Discussion Leaders

AHI Associates believes in a different kind of staff training – one that sparks curiosity, fosters collaboration, and drives lasting knowledge.

Our experienced discussion leaders do more than just teach accounting tasks and skills. They delve deeper, exploring the “why” behind the procedures, ensuring your team understands the purpose and not just the steps.

Why AHI:

      • Active Engagement: Our interactive format encourages discussion and problem-solving among participants, leading to a deeper level of understanding and retention.
      • Collaborative Learning: Participants actively engage with each other, fostering critical thinking and teamwork skills – essential for success in today’s dynamic business environment.
      • Experienced Guidance: Our discussion leaders aren’t just instructors – they’re seasoned professionals who provide personalized guidance and facilitate insightful learning conversations.

Contact us today. We’ll help craft a training program tailored to your specific needs and goals.

Anthony A. Cuozzo, Jr., CPA, CGFM

Anthony “Tony” A. Cuozzo, Jr. is Senior Advisor to Councilor, Buchanan & Mitchell, P.C. (CBM). He has over 40 years of experience including specialties in not–for–profit organizations and local governments. Tony has served as principal in charge of both 501(c)(3) and 6) organizations. Additionally, Tony is a nationally recognized discussion leader for various accounting and auditing courses for CPA firms and state CPA organizations. Tony conducts peer reviews of CPA firms across the country, and is a current member of the Maryland Association of CPAs Peer Review Committee. Certified Public Accountant, Maryland. Certified Government Financial Manager. Licensed Insurance Agent, Life & Health Insurance, Maryland. Registered Investment Advisor. Graduate, Strayer University. American Institute of CPAs. Maryland Association of CPAs.

Katie Davis, CPA

Katie Davis, a licensed CPA in the state of Florida, began her career with more than a decade of professional experience. She worked in public accounting (audit) at both Ernst & Young and Arthur Andersen, as well as in internal audit and then in corporate external reporting, both at Global Imaging Systems. Since 2009, she has been a full-time instructor of various accounting courses at the University of South Florida (USF). Katie has been awarded the outstanding teaching award for the Lynn Pippenger School of Accountancy three times since joining USF.  Katie holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in accounting from Florida State University. She is a member of the AICPA and the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Bruce Dunn, CPA Bruce J. Dunn

Bruce retired in 2017 from Maner Costerisan, a firm he joined in 1979. He has held many roles at the firm, including Director of Audit Services, Director of Quality Control, Vice President, Treasurer, Director of Education Practice Group, Director of the CPA Firm Practice Group and Immediate Past President.

Beyond his leadership roles, he works closely with a diverse group of clients including school districts, colleges, governmental entities, trade associations, nonprofit organizations, CPA firms and closely-held businesses. He is known throughout the firm, and by his clients and colleagues, as the go-to expert for matters regarding education entities, peer reviews and CPA advisory services.

With over 30 years of experience in the accounting and consulting field, Bruce has assisted clients with a broad range of technical and advisory issues. His specific experiences include guiding a client through the process of locating and hiring a new CFO, and providing temporary outsourced controllership services. In addition, Bruce has helped numerous clients implement new accounting software into their existing systems. He often shares his extensive knowledge of the industry by serving as a speaker for the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA) and the Michigan School Business Officials (MSBO). Bruce has also written several articles for the Greater Lansing Business Monthly magazine and the MICPA.

Rich Ferdinand, CPA, MBA

Rich Ferdinand specializes in providing financial and general management services to the small and medium sized business market (SMBs). Mr. Ferdinand has served as Chief Financial Officer ranging from full time, interim or on a consulting basis for companies in various industries that are either early stage or mature, as well as requiring turnaround assistance. He is a past recipient of the Outstanding Instructor Award from the AICPA and a recipient of the Education Foundation’s Award for Instructor Excellence and the Meritorious Service Award. He has previously taught part time at UCLA in the undergraduate and graduate business programs. Mr. Ferdinand is a licensed CPA in California and was formerly with Deloitte & Touche in Los Angeles. A native of NJ, Mr. Ferdinand graduated from Colgate University and received his MBA from the University of Chicago. He currently resides in New Hampshire with his wife and two daughters.

