Aclivity, LLC, Denver

Angela is Founder and Managing Partner at Aclivity, LLC, the Denver-based executive recruiting, staffing, and consulting firm. She also is a Mindset of Leadership Coach and Trainer. A lifetime Girl Scouts USA member, Angela is Treasurer for the Girl Scouts of Colorado Board of Directors. Since 2013, Angela has helped the University of Colorado plan and develop curricula and programs as a Community Member of the University of Colorado Business School Accounting Advisory Council. She is currently helping to develop its Controllership and Communications-related curriculum. In 2018, Angela was one of the founding members of HomeStretch Moms, an alliance with Channel Mom and the Denver Rescue Mission dedicated to mentoring single mothers. She first volunteered with the COCPA as a University of Colorado Denver student member. She founded the COCPA CFO/Controllers Roundtable in 2005; previously chaired the COCPA Women in the Workplace Committee, and served on the Strategic Planning Committee and Board of Directors.

EY LLP, Denver

Diego is an audit senior manager with the Big Four firm and has worked with a variety of clients in various industries, including asset management, technology, health insurance, energy, media and entertainment, manufacturing, consumer products/retail, and employee benefit plans. He serves as a liaison for the office’s diversity and inclusiveness professional networks and facilitates technical and soft skill trainings, notably as a consistent “Top Tier Facilitator” within the firm’s Audit Academy. Diego’s passions include a focus on educational access and mentoring, both with EY and in the community. He has volunteered with Junior Achievement, the Denver Scholarship Foundation, Greenhouse Scholars, and Strive Prep as well. He is a former member of the ALPFA Denver Chapter Board of directors and a former member of the AICPA CPA Board of Examiners. Before joining the COCPA Board of Directors, Diego served on the Educational Foundation of the COCPA, including a term as president.

Rubin Brown LLP, Denver

Amy is an advisor with RubinBrown Advisors, Denver, who enjoys helping guide clients through the important financial stages in life. With stints as a financial analyst, sole practitioner, and wealth advisor under her belt, Amy brings diverse insights from the individual, corporate, and small business perspectives. She serves on the Financial Literacy Committee and was one of the original members of the COCPA task force that implemented the AICPA Feed the Pig financial literacy campaign in Colorado. Amy’s passion for eldercare inspired her to earn the Certified Senior Advisor credential, and she has written several articles on various issues that impact the journey of growing older. She previously served on the CPE Board and as a trustee for the Educational Foundation of the COCPA. These days, you will find her working on her Certified Financial Planning designation.

BDO LLP, Greeley

Randy is partner-in-charge of the firm’s Northern Colorado office. He specializes in auditing and advising governmental and nonprofit organizations, as well as privately held and publicly traded companies in various industries including construction and technology. A former member of the AICPA’s Government Audit Quality Center Executive Committee and the AICPA’s annual Government Accounting and Auditing Conference planning committee, Randy regularly presents on technical topics at the AICPA’s Government and Construction conferences. Randy belongs to the Associated General Contractors of Colorado, Colorado Government Finance Officers Association, and Construction Financial Management Association. He chairs the United Way of Weld County Board and is past president of the University of Northern Colorado Alumni Association Board. For the COCPA, he previously served a two-year term on the Board of Directors, as Budget Committee Chair, and as Vice Chair/Chair-elect.

Colorado Society of CPAs, Englewood

Alicia Gelinas, CPA, is the COCPA President and Chief Executive Officer. She leads a staff of 15 professionals in delivering services and carrying out the COCPA’s mission to help people thrive personally and professionally through service and connection. Alicia’s professional background includes stints in public accounting, teaching, and consulting. She first participated in Society activities as a student member before assuming the Chief Financial Officer role, ultimately becoming the CEO in September 2022.

Jim Gilbert, CPA LLC, Highlands Ranch

Jim is passionate about supporting the CPA profession and helping his peers embrace technology to prepare for the ever-changing landscape of business and automation. He has focused his entire career, over more than 20 years, on integrating technology into strategic plans and business processes alike. Jim is experienced in forming a variety of business entities, business expansions, divestitures, mergers and acquisitions, and business closures. He is a founding member of the COCPA Technology Users Group and recently served on the AICPA Certified Information Technology Professional Credential Committee. Jim currently serves on the AICPA COVID Technology Committee. He is eager to provide guidance on the importance of CPAs to be more adaptable and pivot toward new concepts, technologies, and needs of clients.

