2026 Digital Evolution Summit Livestream (DESWEB)

Kacee Johnson

Kacee Johnson is a fintech executive and innovation strategist with a standout record in driving global SaaS growth and scaling startups to funding or exit.

Recognized among Accounting Today's Top 100 Most Influential People, CPA Practice Advisor's Top 25 Thought Leaders, sits on the Forbes Technology Council, and is named one of the Most Powerful Women in Accounting by the AICPA, Kacee brings a rare combination of operator experience and strategic vision.

As Principal at radical, she helps organizations navigate disruption through provocative presentations, strategic guidance, and events that catalyze change. She also serves as Executive Director of the AI Native Accounting Foundation, an independent non-profit initiative which she co-founded to equip firms and finance teams to adopt AI with confidence through education, research, and recognition.

Kacee serves as an independent board member and advisor, bringing deep expertise in go-to-market strategy, product positioning, and emerging tech adoption. She is NACD Directorship Certified™, demonstrating advanced proficiency in corporate governance, strategic oversight, and leadership for high-growth companies in the $10-300M ARR range.

She hosts the AI Native Accounting Podcast and is a sought-after keynote speaker and conference emcee.

 

Svetlana Toohey

Lana Toohey, CPA, MAcc
Controller SDII Global LLC | Co-founder of PythonMuse LLC

Lana Toohey, CPA, MAcc, is Controller at SDII Global LLC, a multi-entity forensic engineering and consulting firm serving clients across the United States and Canada. She leads financial reporting, consolidations, foreign currency translation, lease accounting, and operational finance initiatives for a complex and growing organization.

Lana began her career as an auditor at Deloitte, building a strong foundation in discipline, structure, and technical precision. She later spent nine years with Mettler Toledo, supporting capital investments, factory transformations, restructurings, business-unit consolidations, and a major SAP migration.

These experiences shaped her leadership approach: strong fundamentals, collaboration, and respect for compliance in an increasingly complex business environment.

In recent years, Lana has focused on a critical question: How can finance operate smarter? That focus led her into automation, AI copilots, and coding. She now applies AI-enabled development and productivity tools to design better processes, troubleshoot reporting, automate data tasks, and accelerate analysis.

This journey led to PythonMuse (www.pythonmuse.com), a learning platform helping accounting and finance professionals use Python, AI, and automation in a responsible, audit-ready way.

Lana's mission is to help shape the future of accounting by preparing finance professionals to work effectively alongside AI and an increasingly agentic workforce. Her message is simple: AI will not replace you—but professionals who know how to use it will redefine the role.

Shelly Weir

Shelly Weir is President & Chief Executive Officer of the Florida Institute of CPAs (FICPA), the statewide professional association for Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) in Florida. In this role, Weir serves as Secretary-Treasurer of the FICPA and FICPA Scholarship Foundation and works in partnership with the FICPA Council to develop and execute the Institute's strategic vision. Weir leads a staff of 40 professionals responsible for carrying out the missions of the FICPA and FICPA Scholarship Foundation.  

 

Weir is actively engaged in legislative and advocacy efforts representing the CPA profession at the state and national level, serving as a Trustee for Florida TaxWatch.  As a member of the Board of Trustees for the Florida Chamber Foundation, she advocates for the business and tax interests of CPAs. As President & CEO, Weir represents all Florida CPAs with the state's Board of Accountancy and the Department of Business & Professional Regulation. As a member of the CPA Society of Association Executives, she collaborates with other association leaders to address regulatory and legislative agendas affecting CPAs across the nation.  

 

An association executive with nearly 20 years of experience, Shelly has the unique ability to foster excitement, commitment and vision in others to the benefit of the organization and its goals.   

 

Weir began her tenure as President & CEO of FICPA in April 2021. Prior to joining FICPA, she spent 10 years with the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), where she was most recently the Senior Vice President of Career Development. In this role, she designed and executed programs that delivered career advancement opportunities and competency attainment for professionals in the hotel industry.

