2023 Symposium Presenters

Dr. Mark Aleksanyan is an Associate Professor in Accounting and Finance at the Adam Smith Business School of the University of Glasgow (UK).

Mark's research expertise and interests lie in the areas of information processing and decision-making by various groups of capital market actors (e.g., financial analysts and professional investors), equity valuation, financial analysis and corporate reporting. His research work has appeared in a number of leading academic journals, including Contemporary Accounting Research, Journal of Corporate Finance, Journal of Empirical Finance, Accounting Auditing and Accountability Journal, Accounting and Business Research, and in professional publications. He is an associate editor of Qualitative Research in Financial Markets.

Mark has been teaching financial analysis and equity valuation at undergraduate and postgraduate levels for more than 15 years. Before joining academia, he worked as a macroeconomist in the Ministry of Economy and Finance and then the Government of Armenia, and prior to that as a financial analyst in a financial consulting firm.

Dr. Michael Alles is a professor at the Department of Accounting and Information Systems at Rutgers Business School. Prior to Rutgers, he taught at the University of Texas at Austin, New York University and Southern Methodist University. His specialties are the design of strategic control systems, continuous auditing, management accounting and corporate governance. He is widely published in all these areas.

Dr. Alles holds a PhD from Stanford Business School and a First Class Honors in Economics from the Australian National University. He has served on the executive committee of the Management Accounting Section of the American Accounting Association, was co-chair of the 2004 mid-year Management Accounting Research Symposium and has helped organize numerous other conferences around the world on corporate governance and continuous auditing. He is now the editor of the International Journal of Disclosure & Governance, published by Palgrave Macmillan in London.

Some of his publications can be found at the Social Science Electronic Publishing website.

Chelsea Anderson (canderson@walton.uark.edu), is a Ph.D. candidate in the Accounting department in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas. Her research focuses on the field of auditing, particularly audit market competition, audit quality, auditor independence, and auditors in the mutual fund industry. She also performs research on the accounting implications of cryptocurrencies and emerging digital assets.

Prior to joining the Ph.D. program, Chelsea was an Assurance Senior Manager at Ernst & Young, LLP, serving clients in the asset management industry for nine years.

Chris Anderson, CA (NZ), CISA, CMC, CISSP is a business, IT risk and cyber security leader with corporate and professional services experience in technology, telecommunications and financial services.

Chris is currently the Principal of Castlekeep Inc., and IT risk and cybersec advisory practice.

As VP Cyber Security at BlackBerry, Chris was accountable for protection of corporate information, systems and services from cybersecurity threats and risks, and led teams responsible for cybersecurity projects, architecture, systems, operations, governance and compliance. Prior to Blackberry, Chris was VP Risk at Rogers Communications, where he championed the overall risk mandate, and partnered with senior business leaders to improve short and long term business performance.

Before these industry roles, Chris was a Partner at Grant Thornton for 10 years and EY for 7 years, providing IT and business risk, controls, cyber security and assurance services.

From 2009 to 2017, Chris was a member, and then Vice Chair and of the Information Management and Technology Advisory Committee (IMTAC) of CPA Canada, and collaborated on the CPA Canada Directors Alert on Cybersecurity published early 2014.

Tim Bauer is the J. Page R. Wadsworth Junior Chair in Accounting and Finance and an associate professor of accounting at the University of Waterloo, as well as the Associate Director of Assurance at UWCISA. His research is behavioral (mainly experiments, but interviews and surveys too) and largely focuses on various aspects of relationships within the audit context. He has published research in a number of the top accounting journals and is currently an Editorial Board Member and ad-hoc editor for Contemporary Accounting Research and Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory. He received his PhD from the University of Waterloo in 2011, was an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2011-2018, and is a CPA, CA (Ontario). Prior to academia, he was a senior at EY in both audit and tax.

Dr. J. Efrim Boritz, FCPA, CISA is the Ontario CPAs’ Chair in Accounting in the School of Accounting & Finance at the University of Waterloo, Canada. He is also the founding Director of the University of Waterloo Centre for Information Integrity and Information Systems Assurance.

Dr. Boritz is the author or co-author of numerous books, monographs, book chapters and articles in academic and professional journals and has served on numerous editorial boards. His research focuses on professional practice in external and internal auditing, particularly in the context of information systems, with the goal of enhancing professional judgment through better quality information, models and processes.

