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.
Brian J. Blaha, CPA, is the 2025-2026 chairperson of the
Illinois CPA Society (ICPAS) Board of Directors. A dedicated ICPAS member since
2011, Blaha joined the board of directors in 2017 and has represented Illinois
on the AICPA Council since 2023.
Today, Blaha is the founder of Beacon Horizon Advisors
LLC, where he helps private equity and accounting firms achieve their growth and
value creation aspirations. Prior to this, he served in various leadership roles
at Wipfli from 1996-2024. At Wipfli, he began as an auditor in the firm’s
financial institution practice and in 2011, he was selected to establish the
firm’s Chicago office from the ground up. In addition, he served on Wipfli’s
board from 2013-2016 and, in 2016, took on the role of chief growth officer. In
this position, he focused on executing strategies to align the firm with new
profitable services and solutions. Under his leadership, Wipfli's revenue grew
from $200 million to $600 million.
Blaha is also a past president and member of the Community Banking Advisory
Network and a member of the Financial Managers Society. Additionally, he has
served as school board president and on the finance council for St. Michael
Parish in Wheaton, Ill., and is a member of the board of trustees for Elmhurst
University and serves on St. Francis High School’s board of directors.
Blaha graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of business administration
degree from St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis.