Not-for-Profit Virtual Conference
16.0 Credits
Member Price $625.00
Non-Member Price $775.00
Overview
Specialized content for practitioners focused on Not-for-Profit
Hear from experts in the field about the latest data, resources, opportunities and changes in not-for-profit with unique Florida-impacted perspectives. Those new to the profession as well as seasoned veterans will benefit from this virtual conference.
Highlights include:
- FASB Update
- Legislative Update
- Single Audit
- HR & Employee Policy
$tack the $avings!
Social Media
Follow the FICPA on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X and share news about this conference using the hashtag #FICPAIIC.CPE Credit
This conference qualifies for up to 16 hours of CPE credit and is subject to change. CPE credit is subject to approval by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
Cancellation Policy
We love to see you commit to the Not-for-Profit Virtual Conference early, but know sometimes life forces schedules to change. If that happens, you have options. Please let our member services team know which option you select below:- Receive a full refund to your original payment method, transfer your balance to a future event, or place money on account by canceling before May 1, 2026. Call or email MSC at msc@ficpa.org or call 850-224-2727.
- Receive a partial refund to your original payment method, transfer your balance to a future event, or place money on account, minus the event cancellation fee of $55 by canceling on or after May 1, 2026. Call or email MSC at msc@ficpa.org or call 850-224-2727.
Please review the FICPA CPE Policies for additional information: CPE Policies
Highlights
- Legislative Updates
- FASB
- Cybersecurity
- Company Communication
Prerequisites
None.
Designed For
This conference is designed for CPAs, Accountants, consultants, tax advisors and auditors working in any aspect of Not-for-Profit Organizations.
Objectives
Provide specialized sessions on the not-for-profit industry to CPAs and accounting professionals.
Preparation
None.
Notice
This is a live virtual event.
Wednesday, May 20th
General Session
- FASB Update
Jeffrey Mechanick, Senior Project Advisor/ Not-for-Profit Organizations, Financial Accounting Standards BoardJeffrey Mechanick
Jeff Mechanick is Senior Project Advisor for Not-for-Profit Organizations at the FASB. In that role, he provides organization-wide technical and strategic advice on standard-setting activities affecting the not-for-profit sector, guides and facilitates stakeholder outreach with the sector, chairs the FASB's Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee, and participates in some of the FASB's broader educational activities. He is also a member of the Technical Advisory Group of the International Financial Reporting for Nonprofit Organizations initiative (#IFR4NPO).
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 degree program in Nonprofit Management.
This session is available to registrants only.
General Session
- NFP Session to be announced soon!
This session is available to registrants only.
General Session
- Risk Management
This session is available to registrants only.
General Session
- Legislative Update
Jason Harrell, Chief External Affairs Officer, Florida Institute of CPAsJason Harrell
Jason Harrell is the FICPA Chief External Affairs Officer responsible for leading all aspects of the Institute’s public policy, advocacy, governmental affairs and regulatory affairs. He serves as the liaison to the DBPR and Board of Accountancy and is responsible for all advocacy-related external communications and campaigns to increase the value of the CPA license. Jason brings numerous years of experience to this role, previously serving as director of government relations for Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers Association and budget and communications director for the Clerks of Court Operations Corporation, serving in key roles under two Speakers in the Florida House, and serving in the Executive Office of the Governor in the Office of Policy and Budget and Chief Inspector General’s Office.
Lauren Jones
Lauren Henderson is the FICPA’s Deputy Director of Governmental Affairs supporting the execution of its strategic advocacy goals. She works to promote and advance FICPA’s legislative priorities and strengthen its relationship with legislators and their staff. In addition to her work at the Capitol, she generates timely legislation and political communications aspects, supports the development of the CPA/PAC, and enhances the FICPA’s connections with key stakeholders and state agencies. Previously she was a Senior Legislative Director for the political consulting firm Cynergy Consulting, LLC, for more than 10 years, worked on political campaigns for high-profile candidates, and was named one of Florida Politics 30-under-30 list of rising stars.
This session is available to registrants only.
General Session
- The CFO’s Playbook for Not-For-Profit Benefits & Insurance
Victor Tang, Senior Vice President, Marsh McLennan AgencyVictor Tang
Senior Vice President at Marsh McLennan Agency with a proven track record in leadership, benefits, and recruitment in the health & benefits industry. With over 10 years of experience working to understand his client’s needs and develop a long-term strategy to meet their goals of increasing productivity and returning an investment on their insurance & benefits programs. Victor graduated from the Florida State University with a B.S. in Risk Management & Insurance. Victor was named one of Employee Benefit News - 9 benefit leaders dominating HR & Advising and Insurance Business America’s Best Insurance Professionals Under 35 in the USA. Victor was also recognized by The National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research for being the youngest at the time to earn the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation.
Victor brings a unique blend of strategic and analytical skills to the review and implementation of risk management programs. Victor’s specialties include policy and coverage review, risk analysis, contract review, service management, design of specialized insurance programs for new and existing clients, training and coordinating agency value added services.
Explore how Not-For-Profit finance leaders are managing rising benefits costs with smarter funding strategies, risk protection, and data-driven purchasing—unlocking 10–20% savings, improving budget predictability, and protecting mission-critical resources without compromising employee coverage or retention.
Credits: 1 - Accounting and Auditing
This session is available to registrants only.
General Session
- Audit Standards Update
This session is available to registrants only.
General Session
- AI Policies, Procedures, and Uses
This session is available to registrants only.
General Session
- Market Update and Critical Issues Faced by Not for Profits
Emily Starkey, Wealth Advisor, Bernstein Private Wealth ManagementEmily Starkey
Emily is a Wealth Advisor in the West Palm Beach office of Bernstein Private Wealth Management. Emily is committed to helping her clients understand their goals and identify the possibilities that wealth can create. Clients appreciate her responsiveness, attention to detail, and straight forward advice on investment management and asset allocation. Emily is resourceful in leveraging Bernstein’s global Strategists, Portfolio Managers, the Family Engagement Institute, and the Foundation and Institution Advisory along with proprietary research and analysis to develop tailored plans and support for her clients.
Emily is committed to developing female leadership programs and serves on Bernstein’s Women’s Council. She is a member of Entreprenista and an alumnus in W.O.M.E.N. America. Emily values education and serves on 1909’s Board, the Cox Science Center and Aquarium Marketing Committee, and the Lawrenceville School’s Board Selection Committee. Emily is also a Corporate Partner of the Kravis Center. In 2023-2024, Emily completed the Leadership Palm Beach County Engage program.
Prior to joining Bernstein, for nearly 15 years, Emily held management positions at Bloomberg LP based in New York City. Emily holds a BSM in Marketing and Psychology from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University.
Maura Pape
Maura Pape is a Senior Investment Strategist in the Los Angeles office of Bernstein Private Wealth Management. Maura joined Bernstein from Eurasia Group where she worked with corporate and institutional clients on issues at the intersection of macro markets and geopolitics. Prior to Eurasia Group, she was a Strategist at a New York-based fintech startup focused on big data and macro markets. Maura also spent nearly a decade as a buyside macro strategist at Soros Fund Management and Laurion Capital Management. After graduating with a degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania, Maura began her career in institutional research at Morgan Stanley.
Marisa Swystun
As VP/National Director, Market Specialist, Marisa Swystun brings two decades of nonprofit and foundation experience to clients’ investment strategies. On Bernstein’s Foundation and Institutional Advisory (FIA) Team, Marisa works with advisors to support and add structure to their servicing of nonprofit, foundation, and association clients. The FIA team brings a wide range of philanthropic subject matter expertise and experience to the table, including customized development/donor engagement strategies and enhanced governance and operational tools focused on driving sustainable growth and increasing mission impact. Her career began with a family foundation in Detroit and later, The Art Institute of Chicago. She then co-founded a 501©3 maternity clinic in Cote d’Ivoire and later served as the Chief Development Officer for Nashville’s Center for Nonprofit Management.
o Market Update impacting Not for Profits
o What should organizations prioritize right now
o Making the most of AI
Credits: 1 - Technical Business
This session is available to registrants only.
Thursday, May 21st
General Session
- Economic Update
This session is available to registrants only.
General Session
- Legislative Update
This session is available to registrants only.
General Session
- Cybersecurity
This session is available to registrants only.
General Session
- Uniform Guidance & Single Audits: Recent Changes, Hot Topics, and Common Pitfalls
Amy Mierzejewski, Auditor, Warren Averett, LLCAmy Mierzejewski
Amy Mierzejewski, CPA, has over 20 years of experience in auditing not-for-profit, governmental entities, community associations, healthcare organizations, employee benefit plans, and more. Most of Amy’s not-for-profit clients are in the housing, social services, and education sectors. Amy has extensive experience with not-for-profit organizations, both with and without federal and/or state single audits. Amy is a CPA licensed in Florida. She is a member of the FICPA and the AICPA and its Not-For-Profit Section. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of South Florida. Amy is a devoted fan of USF Bulls Football and serves as reluctant treasurer of her homeowners’ association.
