Meet our speakers
Amber Smoot
Managing Partner
- OWL Talent Solutions LLC
Amber Smoot, Managing Partner of OWL Talent Solutions LLC, is passionate about being a helper. She helps people find their dream job, helps managers find the right fit for their next team member and has a remarkable method of understanding the unique business needs of each of her clients. In her career in the HR industry, she has established clear hiring strategies, spearheaded recruiting and talent procedures and policies for organizations while guiding leaders to think and act ethically when hiring. Amber is known for her ability to provide outside perspective on recruiting and employee engagement that have proven to strengthen small organizations and build company culture. Amber has nurtured a strong, lasting relationship with her team, clients, and colleagues. She has been a mentor and critical thought leader on multiple people-focused initiatives for a wide variety of organizations. Her ability to put the right people in the right jobs caters to both the candidate and the organization she is serving.
Alex Miles
Partner Program Manager
Meet Alex Miles, the FreshBooks' Partner Program Manager for the Accountant Channel where she has built and grown an online community of accounting partners for the past 2 years from Boise, Idaho. Prior to her time at FreshBooks, Alex worked at a local tech startup called TSheets where she similarly helped run an online community of accounting pros. In this role, she discovered a love and passion for not only community but community inside of the accounting industry. She truly embraces her role as an extroverted connector. Whether it's virtual or in-person, she thrives on creating meaningful connections with people, bringing a relatable and entertaining flair to every interaction. Alex understands that social media is more than just a platform—it's a tool for everybody to showcase their expertise, build trust and loyalty, and form strong relationships. Beyond her professional endeavors, Alex finds joy in hugs, sipping margaritas while listening to 90's music, taking 500 photos daily of her two kids, and creating welcoming environments wherever she goes.
Ashley Francis
Owner/CPA
Ashley has spent almost her entire 23-year career as a CPA working with ultra-high net worth individuals and family groups,and knows things like 1) what goes into buying an island, 2) airplanes aren’t that much fun to own, and 3) horses don’t make for good businesses. She specializes in trust and estate income taxes and will share her knowledge with anyone that’s not fast enough to escape. She has wanted to be an accountant from a young age and got a Masters of Science in Taxation “for fun”. Despite all of this, she’s often told that she has a good personality “for a CPA”. Recently, she became interested in the capabilities and limitations of generative AI, primarily ChatGPT and Bing, and the many of the ways that it can cut through the tedium of day-to-day accounting and tax work. And, like Crossfit, she hasn’t stopped talking about it since…
Chad Davis
Co-Founder
Chad Davis co-founded LiveCA, one of the first remote cloud accounting firms in Canada. He has a newsletter solving one accounting tech issue each week and co-hosted the AutomationTown podcast. For the last 6 years, he's been living and working from his RV with his wife, two children and two labradoodles.
Dan Luthi
Partner
Dan Luthi is a Partner at Ignite Spot Accounting. For over a decade, he has worked with small businesses throughout the United States to do excellent accounting and make it useful for each business owner’s life and employee. Dan’s current position focuses on our clients’ needs through process development, system management, customer care, and business development. In addition, being a member of Intuit’s Accountant Council, Intuit’s Payroll Council, Gusto’s Partner Accountant Council, a member of Accounting Salon, and Bill.com Accountant Council have allowed him to directly share immediate client needs and feedback with their key providers. Each of these partnerships and several certifications will enable him to fulfill his joy of helping clients bridge the gap between accounting and personal goals.
Hennither Gant
President
Hennither Gant is an HR expert and speaker. Founder of Career Image Solutions, she works on behalf of companies needing HR expertise and individuals seeking career clarity. To give back, she mentors returning citizens, seniors, and the next generation of HR professionals. Hennither is known for her passion for all things hiring and common-sense approach to problem-solving. Her enthusiasm for cultivating talent in the workplace makes her a highly sought-after panelist, trainer, and keynoter. Hennither is an author, sits on several boards, and has achieved acclaim as Who’s Who in America, Baltimore’s Top 40, Under 40, Entrepreneur of the Year, Inspire Maryland Finalist, Dream Giver of the Year, Fiercest Eagle, Women of Power and a recipient of several Leadership Awards. Hennither is a graduate of Leadership Baltimore County and received degrees from Coppin State University and Towson University. When Hennither is not serving in HR, she can be found with her husband and children. She also loves to sing, dance, and listen to Afrobeats and Gospel music.