Dr. Boritz has served on numerous task forces and committees of domestic and international professional and academic associations. He is a former president of the Canadian Academic Accounting Association which has given him all three of its major teaching, research and service awards. The Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario gave him its highest award, the Award of Outstanding Merit in 1999. In 2010 he received the Candian Institute of Chartered Accountant’s Bill Swirsky Innovation Leadership Award and in 2012 he received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2023 he was inducted into the Canadian Accounting Hall of Fame. He is a member of the AICPA’s Information Integrity, Trust Services and Cybersecurity Working Groups. A complete resume is available at https://uwaterloo.ca/school-of-accounting-and-finance/people-profiles/efrim-boritz

Thomas Bourveau is an Associate Professor of Business in the Accounting Division of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business and a faculty fellow at the Millstein Center at Columbia Law School. His research lies at the intersection of accounting, law, and economics. Thomas’ research examines the role of voluntary disclosure and verification in both regulated and unregulated markets, with a broad focus on capital, product and labor markets.

Arion Cheong received his PhD degree in accounting information systems from Rutgers University. He also earned his master’s in economics from the University of Texas at Austin and bachelor’s degree in international studies from Kyunghee University. Arion’s research focuses on the application of data analytics in accounting and the managerial implication of information technology. He has advised numerous firms to adopt audit data analytics including the Brazilian Stock Exchange (B3) and AB InBev. He has published in Journal of Management Information Systems, Journal of Information Systems, Journal of Emerging Technologies in Accounting, and the European Court of Auditors Journal. Arion has taught a variety of classes including cybersecurity assurance, accounting information systems, and managerial accounting.

Eric is a longtime observer of and writer about emerging technologies and their impact on the profession. He is a contributor to the Cloud Security Alliance’s Security Implications of ChatGPT and both an avid user and professional skeptic of generative AI’s capabilities. Eric continues his work in audit data, blockchain and sustainability standardization, and teaches his course “Emerging Technologies in Accounting” for a number of universities.

Alec graduated from Queen’s University in 2002 and worked as an IT Audit Manager at Deloitte before completing his MSc (2009) and PhD (2013). He is also a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

Prior to joining the University of Waterloo, Alec was on the faculty of Bentley University from 2013-2019.

His research focuses on how information systems control initiatives can contribute to improving the performance of organizational processes, including cybersecurity and algorithmic management. Alec's work has been published in a variety of outlets, including MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, Journal of Management Information Systems, Journal of the Association for Information Systems, Information Systems Journal, and European Journal of Information Systems.

He also serves as associate editor at the Information Systems Journal and holds the J. Page R. Wadsworth Junior Chair in Accounting and Finance.

Malik Datardina, CPA, CA, CISA, is the Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) Strategist for Auvenir. At Auvenir. Malik analyzes disruptive trends and technologies such as generative AI, blockchain, and big data to build the audit platform of the future.

He also wears the GRC hat, where he handles risk and compliance issues. Malik has a wealth of knowledge in the innovation space, exploring the impact of both innovation and exponential technologies on the profession, and has authored professional publications on the topic.

His two decades of experience, encompassing audit innovation, audit data analytics (ADAs), risk, and security governance, further enrich his contributions in these areas.

In addition to his work at Auvenir, Malik is actively involved in professional development and has worked with CPA Canada, CPA Ontario, CPA New Brunswick, and other professional bodies. He also shares his knowledge and experience with the next generation of CPAs as a lecturer in the University of Waterloo's Master of Accounting program.

Chris is an experienced leader and board member with international authority in cybersecurity and a proven track record in developing and managing strategy, programs and initiatives. In his role as Chief Global Strategy Officer with ISACA, Chris works toward the continuous alignment of ISACA’s strategy with the changing needs of our members, chapters and industries in more than 180 countries. He provides thought leadership in the digital trust space, identifies future directions in collaboration with the ISACA global community, and leads strategy implementation in terms of business planning and execution at a global level.

Chris has served ISACA as a volunteer for nearly two decades, including as Board Chair for two terms from 2015-2017. He is also a former Group CEO of INTRALOT a global gaming solutions supplier and operator active in 42 regulated jurisdictions around the world. From 2007 to 2021, Chris has served as Board Member, Group CEO, Group Chief Services and Delivery Officer, Group Director of Technology Operations and Group Director of Information Security. Prior to that role, he held positions in cybersecurity consulting firms. He also served as a member of the Permanent Stakeholders Group (PSG) of the European Cybersecurity Agency (ENISA) from 2012 to 2015. He earned a Ph.D. in information security and a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Sepideh Ebrahimi is an Assistant Professor of Emerging Technologies at the School of Accounting and Finance, University of Waterloo. She has completed her PhD at McMaster University.

Her research focuses on effective use of decision aids by individuals and organizations. Her area of research also encompasses ethical decision-making using information technology, and information technology adoption and use.

Sepideh's work has been published in a variety of outlets including Journal of Management Information Systems, Journal of Strategic Information Systems, Journal of Information Technology, Information & Management, and Electronic Markets.

Prof. Dr. Marc Eulerich is professor for internal auditing at the Mercator School of Management, University Duisburg-Essen, since 2011.The professorship is sponsored by the DIIR, German Institute of Internal Auditors, with an explicit focus on internal auditing research and teaching. He is head of the “Center for Internal Auditing Excellence” and chair of the scientific committee of the German IIA. He has published over 140 scientific and practitioner articles and books about corporate governance, internal auditing, and strategy. His research is published in Contemporary Accounting Research, Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory, Accounting Horizons, Journal of Information Systems, Accounting History Review, Managerial Auditing Journal, International Journal of Auditing,and numerous other journals. He is qualified as a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). Dr. Eulerich also supports the German profession of internal auditors with numerous talks and consulting projects to intensify the relationship between theory and practice.

Mélissa is Professor at Université du Québec à Montréal and completed her Ph.D. at Concordia University, where she is exploring the organizational implications of blockchain technology. Her research activities are focused on management accounting, disruptive technologies, and the accounting profession. She is actively involved in the business and professional communities. She is a member of several blockchain associations and Chair of the board of the Jeune Chambre de Commerce de Montréal.

Jerrard B. Gaertner, SB (MIT), CPA, CA, CITP/CFF (AICPA), CISA, CGEIT, CISSP, CIPT, CIA, CFI, I.S.P., ITCP Licensed Insolvency Trustee

Jerrard Gaertner is President at Managed Analytic Services Inc. (MAS), a company which he co-founded in 2012 providing analytics-as-a-service, strategic consulting and training in the areas of big data and predictive analytics. He is Executive Director of the Digital Legacy Institute and the developer and lead instructor for the University of Toronto – School of Continuing Studies Certificate Programme in Enterprise Data Analytics.

Prior to joining MAS, Mr. Gaertner held national responsibility for the systems assurance and computer auditing activities of a “Big 4” accounting firm.

Mr. Gaertner is a technology leader and visionary, particularly interested in the impact of emerging technology on society, education and people. He is a chartered professional accountant (CPA) and multi-accredited professional in security, systems, governance, audit, privacy security and investigation. He is also an officer of the Court in Ontario and Licensed Insolvency Trustee.

Mr. Gaertner is former adjunct professor of computer science (Ryerson University), and former member of the Board at the Association of Certified Forensics Investigators (ACFI) and the Ontario Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals (OAIRP). He is the author of three books published by Carswell Thompson, past president of the Canadian Information Processing Society (ON), graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a long-standing member of Mensa Canada.

With a background education in Business Administration (MBA) and Law, Ramsés is a +25 years security professional with deep expertise in the Risk Management and Governance areas.

Ramsés is now International Chief Technology Officer for OpenText Cybersecurity, where he defines the vision and mission, purpose and promise of the company in that arena. He also ensures the proper execution of the department. He has previously been Strategist & Evangelist at the Office of the CTO in Symantec. Before, he was at Dell Security and CA Technologies for 5 and 8 years respectively, he was Regional Manager for SurfControl in Spain and Portugal, and also Chief Strategy Officer of the Security and Risk Management practice at Entelgy.

Ramsés served for three years in ISACA’s CISM and CGEIT Certification Committees and also in the the Guidance & Practices Committee for three years from where deliverables are created for the community. He is honored to have been the Chair for ISACA’s ISRM Conference and part of the Program Committee for the events SecureCloud 2010 and 2012. He is now Immediate Past President at the ISACA Barcelona Chapter and played an instrumental role in the Planning Committee that prepared first-ever ISACA's World Congress in Washington, June 2011. He has also been part of the ISACA's CISM PATF Task Force.

Ramsés believes that a revolution (rather than an evolution) is needed when considering the move from technology to enterprise risk and that the cloud dimension offers incredible opportunities for businesses today. Ramsés thinks that Governance is essential to facilitate innovation in this changing business environment and holds many certifications that combine different knowledge areas and broaden his vision on technology within the marketplace.

