Women's Leadership Forum Speakers
Michelle Alberda founded a solo financial advisory practice in San Francisco in 2007. She has nine years of experience in financial planning and became a Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner in 2004. Michelle has experience in comprehensive financial planning including planning for retirement, estate and income tax planning strategies, stock option strategies, and education planning. She is a Chartered Life Underwriter, a Member NASD and SIPC.
Michelle received a B.B.A., 1989 in Marketing and Asian Studies from Western Michigan University.
She is one of the founding members of a networking group called SKIRT™ (
www.skirtsnetwork.net
) and is co-author on a book called “SKIRTWorking, How to Network Using SKIRT™”© (
www.skirtworking.com
) which is available on Amazon.com. Michelle is Immediate President of the Financial Women's Association of San Francisco.
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Marjorie L. Bailey, CPA
Marjorie Bailey is the Principal in Charge of the San Francisco and Silicon Valley Offices for Stonefield Josephson, Inc. She is a CPA, Principal and business advisor, and works with private and public SEC reporting clients. She has more than two decades of professional experience. Marjorie brings extensive experience servicing many of the firm’s publicly held clients. She has held Chief Financial Officer positions at public and private companies which provide her with added insight into both operations and filing requirements from the company’s perspective. Also, she is an adjunct instructor in Managerial and Cost Accounting at Dominican University. Marjorie has a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from San Jose State University. She is a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, California Society of Certified Public Accountants, and member of the League of Women Voters of San Francisco, co-chair of the nominating committee and past president and past treasure.
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Barri Morris Benson, CPA
Barri Morris Benson is a Transaction Advisory Services Executive Director at Ernst & Young LLP in Los Angeles. Barri is responsible for Quality and Risk Management within the America’s Transaction Integration practice. Her experience includes assurance and transaction-related services.
Ms. Benson has extensive transaction experience providing advisory services to private equity and corporate acquirers in connection with a wide range of transactions including mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. Her transaction experience spans the entire transaction life cycle from due diligence through post-close integration.
Ms. Benson is the founder and executive sponsor of Ernst & Young’s Working Parent’s Network in the Pacific South West.
>Ms. Benson holds a B.S. in accounting from Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York and is a member of the California Society of CPAs.
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David Booth and Deborah Shames
Deborah Shames and David Booth are co-founders of Eloqui, a Corporate Communications firm based in Southern California.
They are field-trained as directors and have translated performance techniques from the Entertainment Industry for the business professional. Eloqui training also utilizes the latest research from Neuroscience on how to be memorable. They also draw on Impression Management from the field of Psychology.
Eloqui trains companies to deliver their competitive advantage. Their clients include Amgen, Mattel and Fisher Price, as well as mid-level, law, financial and insurance firms. They also coach individuals to identify their strengths, utilize their authentic voice and drive business.
Their latest book, the Speaker Survival Guide is available on Amazon.com. Their second tip book, Briefly Speaking will be released this fall.
And they have been signed by McGraw Hill-Professional to write a book on their Eloqui Method, with a working title of Wake Me When It’s Over-- How to Knock them Out With A Great Presentation.
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Kathleen B. Cashman
Kathleen is the President of Cashman Consulting LLC, a Management Consulting and Training firm located in New Jersey. Kathleen has been with the organization for 20 years. Cashman Consulting LLC services organizations – large and small in the area of Leadership: from Strategic focus and the business to Leadership Development. While servicing the organization we also service the Leaders – providing one on one services to grow and energize the business and the leader.
Working with Women’s Initiatives and Diversity Programs has been a strong addition to the Cashman Portfolio. Helping organizations initiate and Launch the programs, educating the initiative and the organization on the program and keeping the program active are all part of the expertise she lends.
Partnerships drive the success of the firm. A true partnership Cashman Consulting entered into is with WOMEN Unlimited, Inc. and Kathleen is also a strategic Partner with The Women’s Leadership Studio. This unique on-line community has been crafted to provide a revolving net or resources to Women within the Business Community. Launched in 2008 it is evolving – visit The Women’s Leadership Studio on the web and join the community.
Kathleen has an extensive track record as a Business Strategist, a Highly Effective Facilitator, a Motivating Key Note Speaker, a sought after Coach and Trainer and mentor.
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Martha Corbett
Martha Corbett is the PricewaterhouseCoopers ("PwC") Managing Partner for Southern California & Phoenix, a practice that comprises approximately 2,000 professionals who provide assurance, tax and advisory services to a broad range of public and private companies in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada.
A member of the Firm for over 20 years, Ms. Corbett began her career in PwC’s Detroit office. Upon her move to Southern California, she became the market leader for the Advisory practice. She has served in a number of roles with PwC including: The U.S. Strategy Committee and U.S. Dispute, Analysis and Investigations Leadership team. She became the Market Managing Partner in July 2007.
Active in professional and community organizations, Ms. Corbett is a member of the Boards of Directors of: The United Way of Greater Los Angeles, Town Hall and St. Anne's Maternity. Additionally, she will serve as the Chair of the 2008 Los Angeles United Way Fundraising Campaign. She is also a member of the AICPA and the California and Michigan CPA Societies.
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Jo-Ellan DimitriusPh.D.
Jo-Ellan Dimitrius is president of Dimitrius & Associates, LLC, a Pasadena-based trial consulting firm. Since 1984, she has consulted in more than 600 trials and picked more than 400 juries. She has evaluated more than 10,000 jurors, witnesses, lawyers and judges during trial. Jo-Ellan has worked on many high-profile cases, including Rodney King, O.J. Simpson, Scott Peterson, Kobe Bryant and Robert Blake, as well as criminal and civil cases related to the Enron prosecution. She also has advised many Fortune 100 companies about how prospective jurors would respond to their witnesses, claims and defenses. Jo-Ellan is also co-author of “Reading People” and “Jury Selection in Civil and Criminal Cases,” and author of “Put Your Best Foot Forward.” She has been featured in national print publications and television broadcasts, including Time, USA Today, MSNBC and “60 Minutes,” and is the 2007 recipient of the Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. award from the National Trial Advocacy College. Jo-Ellan received a bachelor’s degree from Scripps College in Claremont, Calif., and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate School.
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Loretta Doon, CPA
Loretta Doon, CPA, is CEO of CalCPA and the California CPA Education Foundation. She has also served as its COO and been active in statewide issues, financial literacy efforts - and raising membership growth to record levels.
Prior to joining CalCPA, Ms. Doon was associate executive director of the California Teachers Association, a part-time instructor at the College of Notre Dame, and an auditor at Ernst & Young. Earlier in her career, she served as controller of North American Reassurance Life Service Co.
Ms. Doon is a past member of the AICPA Council, the American Woman's Society of CPAs, and the Financial Women's Association of San Francisco. She is a past commissioner of the California State Lottery.
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Karen Ericson, CPA
Karen Ericson is an Audit Director in the Los Angeles office of Deloitte & Touche LLP. She has been with Deloitte & Touche since 1994 and specializes in serving manufacturers and consumer business clients, both privately-held middle market companies, as well as multi-national SEC filers. Karen has worked on a flexible work arrangement since the birth of her twins in 2003. She graduated from Cal State Northridge in 1994, with a double major in accounting and finance, is a member of the California Society of CPAs and AICPA, and is a licensed CPA in the State of California.
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Meggan Knott, CPA
Meggan grew up in Las Vegas, attended the University of San Diego and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Economics/Accounting from Claremont McKenna College. She began her public accounting career at Touche-Ross, Los Angeles. After 4 years at Touche Ross, she returned to Las Vegas with her husband to take over the family printing business. Over the next 10 years she began a family, participated in the family printing business, did freelance consulting work, worked for Arthur Andersen (Las Vegas), and for a Catholic parish overseeing the fundraising, design and construction of the Parish Church. She then decided to return full time to a career and began working for Arthur Andersen (Las Vegas), got back up to speed on technology, technical accounting literature and passed the CPA exam. A consulting project in Los Angeles with Grill Concepts, Inc. (Daily Grill and the Grill on the Alley restaurants) turned into a full time job as Vice President Finance and a move back to Los Angeles. Over the next 8 years she has worked as a Project Associate for Resources Global Professionals (consulting for a variety of clients on projects ranging from organizational restructuring, Controllership, SOX implementations, data preparation for system conversion, to Chief Financial Officer), Vice President Finance Americas for CB Richard Ellis and Chief Financial Officer, for Robeks Corporation. Over her career she has spent time in the not for profit sector, healthcare, real estate, gaming, restaurant, manufacturing industries as well as government contracting. She is a living example of one profession many careers! She is the proud mother of three children.
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Dr. Cheryl Leitschuh, Ed.D.
Dr. Cheryl Leitschuh, Ed.D. is a leadership development consultant and specializes in personal and professional success. She assists companies in achieving their key business objectives by fully capitalizing on a single line of their balance sheet — their human resources potential. She uses powerful programming, assessments and technology to harness and maximize the untapped potential of a company’s human resources assets.
