Instructor
Gregory J. Altman currently serves as the Vice President of Finance and Operations at Nardin Academy, Buffalo, NY and as Treasurer/Secretary for American Coradius International, LLC, Amherst, NY. Prior to this role, Mr. Altman served as the Director of Finance and Operations at Health Sciences Charter School, Buffalo, NY and as Chief Financial Officer at Zone Oil & Gas LLC and Somerset Production Company, LLC, and as controller for Somerset Capital Partners, all affiliated companies in the investment and oil and gas industries. Prior to becoming affiliated with the Somerset companies, Mr. Altman worked for an independent oil and gas exploration and production company, a real estate syndicator with public and private partnerships, and in public accounting for ten years. Former affiliations include serving on the finance and audit committee for The Olmsted Conservancy in Buffalo, past-President for the Western New York Kidney Foundation, and the annual chairperson for the Kids Escaping Drugs dinner gala, Buffalo, NY.
Mr. Altman is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Altman earned his bachelor's degree from New York University and graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo's graduate tax certificate program.
Instructor
Instructor
Tim focuses his practice in the state and local tax area. His work primarily involves New York State and New York City tax litigation and controversy. Over the past 25 years, he has handled more than 3,000 personal income tax, sales tax, corporate tax, or other New York State and City tax audits, and over 100 cases in New York’s Division of Tax Appeals. Tim is also a member of the Board of Directors of Hodgson Russ.
Tim leads the firm’s Tax Residency Practice and he is one of the leading practitioners in this area of the law. He has handled some of the most high-profile residency cases in New York, including a significant win in the Gaied case, one of the first New York residency cases to ever reach New York’s highest court. He is often quoted by media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Bloomberg, and Forbes, on residency and other state tax issues. Under his direction, the Tax Residency Practice authored What to Expect in a Residency Audit, a detailed guide to residency rules and audits in New York and other states. And over the past 25 years, he has guided literally thousands of taxpayers moving from high-tax states to low-tax states and successfully defended them in state residency audits.
As the “Noonan” in “Noonan's Notes,” a monthly column in Tax Notes State, Tim is a nationally recognized author and speaker on state tax issues. He co-authored the CCH Residency and Allocation Audit Handbook and Contesting New York State Tax Assessment- Fourth Edition, published by the New York State Bar Association. In addition, Tim has served as a contributing author or editor for several other tax publications and treatises, including the American Bar Association's Sales and Use Tax Deskbook, the "New York Sales Tax Guide" published by practicallaw.com, the corporate apportionment chapter in Thomson Reuters’ Checkpoint Analyst, the New York chapter of LexisNexis’s Practice Insights, and the New York Tax Litigation chapter in Thomson Reuters’ Commercial Litigation in New York State Courts treatise. He has also written more than 400 articles in state and local tax publications around the country over the past two decades, and he runs the award-winning Noonan's Notes Blog, where he and his colleagues offer regular commentary on developments in the world of New York and multistate tax law.
Tim also has extensive experience on New York City corporate and entity tax matters, and handled a significant number of residency and sales tax issues in other states, including work with many national and international clients on multistate compliance or voluntary disclosures. He has also appeared before the Connecticut Supreme Court and the Michigan Court of Appeals in litigated matters and is admitted to practice law in Connecticut.
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Instructor
Instructor
Instructor
Instructor
Cory Bonura Sr. Systems Engineer & Penetration Tester | Mengel Metzger Barr & Co. LLP
With more than 15 years of experience in IT, Cory Bonura brings a depth of technical expertise spanning systems engineering, penetration testing, and enterprise infrastructure. He has served as both an IT Director and IT Consultant across the medical and private sectors, giving him a grounded, real-world perspective on how organizations of all sizes manage security risk. At MMB+CO, Cory leads technical implementation and hands-on security assessments for clients.
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Instructor
Instructor
Join fellow CPAs and finance professionals who practice in industry for a practical, forward-looking conference delivering actionable insights on artificial intelligence, state and local tax developments, human resource challenges, and the economic outlook. The conference is designed to equip attendees with the knowledge and strategies they can put to work immediately, providing actionable insights on evolving regulations, emerging technologies, and strategic leadership.
This is a unique opportunity for NYSSCPA members who practice outside public accounting to hear from experts on specific topics that provide a high-level update with a focus on where to go to get answers. The committee has selected topics that are most relevant right now to CPAs practicing in Industry and the conference is designed to start the conversation about those topics, encourage discussions, and provide resources for finding answers.
The objective of this conference is to reach out to CPAs who practice in industry to provide continuing education in areas that address their roles within the accounting profession. The conference is designed to address the latest “hot” topics without overwhelming attendees with every technical detail, but rather with overviews and resources from content experts for attendees to be able to consider and always use as needed. The conference also addresses relevant topics in practice such as wellness for individuals, which is such a vital part of today’s working environment.
