.png){kind=logo}
Instructor
Randolph P. (Randy) Johnston, MCS, has been a leading authentic and genuine authority in technology for over 40 years. Inducted into the
Accounting Hall of Fame in 2011, he has remained a Top 25 Thought Leader in Accounting from 2011 through 2024. His continued influence in the profession is highlighted by his recognition in the 2024 Accounting Today Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting—his twenty-first consecutive year on that list. In addition, Randy authors a monthly column and hosts a weekly podcast for The CPA Practice Advisor, contributes to the Journal of Accountancy, writes for various accounting and technology publications, and has published numerous books.
He has founded and still owns multiple ventures, including K2 Enterprises in Hammond, Louisiana, and Network Management Group, Inc. (NMGI) in Hutchinson, Kansas. For four decades, NMGI has provided services to CPA firms and has been the largest managed service provider for the CPA profession in North America. Randy’s wife, four children, and seven grandchildren share his passions for theatre, music, travel, golf, skiing, snorkeling, and model trains. His background as a college instructor, management and technology consultant, and advisor to the accounting community informs today’s presentation.
Instructor
Mac McClelland, an attorney and accounting professional, is an associate of K2 Enterprises of Hammond, Louisiana, and Network Management Group of Hutchinson, Kansas.
Mac was formerly the director of the Centre for Financial Studies at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, where he lived and worked for seven years from 1990 to 1997. He was also a member of the faculty of the Advanced Business Programme, ranked in the top 100 MBA programs in the world by The Economist, specializing in business strategy and strategic management accounting.
He gained his practical experience in information systems with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and has an established practice in business and technology consulting. Mac has taught hundreds of continuing professional education seminars to accountants and business managers in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and Southeast Asia. His presentations are highly rated, and he has won several awards for teaching excellence.
Mac has been published in leading business and practitioner journals, including Tax Ideas, Computers in Accounting, Journal of Accounting Education, Chartered Accountants Journal of New Zealand, and the top-rated Journal of Accounting Research.
Instructor
Instructor
Stephen M. Yoss, Jr., CPA, MS, is a certified public accountant, partner and CEO of Devmatics, LLC, a continuing education instructor for financial professionals, a and a licensed pyrotechnician. While his interests and skills are varied, they all share a common thread—his love for and skill in finding technology-based solutions. In 2017, Stephen and Alex White formed Devmatics, LLC, a company focused on helping organizations develop technology strategies to streamline their business operations. He specializes in taking on high-difficulty, mission-critical organizational issues that require technological expertise and an ability to find solutions to problems that no one else can answer. With all of his clients, he emphasizes the need to embrace technology at every opportunity and utilize the latest technological trends and breakthroughs in order to gain a competitive advantage while increasing efficiency and productivity.
Governmental accounting and finance professionals face unique technology challenges—and this focused conference delivers practical, immediately applicable solutions. Sessions address the top technology issues facing governmental organizations, provide a deep dive into Power Query for transforming data into actionable insights, explore real-world financial fraud and cybercrime cases for fraud prevention lessons, and examine how Agentic AI within iPaaS environments can automate complex workflows. Key takeaways include minimizing cybersecurity risks, leveraging AI tools securely, using Power Query and Power BI for advanced data analysis, and deploying intelligent automation solutions suited to governmental environments.
None
None
Anyone in the Governmental sector that is interested in technology topics.
Randolph P. (Randy) Johnston, MCS, has been a leading authentic and genuine authority in technology for over 40 years. Inducted into the
Accounting Hall of Fame in 2011, he has remained a Top 25 Thought Leader in Accounting from 2011 through 2024. His continued influence in the profession is highlighted by his recognition in the 2024 Accounting Today Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting—his twenty-first consecutive year on that list. In addition, Randy authors a monthly column and hosts a weekly podcast for The CPA Practice Advisor, contributes to the Journal of Accountancy, writes for various accounting and technology publications, and has published numerous books.
He has founded and still owns multiple ventures, including K2 Enterprises in Hammond, Louisiana, and Network Management Group, Inc. (NMGI) in Hutchinson, Kansas. For four decades, NMGI has provided services to CPA firms and has been the largest managed service provider for the CPA profession in North America. Randy’s wife, four children, and seven grandchildren share his passions for theatre, music, travel, golf, skiing, snorkeling, and model trains. His background as a college instructor, management and technology consultant, and advisor to the accounting community informs today’s presentation.
