Employee Benefit Plans Conference

Marcus has thirty years of experience in working with audits of ERISA-covered plans. He is responsible for the day-to-day implementation of EBSA's CPA Firm Inspection Program, providing technical assistance to plan filers and plan professionals, and providing ERISA-related accounting and auditing expertise within EBSA.

Mr. Aron is a certified public accountant and holds a B.B.A. degree with a major in accounting from the College of William and Mary in Virginia.

Randy joined HHM in 2011 as a quality control partner in the Accounting and Assurance Department. He leads the firm in many initiatives including the peer review practice and employee benefit plan audit niche, in addition to providing technical reviews for clients in multiple industries such as auto dealerships, nonprofits, construction and manufacturing.

He is a nationally recognized employee benefit plan audit specialist and leads discussions for the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) in this area. His skills as a discussion leader have deemed him an eight-time winner of the AICPA Outstanding Discussion Leader Award. His teaching pursuits include instructing the Audits of 401(k) plans webcast since 2014 and teaching various employee benefit plan audit courses since 2006.

As the captain for approximately 50 peer reviews each year, he helps other CPA firms raise the bar of quality for accounting, auditing and attestation services. He has been on the peer review committee of the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA) since 2013. In addition, he is an approved Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) audit subject matter expert for the AICPA enhanced oversight project.

With 16 years of public accounting experience, Anne specializes in employee benefit plan and not-for-profit audits and currently serves as the leader of Windham Brannon's Employee Benefit Plan Practice. As the practice leader, Anne is committed to helping clients ensure that they are in compliance with reporting requirements and advising clients on plan operations and giving recommendations on process and administrative improvements.

She works closely with clients during the planning phase of an audit in order to identify potential issues as early as possible, thereby ensuring that the process is effective, efficient, and completed in a timely manner. She regularly communicates with her clients to help them answer any questions that may arise during the course of the year.

Anne enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience with others. She is currently serving on the Task Force for the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants Employee Benefit Plan Conference and has been a frequent speaker at the AICPA National Employee Benefit Plan Conference. Additionally, Anne is regularly invited by the Board of Directors of her clients to present findings from their audits as well as other industry specific topics.

She joined Windham Brannon in 2001 after graduating from Auburn University with a Bachelors of Science in Accounting. Anne then completed her Masters of Accountancy in 2003 from Kennesaw State University.

Anne is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants, Women in Pensions, and the Georgia Center for Nonprofits. She is also a Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional (CNAP).

Kristen is a Senior Manager in the audit and advisory department of LBMC, PC.

She has diversified experience with a variety of industries serving private companies in healthcare, manufacturing, construction, services, and non-profits.

Kristen provides a wide range of services for clients. A majority of her time is spent working on audits of financial statements and retirement plans. She has extensive experience working with small to mid-size companies that require additional assistance with accounting and reporting matters.

David is a member of Bass Berry in Memphis. He helps employers deliver retirement, health and welfare benefits to their executives and employees. With more than 30 years of experience, he has developed a diverse practice counseling hundreds of public and private employers and non-profit organizations in drafting, maintaining and administering retirement plans ranging from $1 million to several billion dollars in assets, including many in the $100 million to $500 million asset range. He has deep experience in ESOP transactions, successfully navigating the significant fiduciary duty considerations and tax code requirements involved with these transactions.

In response to heightened focus on ERISA fiduciaries by the U.S. Department of Labor and plaintiffs' attorneys, David spearheaded an effort to launch a comprehensive fiduciary compliance program for clients. The program includes a self-audit process, fiduciary training, documentation package and service provider RFP support, which has resulted in approximately $6.5 million in administrative fee savings over a two year period for one client.

As a former ERISA litigator, David helps companies navigate the intersection of litigation and business concerns. He successfully defended a case, Osborne v. Hartford Life & Accident Ins. Co., that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and resulted in a change to the interpretation of the word "occupation" under ERISA. The new definition still stands today. His deep understanding of ERISA allows David to provide practical advice in the complex landscape of employee benefits law.

Mark A. Blackburn is a Shareholder in the LBMC Audit and Advisory practice.

He has significant experience in auditing employee benefit plans in a variety of industries and in accounting, auditing, and tax matters for the construction, real estate, and architectural/engineering industries.

Mark started working with LBMC when he graduated college more than twenty years ago.

Mark leads LBMC's Employee Benefit Plan Audit group and works with all types of employee benefit plans, including defined contribution, defined benefit, health and welfare, and employee stock ownership plans. These plans range in size from small privately-held businesses to publically-held companies with 11-k filings.

Mark spends a majority of his time working with privately owned businesses and their retirement plans.