Fall 2026 CPE Day

Andrew Fejer is a Managing Director at Lazear Capital, leading the Rocky Mountain region and extending his expertise to business owners nationwide. With more than 20 years of experience in private credit, commercial, and corporate banking, he helps privately held companies access capital, manage growth, and plan for complex ownership transitions. Throughout his career with BOK Financial, Lafayette Square, HSBC, and JPMorgan Chase, Andrew has developed a deep understanding of the financial, operational, and strategic challenges business owners face. His experience across diverse industries positions him as a trusted advisor to companies in the middle market space.

Douglas Griess is a business attorney with experience advising companies and business owners on a wide range of transactional and strategic matters. After beginning his legal career in litigation, Douglas transitioned his practice to business law, advising clients on corporate structure, contracts, mergers and acquisitions, business exit and succession planning, and intellectual property matters. Douglas founded The Griess Law Firm, LLC in 2010, building a diverse client base across manufacturing, distribution, construction, technology, and professional services. In 2016, he joined Hackstaff, Snow, Atkinson & Griess, LLC as a partner. His practice includes business and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, LLCs and partnerships, exit and succession planning, estate planning, real estate, nonprofits, and intellectual property.

Pete Aden, CPA, CCIFP, is a Partner and Rocky Mountains Market Leader at Wipfli LLP. He advises privately held businesses on tax, audit, and consulting matters, with a particular focus on the construction, real estate, and professional services industries. Pete is recognized as a trusted advisor to middle-market companies and is active in professional and community leadership throughout Colorado.

Janet has more than 30 years of experience in banking and financial services. Within Vectra Bank’s Wealth Management division, she leads a team serving high-net-worth individuals, families, and businesses across a range of wealth management needs. Her extensive background includes leasing, mortgage, customized lending, business banking, and private banking. Drawing on this diverse experience, Janet works with clients to understand their financial priorities and develop customized strategies to help them achieve their goals.

Traci Dowd is the Supervisory Special Agent of the Economic Crimes Unit with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. She joined Law Enforcement over 15 years ago, transitioning from a career in the mortgage and real estate industries. With a degree in accounting and an accreditation as a Certified Fraud Examiner, she specializes in cases involving money laundering, organized crime, embezzlement, and business identity theft. Traci is passionate about combatting wire fraud and economic crime through persistent outreach and education. She is also a motorsports enthusiast, champion amateur race car driver, and motorcycle RiderCoach.

Jeffrey Nowakowski is a Senior Vice President and Foreign Exchange Specialist at BOK Financial, where he helps commercial clients navigate international banking and global currency markets. He provides expertise in foreign exchange, international payments, foreign currency accounts, and currency risk management. With more than 25 years of experience in the FX industry, Jeffrey began his career as a currency options trader on the Philadelphia Stock Exchange and later led trading operations for several Denver-based hedge funds and investment advisory firms. His background in both trading and client advisory services enables him to help businesses manage currency exposure, improve cash flow certainly, and execute international transactions with confidence. Jeffrey is also a frequent speaker and author on topics including foreign exchange markets, currency hedging strategies, international banking, and digital assets. He is regularly sought out for his insights into global market trends and risk management.

Dominic Karaba has served as President and CEO of Vectra Bank Colorado since December 2025, bringing extensive leadership experience across the banking industry. Prior to joining Vectra Bank, he served as President and Chief Banking Officer at Veritex Community Bank and President of Commercial Banking at UMB Bank. His career also includes leadership roles at U.S. Bank, with experience driving strategic growth, improving financial performance, and developing future industry leaders. Dominic holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Puget Sound and a Graduate Degree in Banking from the Pacific Coast Graduate School of Banking at the University of Washington. He is also actively involved in the Colorado community, serving on several boards focused on community and economic development.

Dean Smith has more than 30 years of tax and accounting experience, specializing in income tax provisions (ASC 740), corporate tax, and transaction services. He advises clients on the tax implications of financial reporting, regulatory changes, and business transactions. Dean works with clients across a variety of industries, including manufacturing and distribution, technology, bioscience, and mining. In addition to leading his firm’s ASC 740 practice, he has helped grow its energy group and regularly provides training and presentations on tax developments. Dean is a member of the AICPA and Colorado Society of CPAs and holds both a B.S. in Accounting and M.S.T. from the University of Colorado.

As the leader of the firm’s transaction advisory practice for the Rocky Mountain region, I’ve been involved in transactions on both the buy and sell side, including quality of earnings, working capital targets and resolution, profitability analysis, and carve-out financial statements. For over 30 years, I’ve served clients in manufacturing and distribution, healthcare, professional services, consumer products, technology, and real estate. My focus is serving my clients and doing what it takes to get the job done. But, I also believe you have to do so with a sense of humor and a smile. What I enjoy most about my job is the variety of my clients and projects. Every deal is different, and my role is to help clients achieve their unique goals. I enjoy digging into the details and using my creativity to craft a story behind the numbers.

Marisa Famariss is Senior Vice President and Manager of Treasury Sales at BOK Financial with more than 30 years of experience helping organizations optimize working capital, modernize payments, and navigate treasury transformation. Throughout her career, she has partnered with clients to simplify complex financial challenges through innovative payment, liquidity, fraud prevention, and treasury solutions. She has been actively involved in the evolution of payments, from NACHA's check-to-ACH rulemaking initiatives to today's digital payments, corporate card, and integrated treasury technologies. She is passionate about building high-performing teams, developing future leaders, and helping clients leverage technology to improve efficiency, strengthen controls, and support growth. Known for a collaborative and client-focused approach, she believes the best solutions are those that make complex challenges simple and actionable.

Gary is a senior cybersecurity, privacy, and risk management leader with extensive experience across highly regulated industries, including financial services, banking, insurance, and fintech. He specializes in information security, enterprise risk management, regulatory compliance, and developing effective security and privacy frameworks. Throughout his career, Gary has led global teams and advised organizations on cybersecurity assessments, cloud security, incident response, and risk mitigation strategies. His professional credentials include FIP, AIGP, CIPM, CIPT, CIPP, CISA, CISM, and CRISC. He also serves on the IAPP Certification Advisory Board.

Jay Voncannon is the CEO of Family Business Capital, an invitation-only private equity syndicate focused on offering bespoke, curated direct investments for ultra-high-net-worth families. Their approach emphasizes operational expertise from underwriting through value creation, paired with a patient, family-minded perspective that respects legacy, culture, multi-generational stewardship, and principled leadership. Voncannon has spent most of his career with the Koch family of companies in Wichita, KS, as well as with the Coors family of companies in Golden, CO.

Ashley has over 14 years of experience working in state and local tax with additional background in federal/state income tax. She now focuses on sales and use tax, property tax, and severance taxes with a focus on Colorado’s the sales tax environment. Ashley has worked with many oil and gas companies, assisting with sales tax refund claims, audit defense, and severance/property tax compliance

Lexie has over 19 years of experience working exclusively in state and local tax. She focuses on sales and use tax, property tax, and severance taxes with a heavy expertise in Colorado’s complex home rule sales tax environment. Lexie rejoined the firm in 2022 after working for a large Colorado oil and gas company for 3 years, managing all indirect tax matters for the company. Lexie has extensive knowledge of the oil and gas industry and assists clients across multiple industries with audit defense and appeals, refund studies, compliance, economic impact projections, and tax-saving strategies.