Dr. LynnMarie Burks is an accomplished 30-year education
executive. Burks currently serves as CSO for the Brent Sopel Foundation is a
Chief Associate for HYA, is an assessment/student success leader for HLC, a
member of the Innovative Executives League, and serves on the Exec Board member
for AAUA, and co-hosts a Podcast “The Next Frontier”. In higher ed, Burks'
launched a Learning Institute and was awarded a 3M DOL grant to transform
workforce systems, a tenured professor, chair, and Dean, and Dean of Faculty/The
Center for Excellence led 3K faculty/staff Burks led multiple system-wide
transformation efforts including an LMS migration, AI/predictive analytics, and
hyperflex modality adoption. Burks spent 25 years in the classroom, founded
experiential global programs, and received multiple awards recognizing her
leadership/teaching excellence, including Professor of the Year by The Carnegie
Foundation. In P-12, Burks served as the Board of Ed President.
Over her 24-year tenure, she led a district of 10K students through
innovation and growth. Under her leadership, the district doubled its footprint
and exponentially grew educational outcomes. Burks fostered collaborative
relationships between community partners to expand funding and programming. Her
tenure saw the launch of a community-based early childhood center, and full-day
kindergarten, a Freshman Academy, 1:1/blended learning, and outcomes-based
grading, and pioneered a dual language program. Before moving to education,
Burks was a senior analyst and served as special assistant to the Sr VP of
Research at NORC at the University of Chicago engaging in work for NIH, NICHD,
ETS, and US News & World Report. Burks has produced over 100 publications,
keynotes, workshops, and presentations, is a certified career coach, and is
certified in Design Thinking. Relentless in her support of learners of all ages
and systems, Burks’ core strength lies in her proficiency across the entire
spectrum of education and business.
Mr. Tarapchak has served as EVP Finance & Corporate
Controller of Verano Holdings since 2022. Prior Verano Holdings Mr. Tarapchak
has served in various accounting and finance roles Including VP Corporate
Controller and CAO of II-VI Inc., Corporate Controller of Reynolds Group
Holdings Limited, CFO of National Materials L.P. and Senior VP and Corporate
Controller of Navistar International Corporation. Mr. Tarapchak has a B.A. from
Wittenberg University and an MBA from The Ohio State University. He is a CPA and
serves as a board member of the Illinois CPA Society.
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.
Ryan is a partner in Grant Thornton’s Accounting Principles Group. He
began his career in Grant Thornton’s Chicago audit practice and currently works
in the firm’s national office, helping audit teams resolve technical accounting
issues in areas including leases, debt and equity transactions, and derivatives
and hedging. Ryan graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a BBA and MS
in Accountancy, and is a member of the Accountancy Department’s Advisory Board.
He is a CPA (Illinois) and a member of the AICPA and Illinois CPA Society, for
which he has served as chairman of the Accounting Principles
Committee.