Scaling New Heights 2026 Exhibitor List

Dr. Kelly Richmond Pope is a nationally recognized expert in forensic accounting and white-collar crime research. She is an award-winning educator, researcher, and documentary filmmaker. She currently serves as Professor of Accounting in the School of Accountancy and Management Information Systems at DePaul University, where she teaches managerial and forensic accounting. Her research focuses on organizational misconduct, ethics and fraud, and corporate culture and compliance systems designed to confront these challenges. Dr. Pope's research on executive misconduct culminated in directing and producing the award-winning documentary, All the Queen's Horses, in 2017. All the Queen's Horses explores the largest municipal fraud in U.S. history. In 2018, Dr. Pope became a TED speaker with her impactful and timely TED Talk entitled "How whistle-blowers shape history”. In 2020, the American Institute of CPAs and the CPA Practice Advisor named Dr. Pope among the top 25 most powerful women in accounting. Dr. Pope has received numerous teaching and innovation awards including the DePaul University Lawrence W. Ryan Distinguished Teaching Award, the MERLOT Award for Exemplary Online Learning Resources in Business (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching), the American Accounting Association Diversity Section Innovation in Research Award, and the AICPA Mark Chain/FSA Teaching Innovation Award. One of her proudest moments to date was receiving the invitation to be the 2019 Fall Commencement speaker at her alma mater, North Carolina A&T State University. Dr. Pope currently serves as a board member and chair of the Greater Chicago Food Depository audit committee. She is a former director and finance chair for Mercy Hospital & Medical Center, former director of the Illinois CPA Society and former member of the governing council for AICPA. She received her bachelor of science in accounting from North Carolina A&T State University and her masters in accountancy and doctorate in accounting from Virginia Tech. She is a licensed certified public accountant (CPA) in the state of North Carolina.

Nicole Davis stands at the helm of Butler-Davis Tax & Accounting, BD Payroll, and Groundworx Contractors as their founder and CEO, directing a dedicated team of 26 professionals. With over twenty years of expertise, she offers extensive knowledge in accounting, tax, financial oversight, and advisory services, catering to diverse clientele from various sectors. She possesses a unique prowess in tax strategy and is adept in small business accounting, notably within the construction, independent pharmacy, and service-oriented business industries. Prior to establishing Butler-Davis, Nicole's professional journey was rooted in corporate accounting for prominent Fortune 500 entities. She initiated her career at ConocoPhillips, a leading oil and gas enterprise located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Holding memberships with the American Institute of CPAs and the Georgia Society of CPAs, Nicole's educational accolades include an MBA from the University of Tulsa and a summa cum laude Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Grambling State University. Currently, she serves as the Vice Chair of the AICPA Practitioners Planning Committee and is a Committee Member for the Professional and Personal Liability Insurance Programs of the AICPA. Furthermore, Nicole is an active participant in both the Rockdale and Newton Chambers of Commerce. Nicole and her spouse, JW, reside in Georgia and are proud parents to five children. On social media, she's amassed a substantial audience of over 27,000 followers across various platforms, where she frequently posts about her life as a wife, mom, and CPA. Nicole is passionate about traveling, penning down her thoughts, whipping up meals, and indulging in reality TV shows.

Jeff Seibert is a serial entrepreneur and angel investor who was recently named one of Insider’s Top 100 Seed VCs. He's currently the co-founder and CEO of Digits, where he's building the next-generation finance stack for small businesses and their accountants. Previously, he served as Head of Consumer Product at Twitter and starred in the Netflix phenomenon The Social Dilemma, which was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2021 BAFTA Awards. Seibert co-founded Crashlytics (acquired by Twitter for over $100 million), led the development of Fabric (acquired by Google after reaching two billion smartphones), and, before that, co-founded Increo (acquired by Box). A self-taught programmer, Seibert released his first app at the age of thirteen, and went on to lead the Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders seminar series at Stanford University.

Ed Kless believes that entrepreneurs continue the work of creation and the human flourishing is the purpose of business. To further this belief, Ed works as a MetaConsultant with Tipping Point Advisors. In short, he consults primarily with people who themselves are consultants. Before Tipping Point, Ed served as the senior director of Partner development and strategy for Sage where he hosted the Sage Thought Leadership Podcast and developed and delivered curriculum for Sage Partners and Customers. Ed also appears on The Soul of Enterprise with “his friend and co-host” Ron Baker, founder of the VeraSage Institute where Ed is also a senior fellow.

Deborah has over 35 years of accounting experience. She continues to contribute to the accounting profession by sharing thought leadership on the direction of accounting and advisory services and presenting at numerous conferences. She regularly consults with organizations to optimize their Client Accounting and Advisory Service (CAAS) practices. Deborah has led technology teams for various platforms, including QuickBooks Online, Xero, Sage Intacct, and a wide range of third-party applications. Her primary focus is helping organizations grow and achieve their strategic goals by providing technology recommendations, streamlining administration, improving processes, optimizing business workflows, and implementing best practices. Deborah is dedicated to ensuring the ongoing financial and operational success of organizations seeking growth. She recognizes the transformative impact of technology on businesses and is well-versed in training, analyzing systems, understanding integrations, and providing guidance on the implementation of third-party applications. Additionally, she troubleshoots areas of concern to enhance overall operational efficiency.

Patricia Hendrix is the Senior Vice President of Communities at Woodard and Producer of Woodard’s Reality Style Case Study project, “Tech Makeover". With over 28 years of experience at the helm of an accounting practice and specializing in QuickBooks and QB-Ecosystem products, Patricia leads a team of mentors at Woodard that provide practice and professional transformation to small business advisors to optimize their practice and improve their advisory skills through structured community learning, mentorship and accountability. Patricia also leads an elite team of mentors in Woodard's Premium Program, a top tier mentoring program with highly structured leadership and executables designed to create significant wealth, balance and productivity for their clients in a direct mentor-to-leadership environment. Patricia has been Certified and Advanced Certified in QuickBooks since Intuit's QuickBooks ProAdvisor program began, and was the first to receive the Master Certification from the National Advisor Network. As well as being rated a "TOP 100 Advisor" by Insightful Accountant for 4 consecutive years, she is the founder and CEO of Ten Key Business Solutions, Inc, a 10-year veteran of Vistage International and a forever student of leadership, business management, parenting, and overall life management through spiritual awareness and the uplifting empowerment of others.

Andrew Lassise is the founder of Tech 4 Accountants, a Rightworks Company that specializes in technology and cyber security for accountants. For years, the company has helped tax accountants meet the IRS’ requirement for a Written Information Security Plan (WISP). Under his guidance, the company authored the first and most comprehensive security plan template, meeting all IRS, FTC, and GLBA standards. To date, the Tech 4 Accountants WISP is utilized by many Fortune 500 companies and a broad range of accounting firms. The company has appeared multiple times on Accounting Today’s Top 100 VARs list and The Manifest's Top 100 Cyber Security Companies in the world. When he's not saving the world from hackers and malware, Andrew enjoys golf, traveling, cooking, and spending time with his wife, Emma, and his three children.

Valerie has spent 12+ years in accounting, payroll, and indirect tax technology, where she has helped guide accounting teams of all sizes - from small firm entrepreneurs to the Top 100 firms - through the adoption of new technology and workflows. At OnPay, Valerie connects with, educates, and advocates for the accounting community, helping expand OnPay's growing Partner Program. Valerie is also a founding member and past president of an improv and public speaking club, "Yes & Toastmasters," where she helps members become socially fearless speakers.