Ramsés is a CISM (Certified Information Security Manager), CGEIT (Certified in the Governance of the Enterprise IT) and a CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional). He is the proud owner of the SCPM (Stanford Certified Project Manager) from Stanford University, California, one of the first experts with the CCSK (Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge) and also an ITIL and COBIT Foundations certified professional. He develops results-oriented, business-focused, people-driven projects due to his Six Sigma Black Belt accreditation. An internationally recognized public speaker, has visited +25 different countries in the past 12 months and has been awarded 'Best Speaker' many times. He received the John Kuyers Award for Best Speaker/Conference Contributor in June 2013. He has been named 'Privacy by Design Ambassador' by the Government of Ontario, Canada and is proud of being Past International VP for ISACA's Board of Directors.

He teaches in different universities on Digital Transformation, Change and is visiting professor in the Master of Cybersecurity for IE Business School. Ramsés is also Executive Vice President of the Quantum World Association and he feels honored of having had the US flag flown on his honor in The Capitol on November the 1st, 2013. Nominated to be inducted in the ISACA Hall of Fame in 2024, he lives in Barcelona, Spain, with his wonderful wife.

Lei Gao is an Assistant Professor of accounting at the University of North Florida. Lei completed his Ph.D. at Virginia Commonwealth University and his master degree of accounting and information systems at Virginia Tech. His research interests lie in the area of technology in accounting information disclosure, judgment and decision making in accounting, ethics and fraud. His publications have appeared in multiple journals including, International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Journal of Information Systems, Journal of Accounting Literature, Journal of Emerging Technologies in Accounting, and Accounting and the Public Interest.

Razvan Ghita is an Assistant Professor of Accounting at the University of Southern Denmark. He completed his PhD at the University of Amsterdam.

His research focuses on management accounting, specifically on designing reporting systems that allow supervisors to effectively use their available information in evaluating their direct subordinates. Razvan is also interested in the use of data-driven decision-making within organizations with social missions. 

Terry Grafenstine, CIA, CPA, CISSP, CISA, CRISC, CGEIT, CGAP, is the 2023–24 Senior Vice Chair of the Global Board of Directors of The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and Chief Audit Executive with Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed). She was recognized by The IIA as one of the “Top Ten Audit Thought Leaders of the Decade” and inducted into The IIA’s Hall of Distinguished Audit Practitioners.

Terry has over 25 years of experience in the internal auditing and information technology profession. As CAE at PenFed, Terry is responsible for leading internal audit teams covering all aspects of operations at the second largest credit union in the US. Prior to joining PenFed in May 2023, Terry was the global chief auditor for Operations & Technology at Citi where she was responsible for leading internal audit teams covering cyber, infrastructure, resilience, platforms and applications within businesses and functions, third party risk management, and global business services.

Before joining Citi, Terry was a Managing Director in Deloitte’s Risk and Financial Advisory practice, where she provided strategic advisory services to Chief Audit Executives across all commercial industries and IT audit, risk, and governance advisory services to first line executives in the defense and national security space. Prior to joining Deloitte, Terry served for eight years as the appointed Inspector General of the U.S. House of Representatives, where she designed, managed, and delivered audit and investigative services, including the annual financial statement audit and a comprehensive cyber assurance program.

Terry has held numerous leadership roles to support the auditing, accounting, and information technology profession, including serving as ISACA’s Global Chair (2017-2018) and as a member of the AICPA board of directors (2014-2018). Terry speaks globally on a wide range of subjects, including cyber security, internal auditing, accounting standards, resilience, leadership, and risk.

Terry earned a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Saint Joseph’s University. She is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified In Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT), and Certified Government Auditing Professional (CGAP).

Hanchi Gu is a Ph.D. candidate in Accounting Information System (AIS) program at Rutgers Business School. His primary research interest lies in the application of machine learning to accounting and auditing. At present, he is exploring the use of Large Language Model (LLM), Outlier Detection (OD), Deep Learning (DL), and Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) with a specific focus on their potential roles in enhancing the work of accountants and auditors.

Chris is an Assistant Professor in the School of Accounting at Marquette University. His research expertise is centered around pivotal domains, including IT capability, supply chain dynamics, and cybersecurity. He earned his Ph.D. degree from Florida Atlantic University and has held previous roles as an auditor at a Big4 accounting firm, along with a distinguished tenure as an accounting manager in the industry, located in British Columbia, Canada. His research portfolio transcends traditional accounting boundaries as he delves into critical areas such as IT capability, supply chain management, and cybersecurity. Chris has several published papers in the Journal of Accounting Information Systems.

