2021 Virtual Tax and Accounting Conference Speaker Bios

Speaker Bios

MATTHEW A. BABINSKY

Matthew A. Babinsky is assistant general counsel at VanEck, a global asset management firm with approximately $80 billion of assets under management across ETFs, mutual funds, and alternative products. Matthew leads legal efforts for VanEck’s digital asset projects and advises on the development of public and private digital asset vehicles. He has extensive experience providing legal advice to investment fund complexes and investment advisers on a wide range of securities, regulatory, corporate, disclosure, transactional, and other financial services matters. Matthew currently provides a broad range of legal advice, support, and coverage to VanEck ETFs, mutual funds, collective investment trusts, and other alternative products. Before joining VanEck, Matthew served as an associate in the financial services regulation group at Clifford Chance US LLP.

LIZ BAYSTON

Liz Bayston serves as the director of accounting policy for MFS Investment Management. In her role, she is responsible for establishing and maintaining accounting policies with respect to MFS’s 1940 Act registered funds as well as its institutional and offshore products. Liz has represented MFS as a member of ICI’s Accounting Policy Subcommittee and the AICPA’s Investment Companies Expert Panel. Before joining MFS in 2007, Liz was a senior manager in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ investment management assurance practice. Liz is a Massachusetts-licensed CPA with a BA in economics from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business Administration.

BARRY BENJAMIN

Barry Benjamin is an independent trustee on the Morningstar Funds Trust board and chairs the board’s Audit Committee. He is an affiliate instructor at Loyola University in Maryland and chairs the management and international business department’s advisory board. He retired as a partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 2018. During his 37-year career with PwC, Barry served in several leadership roles, including global asset and wealth management sector leader, US asset and wealth management sector leader, and the managing partner for the office in Baltimore, Maryland. He also served as lead engagement partner, overseeing teams providing assurance, tax, and advisory services to many of the firm’s largest asset management clients in Boston, Kansas City, Philadelphia, and Baltimore.

Barry was the chair of the board of Business Volunteers Maryland, a nonprofit organization seeking to strengthen the Baltimore community by making strategic connections between people, businesses, and nonprofits. He also served on the board and as treasurer of NICSA, a nonprofit association working with the investment management industry to develop operational best practices.

SCOTT BORCHARDT

Scott Borchardt is a tax partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Boston office, where he leads the East region regulated investment companies (RICs) tax practice. He has specialized in providing tax services to RICs since 1995. Scott assists clients with a wide range of tax issues affecting RICs, including compliance with RIC qualification and distribution requirements and the taxation of financial instruments. He also has significant experience assisting clients with the tax consequences of mergers, acquisitions, and liquidations of RICs.

Scott has written current development updates on tax issues for PwC’s publication “Quarterly Summary of Developments for Mutual Fund Audit Committees.” He also authored PwC’s publication “A First Look at the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010.” Scott develops and teaches courses for PwC’s professional development program. He has also spoken at numerous industry conferences, including ICI’s Tax and Accounting Conference.

Scott holds a BS and a master’s degree from the University of Kansas. He is a CPA and a member of the AIPCA.

CHRIS BRABHAM

Chris is a partner in PwC’s National Accounting Services Group, where he is responsible for leading our dedicated team of experts addressing accounting and reporting matters in the asset and wealth management sector. He has 28 years of experience with PwC, and has been a partner for 17 years. Chris is a member of the Investment Company Institute Accounting Policy Subcommittee and is currently the chair of the AICPA Investment Company Expert Panel. In his roles, Chris focuses on current and emerging accounting, reporting, and regulatory matters impacting the asset and wealth management sector, including those related to developments at the SEC, FASB, and AICPA.

ALEX BRADFORD

As an assistant chief accountant within the Division of Investment Management at the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Alex Bradford assists the chief accountant in interpreting new accounting regulations and directing the financial reporting and accounting practices of investment companies in compliance with the federal securities laws.