McPherson, Goodrich, Paolucci & Mihelich, PC, Pueblo

Ron has been employed with the same firm, MGPM, PC, since 1987, becoming president and managing shareholder in November 2017. Ron specializes in preparing tax returns for corporations, S corporations, partnerships, individuals, trusts, and estates, and in providing advisory, accounting, and auditing services to not-for-profits, governmental entities, and small businesses. Many of his clients are in the agriculture, real estate, wholesale, governmental, and not-for-profit industries. He is part of the firm’s technology advancement team charged with keeping the firm on the forefront of technology. Ron previously served on the COCPA CPE Board and is a past president of the Southeast Chapter. Passionate about wildlife conservation issues, Ron serves on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Sportsperson’s Roundtable, Arkansas River Habitat Partnership Program Committee, Fisher’s Peak State Park Planning Committee, and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife State Wildlife Area working group.

Opportune LLP, Denver

Dave is a Principal in the Complex Financial Reporting practice at Opportune, where he is primarily responsible for assisting clients with financial reporting for oil and gas operations. He is among the country’s foremost experts on the reporting for asset retirement obligations (ARO) and the standardized measure of oil and gas (SMOG). Dave and his team developed and now implement Opportune’s proprietary Assent 143 (ARO) and Assent Leases software applications. Before joining the firm, he spent 14 years in public accounting, where he managed audit engagements in the energy and software industries. He has also served as CFO of an INC 500 software company. Dave is a frequent speaker on oil and gas reserves, financial reporting, networking, ARO, leases, and SMOG. He serves on the board of the Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center, a Denver-based not for profit. Dave graduated from the University of Denver with a BSBA in Accounting.

Amy King Consulting, Highlands Ranch

Amy started her career in human resources in 1998, holding a variety of progressively responsible positions within higher education HR administration. Most recently, Amy served as Senior Vice President/Chief People Officer at the largest Colorado non-profit health care system, where she was responsible for articulating a vision for human resources that translates strategic priorities into operational imperatives and advancing the ongoing evolution of human resources to an integrated and strategic model. Amy currently has her own consulting business that focuses on executive, career, and life coaching as well as HR consulting, helping both existing and start-up organizations with human resource operations.

Denver International Airport, Denver

Leveraging more than 30 years of accounting experience, Heidi has led teams in public accounting, industry, and government, most recently at Denver International Airport, where she is Director of Accounting. Her diverse career serving public and private organizations, as well as working in government, lends to her broad understanding of how leaders in the profession can make a difference across a wide range of industries and organizations. Heidi has served on numerous COCPA conference planning committees and recently completed her term as Chair of the CPE Board. As a COCPA Board member, she looks forward to helping the Society innovate and develop its educational benefits and services as the profession evolves, as well as enhancing member value through relevant, timely, and accurate content and resources.

City of Pueblo

Alex worked in public accounting as a Senior Auditor and Tax Accountant with McPherson, Goodrich, Paolucci and Mihelich, Pueblo, prior to joining the Pueblo City-County Library District in late 2019, where she eventually ascended to Chief Financial Officer. In September 2022, she was named Director of Finance for the City of Pueblo. One of just six 2022 AICPA Outstanding Young CPA Award recipients nationally, Alex is also a 2019 AICPA Leadership Academy graduate and recently completed her term as Chair of the COCPA Young Professionals Council. Alex is passionate about community service, serving in leadership roles for the Junior League of Pueblo, the Southern Colorado Runners Club, the Pueblo Downtown Association, and others. She has been recognized as a CPA Practice Advisor 40 Under 40 Accounting Professional, a 2019 COCPA Everyday Heroine, and a 2021 COCPA Women to Watch Emerging Leader.