Sheng-Feng Hsieh, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of accounting at National Taiwan University, Taiwan. He earned his doctoral degree at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees at National Taiwan University. He was one of the recipients of the 2022 American Accounting Association (AAA) Strategic & Emerging Technologies (SET) Section Outstanding Dissertation Award. His research interests include accounting for and auditing of digital assets, emerging technologies in accounting and auditing, and text mining. His works have been published in Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance, International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, International Journal of Digital Accounting Research, etc.

Jiehui (Annabella) Huang is a passionate Accounting Ph.D. student at the University of South Florida. Her research focuses on the intersection of accounting and cybersecurity. She is driven to explore the behavioral aspects of accounting information systems (AIS) in the context of cyber security. Annabella’s academic goal is to conduct meaningful research that positively impacts businesses and society. 

Steven Katz is a third year PhD candidate in the Accounting Information Systems Department at the Rutgers Business School. He received his MA in Psychology from Rutgers University. His research interests include environmental, social, and governance reports, natural language processing tools, and the effects of agency and motivation in accounting disclosure.

Keehyung Kim is an Assistant Professor in the School of Accounting and Finance at the University of Waterloo. He received his PhD in Operations and Information Management from the Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to this he was Assistant Professor at the CUHK Business School, Chinese University of Hong Kong.

His research draws from disciplines of economics, psychology, and machine learning to shed light on decision-making behaviors in online & mobile platforms as well as consumer marketplace. Keehyung's research has been published at Management Science, Journal of Management Information Systems, and other IS/CS journals as well as conferences.

In terms of teaching, Keehyung has taught big data management & analytics, business information systems, and programming in Java & Python. He has won a number of teaching awards at the CUHK Business School and the Wisconsin School of Business.

Dr. Diane Janvrin, Professor of Accounting, holds the William Varner Professorship of Accounting at the Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business at Iowa State University. She earned her masters and PhD from the University of Iowa and B.A. from Central College in Pella, Iowa. She teaches and researches in accounting information systems, data analytics, and auditing. She has published in several highly respected journals including Accounting Horizons, Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, Journal of Information Systems, International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Behavioral Issues in Accounting, Issues in Accounting Education and Journal of Emerging Technologies in Accounting.

Diane is an editor for Journal of Information Systems and an associate editor for Journal of Accounting Education.

She is currently the AAA Accounting Information Section representative to Council, chairing the 2022-2023 AAA Committee on Awards, and on the AAA Finance Committee. She has held several other leadership roles in the AAA Accounting Information Section including Research Committee member and section treasurer. Further, she is currently an elected at-large Ivy College of Business faculty senator.

She presented at several academic conferences and research workshops including the 2019 Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) Office of Economic and Risk Analysis speaker series, and research workshop presentations at University of Waterloo and Louisiana State University. Further, she has spoken at several professional conferences including the 2021 IMA ACE2021 meeting, the 2021 Akron Ohio IMA Chapter webinar series, the 2019 Des Moines Chapter of Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) fall seminar, and multiple Iowa State University Contemporary Issues in Accounting conferences.

Details on selected publications can be found at:
https://www.ivybusiness.iastate.edu/directory/djanvrin/

Doug Johnson is Haventree Bank’s Chief Risk Officer. He has been part of Haventree’s Executive Management Team since joining the Bank in 2014. Previous to roles at Haventree include Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Privacy Officer, and VP Internal Audit.

Doug has also held senior roles in the areas of Governance, Risk, Audit, Compliance, and IT Infrastructure Service Management with several large Financial Institutions including CIBC, RBC, TD Bank and AVIVA. Doug has led teams of various sizes and has a passion for developing people. He is an alumnus from EY and hold a Master of Accounting degree from the University of Waterloo. Doug is a CPA/CA, a Certified Internal Auditor, and a Certified Information Systems Auditor. 

Doug has served on the Board of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Canada, on the Toronto IIA Academic Committee, and is a past president of ISACA, Toronto.

Doug also is a Board member of the University of Waterloo Center for Information Integrity and Information Systems Assurance (UW/CISA).

Haventree Bank is an OSFI regulated Financial Institution with a presence in Toronto, Calgary and Montreal delivering Residential Mortgage solutions across Canada.

Gus is the Digital Enablement Leader and Partner at PwC Canada. Gus is also the National Innovation and Transformation Leader for Risk Assurance. He has worked in Brazil, the US and Canada, and is a globally experienced risk professional who specializes in the financial services industry, particularly the insurance sector. Gus has deeply-rooted experience around internal controls and data, and leverages his knowledge to bring innovative and exciting creative digital solutions to his clients. He leads digital enablement through upskilling strategy and execution, and helps business and audit teams across dimensions of automation, visualizations, digital governance etc. He understands key digital topics and how these important technologies are influencing business decisions and transforming how we work. Gus is equipped to leverage this digital knowledge when scoping engagements, applying firm methodologies, creating proven and scalable solutions and facilitating conversations. Gus is Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) as well as Digital Acumen Certified by PwC.

