Paula serves as general or lead counsel for many national
associations that represent prominent economy-drivers, industries and
professionals. A selection of her clients includes the American Architectural
Manufacturers Association, American College of Surgeons, Bank Administration
Institute, National PTA and the American Library Association. In representing a
wide variety of nonprofits, she has developed the ability to focus on solutions
when analyzing the problems, issues and challenges of her clients. Paula
personally strives to consistently bring creativity and insight to structural
and governance initiatives. Her guidance includes advising nonprofits on entity
formation and tax issues, as well as strategic development and regulatory
compliance. Paula is a frequent lecturer and has authored many articles on
nonprofit and association topics including governance, antitrust, copyright
issues, lobbying by exempt organizations, human resource issues, legal status of
chapters and the unrelated business income tax. Regardless of the matter at
hand, Paula is dedicated to rendering impactful and productive counsel for
charitable organizations and associations. Given her decades of practice, Paula
knows from hands-on and hard-earned practical experience what nonprofits need to
remain viable and successful.
Anthony is a Partner, Research Director at the firm and
leads the firm’s Marketable Alternatives and Capital Markets research efforts.
He is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee, Discretionary Committee,
Research Forum and Marketable Alternatives Research Team. Prior to joining the
firm in 2011, Anthony held various roles in equity research and due diligence.
Anthony received a Master of Business Administration from the University of
Chicago Booth School of Business with concentrations in Analytic Finance,
Economics & Entrepreneurship and a Bachelor of Arts in Finance from the Eli
Broad College of Business at Michigan State University. He is a CFA®
charterholder and member of the CFA Society Chicago and CFA Institute. He is on
the Advisory Board for the Michigan State University Financial Markets Institute
and the University of Chicago Alumni Club of Chicago. In his free time, Anthony
enjoys playing guitar, collecting vinyl, golf, and spending time with his wife
and two sons.
As Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, Gary
Gordon provides executive leadership for Shedd Aquarium’s finance, investments,
technology, legal and risk matters, facility operations, construction and
security. In this role, Gordon is focused on long-term planning and continuity
to ensure the financial and operational stability of the aquarium. Gordon brings
a passion for education and the environment and an eagerness to engage with and
support the board of trustees and staff in Shedd’s mission-driven work. Gordon
has more than 25 years of not-for-profit and governmental financial and
administrative experience. Prior to joining Shedd Aquarium in 2018, he served
for 15 years as director of finance and administrative services for Lake County,
Illinois, managing a $500 million annual budget with responsibilities spanned
multiple disciplines and support functions including procurement, contracting,
construction services, facility management and finance, in addition to serving
as the chief executive on several successful multimillion-dollar infrastructure
projects. Prior, Gordon served as director of the Office of Management and
Budget for the Chicago Park District and as assistant budget director and
director of capital programs for the City of Chicago. Gordon holds a master’s
degree in political science from Loyola University in Chicago and a bachelor’s
degree in politics from the University of California in Santa
Cruz.
Seth Nicolai CPA, CFE, is a Senior Manager at Deloitte
and works as Product Owner, Subject Matter Expert, and Governance Lead within
the Data Science Group in the Audit & Assurance (A&A) Practice. Seth has
been with Deloitte for 9 years and has been a member of the Data Science Group
for the past three years. During his time in the Data Science Group, Seth has
led several deployments of AI solutions for the Audit & Assurance Practice.
Prior to joining the Data Science Group, Seth spent time in client service and
worked on clients in the construction, power & utilities, and
consumer/industrial products industries. Outside of work he enjoys writing
novels, playing guitar, cycling, martial arts, and fumbling his way through DIY
house projects.
Bernadette Zita holds a Masters degree in Taxation
form DePaul University and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with over 20
years of experience working with a diverse range of nonprofit organizations.
Throughout her career, Bernadette has provided expert guidance on complex tax
issues, including compliance, unrelated business income (UBI), and strategic
planning tailored to the unique needs of nonprofit entities. Currently serving
as the CFO of College of Healthcare Information Management Executives,
Bernadette oversees financial operations, ensures regulatory compliance, and
supports the organization’s mission-driven activities. With a deep understanding
of the financial and operational challenges faced by nonprofits, Bernadette is a
trusted advisor and dedicated advocate for tax-exempt organizations striving to
maximize their impact while maintaining fiscal responsibility. A frequent
speaker and contributor to industry publications, Bernadette is passionate about
sharing knowledge and empowering nonprofit leaders to navigate the evolving tax
and financial landscape.
Angelica Stapert, CPA Senior Vice President & Chief
Financial Officer, Brightpoint As the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer at Brightpoint, Angelica brings over two decades of financial leadership
experience in nonprofit, healthcare, and education sectors. Since joining
Brightpoint in January 2021, she has been instrumental in driving the
organization's financial strategy, ensuring fiscal sustainability, and
optimizing resources to expand services working with families before small
problems become life-altering crises. In this role, Angelica oversees financial
planning, budgeting, risk management, and compliance, aligning financial
operations with Brightpoint’s mission-driven goals. With a keen focus on
operational efficiency and long-term financial health, she works closely with
executive leadership and program teams to maximize impact while maintaining
strong fiscal stewardship. Prior to Brightpoint, Angelica held key leadership
positions, including Chief Financial Officer at Tapestry 360 Health and
Controller at Erie Family Health Center, where she played a critical role in
strengthening financial operations for community-based healthcare services.
Additionally, her tenure as Controller at The Noble Network of Charter Schools
further honed her expertise in managing financial operations in the education
sector. Angelica began her career at Ernst & Young, where she developed a
strong foundation in audit, compliance, and financial risk management. With a
deep passion for social impact and financial excellence, Angelica remains
committed to advancing Brightpoint’s mission and ensuring the organization’s
long-term financial strength to better serve communities in
need.
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.
Ms. Christine Torres, CPA is a Partner with Crowe LLP
that specializes in external audits for governmental and not-for-profit
entities. Ms. Torres, has over 25 years’ experience with government, higher
education, transportation, school district, state agency and not-for-profit
audits. In addition to the financial audits, she has experience with compliance
audits that have followed Government Auditing Standards and the Uniform Grant
Guidance, other attestation engagements and consulting projects. Ms. Torres is
active with the Illinois Government Finance Officers Association (IGFOA) and
participates in the Technical Accounting Review Committee which is a committee
of the IGFOA. The committee monitors and comments on activities and rulings of
the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) and provides testimony on
GASB standards and educates the IGFOA membership on those standards.
Additionally, she participates on the Illinois CPA Governmental Executive
Committee and the Illinois Office of the Comptroller’s Local Government Advisory
Board. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for Make-A-Wish
Illinois.
Stephanie Springs has served as the Chief Executive
Officer of Make-A-Wish Illinois since 2005, where the focus has been to
sustainably increase revenue and resources to fulfill the vision to grant the
wish of every eligible child. She leads one of the largest Make-A-Wish chapters
in the country both in terms of wishes and revenue with an annual budget of
$15M. While bringing extensive corporate leadership experience, Springs
brings a wealth of community and cultural volunteer leadership having served on
Boards of the Chicago Sinfonietta, the Oak Park Education Foundation, the YWCA
of Metropolitan Chicago, and several Girl Scout Councils. Prior to joining
Make-A-Wish Illinois, Stephanie worked at Sears, Roebuck and Co. in various
leadership roles in their information technology area, as the Executive Director
of the Sears Roebuck Foundation, leading the company’s diversity efforts, and
finally as the Vice President of IT Business Management. Springs holds a
bachelor of science degree in math and education from the University of Illinois
in Champaign and an MBA in Finance from Loyola University in Chicago. She
resides in Oak Park where she and her late husband raised their two children.
Andrew focuses his practice on matters pertaining to
executive compensation and employee benefits. He works closely with clients to
help them design and implement competitive compensation arrangements to attract
and retain executives and management teams. Andrew assists with the design and
implementation of non-qualified deferred compensation plans, stock incentive
plans, profits interests and executive severance plans. He represents employers
and executive-level management in negotiating the terms of employment and
termination agreements, equity compensation packages, retention incentives and
change in control arrangements. Andrew practice also includes addressing the
executive compensation and benefits issues arising in mergers, acquisitions,
reorganizations and other corporate transactions.
Deirdre Hodgson, CPA CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP) Managing Principal of
Industry – Higher Education 612-397-3023 Minneapolis, Minnesota [email protected]
Profile Deirdre has 20+ years of experience in public accounting and works
exclusively in the higher education and nonprofit area. During this time, she
has provided audit, risk assessment, agreed-upon procedures, financial modeling
and other attest and consulting services to higher education institutions.
Deirdre leads CLA’s higher education practice. Deirdre is also an instructor for
continuing professional education courses, both on a local and national basis.
She has led educational sessions for both clients and firm members on FASB
Technical updates, Student Financial Aid audit considerations, Enterprise Risk
Management, client matters when undergoing a single audit, ethics/fraud,
internal control considerations, benchmarking, data analytics and many more
topics.
Technical experience • Higher education • Foundations • Global services •
Federal awards • Endowments • Alternative investments Education and professional
involvement • Bachelor of science in accountancy from North Dakota State
University, Fargo, North Dakota • American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants • Certified Public Accountant in the state of Minnesota • Minnesota
Society of Certified Public Accountants • National Association of College and
University Business Officers (NACUBO)
Melissa Struck is a CPA and Nonprofit Principal with
CLA. She has spent the majority of her 25 years in the accounting field
performing, managing and supervising audit, tax and consulting engagements for
tax exempt organizations. She has extensive experience handling the distinctive
issues facing these organizations in today’s challenging environment and is the
leader of the Greater Chicagoland Nonprofit Services Group. In June of 2023,
Melissa became the leader of Greater Chicagoland’s Client Accounting and
Advisory Services group and is now the Eastern Midwest Region Nonprofit Client
Accounting and Advisory Service leader. In this role, she helps to serve
nonprofit organizations by providing outsourced recurring accounting and
fractional CFO/Controller services. Melissa is a frequent speaker at both
industry and CLA seminars and conferences addressing topics such as cost
allocation, alternative investments, and accounting for
contributions.
Scott Steffens - Partner, Audit Services | Grant
Thornton
Scott earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in the
Strobel Honors program from DePaul University in Chicago. He spent the last 34
years at a Big Four and another global accounting firm as a partner serving
domestic and international not-for-profit organizations of all sizes. He spent
the first 29 of those years in Chicago and finished his public accounting career
over the last 5 years in Washington, DC. During his time in the profession, Scott served as the chairperson of board of the Illinois CPA Society as well as in multiple leadership roles in the accounting and athletic departments at his alma mater DePaul University. He also serves on the boards of three charities in Chicago that support educational and immigrant justice causes. Scott lives in Chicago near Wrigley Field where he regularly cheers on the Chicago Cubs with friends and family. He is also an avid golfer and traveler and enjoys trips to warm locations that incorporate golf and beach time in the itinerary.
Jim Croft, PhD Jim Croft is a principal with JW Croft
Consulting Group (JWCCG) in Chicago. JWCCG brings leadership and financial
management experience to the nonprofit community and is positioned to help
organizations meet strategic objectives and achieve their mission. In addition
to his work at JWCCG, Croft is a member of the MBA faculty at the University of
Nebraska–Lincoln, where he teaches nonprofit management, nonprofit financial
management, and fundraising. He also the academic director for nonprofit
financial management programs at the Kellogg School of Management's Center for
Nonprofit Management at Northwestern University, and is a faculty member of
Northwestern’s School of Professional Studies. From 1984 to 2015, he served as
executive vice president and chief financial officer for the Field Museum in
Chicago. In addition to leading the institution’s financial operations, he was
responsible for facilities management and several other operating units. For
several years he served concurrently as the museum’s chief development officer,
managing the annual giving, major gifts, planned giving, and corporate and
foundation giving programs. He was also responsible for a major capital campaign
that successfully concluded in 2008. Croft also held several positions in The
Salvation Army where he served as a community center executive director, finance
officer, and chief business officer. He has also served on several nonprofit
governing boards. In 2016, he received a four-year appointment to the Financial
Accounting Standards Board's (FASB) Nonprofit Advisory Committee (NAC). NAC
members serve as advisors to FASB staff as they consider accounting standards
that are used by US nonprofit organizations. He received a PhD from the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where his doctoral work was in higher education
leadership with research focused on financial management in nonprofit
organizations.
