Nonprofit Conference (E2412230)

Joseph Ali has more than 15 years of public accounting experience specializing in the accounting and tax aspects of exempt organizations especially private foundations, as well as environmental, arts, educational and membership organizations.

Joe has pioneered the Firm’s Private Foundation CFO/COO Services, performing back-office operations for large and mid-sized private foundations as well as private operating foundations with large infrastructure and construction projects.

Joe is the former Board Chair of Volunteer New York!, a not-for-profit organization in Westchester County, NY, and serves in an advisory capacity to other tax-exempt organizations and their boards. He is also the former Chair of the Family Office Committee of the NYSSCPA’s. Joe was recently recognized as a 2024 40 Under 40 Rising Star by The Business Council of Westchester.

Joseph Arnone is a member of the firm’s Assurance practice. He began his public accounting career in 2004 and has a breadth of diversified experience in the industry including not-for-profit, healthcare, and insurance. He manages all stages of the audit process, including planning, fieldwork, supervision and review, and communications with management

Alex is an audit partner in the Not-for-Profit and Health Care practices of PKF O’Connor Davies, LLP. He has eighteen years of experience in public accounting. His areas of specialty include audits of not-for-profit entities, health care entities and special needs clients, cost reporting as applicable to health care and not-for-profit entities, and single audits conducted in accordance with the Uniform Grant Guidance. Alex is also an adjunct professor of accounting at the City University of New York. He serves on a number of professional and academic affiliations and is a board member of the New York State Education Department State Board for Public Accountancy. He has authored articles on accounting, audit, tax and education and he has presented on both a professional and academic level.

Joe is an assurance senior at CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP), primarily serving not-for-profits and small businesses. He takes pride in understanding how he can help any organization reach their goals and continue to serve those in the community. Joe has contributed to New Jersey CPA magazine and for the NJCPA website. He is the chair of the NJCPA Emerging Leaders Council and was a 2021 Emerging Leaders Ovation Award winner. Joe is also a member of the Finance Committee at The Salvation Army Morristown Chapter.

Lexy Kessler is the Mid-Atlantic Regional Leader for Aprio, served on the Aprio Board of Directors, and is the Chair of the firm’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Council. She previously led the firm’s Government Contracting segment and has over 35 years of experience in the public accounting industry. She is a trusted advisor to business leaders and changemakers in the Mid-Atlantic region, helping clients balance the challenges and opportunities inherent to operating successfully and mentoring young professionals to create a positive impact in the profession. With her experience in assurance, tax and consulting, she is able to constantly seek out new ways to reinvent and improve upon the way her team serves clients. Lexy also serves as the Vice Chairman of the AICPA.

Jeff Mechanick is Assistant Director for Nonpublic Entities at the FASB. In that role, he provides strategic and technical oversight of all activities involving not-for-profit (NFP) organizations and private companies, chairs the FASB’s Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee, oversees support of the Private Company Council, and participates in some of the FASB’s broader outreach activities. He is also a member of the Technical Advisory Group of the International Financial Reporting for Nonprofit Organizations initiative (#IFR4NPO).

Jeff has also been the overall lead staff member for the Blue-Ribbon Panel on Standard Setting for Private Companies and the FASB/IASB Financial Crisis Advisory Group.

Prior to joining the FASB staff in 2006, Jeff spent 20 years working in and with the not-for-profit sector, as the CFO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., and before that, as a Senior Manager with KPMG, LLP, in the firm’s New York office. From 1992 to 1994, he served as the National Technical Senior Manager for the firm’s Higher Education, Research, and Other Not-for-Profit Organizations (HERON) practice. He is also a past member of the AICPA’s NFP Expert Panel. Jeff received his MBA from Rutgers University and his AB from the University of Chicago, and he is a member of the AICPA and the New York State Society of CPAs. He is also an adjunct instructor in Columbia University’s MS program in Nonprofit Management.

Don is the chief marketing officer of the NJCPA, responsible for setting the vision, strategy and direction for the organization’s marketing, communications and membership campaigns and for driving the success of a deep and broad swath of organizational initiatives. Functional areas of accountability include digital assets (web, social media, email), content and news distribution (including the organization’s flagship publication, New Jersey CPA), membership, media relations, public relations, next generation recruitment, executive communications and internal communications. He also oversees graphic design, market research, and advocacy and legislative communications. Don came to the NJCPA from the Craft & Hobby Association, where he was director of marketing and public relations.

Tania Miranda is a Manager at PKF O’Connor Davies with five years of experience in public accounting, servicing clients out of the Firm’s New York City and Cranford, New Jersey offices.

She is responsible for the execution of the audit approach and supervision of staff on site to ensure the timeliness and accuracy of the financial reports. Tania specializes in auditing and tax consulting, working with a variety of not-for-profit organizations including, private foundations, charitable foundations, arts and cultural organizations and membership organizations.

Sean is an expert and sought-after speaker, focusing on the intersection of financial services, blockchain and cryptocurrencies. He is a regular contributor to IBM’s Blockchain Unleashed website, analyzing applications for blockchain technology on business at large, as well as being a regular expert guest on China Global TV Network discussing blockchain and related applications. Sean is a member of the Advisory Board for the Wall Street Blockchain Alliance, which coordinates with the AICPA in developing standards and reporting frameworks in this emerging area. Sean continuously works with, and consults for, the AICPA and several professional training organizations in the creation and delivery of blockchain and cryptocurrency related content. He is currently under contract to publish two books focusing on blockchain applications for financial services and other industry sectors. Sean is the host of the NJCPA TechTalk Podcast, a past leader of the NJCPA Emerging Technologies Interest Group and a member of the NJCPA Board of Trustees. He is a professor at the City University of New York - Lehman College.

Catherine Syslo is a Partner in CohnReznick’s national assurance practice, specializing in audits of not-for-profit organizations including Uniform Guidance. A licensed CPA in New York and New Jersey, she provides technical accounting and auditing expertise to engagement teams and clients and has more than 30 years of experience in public accounting and the private sector.

Catherine is a member of the firm’s Not-for-Profit Education and Thought Leadership Committee, serving as a national instructor. Outside of the firm, she is a frequent lecturer on not-for-profit accounting standards, Uniform Guidance, single audits, and other topics impacting the not-for-profit industry. She has recently spoken at the NYSSCPA, NJCPA, and GWSCPA nonprofit conferences.

Catherine received the 2021 NJCPA Woman to Watch Award which recognizes the success of women NJCPA members for both their leadership and commitment to fostering the success of their colleagues. She is a prior recipient of the NJCPA Volunteer Award based on her contributions to the NJCPA, her local community, and accounting students.

Brian, a tax partner in Baker Tilly’s Orange County, California office, specializes in not-for-profit organizations. Brian has nearly 30 years of experience providing tax, legal and accounting services and solutions to all types of not-for-profit organizations, including public charities, private foundations, university auxiliaries, social clubs, business leagues, labor organizations, social welfare organizations, water districts, athletic organizations, social services entities, hospitals, bids and veterans' organizations.