Before joining the SEC, Alex was a senior manager at RSM in the audit practice, where he primarily served clients in the investment management industry, specifically mutual funds, private equity funds, and venture capital funds. Alex is a CPA and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Alex has a BS in accounting from the University of Northern Colorado.

VANESSA CHANG

Vanessa Chang was formerly an independent director of Sykes Enterprises (NASDAQ:SYKE), Inveresk Research Group (NASDAQ:IRGI), Forest Lawn Memorial Parks Association, Blue Shield of California, as well as chief executive officer of ResolveItNow, an online dispute resolution business, and senior vice president at Secured Capital Corp, a real estate investment bank. Vanessa, a former partner with KPMG LLP, was in charge of its West Coast corporate finance group.

Vanessa is a CPA and received her BA from the University of British Columbia.

TOAI CHIN

Toai Chin is head of fund accounting policy at The Vanguard Group, Inc. She provides internal leadership and practical guidance on understanding and implementing accounting and regulatory pronouncements. Toai also engages externally with regulators and industry peers to evaluate the impact of accounting and regulatory guidance, and currently serves as chair of the ICI Accounting/Treasurers Committee and is a member of the AICPA Investment Companies Expert Panel. Before joining Vanguard, Toai was an audit partner at Deloitte, where she began her career more than 20 years ago; she led the execution of audit, attest, and advisory engagements of investment management clients. Toai was an assistant chief accountant in the SEC’s Division of Investment Management’s Office of the Chief Accountant from 2004 to 2007; in that role, she supported the SEC’s efforts in directing the financial reporting and accounting practices of investment companies in compliance with federal securities laws, and represented the division at industry conferences and meetings. Toai is a graduate of Drexel University and is a CPA.

ALEXIS CUNNINGHAM

Alexis Cunningham is an assistant chief accountant in the Division of Investment Management at the US Securities and Exchange Commission. In this role, Alexis assists the division’s staff in developing recommendations for policies to ensure the full and fair disclosure of financial information by investment companies, interpretations of rules relating to the form and content of financial statements, and the establishment of uniform standards of auditing and accounting practices with respect to investment companies. In doing so, she works closely with the staff of the division as well as the staff of other divisions and offices within the Commission, investors, registrants, and their auditors and counsel.

Before joining the SEC, Alexis was a director at PwC in the audit practice, where she served clients in the investment management industry, specifically mutual funds, collective investment trusts, exchange-traded funds, hedge funds, and private equity funds. She also served in PwC’s national office within the accounting services group, specializing in financial instruments. In this capacity, Alexis focused on the evaluation of a broad range of technical accounting and regulatory compliance issues over a wide variety of investment companies, both public and private.

Alexis is a CPA and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Alexis has an MS in finance and a BBA in accounting from Texas A&M University.

REGINA CURRY

Regina Curry is the chief diversity officer for Franklin Templeton. With more than 20 years of human resources and business experience, she is responsible for advancing diversity and inclusion initiatives across the firm globally. Franklin Templeton has offices in more than 30 countries, and believes that cultivating a culture that’s inclusive of all people goes hand-in-hand with its commitment to delivering investment excellence and superior client service.

Before joining Franklin Templeton, Regina was the chief diversity officer for Legg Mason, where she was charged with advancing diversity and inclusion initiatives to support their mission of “investing to improve lives” and achieve the growth strategy of “expanding client choice.”

She previously served as the senior director, global diversity and inclusion for McCormick & Company, Inc. During her tenure, the organization was recognized by DiversityInc among the “Top 50 Companies for Diversity” in 2017 and 2018.

In 2020, Regina was named one of the “Top 10 Influential Women in Diversity” by Diversity Global magazine. She was listed as one of Savoy magazine’s “Most Influential Women in Corporate America.” She has also been recognized by the Girl Scouts of Maryland and the Griffin Report.

