Geoffrey ‘Geof’ Brown, CAE, is president
and CEO of the Illinois CPA Society (ICPAS), one
of the largest state CPA societies in the nation. Brown
also serves as president and CEO of CPAs for the Public
Interest and ex-officio board member of the CPA Endowment
Fund of Illinois.
A seasoned certified association executive (CAE), Brown has more than 20
years of experience as an association professional. Before joining ICPAS in
2022, he served as CEO of the National Association of Personal Financial
Advisors (NAPFA), the nation’s leading professional association of fee-only
financial advisors, for nine years. Prior to NAPFA, Brown was an account
executive with Sentergroup, an association manager at SmithBucklin Corporation,
and held multiple positions with North-American Interfraternity Conference.
Brown served as the board chair for Association Forum and is an active
member. He is also an active member in the American Society of Association
Executives and is a board member for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and the
Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values. Brown earned his bachelor’s
degree in government and politics from the University of
Maryland.
Mike Johanns was
the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 2005-2007 as well as the Governor of
Nebraska from 1999 – 2005 and the state’s U.S. Senator from 2009 – 2015. As
alliant’s Chairman of Agriculture, Johanns brings more than 30 years of
experience at virtually every level of government and a strong background in
both agriculture and economic development. As the Secretary of Agriculture, he
managed 18 different agencies, opened, or expanded access to 40 international
markets and was responsible for multiple agricultural breakthroughs as a
negotiator for the Doha Development Round.