2011 Agenda

7:45 a.m. - 7:55 a.m.    Check-in/Registration

8:00 a.m. - 10:05 a.m.  (2.5 CPE Credits*)

TRACK 1

Personal and Professional Life Balance
Kym Anderson, CPA 

Many people have defined balance as a fixed center point between two opposing forces however we often set ourselves up for failure if we use that definition because we are always striving to reach the "perfect balance" and maintain it.  Consequently we can end up resisting people and activities in our lives because we see them as a threat to our balanced state of mind.   As a result of using this definition, we often fail and label ourselves "out of balance", with balance becoming an unattainable ideal.

Instead, consider the image of balance as being "in the flow" in our lives.  That level of fluidity allows us to more easily interact with the world in a comfortable, nurturing way.  Rather than fighting against circumstances, we first flow with them and then can more easily shift the energy if desired.  Experience has shown this definition of balance is more realistic and more easily attainable.  When we are fully in balance, we are in a state of high intention, awareness, and trust. 

Ultimately, balance is individually defined but usually includes, among other things, a level of satisfaction with the many areas of our lives, and alignment between our values, goals, and activities.  This workshop explores the primary components that enable us to experience more balance in our lives and provides insight as to how we can use them to achieve the balance we desire.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the "Super Hero Syndrome".
• Assess your personal and professional balance.
• Clarify the goals and values that drive your career and personal life.
• Learn how to set limits, say "no,"and ask for help.
• Learn strategies to replenish your mental energy and physical stamina.

TRACK 2

Taming the E-mail Beast
Randy Dean, MBA 

It seems that every day, managers and professionals are getting buried deeper and deeper under a continuing stream of both useful and useless information. Without a system for getting "control of the beast", many people spend much of their work (and personal) time spinning wheels and feeling highly unsatisfied, simply due to too much information coming too fast with no place for it to go.

If you would like to get control of "the beast" of information overload, you should attend Randall Dean’s Taming the E-mail/Info Overload Beast program. Learn how to tame your e-mail account, with proven strategies for keeping your inbox efficient and under control.  Learn how to reduce the mess on your desk by having "natural" places for all of your papers, project folders, items to read, etc., to go. Learn how to get rid of all of the annoying "little stuff" once and for all, and then keep it under control for the ongoing future. And finally feel on top of the information that you are responsible for, rather than feeling it is on top of you.

10:20 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.   (2 CPE Credits*)

Transformation: Changes in the CFO's Role
Moderated by Dr. Constantine "Connie" Konstans, PhD, CPA, CMA, CIA, CFE  

Sharon Ellis, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children
Carey Hendrickson, Belo
Renée Hornbaker, Shared Technologies
Eric Logan, CFO for Eagle Golf

Today’s CFOs must not only have the skills and experience to manage the company's accounting and finance function, but also to drive growth, secure financing (debt and equity), manage economic downturns and rightsizings, to name a few.  They are also a must be an active participant in the managing corporate governance.

What are the current issues and how must the system of Corporate Governance change to insure creation and preservation of stakeholder value?  In this session, our CFO Panel will discuss their experiences, challenges and insights in their important role in managing corporate governance.  Panel members have experiences in small, medium and large corporations.   

12:00 p.m. - 1:10 p.m.    LUNCH

Special Appearance by President and CEO of Institute of Management Accountants
Jeff Thomson, CMA 

1:20 p.m. - 2:35 p.m.  (1.5 CPE Credits*)

The Line
Weston Smith, Former CFO of HealthSouth

Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, HealthSouth, Countrywide, Qwest, Adelphia, the subprime mortgage meltdown, Madoff Investments… Where has corporate integrity gone?  Weston Smith, a former CFO turned whistleblower of HealthSouth Corporation, compares honesty, ethics, and integrity to a chalk line on a field. "You might step across the line a few times without appearing to disturb it. Eventually, though, the line blurs and even disappears."

In business, the pressure to meet expectations is enormous. Whether due to personal greed, peer pressure, fear, or simply to remain employed or appear solvent to investors, too many people and companies have crossed the line.

Weston Smith tells the true, behind-the-scenes story of how HealthSouth, once a Fortune 500 company and Wall Street darling, made its rapid ascent. However, under the direction of CEO Richard M. Scrushy, behind the company’s closed doors, swirled a maelstrom of crime, threats, betrayal, and pathological greed.

2:50 p.m. - 5:10 p.m.   (2.5 CPE Credits*)

IFRS Update: Its Implications for U. S. Companies
Colleen Cunningham, CPA   

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are used in over 100 countries throughout the world.  Currently, the U. S. is the only large capital market that has not adopted IFRS.  While "when" U. S. companies will be required to adopt IFRS is still an unknown, companies will have to provide restated, re-audited financial statements under IFRS for two to three years at a minimum.  Financial executives are closely watching the IASB/FASB convergence activities.  Both boards have an aggress agenda to address several big-ticket accounting areas in 2011.

After this session, attendees will be able to:

• Know the history of IASB and IFRS.
• Indentify FASB/IASB Joint Projects.
• Understand the cost, benefit, and international impact.
• Know the major differences between IFRS and U. S. GAAP.
• Know the SEC's current status on movement toward one set of global accounting standards.

5:10 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. 

Networking and Exhibit Hall