Donald has over forty years of professional experience, most recently completing twenty-two years of professional services leadership in Deloitte's Risk Advisory practice in Toronto, Canada.

As a Partner at Deloitte for eighteen years Donald held several roles including leading the Technology Risk (Cybersecurity and Assurance) practice in Toronto, Canada, and national leadership of the Service Auditor Controls (SOC 1, SOC 2 etc.) market offering.

Donald also spent thirteen years at Scotiabank in Toronto, Canada where he led the Information Security (Cybersecurity) function for six years as well as heading up a large application systems development group and five years of Internal Audit experience.

Asif is a Partner at Richter LLP in the Risk Performance and Technology Advisory practice, responsible for IT governance, audit and compliance services. Asif has spent 20 years between industry and consulting, managing risk and advising clients across a variety of sectors.

He is focused on helping his clients address their governance, audit and compliance concerns. With a pragmatic approach to tackling business and IT challenges, Asif has a record of delivering value to clients leveraging his knowledge, experience and balanced approach to risk management.

Asif also serves on the ISACA Toronto Chapter Board of Directors as the Immediate Past-President. In his role, he is responsible to provide advice and guidance to the Board.  In doing so, Asif takes a member-centric approach to implementing initiatives and programs with an emphasis on continuous learning, workforce development, and building the professional community in the region.

Asif is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), Certified Data Privacy Solution Engineer (CDPSE), and received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Queen’s University, Smith School of Business.

Dr. Uday Murthy is Professor and Quinn Eminent Scholar of Accounting Information Systems in the Lynn Pippenger School of Accountancy at the University of South Florida. He served as director of the school from 2011 to 2019.  Professor Murthy earned his PhD from Indiana University, Bloomington. He has published over 50 scholarly journal articles in journals such as The Accounting Review, Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, Journal of Information Systems, Behavioral Research in Accounting, International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Journal of Management Information Systems, Decision Support Systems, and Information & Management. Professor Murthy has served as coeditor of the Journal of Information Systems, the leading academic journal for accounting information systems research, and currently serves as an associate editor of International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, and on the editorial boards of Journal of Information Systems and Journal of Emerging Technologies in Accounting. In the Brigham Young University Accounting Research rankings, Professor Murthy is ranked #4 in the accounting information systems research field overall and #1 for AIS research using the experimental methodology.

Mei Nagappan is an Associate Professor in the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Software Analysis and Intelligence Lab at Queen's University and completed his PhD in the Computer Science Department of North Carolina State University.

Mei's research interests are in 'Big Data' Empirical Software Engineering by mining Ultra Large repositories of software to identify patterns and relationships in large ecosystems. He currently looks at how large language models will impact software development.

Giselle has been teaching in higher education since 2008 at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels. She has taught a variety of accounting and auditing courses over the years, but most recently her focus is on assurance, and audit data analytics. Giselle believes in an active learning approach to education and brings a multitude of resources and her own work experience into the classroom. Before teaching, Giselle worked as an auditor for a large multinational firm and audited clients in the pharmaceutical and retail industries, among others. She continues to educate herself so is up to date on current trends in the accounting profession and seeks to pass on her knowledge to her students.

Edbert Oey is an adjunct lecturer at the University of Waterloo and the University of Ottawa teaching data analytics for the Master’s of Accounting and Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting programs.

He is a graduate of the University of Waterloo Master’s of Accounting program and the Master’s of Management in Analytics program at Queen’s University Smith School of Business. Edbert has over 5 years of professional experience in accounting, financial planning and analysis and data analytics where he led the implementation of analytics for RVezy, a peer-to-peer RV marketplace startup, and was a consultant for Analytics8, a boutique analytics consulting firm based out of Chicago.

Erica Pimentel, Ph.D., CPA, CA is an Assistant Professor at the Smith School of Business at Queen's University. Erica’s research explores how technological disruption impacts professionals at work. She conducts this research using a variety of qualitative approaches, namely interviews and netnography. Her broader interest is in thinking about how professions are changing in light of new technologies like blockchain and remote work.

Erica stays connected to the profession through working groups at CPA Canada and the Accounting Standards Board. She has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the National Post, the Globe and Mail and many other media outlets.

