2025 COCPA Accounting Educators Conference

Alicia first joined the COCPA as a student member while attending the University of Denver. After years of volunteering at the Society, she stepped into the role of Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director of the COCPA Educational Foundation for five years. Alicia now serves as the Society's third President and CEO, where she daily demonstrates her passion for the accounting profession and leads the organization as it carries out the COCPA mission to help people thrive personally and professionally through service and connection.

Alicia’s professional background includes stints in public accounting, adjunct teaching, consulting, and coaching. This Midwest native enjoys spending time camping, boating, and traveling with her husband and their dog, Ally.

Richard L. Wobbekind is Associate Dean for Businesss and Government Relations, Associate Professor of Business Economics and Finance, and Faculty Director of the Business Research Division at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

He participates annually in the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank Regional Economic Roundtable and is a contributor to the Western Blue Chip forecast newsletter and the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) economic outlook and policy surveys. He is a member of the Boulder Economic Council. He serves as a board member for the Western Regional Science Association. Rich is past President of the NABE.

He is frequently interviewed by local and national broadcast and print media. He has received numerous awards for his teaching research and service including the University of Colorado Community Outreach Award (1997); member of Distinction by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce (2002); the Robert L. Stearns Award from the University of Colorado Alumni Association for career achievement in teaching, research and service(2006); the Thayne Robsen award from the Association for University Business and Economics Research for career achievement in applied regional economic analysis (2008); key contributor by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce(2010); and named a fellow by the National Association for Business Economics. (2011). In 2022 and 2023 he was been named to the top 50 list of influential business leaders in Northern Colorado by Bizwest.

Dr. Wobbekind teaches MBA students in macroeconomics and public policy. He has received four awards for teaching excellence from the students of the Leeds School of Business. Richard Wobbekind has lived in Colorado for over 43 years and has spent much of his time studying the development of the Colorado and regional economies. Dr. Wobbekind received a BA in Economics from Bucknell University and an MA and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Oct 2019:

Kevin began his career at Eide Bailly after graduating from Regis University with his bachelors and master’s degree in accounting and finance. Throughout the five years with Eide Bailly, Kevin has gained experience providing public accounting services in many industries, primarily in financial institutions and not-for-profits. Every month provides Kevin a new work environment and experience which is something he enjoys.

During his time at Eide Bailly, Kevin also gained experience in the Quality of Earnings Due Diligence department. He appreciates expanding his knowledge beyond auditing and believes in a balanced professional career.

Kevin works hard to develop strong client relationships to meet needs and exceed expectations of any engagement. He believes in open and prompt communication between the audit team and the client’s management to provide a positive client experience.

Outside of the work, Kevin enjoys staying active through sports, hiking, camping, traveling, and is an admitted foodie. Standing still usually is not a normal occurrence. Any chance Kevin can get to explore something he hasn’t seen before he will take advantage of – new experiences are one thing he always looks forward to.

Dr. Johnnie Bejarano is a Program Directorate Analyst for the Strategic Energy Analysis Center, with the Alliance for Sustainable Energy. Alliance is the management and operating contractor for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in Golden, Colorado. NREL is owned by the U.S. Department of Energy and is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center. It is the nation’s primary research and development laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency. At Regis University, he teaches forensic and fraud audit, accounting ethics, governmental and non-profit accounting, financial communication, and other accounting courses. In the local community, he conducts public presentations on anti-fraud and ethics-related topics. In 2022, he earned the Professional Practice Achievement Award, Anderson College of Business and Computing, Regis University, and other numerous teaching excellence awards from other universities. His area of interest is in ethics and anti-fraud mitigation techniques. He holds DBA, MBA, and MA degrees.

He’s a combat veteran with 26 1/2 years of service in the U.S. Air Force, Arizona, and Colorado Air National Guard units. He spent three years as base comptroller at Buckley Air Force Base and was involved in inspector general investigations and reports of surveys as an assistant U.S. property fiscal officer. Over his part-time career, he spent multiple tours in Arizona, Alaska, Florida, New York, Georgia, New Mexico, Wisconsin, HQ/Washington DC, HQ/PACAF Hawaii, and HQ/USAFE Germany. He served a final tour of duty as deputy base commander for support in the Sultanate of Oman during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2002 under combat field conditions. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2003.

In 2011, Dr. Bejarano was elected to the Board of Regents of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), which is the largest anti-fraud-fighting organization in the world with over 90,000 members worldwide. At ACFE, he worked with Cynthia Cooper, author, and WorldCom whistleblower. He recently completed a four-year gubernatorial appointment with the State Board of Accountancy. He is also a member of the editorial advisory committee for Fraud Magazine, a board member for the ACFE’s Colorado Chapter, and involved with the American Institute of CPAs, the Colorado Society of CPAs, Association of Military Comptrollers, Government Finance Officers’ Association, and member of the U.S. Golf Association. For fun, he enjoys spending time with his family and two granddaughters, plays golf, loves sports, and is an avid semi-pro photographer. He studied professional photography at the New York Institute of Photography and Digital Photography at Cornell University (eCornell). He is a firm believer in continuous improvement and is an advocate for lifelong learning. “Never stop learning.”