Sarah Ference is a Risk Control Director for CNA
and oversees risk control services provided to CPA firms in the AICPA
Accountants Professional Liability Insurance Program. She previously practiced
public accounting for 15 years with a Big Four public accounting firm. While in
public accounting, Sarah provided external audit services and internal
control/risk management consulting services to both public and private
companies. Sarah was a national instructor for her firm, educating audit and
advisory staff on the firm’s audit process and internal control assessment
methodology. At CNA, Sarah and her team provide risk control services to insured
CPA firms. Services include consultations with firms on ways to help mitigate
professional liability risk, development and delivery of risk management
training and education products, authoring monthly risk management articles, and
creating other tools to assist CPA firms in managing their professional
liability risk. She is a frequent author of the Professional Liability Spotlight
column in the Journal of Accountancy, appeared on AICPA Town Hall multiple times and
has presented at numerous AICPA and state CPA society
conferences.
Sherry Chesser, CPA, is a member of Landmark PLC,
Certified Public Accountants in the Little Rock, Arkansas office and serves on
the firm-wide management team. She has over 30 years of experience in public
accounting providing tax and audit services to a broad base of clients and
experience as a controller for a nonprofit organization. Sherry focuses on
providing services to employee benefit plans, governmental entities, and
nonprofit organizations. She also conducts peer reviews throughout the year. In
2020, she completed a five-year term on the Arkansas State Board of Public
Accountancy and in 2024, she completed a four-year term on the AICPA’s Auditing
Standards Board. Sherry currently serves on NASBA's Peer Review Compliance
Committee, Partners in Peer Review with Alabama Administrative Entity, and
AICPA's Peer Review Board.
Matthew G. Mitzen, CPA, CFE, is a Principal a Bronswick Benjamin, PC in
Chicago, where he is the head of the assurance department and is repsonsible for
the firm's quality assurance and its peer review practice. Matt has over 40
years of experience in public accounting, 25 of which have been in quality
control and ensuring that firm engagements are delivered correctly. This
includes Peer Reviews, Quality Control Reviews, Internal Inspections, and
coordination of staff training. Matt has served on various ICPAS Committees for
over twenty years, including over a dozen planning this conference.
When not helping to keep CPA firms on the straight and narrow, you will
likely find Matt on a little league field as the umpire coordinator
for Evanston little league.
Brian Jackson is a CPA and former auditor whose passion
for technology and continuous improvement inspired a second career dedicated to
transforming the audit process through innovation. With more than 20 years of
experience leading business and technology teams, he has consistently driven
strategic objectives and delivered transformative change. Currently serving as
Partner in Charge of Crowe LLP’s Digital Audit Team, Brian is dedicated to
harnessing the power of data, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence to
revolutionize audit service delivery. His team’s mission is to reshape the way
Crowe delivers services, leveraging cutting-edge tools and analytical
capabilities to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and client value. Over the course
of his career, Brian has cultivated deep expertise in auditing, technology, and
digital transformation. He has spearheaded mission-critical initiatives
including the development and implementation of Crowe’s collaborative workpaper
system (Crowe Insight Center for Audit), the client collaboration portal,
financial statement automation, and data analysis. As a former leader of the
Audit and Tax Technology Center of Excellence and later Associate Director
within Enterprise Architecture, he provided thought leadership, strategic
roadmaps, and tactical execution for technology initiatives that have reshaped
Crowe’s audit processes. Known as a forward-thinking change agent, Brian
continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the digital age, ensuring
Crowe remains at the forefront of audit innovation.