Steve Garrett, MBA, CPA

Steve is an independent consultant providing contract training services in the areas of financial auditing, supervisory skills, career planning and leadership development. He resides in Chicago. After obtaining his graduate degree in Human Resource Management from Indiana University in 1986, he served for two years as Professional Recruiting Coordinator for the Amoco Corporation Controller’s Department in Chicago. Steve also spent four years on the audit staff of a national CPA firm in Cleveland, Ohio. His undergraduate degree is in Accounting from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Bonnie KennedeyBonnie Kennedy, CPA

Bonnie has nearly 20 years of experience in the accounting profession in public and private industry. She began in public practice with a regional accounting firm in New England before taking a position as the Controller and CFO of a manufacturing firm. Bonnie is now a full-time faculty member at an accredited university. With the regional CPA firm, Bonnie was involved in recruiting, interviewing, and mentoring new staff. She also designed and conducted CPE programs for the firm. After initial exposure to taxation and attestation work, Bonnie specialized in audits of manufacturing companies and not-for-profit entities. She has taught accounting and auditing courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, published articles in scholarly journals, and presented at national conferences. Bonnie is a member of the AICPA and the Rhode Island Society of CPAs.

Katy McClure , CPA

Katy is a licensed CPA in the state of Louisiana and an Instructor of Accounting at Louisiana State University at Alexandria. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in accounting while attending LSUA and went on to obtain her Master of Business Administration from LSUS. Katy spent the last seven years in Public Accounting gaining experience with a vast variety of clients. One of Katy’s favorite responsibilities in Public Accounting was teaching and training new staff accountants. She hopes to continue to grow her passion for teaching through AHI Associates and LSUA.  

Kurt Oestreicher, CPA

Kurt has practiced his entire 36 year career at in Alexandria, Louisiana after graduating from the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) in 1986.  Kurt has been partner in charge of Accounting and Auditing with the firm since 1994, and became managing partner in the firm on January 1, 2023.  Kurt began presenting and authoring CPE courses in 1991.  He has received the AICPA Outstanding Discussion Leader Award 12 times and the Society of Louisiana CPAs (LCPA) Outstanding Discussion Leader Award 4 times. Kurt was elected the youngest President in the history of the LCPA in 2002, and has also served on the AICPA Council, AICPA Accounting and Review Services Committee, and the AICPA Joint Trial Board. He currently chairs the Ethics Committee of the LCPA. He and his wife of 33 years have two children and one grandchild. They often wonder why you have to have children before you have grandchildren.

Carol Borsum Sohn, CPA, MBA

Carol received her BA and MBA from Michigan State University in 1985. She spent eight years on the audit staff of Plante Moran in Southfield, Michigan. Since leaving public accounting Carol has been active in the profession working as a technical writer and editor with Al Arens. She is currently the Director of Operations for Armond Dalton Publishers, Inc., in Okemos, Michigan, which specializes in supplements for university-level financial, auditing, and accounting and information systems courses. Carol is also a coauthor of two of Armond Dalton’s textbooks: Computerized Accounting using QuickBooks Online and Computerized Auditing using ACL Data Analytics, 4th edition. Carol has been extensively involved in the revisions of Arens’ bestselling auditing textbook as well as all of AHI Associates’ staff training courses. Carol has been an AHI discussion leader for over 25 years. Carol is also a member of the AICPA and the MICPA.

Garrett Wagner, CPA/CITP

Garrett is an industry thought leader on a mission, to fuel the entrepreneurial spirit and passion within the industry.  With his ability to break free from the traditional CPA box, Garrett has embraced the entrepreneurial mindset and is on a mission to help others embrace the skills and knowledge needed to succeed. Garrett focuses on monitoring the evolving technologies and best practices in the industry to achieve the highest degree of success without being afraid to break free from traditional methods.  Garrett’s background includes working inside successful CPA firms, speaking at conferences and events, and consulting for CPA firms across the country helping them to ignite lasting change by understanding the unique needs of each firm organization. Garrett believes that the public accounting landscape is undergoing a tremendous change and that by focusing on developing the next generation of leaders through education and leveraging technology any sized firm can be successful.

Sunish G. Mehta

Sunish is the Founder of Mindful-CPA and has over 25 years of experience in Advisory and Assurance services. His professional experience includes working with EY, PwC and IBM Global Business Services. He has been involved in leading training courses for CPA firms both nationally and internationally for over 14 years in fields of Auditing, Leadership & Management and Mindfulness.

Sunish has also taught for the UCLA Certification Program in Accounting. He graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration from California State University, Northridge and has earned an Inner MBA from New York University. He is a CPA and CGMA from Southern California.

For more details see: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunishmehta/