15th Annual Accounting CPE Conference
Thursday, November 19, 2026 , 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
- Registration will open on Monday, September 21, 2026
- Cost: $165 (includes continental breakfast, lunch, and snacks)
Conference Topics to Include:
| 8:10 – 9 a.m. | Human in the Loop or Human on the Hook? James Carroll, Managing Director - Forensics and Joseph Devlin, Senior Manager - Forensic Services — BDO |
| 9 - 9:50 a.m. | Fraud and Forensic Accounting Trends Valerie Williams, Associate Professor of Practice (retired) — Duquesne University |
| 10:10 - 11 a.m. | Federal, State and Local Tax Update Justin Premich, Senior Manager—Tax Advisory Services and Timothy Amoroso, Senior Manager—Tax Advisory Services — Schneider Downs |
| 11 - 11:55 a.m. | Panel Discussion: The Future of Financial Reporting Moderator: Bill Lyons, CFO (retired) – Consol Energy Panelists: Susan Cosper, Board Member — FASB; Dan Janiak, Vice President, Finance Reporting — FNMA; Vanessa Anton, CFO — Buckeye Corrugated; Ted Weller, CFO (retired)— FHLBank, Pittsburgh |
| 12:45 - 1:35 p.m. | Keynote — Annual Economic Outlook with Gus Faucher, Chief Economist, PNC |
| 1:35 - 2:25 p.m. | Accounting Standards and Projects Update Susan Cosper, Board Member — FASB |
| 2:45 - 3:35 p.m. | Auditing Standards and Practices Update Arber Ukmata, Managing Director, Assurance and Cory Mays, Senior Manager, Assurance — EY |
| 3:35 - 4:25 p.m. | Duquesne University’s Secure AI Approach and Understanding Current AI Cybersecurity
Threats Tom Dugas, Vice President and Chief Information Officer — Duquesne University |
Earn 8 hours of CPE.
1 hour of ethics, 5 hours of A&A, 2 hours of PD
2026 is not a reporting year for CPAs in Pennsylvania.
We look forward to seeing you this November!
About the Conference
Duquesne University's Accounting CPE Conference is hosted annually in November by the Accounting faculty of the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business. Launched in 2012, it has become a premier educational event for accountants and auditors in the Pittsburgh region. Attendance ranges from 250 to 300 people.
The goal of the Conference is to provide high-quality Continuing Professional Education (CPE) hours while raising scholarship funds for graduate students enrolled in the Master of Accountancy (MAcc) Program. Since its founding, the Conference has raised more than $220,000 for student scholarships.
The Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) has recognized the Conference as an outstanding example of the School's outreach activities.
Surveys of prior attendees indicate that they value the high-quality content of the educational materials presented and the networking opportunities provided by the Conference.
The Conference has hosted leading business and industry professionals as speakers, including Gus Faucher, Chief Economist of PNC Bank; Sue Cosper, board member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB); and Mark Olson, first chairperson of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).
Other speakers include:
- Chief Financial Officers
- Controllers
- Audit Directors of public, private, and non-profit organizations
- Partners and Practice Leaders from Big 4, national, and regional public accounting firms
- Representatives from the Center for Audit Quality (CAQ)