Denver

Tiffany’s love for accounting, combined with an entrepreneurial spirit and an enthusiasm for computers and technology, have driven her success as a full-time employee, long-term consultant, and small business owner. After 13 years as principal of her own small firm, Tiffany joined Wipfli LLP, where she ascended to a Senior Manager in the Client Accounting Services department.  Currently, she is taking time to reflect on her more than two decades in the accounting profession and focusing efforts on her next endeavor.  In addition to holding her CPA license, this Regis University graduate won the Regis Award for Excellence in Accounting in 2011. She serves as Chair of the COCPA Young Professionals Council, where she puts to work her talents for building relationships and facilitating engagement among younger members of the CPA community.

Aurora

Sam is the retired Principal of CherisLaw and a member of the American, Colorado, and Aurora Bar Associations; Chair of the Investment Committee and member of the Budget Committee and Board of Governors of the Colorado Bar Association; Vice President of Littleton Town Hall Arts Center; Program Manager for the USA Fencing Leadership Academy; and President of the Legal Commission of the International Fencing Federation (FIE).

Deloitte LLP, Denver

Alexie is a Managing Director in Deloitte LLP’s audit practice. She serves as the Denver Office Private Audit leader and leads the Technology and Emerging Growth group. A University of Denver (DU) graduate with a BSBA in Accounting and a Master of Accountancy, Alexie has spent her entire career with Deloitte, in both the audit and mergers and acquisitions practices. A past Chair of the DU School of Accountancy Advisory Board, she serves on the Denver Scholarship Foundation Audit and Finance Committee. Previously, she served on the COCPA Women to Watch Committee, on the Board of Directors and as Finance Committee Chair for Open World Learning, as Chair of the Board of College Summit Colorado, and as President of the Alliance of Professional Women.

Kundinger, Corder & Montoya, P.C., Denver

Tiffany is a Director with Kundinger, Corder & Montoya, P.C., formerly Kundinger, Corder & Engle, P.C., which has provided audit and tax services exclusively to not-for-profit organizations in the Denver area since 1991. She graduated from Metropolitan State College of Denver in 2005, obtaining her CPA license directly out of college, and has spent her entire career with KCE and now KCM. Tiffany brings to the Foundation her breadth of knowledge about nonprofit organizations and, more specifically, membership organizations such as the COCPA. She is actively involved with the COCPA, serving on the Member Connections Committee and as Chair of the Audit Committee. Tiffany also is a graduate of the COCPA LeadFit program, a leadership program designed specifically for CPAs.  

Regis University, Denver

Judy is Chair of the Accounting, Economics, and Finance Department and Associate Professor of Practice in the Regis University Anderson College of Business and Computing. A Regis graduate herself, Judy worked in industry for more than 25 years before becoming a full-time professor, gaining experience in such sectors as manufacturing, telecommunications, consulting, and the federal government. She has taught accounting and finance courses for more than 22 years. She served two four-year terms on the Colorado State Board of Accountancy and was a member of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy Communications Committee. She is a longtime member of the COCPA Accounting Education/Careers in Accounting Committee and currently serves on the COCPA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group and the 2021 COCPA Accounting Educators Conference Planning Committee.

Moss Adams, Denver

Laura is a Tax Partner with Moss Adams, Denver, where she partners with clients to provide compliance and tax planning services in real estate, transportation and logistics, manufacturing, and professional and closely held corporations. She works closely with clients to provide support in transaction structuring, entity planning, recapitalizations, succession planning, and estate and wealth transfer strategies. She joined the profession in 2003 and has held positions at a Big Four firm, a large local firm, and in industry before joining Moss Adams in 2021. She specializes in developing close relationships with clients to effectively engage in tax planning and solve problems. A graduate of the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Denver, Laura serves on the COCPA/CDOR Working Group and the COCPA Editorial Board, and is a COCPA LeadFit graduate.