When working with individuals, her typical engagements include developing key leaders and managers, enhancing talent development, developing focus in vision and implementing this vision both personally and professionally. When working with an organization, Cheryl addresses the short-term and long-term business objectives by focusing on human talent development. These projects have focused on conflict resolution, trust management and enhancing team performance.
One of Cheryl’s areas of expertise is working with professional service firms and their technical professionals — lawyers, accountants, engineers and consultants. Her industry expertise includes banking, healthcare and manufacturing.
As a frequent national speaker and television and radio personality, Cheryl speaks on an assortment of topics related to career vision, organizational leadership and enhancing human talent. She has also authored three books: Power Learning: Career Development Strategies That Work; A Structured Mentoring Process and Staying and Standing Women, and has recorded an audiotape. Career Vision: Moving Your Life From Stress To Balance.
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Rosalie Mandel, CPA
Rosalie is a principal based in the Firm’s Roseland, NJ office and specializes in providing audit, general accounting and business consulting services for private
entities. She oversees financial matters for an assortment of industries including manufacturing, distributing, real estate, technology and professional services firms. She also has experience providing an array of accounting and tax planning services to family offices. Rosalie is a certified public accountant in New Jersey and New York.
With extensive experience serving privately-held companies, Rosalie is able to assist with business strategies and management, internal processes, cost control, cash flow and aligning internal business systems with overall operations. In addition, she services hedge funds and broker-dealers through audit supervision and ongoing consultation relating to many diverse operational and tax matters.
Rosalie has spent the majority of her professional career with Rothstein Kass. Early in her career, she spent several years as a staff accountant with Weber, Lipshie & Co. in New York. In 1992, she joined Rothstein Kass as a staff accountant and from there rose to several senior level positions within the Firm. Rosalie is actively involved in the Firm’s Continuing Professional Education program and has frequently developed and conducted in-house training courses for senior and staff accountants. She serves on several internal committees and was instrumental in developing and implementing the Firm’s customized work arrangement program. Rosalie was promoted to principal in July 2005.
Rosalie graduated from Farleigh Dickinson University in Madison, NJ with a B.S. in accounting. Her professional affiliations include memberships with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJSCPA) and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA). She is also a member of the Garden State Credit Association.
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Charmaine McClarie
Charmaine McClarie heads McClarie Group, a boutique executive development firm with a 20 year track record of proven success. She leads executive development programs that build competitive advantage for organizations. She is the architect of the powerful Executive Success Principles® and its corresponding ESP® program. She is an oft-quoted source in publications worldwide, including the
New York Times
,
Harvard Management Update
, the
London Financial Times
,
Forbes
, and
People
magazine. Charmaine's clients include Fortune 500 companies as diverse as American Express, Intel, Johnson & Johnson and PepsiCo seeking to develop and retain their future leaders.
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Michele Nadelman, CPA
Michele Nadelman is the head of Finance for Concord Music Group. Concord is one of the largest independent, privately held record labels. Michele has more than 16 years experience in accounting, strategic planning, operations and finance for both established and start-up companies including The Walt Disney Company, Gameworks, DMX Music and Lucky Strike Entertainment. Michele began her career at PriceWaterhouse and is a California CPA. She received her BA in Economics from UCLA.
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Carol Suruki, CPA
Carol Suruki is an audit partner with Moss Adams LLP in Los Angeles. Carol began her professional career with Moss Adams in 1991 and currently serves as the Los Angeles office’s Manufacturing and Distribution Industry Group Leader. She also is a member of the Firm's M&D Industry Group Executive Committee. For more than 17 years, Carol has built her expertise as an auditor, focusing on closely owned privately held consumer products manufacturing, wholesale and distribution, and retail clients. She is a member of CalCPA and the AICPA.
Laurel R. Zaeske, Esq.
Laurel R. Zaeske, Esq. is a member of Rus, Miliband & Smith, APC in Irvine, where her law practice focuses on business, commercial and bankruptcy litigation. Ms. Zaeske first received her license as a CPA in Colorado where she practiced for the National Accounting Firm of Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co., and is currently licensed in California. Ms. Zaeske serves as an Attorney Settlement Officer for the United States District Court and a mediator for the United States Bankruptcy Court. Ms. Zaeske currently holds the position of Chairman of the Board of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the Orange County Bar Association Audit Committee, and Director of the California Bankruptcy Forum.
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