Jason Staats
Content Creator
Jason runs a tax & accounting firm in Oregon, along with an online community for firm owners, Realize. In 2020 he began producing video content for firm owners on YouTube, and has produced commercials for companies like LinkedIn and Zapier. When he isn't accounting, shooting or tweeting, he's spending time with his wife & three kids.
Jose Zavala
CEO
Proud Latino, father, and husband with 13 years of experience under his belt helping small business navigate the complexities of ownership and implementing tax saving strategies.
Kellie Parks (McClintock)
Cloud Process Creator
Kellie crafts processes for future thinking accounting professionals who believe in the mightiness of online technology. She wants every accounting professional to love running a cloud-based business as much as she does. The key to loving it is effective best practices, consistent communications and efficient processes, systems & workflows. She has dozens of pre-built templates to take the pain of creating optimization in your firm off your plate.
Kelly Gonsalves
Founder
Mix a creative mind with a number-cruncher, then throw in a dash of New York City attitude and what do you get? Kelly Gonsalves - a true entrepreneur that is all in, all the time. She has started three companies, including a co-founding role in Leading Lady Machine Works. Kelly is a force to be reckoned with. Her first endeavor began in 2015 when Kelly founded Totally Booked (TM). The purpose: to assist every small business in becoming more profitable by utilizing efficient accounting processes. Most people would sit back and coast on their success - but Kelly isn't "most people". She's shown no signs of slowing down. Where else has this passion for small business solutions taken her? Kelly is a QuickBooks Advanced Certified ProAdvisor (™), a member of the Intuit Trainer Writer Network, a HubDoc Top 50 Cloud Accountant, an Insightful Accountant Top 10 ProAdvisor (2019 & 2023), as well as the host of Insightful Accountant's QB Talks: App Neighborhood Watch. In her downtime Kelly spends her weekend’s paddle boarding on the lake with her dog, Nina, cooking up a great meal, or taking on DIY projects at her new home.
Kevin Smoot
CEO
Since preparing his first tax returns as a senior in high school, Kevin has dedicated his entire professional career to assisting and educating clients on how to become better stewards of their finances. He has worked for CPA firms in the DC area and has extensive experience in the preparation of both personal and corporate tax returns along with identifying the unique tax deductions associated with each of these entities and their relationship to the owners. Kevin has a love for art, mainly photography, and finds it intriguing to look at things from multiple points of view. He uses this method when looking at tax returns to implement strategies to achieve the optimal results for his clients. Kevin has been interviewed on a number of podcasts such as Ben Haggerty’s Black With No Cream and YouTube channels with Kai Andrew. He has also been featured on platforms such as Practice Ignition and continues to serve as an advisor to Intuit and QuickBooks on software development.
Megan Justice
EA, LTC
Megan takes the mystery and fear out of taxes and accounting so her clients can use their income statement and balance sheet as they were intended: to aid in business decisions that start with data and tell their business's financial story. Professionally, there's little that Megan finds more enjoyable than pouring through a general ledger and seeing a business story unfold right before her eyes. She looks forward to witnessing the growth in her clients' businesses, not just in terms of the bottom line, but more importantly, through the actions the clients are able to take to support and nurture their businesses. Megan's career started in the file room, and grew because she wasn't afraid to step forward and declare, "I can do that," or, "I can make that better." She continues to challenge her methods and motives, constantly raising her hand to suggest new approaches, always asking, "why don't we give that a try?"
Megan Tarnow
Consultant
Megan is back for her second go 'round, building a business from the ground up after selling the client accounting practice she ran for 21 years and then spending 18 months working for the buyer. An "accidental accountant," this theatre major has spent her career in the intersection of QuickBooks and nonprofits, focused on a niche and providing value-priced monthly packages from the start. This time she's utilizing all the skills she's gained as a firm owner, CNAP, Top 100 and Advanced Certified ProAdvisor, active member of #TaxTwitter, and leader of a Facebook group of over 8,000 (and growing organically by an average of 50 members per week) to form a consulting practice with even greater impact while letting her spend time during the week with her wicked adorable grandsons. Only time will tell if she's an example or a warning to others.