Patricia Lawson, CPA, CGMA joined Erikson Institute in
2015, and as its Vice President for Finance & Operations / CFO oversees
finance, institutional advancement, information technology services and
facilities departments. She has over 25 years of experience in leadership roles
at premier Chicago non-profit organizations, including Erikson Institute, Art
Institute of Chicago, Chicago Botanic Garden and Museum of Contemporary Art. She
began her career as an auditor in public accounting. She is a member of the
American Institute of CPAs and the Illinois CPA Society and enjoys supporting
other not for profit financial professionals. She received her B.S. in
Accountancy from DePaul University. While she loves being a lifelong Chicagoan,
she combines her enthusiasm for travel and biking as often as
possible.
A founding member and the current managing partner of Applegate &
Thorne-Thomsen, Debbie Kleban has over 25 years of experience advising clients
in community development and affordable housing finance and related matters.
Debbie created and leads the firm’s New Markets Tax Credit group and currently
focuses her practice on structuring and closing new markets tax credit and
historic rehabilitation tax credit transactions, often involving both state and
federal tax credits. Additionally, she has over 20 years of experience
representing and counseling investors, syndicators, developers and lenders in
transactions utilizing low-income housing tax and renewable energy credit
financing, as well as other federal, state and local grant programs utilized to
preserve and develop affordable housing and facilities that contribute to
economic growth and development in low-income communities. Since 1998, Debbie
has been involved in various roles with Deborah’s Place, the largest provider of
housing and supportive services for women in Chicago who are homeless or
formerly homeless. She has contributed time to Deborah’s Place as a volunteer,
Past-Board President, Commission Member and Board Emeritus Member.
RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL & VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES • Advisory Council Member,
National Women’s Shelter Network • Board Member, Community Housing Capital Board
Member • Board Member, Christ the King Jesuit College Prep • Deborah’s Place o
Board Emeritus o Past-Board President o Current Deborah’s Place II & III
Board President • American Bar Association o Member, Forum on Affordable Housing
and Community Development Law • Member, Novogradac New Markets Tax Credit
Working Group • Member, New Markets Tax Credit Coalition
PUBLICATIONS • Co-Author, Beginner’s Guide to The New Markets Tax Credit
(2014)
I’m passionate about helping a wide range of not-for-profit organizations
carry out their mission and give back to the community. I work primarily with
arts and cultural organizations, social services agencies, foundations,
affordable housing entities, and trade and professional associations. I
specialize in single audits and improving clients’ fiscal oversight procedures,
governance policies, and internal controls. I enjoy putting my project
management skills to good use, and I value the diversity that comes from working
with a large variety of not-for-profits. My clients appreciate the fact that I
communicate promptly with them about audit findings, accounting updates, and
industry best practices. They also appreciate that I’m available to answer
questions throughout the year, not just during the audit.
Among my accomplishments since I joined the firm in 1999 has been the
creation of a women’s coaching group in the Chicago office. This group helps
colleagues connect with peers, partners, and women leaders throughout the firm.
I serve in leadership roles in both the AICPA and the Illinois CPA Society. As
an AICPA discussion leader, I’ve taught CPE courses used by state CPA societies
to cover topics of interest to nonprofit organizations, and I’m the past-Chair
of the not-for-profit organizations committee for the Illinois CPA Society.
Within the wider community, I’m the board treasurer of the Batavia Public
Library and Audit Committee member of the Chicago Foundation for Women. I hold a
B.S. in accountancy from the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign.
Moises is an audit partner with Grant Thornton with over
22 years of public accounting experience. He primarily serves not-for-profit
(NFP), government, and professional services firms. Moises has led several of
the largest NFP and government audits in the nation. Services have included
auditing complex and unique accounting matters impacting the NFP industry,
including compliance audits and complex revenue recognition. Moises has worked
on a number of engagements in both the NFP and professional services industries,
including single audits, yellow book audits, law firm audits, staffing firm
audits, and public debt offerings. Moises was recently named as a notable latino
leader by Crain's Chicago Business.
