About the Accounting Summit
The Accounting Summit offers CPE credits on the beautiful campus of Appalachian State University. The 2024 Accounting Summit was held on December 16, 2024. Participants earned up to 8 hours of CPE.
2024 Presenters
Pennie Bagley
Dr. Pennie Bagley is a Professor of Accounting and the Chair of the Accounting Department at Appalachian State University. She teaches auditing and is a co-author on a leading audit textbook. She has published audit educational cases in Issues in Accounting Education. Her research interests include a variety of auditing topics; more recently, her research focus has turned to examining the remote work environment and how that impacts relationships in the workplace. Her research has been published in Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory, Behavioral Research in Accounting, Journal of Accountancy, and Current Issues in Auditing. Currently, she serves as a NCACPA Education Task Force representative. In her spare time, Pennie enjoys traveling, participating in running races and triathlons, and, most importantly, spending time with her family.
Andrew Bosserman
Andrew Bosserman is a tax controversy attorney, CPA, and former IRS agent. His law firm, Boss Tax Law, focuses on helping business owners navigate tax disputes, primarily with the IRS. Andrew lives in Charlotte with his family, where they enjoy hiking in the North Carolina mountains, spending time with family and friends, and volunteering with their local church.
Kevin Eller
Dr. Kevin Eller is an Associate Professor of Accounting at Appalachian State University. He teaches in the areas of tax and financial accounting, and he is also the Internship Director for the department. His primary research interests include whistleblowing, fraud reporting, taxation, and accounting education. His research has been published in Behavioral Research in Accounting; Advances in Accounting Behavioral Research; Advances in Accounting Education; Journal of Information Systems; Practical Tax Strategies; The Tax Adviser; Internal Auditing; The CPA Journal; Accounting and the Public Interest; Journal of Accounting Education; Advances in Accounting; Policy Studies; Journal of Accounting, Ethics and Public Policy, and Journal of Accountancy. Before academia, Kevin worked in public accounting for a few years. He enjoys playing music and spending time outdoors with his family and friends.
Kenny Benson
Kenny Benson holds a Masters of Accountancy from East Tennessee State University and has 23 years of public accounting experience. He joined Blackburn, Childers & Steagall in 2014 and has been a tax partner with BCS since 2019. He is the partner in charge of the Kingsport, TN office and serves on the Executive Committee. He is a member of the AICPA and the TSCPA.
Kim Buckles
Kim has been with Blackburn, Childers & Steagall since June 2017, and is a Supervisor in the Johnson City Audit Department. She possesses Bachelor of Science degrees in Accounting, Computer Information Systems, and Business Administration from Milligan University. Kim is also a member of the TSCPA and the Young Professionals of Johnson City.
Chad Kisner
Kisner, CPA, CISA, CITP, is an audit partner at Blackburn, Childers & Steagall, where his main areas of practice concentration are financial statement audits and related advisory services. He has been with BCS for 27 years and has been a partner since 2009. Chad holds a degree from Milligan University and is a licensed CPA in Tennessee. He has also completed the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP) designations. Chad specializes in audit services, information systems auditing and cybersecurity, healthcare, and non-profit organizations, including higher education, governmental entities, and SOC engagements.
Timothy Ludwig
Timothy D. Ludwig Ph.D.
Biography: Timothy Ludwig earned his Ph.D. at Virginia Tech researching the benefits of
employee-driven behavioral safety programs continuing his post-doctoral
work in industrial engineering. His popular website Safety-Doc.com is a resource of safety culture
stories, blogs, research, videos, and services. Dr. Ludwig serves on the
Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies’ Behavioral Safety Accreditation Commission that
reviews best-in-industry safety practices and offers objective feedback on safety programs.
Dr. Ludwig is a Distinguished Graduate Professor at Appalachian State University where
he teaches in the nationally recognized Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Human
Resources Management Masters program.
Dr. Ludwig is the author of dozens of research articles that empirically document
the successes of methods to improve safety and quality in industry through behavior-based
solutions. His books include Intervening to Improve the Safety of Occupational Driving, Behavioral Systems:
Understanding Complexity in Organizations, Sources of Behavioral Variance in
Process Safety: Analysis and Intervention, and Dysfunctional Practices that Kill
your Safety Culture (and What to Do about it).His newest book
The Science and Practice of Behavioral Safety empirically documents the best in practice
behavioral safety programs in the world.
Dr. Ludwig has over 35 years experience in research and practice in behavioral safety where
he integrates empirical findings into his safety consulting. Within his consulting practice Dr.
Ludwig has helped assess, design, and implement safety and quality improvement programs in
over 50 companies.
Sara Black
Sarah joined Blackburn, Childers & Steagall in 2017 and worked for several years in both the tax and assurance departments. She is currently an audit supervisor at the Johnson City office. She has experience with governmental, nonprofit, and private for-profit entities. Sarah graduated with her Bachelor of Business Administration in Accountancy in 2018 and Master of Accountancy in 2020 from East Tennessee State University. She has been a licensed CPA since 2020. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys hiking, kayaking, and spending time with her family.
Brian Crutchfield
Brian is a Senior Tax Associate with Blackburn, Childers Steagall, PLC in their Johnson City, TN location. He specializes in business entity taxation, with primary industry expertise in the medical and real estate industries. Brian practiced in the Asheville, NC area before relocating to Tennessee in 2021. He is a licensed CPA in Tennessee and North Carolina. Brian graduated from Appalachian State University in 2009 with bachelor’s degrees in Finance Banking and Risk Management Insurance.
Tammy Kowalczyk
Dr. Tammy Kowalczyk is a Professor of Accounting and Sustainable Business at Appalachian State University. She teaches in sustainability accounting, ESG reporting, and sustainable business. Her research interests are in sustainability accounting, carbon accounting, forest carbon and conservation management, and decision behavior. Her research has been published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology and the Journal of Environmental Management, and prior accounting related research has appeared in Behavioral Research in Accounting, Advances in Management Accounting, Issues in Accounting Education, Journal of Business and Psychology, and the CPA Journal. Prior to academia, worked in public accounting, and for an environmental consulting firm. She enjoys spending time outdoors with family and friends.
Mark Walker
Mark is a private wealth advisor with Walker and Associates, a private wealth advisory practice
of Ameriprise Financial, LLC. He graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne University and is a
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Chartered Financial Consultant®. Mark has been
a financial advisor for 30 years helping his clients navigate various financial situations. He
specializes in wealth preservation strategies, estate planning strategies, investments, tax planning
strategies, small business and charitable giving. He spends his free time hiking in the mountains
of North Carolina with his wife and dogs.
Conference Hosts
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