This session provides a practical update on recent Single Audit developments under Uniform Guidance, including key compliance changes, common deficiencies, and emerging risk areas. Attendees will gain actionable insights to improve audit readiness and reduce findings.
Credits: 1 - Accounting and Auditing
This session is available to registrants only.
General Session
- Employee Policy update
This session is available to registrants only.
General Session
- OBBB and the impact on the Non-For-Profit Field
This session is available to registrants only.
General Session
- M&A
This session is available to registrants only.
Leader(s):
- Amy Mierzejewski, Auditor, Warren Averett, LLC
- Emily Starkey, Wealth Advisor, Bernstein Private Wealth Management
- Jason Harrell, Chief External Affairs Officer, Florida Institute of CPAs
- Jeffrey Mechanick, Senior Project Advisor/ Not-for-Profit Organizations, Financial Accounting Standards Board
- Lauren Jones, Deputy Director of Governmental Affairs, Florida Institute of CPAs
- Marisa Swystun, National Director, Foundation & Institutional Advisory, Bernstein Private Wealth Management
- Maura Pape, SVP/Senior Investment Strategist, Bernstein Private Wealth Management
- Paul Brown, Vice President, Professional and Technical Standards, Florida Institute of CPAs
- Victor Tang, Senior Vice President, Marsh McLennan Agency
Leader Bios
Amy Mierzejewski, Auditor, Warren Averett, LLC
Amy Mierzejewski, CPA, has over 20 years of experience in auditing not-for-profit, governmental entities, community associations, healthcare organizations, employee benefit plans, and more. Most of Amy’s not-for-profit clients are in the housing, social services, and education sectors. Amy has extensive experience with not-for-profit organizations, both with and without federal and/or state single audits. Amy is a CPA licensed in Florida. She is a member of the FICPA and the AICPA and its Not-For-Profit Section. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of South Florida. Amy is a devoted fan of USF Bulls Football and serves as reluctant treasurer of her homeowners’ association.
Emily Starkey, Wealth Advisor, Bernstein Private Wealth Management
Emily is a Wealth Advisor in the West Palm Beach office of Bernstein Private Wealth Management. Emily is committed to helping her clients understand their goals and identify the possibilities that wealth can create. Clients appreciate her responsiveness, attention to detail, and straight forward advice on investment management and asset allocation. Emily is resourceful in leveraging Bernstein’s global Strategists, Portfolio Managers, the Family Engagement Institute, and the Foundation and Institution Advisory along with proprietary research and analysis to develop tailored plans and support for her clients.
Emily is committed to developing female leadership programs and serves on Bernstein’s Women’s Council. She is a member of Entreprenista and an alumnus in W.O.M.E.N. America. Emily values education and serves on 1909’s Board, the Cox Science Center and Aquarium Marketing Committee, and the Lawrenceville School’s Board Selection Committee. Emily is also a Corporate Partner of the Kravis Center. In 2023-2024, Emily completed the Leadership Palm Beach County Engage program.
Prior to joining Bernstein, for nearly 15 years, Emily held management positions at Bloomberg LP based in New York City. Emily holds a BSM in Marketing and Psychology from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University.
Jason Harrell, Chief External Affairs Officer, Florida Institute of CPAs
Jason Harrell is the FICPA Chief External Affairs Officer responsible for leading all aspects of the Institute’s public policy, advocacy, governmental affairs and regulatory affairs. He serves as the liaison to the DBPR and Board of Accountancy and is responsible for all advocacy-related external communications and campaigns to increase the value of the CPA license. Jason brings numerous years of experience to this role, previously serving as director of government relations for Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers Association and budget and communications director for the Clerks of Court Operations Corporation, serving in key roles under two Speakers in the Florida House, and serving in the Executive Office of the Governor in the Office of Policy and Budget and Chief Inspector General’s Office.
Jeffrey Mechanick, Senior Project Advisor/ Not-for-Profit Organizations, Financial Accounting Standards Board
Jeff Mechanick is Senior Project Advisor for Not-for-Profit Organizations at the FASB. In that role, he provides organization-wide technical and strategic advice on standard-setting activities affecting the not-for-profit sector, guides and facilitates stakeholder outreach with the sector, chairs the FASB's Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee, and participates in some of the FASB's broader educational activities. He is also a member of the Technical Advisory Group of the International Financial Reporting for Nonprofit Organizations initiative (#IFR4NPO).
