Half-Day CPE Day

Jesse is the Business Tax Services Leader for the Pittsburgh/UpState NY practice. He has over 18 years of tax experience serving multiple industries both in the local market and nationally. Jesse is currently the Pittsburgh Investment Management leader for private equity; venture capital & high net worth practices. Jesse is also the regional leader of the Deloitte Oil & Gas tax practice serving the regions Upstream producers. He specializes in complex partnership structures providing tax consulting and compliance services.

Jeff is the International Tax Services Leader for the Pittsburgh/UpState NY practice. Over his 31 years of experience at Deloitte Tax Jeff has designed, developed and implemented tax efficient structures to assist multinational corporations to address business and operational opportunities and challenges. He has provided tax consulting services to multinational corporations with a primary focus on the international tax aspects of U.S. corporate taxation and OECD Pillar Two considerations. Jeff leads project management teams to implement tax efficient structures, including implementing detailed work plans, managing implementation tasks of both U.S. and non-U.S. resources, and coordinating with taxpayers.

Balaji Bondalapati is an accounting and information technology professional with RGP's business technology practice. He has experience serving as Director of Financial Systems, Global Procure-to-Pay Controller, and Assistant Vice President of IT. His core competencies include providing strategy and program management for end-to-end ERP and EPM projects, finance transformation, business process improvement, system selection, and optimization.. Balaji has two decades of experience helping clients go live on time and on budget, project recovery, and roadmap execution As director of financial systems in a multibillion-dollar manufacturing company, led the global rollout of ERP systems across the countries. Responsible for providing post-go-live and month-end support. Instrumental in establishing shared services for multiple functional areas, leading process standardization and efficiencies. Led systems strategy for multibillion-dollar mergers and acquisitions. As Global procure to pay controller of a multibillion-dollar company, managed a team of accountants across the regions of APAC, Europe, and North America. Engaged a Big 4 firm to implement a shared service center for procure-to-pay operations, which includes an invoice scanning solution and integration with Oracle ERP. Responsible for monitoring and improving the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Helped multiple clients with end-to-end Oracle implementations, both on the cloud and on-premises. Most recently led an Oracle cloud implementation with 60 integrations and a complex data migration. Adept in process and system optimization. Experienced in Oracle EPM modules, including FCCS, EPBCS, ARCS, and EDMCS

Brett Wells is a delivery & program leader with 27 years of ERP leadership across Oracle and SAP. A recognized thought leader and keynote speaker, he drives enterprise modernization through Oracle Cloud, SAP S/4HANA, and advanced technologies including AI, blockchain, and analytics. Brett is known for designing operating models and transformation blueprints that deliver measurable ROI across various industries, including petrochemicals and BFSI. Lead architect for front, middle, and back-office modernization across Oracle Cloud (ERP, SCM, MFG, OTC) and SAP S/4HANA (including SAP RISE and BTP). Specializes in defining and delivering digital core strategies that unify operations, finance, customer experience, and supply chain for global enterprises. Expert in embedding Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) into enterprise systems to drive intelligent operations. Business architect across Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), AWS, Azure, and GCP, aligning multi-cloud strategies to business goals and regulatory frameworks. PgMP-certified leader and former Accenture IPC Delivery Executive, with experience driving enterprise-wide programs across industries. Expert in creating ROI-driven business cases and monetization frameworks for large-scale cloud and AI transformations.

Jocelyn’s financial planning and analysis (FP&A) expertise includes leading FP&A activities for North American business units at two companies. Her responsibilities encompassed developing annual budgets and quarterly forecasts, serving as a strategic business partner between finance and operations. This work involved setting operational targets, monitoring performance and helping to develop corrective actions when financial goals were not met. Since joining the firm, Jocelyn has managed several purchase accounting and technical accounting consulting projects. She has also advised a large internal audit client on best-in-class FP&A and financial reporting structures, providing recommendations to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the client’s FP&A function. » Certified Public Accountant » Member—The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants » Member—The Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants » Member—The Institute of Management Accountants B.S.—Accounting with a Minor in Finance, Saint Vincent College