Heather Hurst is VP of Marketing at Canopy, where she connects the company’s leading products with the audiences they serve. Heather is a lifelong marketer, starting with a jingle to promote a third-grade group invention, and scaling from there through agencies and B2C and B2B brands. She’s made a career out of leading transformational marketing and brand initiatives. With a commitment to “customer-first, integrated marketing,” Heather has a 20+ year track record of success building authentic brands, launching innovative products, creating categories, and scaling businesses in a variety of industries. Outside of work, Heather’s passions include adventuring near and far with her family, experimenting with new recipes on the grill, and finding her next great hobby.

Ben has led many successful sales and revenue teams, helping businesses enhance their e-commerce, inventory, and order management capabilities while delivering amazing customer experiences. In addition to these roles, Ben spent a decade working for a large telecommunications company, leading commerce initiatives of varying sizes and types — from initiation to delivery and run-time. He’s passionate about the impact software can have on a business and working with high-performing teams to deliver results.

Yash is the founder and CEO of Fyle, one of the fastest-growing expense management solutions in the US. Fyle powers thousands of customers to connect their existing corporate or small business card program and get instant visibility into employee spending. Fyle has partnered with Visa, Mastercard, and American Express to empower millions of small businesses to realize the value of real-time APIs and autonomous accounting for employee expenses. Yash leads product strategy, design, sales, and marketing at Fyle. He leads a team of passionate Fylers who are determined to make businesses say goodbye to spending time on expense management.

Ben Richmond is a chartered accountant and U.S. country manager at Xero, where he is responsible for driving Xero’s growth in the region. Ben has been recognized by CPA Practice Advisor as a “20 Under 40 Influencer” and was named Accounting Today’s “Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting.”

Awards and Recognition: • Twice recognized as Accounting Today’s Top 100 Influential Accounting Professionals • AICPA Certificate of Appreciation - Strategic Planning Committee • Alumni Professional Achievement Award – Utah State University • Outstanding Discussion Leader Award – Indiana Society of CPAs • Outstanding Discussion Leader Award – Utah Association of CPAs • Three-time recipient of the AICPA Outstanding Discussion Leader Award Professional Service: • 1995 Chairman of the AICPA’s Technology Conference • Three-year Member - AICPA’s Strategic Planning Committee • Four-year Member - AICPA’s Information Technology Executive Committee • Five-year Member - AICPA’s Microcomputer Conference Committee • Two-term Chairperson of the Consulting Services Committee • Two-term Chairperson - CPE Committee for the Utah Association of CPAs • Life-Loyal Sigma Chi Val Steed graduated from Utah State University where he received both his Bachelors of Science (BS) in Accounting and his Masters of Accounting (MA). Val was an active member of the Sigma Chi fraternity where he served as Treasurer. After college, Val worked for Deloitte Haskins and Sells of Salt Lake City, Utah, and then with Hansen, Steed, Bradshaw & Malmrose P.C. of Salt Lake City. Val was with Hansen, Steed, Bradshaw & Malmrose P.C. for twelve years and was a shareholder for six years before leaving to start K2 Enterprises. Currently, Val is the Director Accountants for Zoho Corporation. He has twelve years’ experience in public practice and has been involved with the accounting technology industry since 1985.

Heather Satterley is the Director of Education of Media at Woodard and co-host of The Woodard Report Podcast . Heather’s passion for helping others and her love for technology have shaped her career in public accounting. Her affinity for facilitating organizational change is paramount to her work, helping businesses design and automate their business processes using cutting-edge technologies. Heather wholeheartedly believes in the power of community and the magic created when people work together toward the same purpose. In addition to her work with Woodard, Heather is the co-host of The Appy Hour with Liz and Heather , a webinar series devoted to demystifying the world of technology and apps in the accounting profession. She is also the co-creator and producer of Appy Hour Camp , a collaborative retreat experience created to connect and nurture the relationship between accounting professional educators and software developers. Heather was named a categorical top 10 ProAdvisor in 2017 and 2019, a Top 50 Woman in Accounting, and was listed as one of the top influential people in accounting by Accounting Today in 2019.