Technology tools are essential for governmental accounting and finance professionals—but using them effectively, efficiently, and securely requires intentional effort and up-to-date knowledge. This practical session delivers actionable guidance on AI tools, cybersecurity risks and solutions, new features in Microsoft Office applications, and automation platforms that can immediately boost productivity and reduce costs in governmental organizations. Participants will leave with a wealth of recommendations applicable regardless of job title or responsibility level. Key takeaways include listing key cybersecurity risks and how to minimize them, identifying leading AI tools and the steps to use them securely, citing new features in common business tools and how to leverage them, and understanding why automation is a critical need in today's governmental environment.
Mac McClelland, an attorney and accounting professional, is an associate of K2 Enterprises of Hammond, Louisiana, and Network Management Group of Hutchinson, Kansas.
Mac was formerly the director of the Centre for Financial Studies at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, where he lived and worked for seven years from 1990 to 1997. He was also a member of the faculty of the Advanced Business Programme, ranked in the top 100 MBA programs in the world by The Economist, specializing in business strategy and strategic management accounting.
He gained his practical experience in information systems with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and has an established practice in business and technology consulting. Mac has taught hundreds of continuing professional education seminars to accountants and business managers in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and Southeast Asia. His presentations are highly rated, and he has won several awards for teaching excellence.
Mac has been published in leading business and practitioner journals, including Tax Ideas, Computers in Accounting, Journal of Accounting Education, Chartered Accountants Journal of New Zealand, and the top-rated Journal of Accounting Research.
Clean, well-structured data is the foundation of every meaningful financial report—and Power Query is the tool that makes it happen at scale. This intermediate session offers a deep dive into the practical applications of Power Query in Excel and Power BI, equipping financial professionals with the skills to automate data preparation, connect to multiple data sources, and perform advanced transformations that lead to more insightful analysis. Participants will also explore how to create custom columns and leverage Power Pivot for large data sets. Key takeaways include identifying opportunities to improve internal controls using Power Automate, comparing reporting options in Power BI, differentiating between conventional PivotTables and those built with Power Pivot, and identifying data manipulation techniques using Power Query.
True stories of financial fraud, cybercrime, and ethics violations make for some of the most powerful lessons in the accounting profession—and this engaging session puts those stories to work. Participants will analyze real-world cases that captivated the business and accounting world, examining how these crimes unfolded, the warning signs that were missed, and the internal control and technology failures that made them possible. Modern threats including AI-enabled deception are also addressed, with practical steps for strengthening fraud prevention, data protection, and governance. Key takeaways include analyzing financial crime cases to identify root causes and control failures, evaluating fraud and data breach prevention methods, assessing emerging risks posed by AI-enabled fraud, and determining practical steps to enhance internal controls and ethical culture within organizations.
Stephen M. Yoss, Jr., CPA, MS, is a certified public accountant, partner and CEO of Devmatics, LLC, a continuing education instructor for financial professionals, a and a licensed pyrotechnician. While his interests and skills are varied, they all share a common thread—his love for and skill in finding technology-based solutions. In 2017, Stephen and Alex White formed Devmatics, LLC, a company focused on helping organizations develop technology strategies to streamline their business operations. He specializes in taking on high-difficulty, mission-critical organizational issues that require technological expertise and an ability to find solutions to problems that no one else can answer. With all of his clients, he emphasizes the need to embrace technology at every opportunity and utilize the latest technological trends and breakthroughs in order to gain a competitive advantage while increasing efficiency and productivity.
Agentic AI is redefining what automation can do—and this session provides accounting and finance professionals with a comprehensive look at how these systems work within integration platform as a service (iPaaS) environments. Participants will explore the architectural components of leading iPaaS tools, understand how agentic AI differs from traditional automation, and learn how to design and deploy intelligent workflows that enhance decision-making and operational efficiency. Key takeaways include describing core iPaaS functionalities and operational principles, identifying prominent iPaaS solutions and comparing their features, explaining the conceptual framework of Agentic AI within business workflows, demonstrating integration of Agentic AI logic into automation systems, and evaluating practical applications where Agentic AI enhances organizational efficiency.