Regina earned a BA in psychology from Northern Kentucky University. She has received certifications in Six Sigma, the Center for Creative Leadership 360 assessment, Procsi Change Management, and as a senior professional in human resources. In 2020, she achieved the Harvard Business School certification in global business.

Regina was recently named a member of the Board of Directors for Fiduciary Trust International. She is a member of the Investment Company Institute (ICI) Global Diversity and Inclusion Committee and Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA) CDO Advisory Board. She is involved in the community, has served on the Board of Directors for Associated Black Charities, and has completed the Greater Baltimore Committee Civic Leadership Program. Regina is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and a native of Akron, Ohio.

BROOKE A. FAPOHUNDA

Brooke A. Fapohunda is Lord Abbett’s chief sustainability officer. She leads the firm’s efforts to drive sustainable and equitable growth for stakeholders worldwide. In this role, she collaborates with investment professionals on ESG investing, advances sustainability across all other aspects of the firm’s business, and leads the firm’s community relations and inclusion and diversity teams. She also is a member of the Executive Committee and Global Corporate Citizenship Committee and cochairs the Leader Development Committee and Investment Stewardship Council.

Brooke joined Lord Abbett in 2006 and was named partner in 2017. Before her current role, she served as head of human capital management and was responsible for aligning leadership, culture, and talent initiatives with the firm’s strategy. Before that, she served as deputy general counsel for the firm’s US retail business. Her previous experience includes serving as vice president and counsel in the asset management division of Credit Suisse and associate at law firms Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and K&L Gates LLP. She has worked in the financial services industry since 2002.

Brooke earned an AB from Princeton University and a JD from Columbia University.

MATTHEW GIORDANO

Matthew Giordano serves as a lead audit partner for several of KPMG’s largest asset management clients in Boston, New York, Chicago, and Washington, DC. He also serves as the deputy lead partner for KPMG’s public investment management practice. Matt has approximately 19 years of experience in the investment management industry providing professional services to the complete spectrum of investment management clients, including registered mutual funds, business development companies, hedge funds, private equity, and venture capital funds.

Matt spent two years in KPMG’s national office, where he supported audit teams with technical accounting, audit, and regulatory issues.

Before joining KPMG, Matt spent five years at the US Securities and Exchange Commission, where he was the former chief accountant for the Division of Investment Management. In this position, Matt was responsible for interpreting new accounting regulations and directing the financial reporting and accounting practices of investment companies in compliance with the federal securities laws.

PAULINE HAWKES-BUNYAN

Pauline Hawkes-Bunyan is the executive director responsible for the business: risk, culture, and resilience team at the Investment Association (IA). She supports IA member firms to shape and respond to policy issues that affect people and their firms. Keys areas for her team include culture and conduct; talent, diversity, and inclusion; the future world of work; and technology.

Pauline’s focus over the last year has been leading the IA’s work to support its members during the COVID-19 pandemic. This work now includes looking beyond the current operational environment and leading the IA’s ambitious Future World of Work Programme, of which D&I is a key consideration. Earlier this year, Pauline also led the production of the IA’s Ethnicity in Investment Management report and the Diversity Data Guide.

Pauline has spent more than 20 years in the investment management industry seeing industry opportunities and challenges from adviser, in-house, and trade body perspectives.

JANE G. HEINRICHS

Jane G. Heinrichs is an associate general counsel for the Investment Company Institute, where she is primarily responsible for legal and regulatory issues relating to exchange-traded funds, money market funds, and municipal securities. Before joining the Institute in 2004, Jane was an associate in the asset management group at Shearman & Sterling LLP, providing legal and regulatory advice to registered investment companies, private domestic and offshore investment funds, investment advisers, broker-dealers, and other financial institutions. From 1997 to 2000, she worked as an attorney for the US Securities and Exchange Commission, both in the Division of Investment Management and the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations.

Jane received a JD, magna cum laude, from the American University, Washington College of Law, and a BA in philosophy from Binghamton University.