Nick’s specialties include transaction advisory services, including both buy-side and sell-side due diligence, strategy, consulting and CFO services. His passion is helping companies to grow, whether through M&A advising or helping to find and implement growth-oriented strategies for companies to pursue. He has advised on numerous successful transactions and has positively contributed to the success of many businesses over his career. Nick works closely with his clients to understand their unique business and challenges, so that he can offer practical advice and solutions to help his client base achieve their long-term goals and objectives. Nick is one of the firm’s subject-matter experts on navigating revenue recognition accounting and leasing standards. He also has authored several technical accounting publications and is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars within the region. » Member and Treasurer—Association for Corporate Growth of Columbus (ACG) » Member—The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants » Member—The Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants B.A.—Accounting, Capital University

Philip joined Schneider Downs in 2025 as a director in Advisory Services. He has spent the last 10+ years at a management consulting company he founded. Throughout his tenure, Philip provided operational and financial analysis, strategic planning, talent assessment, back-office analysis, transactional due diligence, contract negotiations and federal contract support. Over the course of his career, Philip has focused on driving operational excellence by integrating KPI Reporting with optimized business processes and corporate financial metrics. He has extensive C-suite experience working with privately held as well as public companies across industries, including manufacturing, construction, professional services, life sciences, software and transportation and logistics. » Member—Association for Corporate Growth » Member—Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association » Member—Turnaround Management Association » Member—Financial Executives International MBA—Carnegie Mellon University - Tepper School of Business B.S.—Biology, Slippery Rock University

Jim is a Managing Director in BDO’s Forensics practice. He has over twenty (20) years of experience, with expertise in fraud and forensic accounting investigations, forensic accounting analyses, financial investigations of embezzlement and white-collar crime, forensic accounting analyses and economic damage quantification for various types of disputes, and other financial issues. His work also includes internal control environment assessments, fraud and compliance risk assessments, and the design of practical, business-aligned compliance programs. Prior to joining BDO, Jim spent 10 years in the Internal Audit Investigations team at a Fortune 200 manufacturing company, assessing damages and recoveries related to fraudulent billing schemes, employee misconduct investigations, and conducting highly sensitive senior/executive level employee investigations. His prior experience also includes fraud investigation and internal control positions at large international companies in the life sciences and financial services sectors, providing internal investigation, internal audit, completing fraud risk assessments, and financial reporting control services. Jim regularly presents on topics related to fraud, ethics, compliance, fraud risk assessments, and forensic accounting.

Jonathan T. Marks is a Principal in BDO’s Forensics – Legal, Monitorships & Investigations practice, with over 35 years of experience in forensic accounting, internal auditing, and corporate governance. He leads high-stakes, complex investigations and compliance engagements across a broad range of industries. Jonathan has deep, multidisciplinary expertise across governance, risk management, compliance, and forensic investigations. He has led complex internal investigations involving fraud, corruption, whistleblower allegations, accounting irregularities, conflicts of interest, and money laundering. These matters often require navigating parallel regulatory inquiries, privileged environments, and sensitive organizational dynamics. Jonathan leads tailored fraud and compliance risk assessments and advises on the design and implementation of internal controls and monitoring systems that help organizations detect and deter misconduct on a timely basis. He also designs and delivers training programs for all levels of an organization — from boards of directors to frontline staff — and has conducted sessions both domestically and globally. His practical, business-oriented approach empowers leadership teams to respond effectively to identified red flags and to build resilient, transparent, and scalable governance frameworks. Jonathan is a well-regarded author and speaker who has earned international recognition for developing thought leadership that has advanced the profession — including the Fraud Pentagon™, the Business Fraud Risk Framework, the Advanced Meta-Model of Fraud, and the Enterprise Resilient Ecosystem. He was also a contributing author of the March 2023 COSO Fraud Risk Management Guide and is published in the Journal of Forensic & Investigative Accounting. Jonathan regularly presents on topics related to fraud, ethics, compliance, governance, and forensic accounting, and was a candidate for Compliance Week’s Innovator of the Year Award in 2021.