SM Energy Company, Denver

Jeff has 16 years’ experience in various accounting and auditing roles within the oil and gas industry. As Director of Operational Accounting at SM Energy, he focuses on fostering a highly engaged and rewarding work environment through effective communication, employee development, and establishing robust cross-functional relationships. He feels lucky to work for an industry leader in the oil and gas sector that has challenged him professionally and provided him the opportunity to support the growth of others. As a recurring guest lecturer for master’s-level accounting courses at Colorado State University and the University of Northern Colorado, Jeff knows the importance of maintaining a connection with those interested in pursuing accounting. A past member of the COCPA Audit Committee, he’s excited to join the Educational Foundation and sees the role as a new opportunity to advocate for the profession and those who are considering it as their career path.

RubinBrown LLP, Denver

Stephanie began her accounting career at RubinBrown in 2014 after graduating – with summa cum laude honors – from the University of Northern Colorado with her master’s degree in accounting. While in school, her work as a co-author was published in two tax publications. She earned her CPA in 2015. She left RubinBrown in 2017 and held accounting positions in various governmental and public organizations before returning to RubinBrown in early 2021. She provides client services in audits of non-profit, governmental, and private organizations. Stephanie says one of the biggest challenges facing the accounting profession is the decline in the pipeline of students joining the profession following graduation. Her personal experience as a first-generation, nontraditional student helps her relate to those who don’t fit the traditional college path, and she “hopes to be that person who inspires a shared vision” for other nontraditional students.

University of Denver School of Accountancy, Denver

KED is a Teaching Professor and Assistant Director of the University of Denver School of Accountancy in the Daniels College of Business. Her primary teaching areas are accounting information systems and managerial accounting. She is a two-time winner of the Daniels Award for Excellence for Faculty, and a winner of the C. Thomas Howard Innovative Teaching Award. She served for more than a decade on the COCPA Careers in Accounting Committee. Prior to entering academia, KED spent eight years as Vice President of Finance for Colorado Computer Institute, an international computer networking training company based in Englewood, Colo.

Synergy Accounting & Advisory Services, LLC, Littleton

Lora has 23 years of experience in public accounting and private industry. Her public accounting experience includes manufacturing, government, banking, and fund accounting, while her industry experience encompasses commercial real estate, construction, and professional services. She is proficient in multi-organizational accounting, small business startups, system conversions, intercompany accounting, GAAP-based accrual accounting, forecasting, budgeting, project management, and human resources. As a CFO, Lora has led the due diligence process to assist in the sale of a multi-million dollar mortgage banking firm. The recipient of an Educational Foundation of COCPA scholarship in 1996, Lora has served on the COCPA Member Connections Committee, Audit Committee as both a member and Chair, Investment Committee, Board of Directors as Director and Treasurer, and Nominating Committee. In addition to holding her CPA license, Lora holds a Client Accounting Advisory Services Certificate from the AICPA.

CoBank, ACB, Englewood

Matthew works in the Internal Audit Department at CoBank, ACB, one of the largest private providers of credit to the U.S. rural economy. He recently completed the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce Impact Denver program and currently co-leads CoBank’s Young Professionals Associate Resource Group as part of its overall diversity and inclusion initiatives. Matthew understands the importance of scholarships in a student’s education, and remembers their significance in his own journey. “As a minority student from an agricultural background, the process of getting my accounting degree was foreign to me. Without the generous donors and organizations that donated their time and money to shaping my career, I don’t think I would have pursued my CPA, gone into public accounting, and ended up where I am today. Now that I am in a position to give back, I know I can help make a difference in the lives of individuals who are the future of our profession.”

CBIZ MHM, Denver

Caitlyn is a senior tax accountant at CBIZ MHM, Denver. Outside of work, she serves in several leadership roles, including as the Business Representative on the Board of Directors of Colorado’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). She also serves on the National FBLA’s Finance Committee. Caitlyn gives back to her sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi, Epsilon Gamma chapter, as the advisor for the Vice President of Communications. This energetic and enthusiastic young professional is involved with the COCPA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group and Young Professionals Council. She was recognized with the COCPA’s 2021 Everyday Heroine Award for her community service. Among the most pressing issues facing the profession, Caitlyn identifies the decreasing number of students pursuing an accounting career; meeting clients’ needs regarding the effects of the pandemic and new legislation; and the continuing inequality of opportunities for people from historically marginalized populations.