Professional Speaker Series
Offered Fall and Spring semesters, the Professional Speaker Series (ACG3802) is designed to expose students to technical topics and emerging issues in accounting, business, and in related professions such as law. Guest speakers will provide a practicing professional’s insights regarding technical issues and concerns affecting the accounting profession. Some sessions will relate to professional career planning, and the speakers will discuss various specialty areas, unusual occupations, unique firm practice structures, or non-traditional career opportunities.
Attendance is limited to those students who have registered for the course or have advanced approval from the course coordinator. The course may not be repeated.
Spring 2022
Vestal & Wiler
6:15-7:30pm, In-Person, GER 126
Speakers: Mitri Homsi
Topic: The Business Side of Public Accounting
Mitri Homsi is a Shareholder of Vestal & Wiler. Mitri provides tax consulting services to clients in various industries including automotive, real estate, hospitality, technology, SaaS, PEO groups, and private equity. Mitri has spent significant amount of time advising clients on entity restructuring, choice of entity, recapitalizations, entity conversions, mergers and acquisitions, partner buyouts, and private equity acquisitions. In addition, Mitri has extensive experience providing tax planning services for Limited Liability Companies, Partnerships, S-Corporations, C-Corporations and individuals.
Mitri graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in the Science of Accounting and graduated from the University of Florida with a Master’s Degree in Accounting with a Tax Specialization. Prior to joining Vestal & Wiler, Mitri worked for Deloitte where he specialized in Real Estate and Private Equity and provided tax consulting services to real estate funds, publicly traded and private equity REITs, and private equity groups that include The Blackstone Group and Global Infrastructure Partners.
RSM
6:15-7:30pm, In-Person, GER 126
Speakers: Ben Wasmuth
Topic: Beyond “The Right Answer”: Effective Communication in Public Accounting
Ben Wasmuth is a senior manager in Washington National Tax (WNT) at RSM US LLP, providing tax consulting services to a wide variety of RSM’s clients, with a particular focus on investments funds and their managers.
Berkowitz Pollack Brant
6:15-7:30pm, In-Person, GER 126
Speakers: Savannah Snow, Ken Vitek, Leeland Bien
Topic: Being a Tax Advisor at a Mid-Sized Firm
Savannah Snow is a Gator! She is a Senior Manager in BPB’s Tax department and has been with BPB for 5 years.
Ken Vitek is a Gator, as well! He is a partner with the firm and a Director for their Tax department and has been with the firm for over 8 years.
Leeland Bien is also a Gator! He joined the firm as an intern in 2019 as a Rotational Intern, returned in 2020 as a Tax Intern, and came back as a first year Associate in 2021!
Protiviti
6:15-7:30pm, Zoom
https://ufl.zoom.us/j/95885532030?pwd=ZUNUTGw5OEFZanl3L1d4aTd4Q1ZYQT09
Speakers: Jeff Hartman, Managing Director, Orlando & Katie Hackett, Campus Recruiter
Topic: Innovation in Audit
Jeff Hartman is a Managing Director in Internal Audit based in Orlando, FL. He has a CPA with over 25 years of public accounting, auditing, and private industry experience primarily focused in Hospitality, Real Estate, and Construction. Jeff’s prior experience include Ernst & Young and Walt Disney World.
Katie Hackett is the Florida market Campus Recruiter based in Charlotte, NC. She started with Protiviti as an intern in 2015 and then began as a consultant in 2016 after graduating from the University of Florida with a degree in Finance. She moved over into Campus Recruiting after 2 years in the practice.
James Moore
6:15-7:30pm, In-Person, GER 126
Speakers: Kyle Paxton, Davis Waldorff
Topic: Real Estate Tax
Kyle manages and monitors tax projects for individuals and businesses and interacts closely with clients to provide innovative tax planning, consulting and compliance services. His passion lies in navigating ever-changing tax laws for clients to help them plan successfully. As a manager, he also spends a significant amount of time training new hires and conducting internal CPE classes.
Kyle’s work spans a wide range of tax matters and scenarios, including year-end planning and business structures (in particular S corporations and partnerships). He is also a member of our Real Estate Services team. He advises commercial and residential real estate agents and brokers on the tax ramifications of sales and rentals and addresses other matters requiring a CPA’s expertise.
As a manager in the firm’s tax department, Davis provides tax consulting and return services for individual and business clients, reviews tax returns completed by department personnel, and trains new accounting staff. He also teaches CPE courses at the firm.
Davis serves a variety of industries and is particularly fond of working with small businesses. Having grown up in a family that runs one, he enjoys the planning and strategy required to make a company successful. His experience helps him look at accounting solutions not just from the numbers side, but also from the business side to help his clients make good decisions.