The conference will not only address technical issues that our audience deals with on a regular basis, but it will also deliver practical guidance, emerging trends, and strategic perspectives designed to help professionals navigate an increasingly complex landscape. Attendees will leave with actionable knowledge, practical takeaways, and a broader understanding of the trends and regulatory developments impacting today’s CPA and finance professionals practicing in Industry.
· Human Resources Issues and Compliance Updates – Explore current HR trends, workforce challenges, employment regulations, and practical compliance considerations impacting organizations today.
· State and Local Tax (SALT) Developments – Stay current on evolving tax laws, regulatory changes, and emerging issues affecting state and local taxation and business operations.
· Artificial Intelligence in Practice – Learn how AI is transforming finance and business functions, discover practical applications, understand opportunities and risks, and examine governance considerations for implementation.
CPAs practicing outside of public accounting. The conference is especially geared towards CPAs who practice in Industry, Education, Government, and non-Profits. The conference would also be beneficial for those in banking, the insurance industry, IT professionals, and lawyers who practice in general corporate, tax, or human resource areas.
Gregory J. Altman currently serves as the Vice President of Finance and Operations at Nardin Academy, Buffalo, NY and as Treasurer/Secretary for American Coradius International, LLC, Amherst, NY. Prior to this role, Mr. Altman served as the Director of Finance and Operations at Health Sciences Charter School, Buffalo, NY and as Chief Financial Officer at Zone Oil & Gas LLC and Somerset Production Company, LLC, and as controller for Somerset Capital Partners, all affiliated companies in the investment and oil and gas industries. Prior to becoming affiliated with the Somerset companies, Mr. Altman worked for an independent oil and gas exploration and production company, a real estate syndicator with public and private partnerships, and in public accounting for ten years. Former affiliations include serving on the finance and audit committee for The Olmsted Conservancy in Buffalo, past-President for the Western New York Kidney Foundation, and the annual chairperson for the Kids Escaping Drugs dinner gala, Buffalo, NY.
Mr. Altman is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Altman earned his bachelor's degree from New York University and graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo's graduate tax certificate program.
Tim focuses his practice in the state and local tax area. His work primarily involves New York State and New York City tax litigation and controversy. Over the past 25 years, he has handled more than 3,000 personal income tax, sales tax, corporate tax, or other New York State and City tax audits, and over 100 cases in New York’s Division of Tax Appeals. Tim is also a member of the Board of Directors of Hodgson Russ.
Tim leads the firm’s Tax Residency Practice and he is one of the leading practitioners in this area of the law. He has handled some of the most high-profile residency cases in New York, including a significant win in the Gaied case, one of the first New York residency cases to ever reach New York’s highest court. He is often quoted by media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Bloomberg, and Forbes, on residency and other state tax issues. Under his direction, the Tax Residency Practice authored What to Expect in a Residency Audit, a detailed guide to residency rules and audits in New York and other states. And over the past 25 years, he has guided literally thousands of taxpayers moving from high-tax states to low-tax states and successfully defended them in state residency audits.
As the “Noonan” in “Noonan's Notes,” a monthly column in Tax Notes State, Tim is a nationally recognized author and speaker on state tax issues. He co-authored the CCH Residency and Allocation Audit Handbook and Contesting New York State Tax Assessment- Fourth Edition, published by the New York State Bar Association. In addition, Tim has served as a contributing author or editor for several other tax publications and treatises, including the American Bar Association's Sales and Use Tax Deskbook, the "New York Sales Tax Guide" published by practicallaw.com, the corporate apportionment chapter in Thomson Reuters’ Checkpoint Analyst, the New York chapter of LexisNexis’s Practice Insights, and the New York Tax Litigation chapter in Thomson Reuters’ Commercial Litigation in New York State Courts treatise. He has also written more than 400 articles in state and local tax publications around the country over the past two decades, and he runs the award-winning Noonan's Notes Blog, where he and his colleagues offer regular commentary on developments in the world of New York and multistate tax law.
Tim also has extensive experience on New York City corporate and entity tax matters, and handled a significant number of residency and sales tax issues in other states, including work with many national and international clients on multistate compliance or voluntary disclosures. He has also appeared before the Connecticut Supreme Court and the Michigan Court of Appeals in litigated matters and is admitted to practice law in Connecticut.
This session is designed for CPAs practicing in industry who seek to stay current on the evolving landscape of state and local income taxation. Participants will receive a concise update on recent legislative changes, regulatory developments, and emerging trends affecting state and local taxation. The session will highlight practical implications for businesses, including compliance considerations, planning opportunities, and areas of heightened scrutiny, equipping attendees with actionable insights to apply in their organizations.