Craig is a partner in the nonprofit practice of RSM US
LLP. He has been with the firm for over 20 years and is responsible for leading
audit and other attest engagements. Craig specializes in serving nonprofit
organizations, including higher education, foundations, cultural organizations,
associations and social services organizations. He also has extensive experience
in performing audits and preparing financial reports in accordance with the
requirements of the Single Audit Act, Uniform Grant Guidance, and various
federal and state funding sources. Craig is a frequent speaker on nonprofit
accounting topics and is a facilitator for local and national training for the
firm. Craig is based in Chicago and has served on several boards of local
nonprofit organizations, including as Audit Committee Chair and
Treasurer.
Andrea Wright, CPA, MBA, is a Partner with Johnson Lambert LLP, a
multi-office, niche-focused firm that provides audit, tax, and advisory services
to not-for-profit organizations, employee benefit plans, and insurance entities.
Andrea serves as the Chicagoland area lead partner and also is a leader in
Johnson Lambert’s not-for-profit practice. She frequently writes and speaks on
industry topics, and she is involved in a variety of professional and industry
activities including; serving on the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants Technical Standards Subcommittee, the Illinois CPA Society Ethics
Committee, and the Board of the Association Forum.
Andrea is a native of Chicago and enjoys traveling and golfing when Chicago
weather permits.
Kimberly
has more than 17 years of audit and accounting experience, focusing on the
governmental and not-for-profit industries. She has worked with a variety of
entities, including universities, community colleges, municipalities, villages,
school districts, tollway authorities, water commission districts, foundations,
food banks and social services organizations.
She
has helped plan and manage Uniform Guidance audits for student financial aid and
other education department programs, social service programs and highway
planning and construction grants for governmental clients as well as agreed-upon
procedures. She also has provided accounting, financial reporting, financial
statement audit and Uniform Guidance services for not-for-profits, including
universities, foundations, food banks and social services
organizations.
Kimberly
is a member of the America Institute of CPAs, Illinois CPA Society and Illinois
Government Finance Officers Association. Kimberly is a member of BKD’s higher
education center of excellence committee. Kimberly also serves on the board of
Associated Colleges of Illinois.
She
is a 2003 graduate of Benedictine University, Lisle, Illinois, with a B.B.A.
degree in accounting.
Dorri McWhorter became President and CEO of YMCA of
Metropolitan Chicago in August 2021. Prior to joining the YMCA, Dorri served for
8 years as the CEO of YWCA Metropolitan Chicago transforming the organization
from a traditional social service organization to 21st Century social
enterprise. Increasing impact and organizational sustainability, YWCA
Metropolitan Chicago’s operating budget grew 4x over her tenure. The
organization has been an active contributor to many critical initiatives across
the region. YWCA Metropolitan Chicago expanded its service footprint to 10 new
locations, completed seven mergers and acquisitions, implemented paid family
leave and developed a retirement plan to include retirement options for
thousands of childcare providers and small business owners. Dorri led the effort
to develop an exchange traded fund (ETF) for women’s empowerment (NYSE: WOMN) in
partnership with Impact Shares, which is the first non-profit investment advisor
to develop an ETF product. Dorri prides herself on being a socially-conscious
business leader and is committed to creating an inclusive marketplace by
leveraging a cross-sector approach of engaging business, civic and community
partners. Dorri serves on the Board of Directors for several companies
including, Lifeway Foods, William Blair Funds, NexPoint Capital and Skyway
Concession Company (Chicago Skyway). Dorri is also active in the accounting
profession and serves on the Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council and
has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and a past Chairperson of the Board of
Directors for the Illinois CPA Society. Dorri also serves as Co-Chair of the
Advisory Board of the First Women’s Bank. Dorri received a BBA from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg
School of Management, and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Lake Forest
College.
Jon Assell is Chief Financial Officer at the Kenneth C.
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry (Griffin MSI), overseeing the Finance and
Technology functions. As a CPA with nearly 20 years of experience working with
Chicago’s premier not-for-profit organizations, Mr. Assell drives value creation
through deep understanding of the economics of Griffin MSI and as a champion for
enabling digital acceleration. Prior to joining Griffin MSI, Mr. Assell launched
an accounting and corporate finance practice, serving venture capital-backed and
not-for-profit clients. He is a former Deloitte auditor and the former
Controller of Catholic Extension, a $40 million fundraising and grant-making
organization. He currently serves on the Board of Ledger & Quill. Mr. Assell
holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University,
with specializations in Finance and Entrepreneurship, and a BS in Accountancy
and Finance from DePaul University.