Bradley Pomeroy is an associate professor at the School of Accounting and Finance, University of Waterloo.

Brad's research focuses on the study of auditor judgment and decision-making, audit committee oversight of the audit process, and the development of assurance services. His work has appeared in academic journals such as Contemporary Accounting Research and Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory.

Brad holds a BComm and BA from Saint Mary’s University, an MSc from Queen’s University, and a PhD from the University of Alberta.

Robert Reimer is the CFO and CIO of The Petals Group, a rapidly growing private company that wholesales and distributes flowers and plants obtained from South America, Canada, USA and Europe and sells to national grocery chains and local florists from Ontario to BC. He is responsible for accounting, tax, financial management, systems and technology, human resources, health and safety, policies and procedures, process improvement across purchasing and operations, and assists in assessing new growth opportunities.

Robert is a retired PwC Winnipeg Partner, where he was responsible for the Consulting & Risk practices for Manitoba/Saskatchewan, and has continued with PwC on a part time contract basis. Through his 39 year association with PwC, he has worked with organizations across Canada, bringing a practical blend of experience in business, governance, risk, operations, process and systems to solve their issues and help them be more successful. Early in his career, Robert began to focus on technology and information systems risks, and helped build the PwC technology security, risk and controls practice in Canada, advising organizations across most industries on how to manage their technical risks. He became the PwC Canada Information Security Leader, leading engagements to test network and system security, identify vulnerabilities, develop complex security architectures, implement identity and single sign-on solutions, and develop effective security organizations, roles and policies. He has led several CEO forums on cyber security and is effective in helping organizations mitigate enterprise cyber and IT risks. He brings experience across virtually every industry and complexity of organization, from large publicly traded companies (SEC, NI 52-109), private companies (large to small), government and crown corporations, to not-for-profits. 

Robert has been an active member of the CPA Canada Audit & Assurance Technology Committee. He authored the CPA Canada publication 20 Questions Directors Should Ask About IT Security, and contributed to the early development of the system reliability Trust Principles and COBIT v 3.1. He is active on various Boards in roles including Chair of the Board, and Committee leadership responsibilities in governance, IT, HR, audit and risk. Robert is an FCPA FCA, ICD.D, and has earned the CISA, CISM, CRISC, CITP, and CGEIT designations.

Melissa Robertson is a Principal of Data Integrity & Assurance with the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada, focused on research and thought leadership in the areas of data, technology, and digital transformation for CPA Canada's membership of approximately 220,000 CPAs. She holds a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) designation with experience in data analytics and automation, financial statement audit and other assurance engagements, governance, risk, and controls, SOC, and information technology audits. As a former Data Analytics Manager and auditor/consultant with PwC, Melissa has worked together with organizations across the public, not-for-profit and private sectors, including a range of large Canadian federal government clients, tech, manufacturing, and NPOs.

Marc Y. Tassé, MBA, FCPA, FCA, CFF, FCPA(USA), CFS(USA), CICA(USA), CACM(USA), is a globally recognized expert on corporate misconduct, crisis response, and ethical leadership, who has extensive experience as an independent special advisor to various board chairs, board members, and CEOs of corporations and organizations, federal and provincial departments, agencies and crown corporations. 

A Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant and a multiple award-winning lecturer at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law and at the Telfer Executive MBA program, Mr. Tassé has delivered lectures on corporate ethics and financial scandal remediation at some of the world’s premier universities such as McGill University and Harvard University.

Jerry is Editor in Chief of ThinkTWENTY20 Magazine, which is a quarterly journal featuring articles by prominent authors on subjects of critical interest to accounting and financial professionals. He was Project Director of XBRL Canada on behalf of CPA Canada and is a retired partner of KPMG and a retired Professor with StFX.

He has written fourteen research studies and other books and booklets, mostly for CICA, on topics like The Impact of Technology on Financial Reporting, e-Business, Integrating XBRL Into Accounting Information Systems, Assurance for Small and Medium Business and Data Level Assurance. He is currently writing a book on Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility for Business Experts Press of New York.

Professor Miklos A. Vasarhelyi is the KPMG Distinguished Professor of Accounting Information Systems and serves as Director of the Rutgers Accounting Research Center (RARC) & Continuous Auditing & Reporting Lab (CAR Lab). He is credited with developing the original continuous audit application and is the leading researcher in this field. He is the editor of the Artificial Intelligence in Accounting and Auditing series and the Journal of Emerging Technologies in Accounting (JETA).