This session is designed for CPAs practicing in industry who are responsible for, or work closely with, human resource functions. The course provides a practical and timely overview of current human resource management trends, key regulatory developments, and emerging workplace challenges impacting organizations today. Participants will explore current and evolving employment laws and compliance, while specifically addressing pressing HR challenges in today’s world. Through real-world examples and discussion, attendees will gain insight into: 1) how HR issues intersect with all areas of decision making; and 2) the knowledge needed to support sound organizational practices and enhance compliance.
This session will look at current trends in the economy in addition to discussing the outlook in the future. As the lead financial decision maker in your company, how do these trends affect you and what actions should you consider to best position your company for the future so that negative trends have little impact and you can ride the wave of any positive trends?
This session explores one of the hardest parts of finance leadership: getting people outside of finance to understand, trust, and act on finance’s recommendations. CFO and keynote speaker Wassia Kamon shares why working across functions can often feel like speaking a completely different language and what to do about it. Attendees will learn practical ways to better understand stakeholder priorities, communicate more effectively, navigate resistance, and lead change more successfully in both large and small organizations.
In this session, you will:
1. Identify behaviors that erode finance's credibility with cross-functional partners
2. Learn strategies to improve stakeholder alignment during change initiatives
3. Adapt collaboration and influence strategies in both small and large organizations
4. Recognize ways AI tools can support communication and stakeholder engagement
By understanding how a bank assesses and mitigates credit risk, participants in this session can best position the borrower for a long-term mutually beneficial relationship with their primary credit provider.
What we will cover:
•What to provide a bank for a credit request
•Key financial metrics used in assessing risk
•Typical loan terms and conditions
•Leverage points in negotiating for credit
•Important considerations when choosing a bank
An AI agent is a software coworker that reads your data, makes decisions, and acts in the systems you already use. You'll see what agents are doing today in finance and accounting departments (reconciliations, AP coding, variance commentary, audit pulls, etc.), where the line is for higher-stakes judgment, and where both functions are headed over the next 18 months.
What we will cover:
•What "agent" actually means for a finance person. Not a chatbot, not a macro. A coworker that reads, decides, and acts across your tools. Where the line is today and where it is not yet.
•Connecting agents to your real data. ERP, CPM, spreadsheets, SharePoint, email. How to plug in without a six-month IT project. What works for a 5-person firm and what changes at 500.
•Five workflows worth starting with this quarter. Close prep, reconciliations, AP coding, variance commentary, audit pull lists. What "good" looks like on each, with real examples.
•Keeping agents explainable. Audit trails and approval gates so "the AI did it" does not show up in your workpapers. Controls that satisfy SOX (or your peer reviewer) without strangling the agent.
•A starter plan attendees can use right after the conference.One workflow, one person, one measurable outcome. Plus a short handoff into the cybersecurity session that follows mine, since security and risk are inseparable from any of this.
Attendees walk out with a working mental model, a shortlist of workflows to pilot, and the starter plan to actually do it.
Cory Bonura Sr. Systems Engineer & Penetration Tester | Mengel Metzger Barr & Co. LLP
With more than 15 years of experience in IT, Cory Bonura brings a depth of technical expertise spanning systems engineering, penetration testing, and enterprise infrastructure. He has served as both an IT Director and IT Consultant across the medical and private sectors, giving him a grounded, real-world perspective on how organizations of all sizes manage security risk. At MMB+CO, Cory leads technical implementation and hands-on security assessments for clients.
AI agents are moving beyond experimentation and into the daily workflows of accounting and finance teams. They read documents, make decisions, and act across your systems — and that capability brings real security and governance risk that every CFO needs to understand. This session picks up where the conversation on AI capabilities leaves off and focuses on the harder question: how do you use AI safely? We'll walk through three foundational pillars — classifying your data before agents touch it, securing the integrations that connect agents to your systems, and building the human oversight structures that keep your firm accountable. Every topic is grounded in practical steps you can take back to your firm immediately, without waiting for a lengthy IT project or a new regulation to force your hand.
In this session, you will:
•Understand why data classification is the foundation of safe AI adoption — and walk away with a four-tier framework you can adapt for your firm within 30 days
•Identify the security risks created by AI integrations and know the right questions to ask vendors, your IT team, and yourself before any agent goes live on your network
•Apply the principle of least privilege to AI — treating agents the same way you would a new employee with privileged system access
•Design human oversight structures that scale — knowing which workflows to automate, which to gate for approval, and which should never be handed to an agent at all
•Assess your firm's readiness using a practical five-question framework you can use immediately after this session