Updating the Professional Accountant
46th Annual Seminar, December 7-11, and Tuesday, December 15, 2026
Growing professionally.
Continuing Professional Education (CPE) is required for CPAs to maintain their active CPA license. Lipscomb University’s accredited College of Business presents its annual accounting and auditing CPE conference—Updating the Professional Accountant—designed to keep you up to date and informed with the latest industry regulations, developments and updates. From fraud issues and accounting updates to tax planning and technology updates, you’ll hear first-hand from some of the area’s most noted business leaders. You can earn up to 48 hours of CPE credit by attending all six days, or as few as 4 hours by attending one morning or one afternoon session.
Register
Format of Program:
The program is arranged as an online webinar, consisting of two, 2-hour presentations with a 4-hour morning session and a 4-hour afternoon session. You may register for a minimum of 4 hours or the full 48 hours. CPE hours are offered in the following categories: Accounting and Auditing-Govt 2 hours, Auditing 13 hours, Accounting 10 hours, Taxes 9 hours, Ethics 2 hours, Business Law 2 hours, Specialized Knowledge 6 hours, and Information Technology 4 hours. All CPE hours qualify as technical fields of study. The webinar is NASBA-approved under the format "Group Internet Based."
CPE is required of all active licensees: 80 hours each two-year period with a minimum of 20 hours in each year.
Forty (40) hours (of the 80) must be completed in technical fields of study: Accounting, Accounting-Govt, Auditing, Auditing-Govt, Business Law, Economics, Finance, Information Technology, Management Services, Regulatory Ethics, Specialized Knowledge, Statistics, or Taxes. All hours in the Lipscomb program qualify as technical fields of study.
If you engage in the attest function (including compilations), you must complete at least 20 (of the 40) technical hours in areas of accounting and auditing.
If you are engaged as an expert witness in the areas of accounting, attest, management advisory services, or tax, you should obtain at least 20 hours (of the 80) in the subject area(s) relating to such testimony.
Licensees who renew in 2026 must complete two hours of state-specific ethics. This conference offers two hours of state-specific ethics.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2026
Accounting and Auditing
- 8:20 - GOVERNMENTAL AUDIT/ACCOUNTING UPDATE
Bill Meyer, LBMC - Louisville
(Accounting – Govt 1 hr, Auditing – Govt 1 hr) - 10:20 – VALUATION ISSUES AND UPDATE
Josh Hedrick, Baker Tilly
(Specialized Knowledge) - 12:40 – MUNICIPAL AUDITING
Jim Arnette, Director
Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury
Division of Local Government Audit
(Auditing) - 2:40 – GOVERNMENT FRAUD INVESTIGATIONS
Christy Tennant, Deputy Director
Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury
Division of Investigations
(Auditing)
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2026
Business Law, Tax, Accounting, Auditing and Specialized Knowledge
- 8:20 – LEGAL CONCEPTS FOR ACCOUNTANTS
Rowan Leathers, Butler Snow - Moderator
Brian Masterson, Frost Brown Todd
Steve Groom, Dedicated General Counsel PLLC
Phil Irwin, Stites & Harbison
(Business Law) - 10:20 – "HOT ISSUES" IN AUDITING AND TAXATION
Jim Lundy, CBIZ
(Tax – 1 hr, Auditing – 1 hr) - 12:40 - ACCOUNTING / AUDITING CONTROLS
TBA
(Accounting & Auditing) - 2:40 – RETIREMENT PLANNING AND ECONOMIC FORECAST
Tracy Bell, SVP, Senior Investment Advisor, PNC
(Specialized Knowledge)
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2026
Accounting and Auditing
- 8:20 - CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS: ACCOUNTING & AUDITING
Mike Brand, BMSS, LLC
(Accounting) - 10:20 - CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS: ACCOUNTING & AUDITING
Mike Brand, BMSS, LLC
(Auditing) - 12:40 – DATA ANALYTICS
Marcy Binkley, Professor – MTSU
(Auditing) - 2:40 - TSCPA / AICPA UPDATE
Kara Fitzgerald, CEO, TSCPA
(Accounting)
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2026
Ethics, Accounting, Auditing, and Information Technology
- 8:20 - ETHICS – STATE SPECIFIC
Perry Moore, Professor
Lipscomb University College of Business
(Ethics - State Specific) - 10:20 – CFO ROUNDTABLE
Jeff Whitehorn, Retired HCA CFO
Joey Hogan, Director, Transport Management Services. LLC
(Accounting) - 12:40 – LEVERAGING AI IN ACCOUNTING / FINANCE
Todd Lilly, Formos Consulting
Cory Kronheim, Consultant
(Auditing) - 2:40 - TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
Tim Agee, CISA, CGEIT, QSA
Consultant
(Information Technology)
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2026
Taxes
- 8:20 - ESTATE PLANNING / TENNESSEE TAXES
Mike Sontag, Bass Berry - Estate Planning
Stephen Jasper, Bass Berry – Tennessee Taxes - 10:20 – SELECTED "HOT ISSUE" – BUSINESS TAXES
Brian Masterson, Frost Brown Todd - 12:40 - INDIVIDUAL TAX UPDATE
John Connors, Professional Tax Speaker
Tax Educator's Network - 2:40 – BUSINESS / CORPORATE TAX UPDATE
John Connors, Professional Tax Speaker
Tax Educator's Network
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2026
Information Technology, Auditing, Accounting and Specialized Knowledge
- 8:20 – EXCEL TIPS AND AI TOOLS
Jeff Mankin, Finally Learn
Julio Rivas, Lipscomb University
(Information Technology) - 10:20 - CYBERSECURITY UPDATE
Jacob Arthur, Lipscomb University and Formos Consulting
(Auditing) - 12:40 – ACCOUNTING AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Mary Frank Miller, Hot Pink (retail store)
Joe Cottrell, Entrepreneur
(Accounting) - 2:40 – EDUCATION AND THE ACCOUNTING PROFESSION
Susan Galbreath, Professor, Lipscomb University – Moderator
Jan Williams, Dean Emeritus, UT-K, School of Business
Kelvin Ault, Consultant and Educator
(Specialized Knowledge)
Lipscomb University is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE sponsors here.