Adam Vitalis is an assistant professor in the School of Accounting and Finance at the University of Waterloo. Adam is currently teaching auditing and his research utilizes various economic, behavioural and information processing theories to experimentally investigate cognitive limitations in processing risk and other information cues in both audit and financial reporting settings. He has recently published in The Accounting Review and Contemporary Accounting Research.

Professor Vitalis received his PhD from The University of Wisconsin at Madison and holds a CPA certificate from Minnesota. Prior to joining the School of Accounting and Finance, he was an assistant professor at Georgia Institute of Technology. He also has over thirteen years of experience in various industries including: Senior Manager at Deloitte and Touche, LLP, Director of Enterprise Risk Management at U.S. Bank, and production accountant for various film and television projects.

Stephanie Walton is an assistant professor of accounting at Louisiana State University. She received her PhD from the University of South Florida and holds an active CPA license in the State of Florida. Her research interests include disclosures, auditor tenure, and auditor-client interactions. Walton’s research has been published in the Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Accounting Horizons, and Journal of Information Systems, among others.

Professor Carla Wilkin, PhD, is a Professor of Accounting, Acting Deputy Dean Leadership and Executive Education, Monash Business School, and Vice President, Academic Board at Monash University. She was previously Head of the Department of Accounting at Monash University. Carla has 20+ years’ experience in academia and tourism (administration, accounting and management).

As a passionate educator, Carla is actively involved in teaching accounting information systems at the undergraduate, masters and doctoral levels where she has received multiple Dean’s awards for Teaching Excellence for her contribution to the student experience.

Her major research interests concern: exploration of the relationship between corporate governance and IT governance; governing enterprise systems for business value; issues concerning enterprise risk management; management control and AIS; professional skepticism in auditors; and accounting education. Her prior research has been funded by bodies including the Australian Research Council. She is a Senior Editor of the American Accounting Association's Journal Information Systems, and is on the editorial board of the International Journal of Accounting Information Systems and Accounting Research Journal. An active researcher, Carla has published in leading journals including: Journal of Information Systems, British Accounting Review, European Journal of Information Systems, Decision Support Systems, International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, IT & People, Journal of Accounting Education, Accounting and Finance, Education + Training, and Journal of Vocational Education and Training amongst others.

Carla was previously chair of the Chairs of Accounting and Finance Forum and a member then chair of CPA Australia’s Professional Education Advisory Committee (formally Professional Qualifications Advisory Committee). Additionally, she is a Fellow of CPA Australia, Member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and Australian Computer Society.

Qingman Wu is currently a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Accounting Information System department at the Rutgers Business School. Before that, she was a graduate student at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics majoring in accounting. She received two bachelor’s degrees (one in computer science and another in accounting) from Guangdong University of Foreign Study. Her current research interest includes cybersecurity, audit analytics, and the application of emerging technologies in accounting and auditing domains.

Frank Yam has over 35 years of experience in Cybersecurity and IT Governance. He
previously held management positions at many leading international institutions including KPMG,
Prudential Insurance, AXA Insurance, Guardian Insurance, and Standard Chartered Bank. He is also a
serial entrepreneur and angel investor. In 1997, Professor Yam founded the Focus Strategic Group - a consulting group with various subsidiaries providing Business and Technology advisory services.

Ju-Chun Yen is an associate professor in the Graduate Institute of Accounting and Department of Finance at National Central University, Taiwan. She received her Ph.D. in accounting in 2015 from National Taiwan University, Taiwan. Her research interests include accounting information systems and financial accounting. Her research works have been published in Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Journal of Information Systems, International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Accounting & Finance, Journal of Database Management, among others.

Abigail Zhang, PhD is an assistant professor at the Department of Accounting at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Before joining UTSA, she was a visiting assistant professor at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. She received a Ph.D. in accounting from Rutgers Business School in May 2022. Her research examines the implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in accounting and auditing. 

Since 2017, Abigail has been working with several CPA firms to explore the use of emerging technologies in their audit procedures. Abigail is the coauthor and instructor for the American Institute of CPA (AICPA) audit automation course modules. 

Abigail has taught Introduction to Managerial Accounting (undergraduate), Auditing (undergraduate), Robotic Process Automation in Accounting and Assurance (master’s), Information Technology in Accounting and Assurance (MBA), and Accounting Information Systems (undergraduate).

Maria Zhang is a third-year Ph.D. candidate at the Rutgers Business School. Her research interest includes firm comparability, cybersecurity, and consumer privacy issues. She is passionate about spreading the impact of the amazing findings in the academic world to the practice and to students.