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 degree program in Nonprofit Management.
Lauren Jones, Deputy Director of Governmental Affairs, Florida Institute of CPAs
Lauren Henderson is the FICPA’s Deputy Director of Governmental Affairs supporting the execution of its strategic advocacy goals. She works to promote and advance FICPA’s legislative priorities and strengthen its relationship with legislators and their staff. In addition to her work at the Capitol, she generates timely legislation and political communications aspects, supports the development of the CPA/PAC, and enhances the FICPA’s connections with key stakeholders and state agencies. Previously she was a Senior Legislative Director for the political consulting firm Cynergy Consulting, LLC, for more than 10 years, worked on political campaigns for high-profile candidates, and was named one of Florida Politics 30-under-30 list of rising stars.
Marisa Swystun, National Director, Foundation & Institutional Advisory, Bernstein Private Wealth Management
As VP/National Director, Market Specialist, Marisa Swystun brings two decades of nonprofit and foundation experience to clients’ investment strategies. On Bernstein’s Foundation and Institutional Advisory (FIA) Team, Marisa works with advisors to support and add structure to their servicing of nonprofit, foundation, and association clients. The FIA team brings a wide range of philanthropic subject matter expertise and experience to the table, including customized development/donor engagement strategies and enhanced governance and operational tools focused on driving sustainable growth and increasing mission impact. Her career began with a family foundation in Detroit and later, The Art Institute of Chicago. She then co-founded a 501©3 maternity clinic in Cote d’Ivoire and later served as the Chief Development Officer for Nashville’s Center for Nonprofit Management.
Maura Pape, SVP/Senior Investment Strategist, Bernstein Private Wealth Management
Maura Pape is a Senior Investment Strategist in the Los Angeles office of Bernstein Private Wealth Management. Maura joined Bernstein from Eurasia Group where she worked with corporate and institutional clients on issues at the intersection of macro markets and geopolitics. Prior to Eurasia Group, she was a Strategist at a New York-based fintech startup focused on big data and macro markets. Maura also spent nearly a decade as a buyside macro strategist at Soros Fund Management and Laurion Capital Management. After graduating with a degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania, Maura began her career in institutional research at Morgan Stanley.
Paul Brown, Vice President, Professional and Technical Standards, Florida Institute of CPAs
Paul Brown joined the FICPA in November 1992 and is the Vice President of Professional and Technical Standards for the Florida Institute of CPAs (FICPA). One of Paul’s main duties is to serve as the technical reviewer in Florida for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Peer Review Program. The program administers approximately 300 reviews annually in Florida and oversees approximately 85 peer reviewers. Paul also assists members in the areas of professional ethics and professional standards. As part of his role with the FICPA Paul has instructed and authored continuing education programs for the AICPA and FICPA, for which he has received several outstanding discussion leader and author awards. Paul is serving on the AICPA’s Peer Review Standards Task Force, Technical Reviewers Advisory Task Force to the Peer Review Board, and former chair of the Audit Committee for the City of Tallahassee.
Prior to joining the FICPA, Paul was an audit manager with the regional firm of Williams, Cox, Weidner & Cox (now Carr, Riggs & Ingram) in Tallahassee, Florida. Paul holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and finance from Florida State University and has been licensed as a CPA since 1988.
Victor Tang, Senior Vice President, Marsh McLennan Agency
Senior Vice President at Marsh McLennan Agency with a proven track record in leadership, benefits, and recruitment in the health & benefits industry. With over 10 years of experience working to understand his client’s needs and develop a long-term strategy to meet their goals of increasing productivity and returning an investment on their insurance & benefits programs. Victor graduated from the Florida State University with a B.S. in Risk Management & Insurance. Victor was named one of Employee Benefit News - 9 benefit leaders dominating HR & Advising and Insurance Business America’s Best Insurance Professionals Under 35 in the USA. Victor was also recognized by The National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research for being the youngest at the time to earn the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation.
Victor brings a unique blend of strategic and analytical skills to the review and implementation of risk management programs. Victor’s specialties include policy and coverage review, risk analysis, contract review, service management, design of specialized insurance programs for new and existing clients, training and coordinating agency value added services.
Non-Member Price $775.00
Member Price $625.00