Accounting Educators Workshop (E2410548)

Steven Budryk, MS, is an accountant at Traphagen & Traphagen LLC. He can be reached at steven@tfgllc.com.

Aiysha (AJ) Johnson, MA, IOM, is CEO and executive director of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA). Prior to joining the NJCPA in 2023, Johnson was executive director of BKR International’s Americas Region, where she was responsible for overseeing the implementation of all strategic efforts for BKR accounting and business advisory member firms in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to serving the accounting profession, she worked for a range of associations including Vizient, the nation’s largest healthcare performance improvement company, where she supported members with complex benchmarking needs. Johnson has more than 20 years of wide-ranging global experience working for nonprofits and professional and trade associations. She was elected to the boards of the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ) in 2024 and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce in 2023. She was a member of BKR’s Center of Excellence Advisory Board and is on the boards of the Community Foundation of New Jersey, Together for Youth and Junior Achievement of New Jersey. In addition, she was recognized among the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting by Accounting Today (2023) and on the NJBIZ Power 100 list (2024) and has received numerous honors and awards including being named No. 1 on NJBIZ’s Accounting Power 50 list in 2023 and 2024 and one of its 2023 People to Watch in Finance. She was also named one of ROI-NJ’s ROI Influencers: People of Color 2023. She served on the Alumni Board of the University of Chicago (2021-2023), where she graduated with a Master’s in Administration and Policy. She also completed the Senior Management Program in Business Management at University of Chicago/IE School of Business and holds a certificate in Management Accounting for Leaders. She holds a B.S. from Western Illinois University. Johnson enjoys entrepreneurship, the arts, volunteering, writing, reading and travel. She is also a food and wine enthusiast and a member of Chaine des Rotisseurs. She resides in Hudson County.

Jerry serves as an independent director and the chair of the Audit Committee for the Cohen & Steers Mutual Fund Complex. He is also a board member and Chairs the Audit Committee of inTEST Corporation (INTT; NYSE), a publicly traded technology company. Jerry also serves as the senior advisor for strategy and growth to the CEO and leadership team of Centri Consulting LLC, a professional services firm which specializes in providing financial reporting, internal controls, valuation, technical accounting research and CFO advisory services to clients in a variety of industries. Jerry is also an executive in residence at Rowan University, supporting the accounting program and coaching and mentoring students as they transition from academia to the business world. Previously, Jerry spent 36 years with KPMG where he was an audit partner serving a variety of clients and specializing in emerging growth companies. He led KPMG’s audit practice in Pennsylvania for five years and served as the firm’s Philadelphia Office Managing Partner for the last eight years of his career. He is a member of the NJCPA and serves on its Strategic Planning Committee. He is the author of Advice for a Successful Career in the Accounting Profession: How to Make Your Assets Greatly Exceed Your Liabilities.

Brad is an assurance principal at CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP). He has significant experience in financial reporting, tax compliance and planning for closely held businesses, SEC registrants, nonprofit organizations and strategic business planning, and in industries, such as real estate, construction, architectural and engineering, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Brad is a member of the AICPA and the NJCPA, and was a former NJCPA president. In addition, Brad has served as an adjunct professor of accounting at William Paterson University and the College of Saint Elizabeth.

Sarah O'Rourke is an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice with the Accounting & Information Systems department at Rutgers Business School, as well as a licensed CPA. She has been at Rutgers as an instructor since 2009, and prior to that she was a Rutgers student. She graduated with a B.S. in Accounting from Rutgers in 2003 and earned her M.S. in Professional Accounting from Seton Hall in 2005. Sarah worked in both public and private accounting prior to and during her time teaching at Rutgers. She began her career with the firm WilkinGuttenplan and stayed there in public accounting for about four years. She then worked for Metavante (now FIS) as well as Amboy Bank in their accounting departments. She also co-owned and managed a landscaping company with her husband for several years (PS Property Maintenance). Sarah has three boys who keep her quite busy – she worked very part-time at Rutgers while her boys were younger and has been full-time at Rutgers since 2019. She feels she has really gotten to do it all - from being a stay-at-home mom to pursuing a full-time career (yes, you can do it all, if you are willing to give up a little sleep). She also serves as the PTA Treasurer for her local elementary school. Outside of work, she enjoys running, reading, the outdoors, the beach, and attending her boys’ sporting events.

Dr. Barry R. Palatnik, Ed.D, CPA, MBA, associate professor of accounting at Stockton University, has been a member of the NJCPA since 2010 and on the board of the Atlantic/Cape May Chapter since 2020. He also serves the NJCPA in a variety of capacities, including his involvement with the Pipeline Advocacy Work Group, Chapter Operations Committee and formerly the Educators Committee.

June is a principal at WilkinGuttenplan and is the president of the NJCPA for the 2024/25 term. She has been a member of the NJCPA since 1995 and has served in a variety of capacities, including the Peer Review Executive Committee, Strategic Planning Committee and Volunteer Relations Committee, and was chair of the NJ-CPA-PAC Board of Trustees, chair of the Committee Operations Committee and vice leader of the Business Valuation, Forensic & Litigation Services Interest Group. She is also an active participant in the Accounting & Auditing Standards and Nonprofit interest groups. Before WilkinGuttenplan, June was the managing member of zbt Certified Public Accounting & Consulting, LLC. She is a former treasurer of Garwood Municipal Library; a recipient of NJCPA’s Volunteer Award in 2018 and its Women to Watch Award in 2019; one of New Jersey Monthly’s Leading Women in 2015 and one of NJBIZ Accounting Power 50 from 2020 to 2022.