Attendees Geared Up for What’s Next in Accounting at the 2026 NJCPA Convention & Expo

Accounting and finance professionals gathered at the 2026 NJCPA Convention & Expo in Atlantic City from June 16 to 19 to hear a variety of perspectives on how to transform their practice, organization or self to the next level. The “Next Starts Now” Convention discussed the importance of staying curious and taking advantage of new artificial intelligence (AI) applications and ways CPAs and others can automate, digitize and lead by example. 

When asked what their “next” plan, step or life decision was, attendees, which included nearly 100 college students, set their sights on passing the CPA Exam, obtaining an internship, seeking out new niches or clients, buying or opening their own practice, graduation from college, leaping headfirst into retirement, spending more time with family, hiring new interns, switching jobs, helping their son start a business or simply planning a well-earned vacation.

Intentional Change

Keynote speaker Diana Kander taught attendees how to best institute change in one’s organization and dive right into what many might consider a nearly impossible goal of doing a “pull-up.” She motivated the audience to not only get out of their comfort zone but to intentionally find a crew to help you get through it. The encouragement from them will typically make the task at hand easier.

Morris Morrison engaging with the audience during his keynote presentation

Motivational speaker Morris Morrison challenged attendees to “do something that might help somebody else, not just yourself.”  After being orphaned twice and having two strong grandmothers caring for him growing up, Morrison explained that too often “playing the victim” in life can hold people back. “No matter what’s in your life, own it. Don’t expect someone to give you something,” he said.

He pointed out how close-minded professionals can be at times and enticed the audience to understand that as professionals in the accounting industry faced with new situations, “we are not done yet.” Specifically in the case of younger individuals, he noted that there is “an opportunity in this space if you commit.” 

Similarly, improv speaker Joel Zeff entertained the audience with skits designed to show how individuals adapt to change. He explained, “As stress builds, we lose our passion.” As leaders, one needs to know what’s creating stress in environments and manage that. “My job as a leader is so you have passion,” he reminded attendees. Crucial questions to routinely ask include, “Did I give people positive support?” and “How do I help the people around me be successful?”

Andrew Donofrio, a Convention speaker, noted that change is more challenging when individuals too often pigeon-hole themselves into situations. “Whenever you say, ‘I am a,’ it becomes part of your identity,” he explained. In contemplating change in one’s life or career, for example, he explained, “Self-discipline has to rule the day,” though motivation is nice to have.

According to Donofrio, individuals have to want to change; others cannot make someone change. Some good internal questions in determining one’s own ability to change include, “What am I willing to allow for myself?” and “What aspects of my life will I allow others to control?”

Leading from Within

Leadership starts and ends with us. Jon Lokhorst, CPA, ACC, an executive leadership coach with Your Best Leadership LLC, who spoke at the Convention, noted the importance of career development in the accounting industry and in organizations recognizing which leaders they are most afraid of losing. He asked attendees, “What are you doing to keep your leaders?”

If after promotions, someone is still treated the same way as they were previously in an office setting, he said, then management is doing something wrong. If that person is still not included in higher-level decision-making, he said typically a person may question, “Should I be concerned that I am still treated as a staff accountant?” And their answer should be a resounding, “yes,” according to Lokhorst.

He recommended the following four keys to keeping the best leaders on staff:

1. Identify them.
2. Engage them.
3. Develop them.
4. Empower them.

Lessons in Leadership panel session with (l to r) Aiysha (AJ) Johnson, MA, IOM; Matt Rathbun; Diana Miller, CPA; and Sarah Krom, CPA, MST

Similarly, Aiysha (AJ) Johnson, MA, IOM, CEO and executive director at the NJCPA, who led a panel discussion on lessons in leadership, discussed how crucial it is to have what it takes to navigate the accounting profession today and create more forward-thinking opportunities.

Going paperless and creating more value billing is a prime example of practical ways leaders are driving the profession forward, explained panelist Sarah Krom, CPA, MST, managing parter of SKC & Co. CPAs and past president of the NJCPA. The COVID-19 pandemic jump-started that trend and forced the accounting profession to adjust and switch to a more paperless environment, she said. “It was such an instant change, which I don’t think everyone could see coming. The resource it put into my toolbox was that ability to pivot quickly and, in some cases, daily. We were working around the clock with new legislation coming out,” accepting that whatever was decided yesterday has changed again. “I’m on a mission to get rid of the timesheet,” she added.

Panelist Matt Rathbun, divisional vice president for ADP’s New York Metro market, explained that leadership works best when managers at the top level of an organization have the longest strategy focus and other layers under them have a shorter focus. “Having clarity of what you are responsible for is really important,” he said.

Panelist Diana Miller, CPA, partner-in-charge of Wiss’s Not-for-Profit Group, added that leaders need to set goals at every level but it’s key “to look at business as a whole and take a step back.”

Emerging leaders panel

To engage the students in attendance, representatives from the NJCPA Emerging Leaders Interest Group led panel sessions on how to initiate conversations with leaders of all levels at organizations, get started on their accounting journeys, seek out shadowing opportunities and study for and pass the CPA Exam. 

Accelerating AI Application

Keynote James Bourke, CPA, CITP, CFF, CGMA, partner and managing director of advisory services at Withum, said that AI “is the biggest technological change that we have ever seen in our profession.” Though attendees have witnessed many technological advancements in the past, such as Y2K, 14-column accounting power worksheets, Lotus and the Cloud, using AI tops those, explained Bourke. “Our profession is so long overdue for this technology to hit.”

He noted that during the past 18 to 24 months, many different solution providers have appeared, and they are using AI. “What we see is more and more of these best practices tools are entering the profession.” His advice to attendees is to investigate the tools since, as a profession, accounting is behind the curve on technology.

Incorporating better customer relations with clients, similar to an Amazon customer, is what is needed, according to Bourke. With the use of AI, accounting professionals would be able to know exactly the status of a tax form document. But, so far, “We’re not giving our clients the ‘Amazon Experience’,” according to Bourke. If they did, he said, accounting professionals would be the trusted advisors that take service to the next level. He also recommended designating one AI lead project person in accounting firms to help smooth the process of incorporating AI.

Rathbun added that AI is the one change that is constant. Whether AI is improving efficiency or freeing up time for workers collectively, he said there is still a balance that needs to occur between what AI users are looking to achieve from the tool and how it is actually being used. Surveys from ADP Research noted that those using AI felt more engaged at work and had a higher level of satisfaction, he explained. “In a world of burnout, that’s something to make sure you are paying attention to.”

However, the research also showed that those higher users of AI felt they were less productive than others who did not primarily use the technology tool at all, he said, calling it a “weird balance.”

According to Miller, “It’s not like we didn’t know it was coming.” AI, which is changing daily, is the most transformative thing to hit the accounting profession, she said. “We have to lean into AI. It’s there. We have no choice."

Despite the prolific use of AI in accounting and other professions, Morrison reminded attendees that accounting will always need the expertise of humans — even in the most automated operations. The future of accounting will be “very tech focused but deeply human also,” he said.  

Mark your calendar for next year’s NJCPA Convention & Expo, June 15-18, 2027, at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City.