Miguel Centeno
Managing Partner
After six years of consulting Fortune 500 companies with tax giant PricewaterhouseCoopers, Miguel left management at the “Big Four” with one goal: to make tax strategy accessible to anyone willing to learn and implement a good idea.Since starting Tax Hack, he has built a team fully focused on learning, educating, and executing tax strategies that provide clients with 10X savings through a first-rate advisory experience. He is based in Austin, Texas where he resides with his wife Andrea, three kids, and three cats.
Nayo Carter-Gray, EA
Founder + CEO
“Making Accounting a Little Less Taxing”® is Nayo Carter-Gray’s goal as owner and founder of 1st Step Accounting, a virtual accounting practice located in Baltimore, MD. Nayo is an Enrolled Agent, a Gusto Ambassador, and a QuickBooks Online Advanced Certified Pro-Advisor. She was also named one of the Top 50 Women in Accounting and Forbes Top 100 Tax Twitter accounts to follow two years in a row.
Shanita Jones
CEO
Shanita is the CEO of Jones Taxes & Financial Services, LLC, which specializes in accounting and tax preparation for healthcare and childcare companies. Her clients affectionately call Shanita and her team “The Accountants that Care''. Her accounting firm helps business owners build scalable and salable businesses through the proactive use of tax and accounting strategies so they can experience the financial freedom they need to educate, impact, and empower the world. Shanita is also the founder of the Childcare Accounting and Business Academy which equips, empowers and educates childcare business owners with the business and accounting skills necessary to take financial control of their own futures by teaching them how to do their own books and handle the business side of things. In addition to coaching childcare business owners, Shanita also coaches accountants helping them use paid and organic strategies to grow their firms in her mastermind, Accountants Unladdered - Members Only designed to help Corporate Accountants get off the Corporate Ladder and build the firm of their dreams.
Sherrell T. Martin
CEO
Sherrell T Martin is the founder, CEO and tech-savvy cloud accountant at Nitram Financial Solutions, an award-winning financial management and consulting practice. She supports interior design and digital strategy business owners with managing the financial health of their businesses. Using accounting, bookkeeping and consulting she helps her clients find the money leaks, increase their cash flow and maximize their profits. She is the founder of Rock the Books Online®, a Goldman Sachs alum, an Advanced Certified QuickBooks Pro-advisor, Top 50 Cloud Accountant by Hubdoc and a member of the Intuit Trainer/Writer Network.
Shonette Sullivan
CEO, Client Coach & Consultant, MBA
Shonette Sullivan, MBA is the CEO and Co-Founder of The Shekinah Group, LLC Professional Financial Services. She is passionate about helping small business owners organize their finances and understand their numbers so that they can make strategic decisions. The Shekinah Group, LLC currently offers small business coaching, consulting, QuickBooks training, and financial seminars. Shonette's expertise includes financial analysis, accounting, bookkeeping, income tax preparation, and she has worked with businesses of all sizes, including Fortune 500 companies. She has received recognition for her leadership and is committed to empowering others to achieve financial success. Through her knowledge and empathy, Shonette serves as a trusted partner in guiding businesses toward stability and peace of mind.
Terrell Turner
CEO - CPA
Terrell A Turner, CPA is a 40 under 40 Black CPA, 40 under 40 Global Finance leader, and two time top 20 Global Finance Influencer. He is also the founder and CEO of the New York Times-recognized TLTurner Group a Bookkeeping and CFO firm that focuses on helping law firms and small businesses. He and his wife founded the Business Talk Library a media company that focuses on making accounting and finance less complicated through multiple podcasts, content ghost-writing, hosting seminars, and a regular newsletter called Biz Profit Secrets. He believes that Accounting is the language of business so those who understand it have a better chance of being more successful.
Zunie Nguyen
Founder & CEO
Zunie Nguyen is the Founder & CEO of Yogi CPA, a consulting firm focused on financial independence for high-income earners and entrepreneurs. In 2021 she won the Innovative Practitioner of the Year award by CPA.com. With a background in Big Four audit and accounting advisory, Zunie brings expertise in solving technical issues and implementing efficient accounting processes. Her dedication to client service and constant innovation has allowed Yogi CPA to thrive, helping small businesses obtain over $9M in SBA Loans and building sustainable client relationships. Zunie is also actively involved in the Vietnamese community, bridging cultural gaps for Asians, Asian women, and international students.a