 

Throughout her time at AHLA, Weir represented the hotel industry on multiple task forces with the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor under Presidents Obama and Trump. She was appointed Co-Chair of the Presidential Task Force on Expanding Apprenticeship in the United States from 2017-2018.  In 2020, her work was recognized by the White House with the Pledge to America's Worker Presidential Award for outstanding career development. 

 

Weir earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Florida State University. She resides in Orlando with her husband and two sons and is an avid college sports fan.  

Sarah Ference

Sarah is the Risk Control Director for the Accountants Program at CNA. She oversees risk control services provided to CPA firms. She previously practiced public accounting for 15 years with a Big Four firm.

While in public accounting, Sarah provided internal control and risk management consulting services and external audit services to clients in multiple industries. She partnered with clients to help supplement or outsource functions typically performed in-house and served in a senior management role for a publicly-traded financial institution client for a 10-month period. Sarah was a national instructor for her firm, educating audit and advisory staff on the firm's audit process and internal control assessment methodology.

At CNA, Sarah and her team provide risk control services to insured CPA firms. Services include consultations on ways to help mitigate professional liability risk, development and delivery of risk management training and education products, authoring monthly risk management articles for the Journal of Accountancy, and creating other tools to assist CPA firms in managing their professional liability risk.

Levi Gruver

Levi P. Gruver, CPA, MAcc, is Tax Director at CPAlliance, where he provides tax, business advisory, and financial planning guidance to individuals, families, and business owners. With experience in both public accounting and private industry, including service as a Controller and Chief Financial Officer, Levi brings a practical perspective to integrating tax strategy with broader financial and wealth planning objectives. Levi earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Brigham Young University-Idaho and a Master of Accounting degree from the University of Idaho. He serves on the Advisory Board for the Accounting Department at Florida Southern College and is actively involved in helping clients navigate retirement, estate, and business succession planning decisions.

Deborah Defer

Deborah Defer is a visionary leader in client advisory services (CAS) and serves as Director of CAS at Woodard. With more than two decades of experience in accounting, financial management, and strategic advisory, she is dedicated to helping small- and mid-sized businesses gain financial clarity, strengthen operational efficiency, and build sustainable growth models. In recognition of her impact on the profession, Deborah was named one of Accounting Today's Top 100 People to Watch in 2026.

At Woodard, Deborah designs and leads innovative CAS strategies that empower firms to modernize their practices, streamline workflows, and deliver high-value advisory services. She is passionate about leveraging technology and automation to transform data into real-time insights that drive better business decisions. Her expertise spans CAS pricing, spend management, and stepping into controllership roles for growing organizations.

An award-winning educator and mentor, Deborah is known for her dynamic workshops, webinars, and coaching engagements. She champions change management, technology adoption, and balanced firm cultures that prioritize innovation and client success. Her mission is to inspire firms to elevate CAS beyond compliance and create measurable, lasting value for the clients they serve.

Peta-Gay Henry

Peta-Gay Henry is a strategic HR leader with more than 11 years of leadership experience driving employee engagement, client retention, organizational effectiveness, and talent development. As an HR Services Area Manager at Paychex, she leads HR Business Partner teams and partners with leaders and clients to deliver workforce solutions that align people strategies with business goals. With expertise spanning Human Resources, Payroll, Benefits, Retirement Services, Sales, and Client Relationship Management, Peta-Gay is recognized for her strengths in leadership, coaching, conflict resolution, escalation management, change leadership, and employee development. She balances business objectives with a people-first approach to drive client success and team performance.

At Paychex, she has contributed to key initiatives including the First Year Paychex Experience project, AI and HR Copilot development, retention-focused process improvements, and inclusion and engagement programs. She is passionate about mentoring future leaders, fostering collaboration, and creating opportunities for employees to grow and succeed. Prior to Paychex, Peta-Gay held leadership roles across human capital management, client services, sales, recruiting, and entrepreneurship, bringing a well-rounded perspective on leadership, customer experience, and organizational growth. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies from Nova Southeastern University and is SHRM-CP certified.