The Future of Finance (E2502180)

Tom Hood III, CPA, CITP, CGMA EVP Business Engagement & Growth, AICPA-CIMA and Business Learning Institute

Tom recently stepped onto the global stage of the largest association of certified professional accountants in the world, representing over 690,000 CPAs, CGMAs, and students. In 2021 he was named the second most influential person in accounting by Accounting Today Magazine for the tenth year.

Tom is known for his work on the CPA Vision Project, the CPA Horizons 2025 Project, and most recently the Future of Finance 2030. In 1999, he co-founded the Business Learning Institute (BLI) with a purpose of “Empowering human capital in a global VUCA world, so that our organizations and communities thrive”, based on the findings of the CPA Vision and CPA Horizons 2025 research. This led to the T-shaped Professional and a focus on ‘success skills’ for CPAs, CGMAs, and finance and accounting professionals.

LinkedIn recruited Tom as one of their Top 100 Influencers in 2012 and he now has a following of over 730,000. He is a member of Forbes Finance Council and was inducted into the Accounting Hall of Fame.

Tom is the former CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs and former CFO of a highway construction company. He has a Master’s in Finance from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Loyola University of Maryland.

Aiysha (AJ) is the CEO and executive director of the New Jersey Society of CPAs (NJCPA). Previously, she 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, AJ worked for a range of associations including Vizient, the nation’s largest healthcare performance improvement company, where she supported members with complex benchmarking needs. She has more than 20 years of wide-ranging global experience working for nonprofits and professional and trade associations. AJ 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 2024), named on the NJBIZ Power 100 and Accounting Power 50 lists (2023 and 2024), and cited as one of its 2023 People to Watch in Finance. She was also named to ROI-NJ’s ROI Influencers: Accounting Power List (2024), its Top 50 Women in Business (2024) and its 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.