an adult make her uniquely qualified to understand the need for a good relationship with your accountant and the demands of the nonprofit industry. Kristen's passion is working with nonprofit organizations in both audit and tax. She brings energy and life experience to the nonprofit audits and tax returns on which she is a team member. Kristen's goal is to provide a collaborative atmosphere where the client and Wipfli can work, learn, and grow together.

John Hemming is partner in NGP and specializes in large and small nonprofit agencies. His experience includes auditing and analyzing grant-funded programs, CAP agencies, Workforce Investment Boards, Head Starts, and complex accounting issues for agencies of all sizes. Since joining Wipfli, John has served over 50 nonprofit clients by helping them with the planning and completion of financial statements and OMB Circular A-133 audits. He enjoys teaching and applying the many facets of nonprofit and grant-funded audit standards to clients. What really makes John's job worthwhile are the people he works with at the various agencies, the services he provides for them, and the outcomes achieved.

Tammy Jelinek has spent the majority of her career working in and with grant-funded and fee-for-services nonprofit organizations. She engages with leadership teams to strategically align their goals to grow, expand, and meet their mission. Tammy has trained nationally in the areas of Head Start/Early Head Start regulations, organizational development, organizational culture, human resources, leadership, and management. With her understanding of federal laws and regulations, she has assisted with growth, development, and marketing in both the private and public arenas. In helping clients make changes to impact their communities, Tammy has engaged in organizational development and culture initiatives, process design and implementation, financial analysis, and change management (including coaching).

Julia Johnson is an experienced human resources and organizational development professional. Her areas of concentration include human resource systems alignment, succession and talent management, training and development, executive coaching, base and incentive compensation system design, organizational structure alignment, and problem-solving on a myriad of issues. Skilled at recognizing critical issues and related symptoms, Julia is able to approach problem solving from both tactical and strategic perspectives, thereby aligning day-to-day activities with long-term goals and objectives. By first understanding where an organization is, relative to where they want to be, she is able to identify and implement effective solutions supportive to the uniqueness of every organization. Julia is passionate about working collaboratively with others to facilitate dialogue and decision making to achieve success.

Michael Johnson, your Keynote Speaker, serves as the CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County. He has made it his priority to ensure that the Boys & Girls Club continues to be a leader in youth development while enhancing its partnerships to produce positive outcomes for young people and their families. In 2011, Michael was named by Madison Magazine as one of Madison's People of the Year and was named Omega Psi Phi's Citizen of the Year.

Michael is a member of 100 Black Men and the Madison Network of Black Professionals. He sits on the board of the Healthy Community Foundation, the advisory board of Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation, and the board of directors of STAR Credit Union and was appointed by the mayor of Madison to the Community Advisory Board for the Overture Center. Prior to moving to Madison, he served as the deputy recreation commissioner for the City of Philadelphia, the executive director of Lutheran Child & Family Services of Indiana and Kentucky, the vice president of the YMCA of Greater St. Louis, and the special assistant to the CEO for both Philadelphia and Chicago Public Schools.

During his time in other cities, Michael was named Non-Profit Executive of the Year by the St. Louis Metro Sentinel Journal. In 2007, the mayor of St. Louis proclaimed a day in his honor. In Philadelphia, he received proclamations from the city council and the school district and was the lead architect for the Mayor's Splash & Summer Fund Campaign, an effort that raised millions of dollars for local kids to participate in recreation programs.

Michael holds an MBA in global management from University of Phoenix and a BA in business education from Chicago State University. He also holds certifications in fund raising management from The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University and certifications in human resource management from Cornell University in New York. Michael is married to Toya, and they have two kids.

Paul Johnson works with clients to assess, improve, and test the security of their information systems as part of Wipfli LLP's Risk Advisory and Forensic Services practice. He also helps clients determine their compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and their health care security compliance including HIPAA and HITECH. In addition, Paul leads a team with extensive experience and qualifications to provide perimeter vulnerability assessments, network and application penetration testing, internal network vulnerability assessments, and policy compliance assessments using social engineering techniques. With extensive experience in the information technology and information security fields, Paul combines his various experiences with Wipfli's methodologies and processes to provide clients with sound advice and services to improve their technical environments.

Tyson Murphy is the Management of Information Systems manager for Orange County Head Start, Inc. In the decade that he has worked for Head Start, he has shown a true passion for all aspects of information technology and a unique gift for articulating complex technical topics in a useful format. Prior to joining Head Start, Tyson worked as a consultant and software developer for Curtco Media Labs, SCORE, California Pizza Kitchen, and COPA, to name a few. Tyson is a former Head Start participant who went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania and is a shining example of the positive impact Head Start can have on children in our nation.

Maile Pa'alani brings a unique mixture of auditing, accounting, and information technology experience to Wipfli's nonprofit clients. She is a Certified Consultant and Certified Trainer for Sage Fund Accounting and a Certified Consultant for Sage Fundraising 50. The combination of these skills with Maile's auditing experience and regulatory knowledge gives her a very specialized perspective on our software implementations, training, and ongoing support. Whether she is doing an audit, implementing a system, or creating a training plan, Maile's goal is to help organizations increase the efficiency of their operations by seeing the big picture, then focusing on the details. She leverages real-life examples as tools for teaching both new and veteran technology users about new software.

Rich Ruvelson has extensive experience in providing tax services to nonprofit clients, including colleges and universities, hospitals and hospital systems, federated fund-raising agencies, private foundations, religious organizations, private schools, grant-funded organizations, trade associations, and other entities. He has worked closely with clients on a wide range of nonprofit issues including unrelated business income tax, exemption, choice of entity, lobbying, private foundation rules, and charitable giving and substantiation. Outside of public accounting, Rich has served as corporate tax manager of the University of Washington and as treasurer and finance director of the California Endowment. He has also served as an adjunct professor in the Master of Business Taxation Program at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management and at Wichita State University. In addition, Rich has served as an active board member on a wide variety of nonprofit boards and currently serves on the board of Forecast Public Art. He is a member of the Minnesota State and Hennepin County Bar Associations. Rich's knowledge and experience, together with his understanding of a client's business operations, are unique among nonprofit tax advisors and consultants.

Eileen Wallace's career and life have always been focused on building a more just society and working with marginalized people. After 24 years working directly in community action (11 years as an executive director), she began her national work as a consultant and trainer with communities interested in ending poverty. A skilled facilitator, trainer, and coach, Eileen currently works with agencies, leaders, and communities throughout the United States on building community to end poverty, leadership development, leading change, results-oriented strategic planning, and transformative organizational and team development.

Mike Yankunas is a partner in Wipfli LLP's Risk Advisory and Forensic Services practice. He provides assurance services and an array of management consulting services for a number of industry groups, including nonprofit organizations. Mike is an experienced Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), having worked on numerous fraud cases dating back to 1988. His significant experience in this area of practice has resulted in his retention for various types of investigations, expert witness assignments, public speaking engagements, and board of director presentations. He has also authored various articles relating to fraud prevention and detection and holds the designation Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF), issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

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