DIANE JOHNSON

Diane Johnson is the tax director for Harbor Capital Advisors, Inc. and the Harbor Funds. She is responsible for overseeing the tax compliance and the tax operations for the Harbor Funds and CITs. In addition, she is responsible for oversight of the state and local tax compliance for Harbor Capital Advisors, Inc. Diane started her career in audit at Arthur Andersen before joining Kemper Financial and transitioning into the tax department. Before joining Harbor, Diane was with Ernst & Young in the Chicago office, working with regulated investment companies on tax compliance.

Diane is a CPA licensed in Illinois and holds a BS in accountancy from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Illinois. Diane is based in Chicago.

FRANK KOUDELKA

Frank Koudelka is the senior vice president and global ETF product specialist for State Street. State Street is a market leader servicing more than 58 percent of global ETF assets. In this role, Frank establishes the strategic direction for ETF servicing, assists with the on-boarding of new clients, and drives the product and technology strategy as it relates to ETFs. Before this role, Frank led the institutional transfer agency business unit. Frank has been with State Street for more than 19 years, joining the firm as a part of the IBT acquisition. He has 35 years of experience in the financial services industry. While at Investors Bank and Trust, Frank was responsible for the transfer agent teams in Europe and the United States. Additionally, Frank ran the institutional custody/wealth management group; providing back-office services to banks, endowments, foundations, and registered investment advisers.

Before joining Investors Bank and Trust, Frank held diverse roles at PaineWebber, the National Securities Clearing Corporation, First Data, and PFPC. This included operations management, product development, and marketing. He attended St. John’s University in New York, where he earned a BS in finance; he also served in the United States Marine Corps Reserves.

SUNEETA KRISHNAN

Suneeta Krishnan is vice president and head of mutual fund tax and treasury. Suneeta manages the tax, treasury, and internal controls staff within Virtus Funds Services and is responsible for oversight of the service provider’s tax, custody (including short-term cash management), securities lending, FX execution services, and related control structure. She also has oversight responsibilities for class-action services, facilitating contracts with derivative counterparties, and negotiating and overseeing leverage facilities provided by third-party vendors. She has been on the fund services team for 14 years and serves as vice president and assistant treasurer for the Virtus open- and closed-end funds.

Suneeta has 31 years of experience in the financial services industry, including six years with PwC India, and one year with Deloitte, US; she has also held various managerial positions at PNC Bank and Cigna in their mutual funds departments.

Suneeta holds an MS in accounting from the University of Delaware, has a professional degree from the Indian Institute of Chartered Accountants, and is a CPA in the United States.

JOY LOPEZ

Joy Lopez serves as head of investment tax and assistant treasurer, US funds, for Dimensional. In her capacity, she drives tax strategy for the organization through the direction of complex initiatives within the tax function for both the adviser entities and the investment products. Her responsibilities include oversight of both US and international tax matters that encompass a range of tax entity types, planning, and ad hoc project work in support of the firm. She also manages all aspects of tax compliance, strategy and planning, and oversight of third-party tax service providers.

Before joining Dimensional in 2013, Joy spent six years with PIMCO as vice president and tax manager for the US and Canadian mutual funds. Joy holds a BBA and MS in accounting from Texas A&M University, College Station, and is a CPA in the state of Texas. She currently serves as a board member, a Finance Committee chair, and a member of the Executive Committee for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

CILLIAN LYNCH

Cillian Lynch is a partner in Stradley Ronon’s Washington, DC, office, and has practiced at Stradley since graduating from law school. He advises investment companies, investment advisers, and independent directors in connection with regulatory, compliance, and transactional issues. His experience includes representing registered investment companies, investment advisers, and independent directors.

Cillian advises registered investment companies on the federal securities laws pertaining to the formation, registration, and ongoing compliance of open-end mutual funds, including multi-manager funds and subadvised funds. He drafts and reviews critical documents, such as registration statements, proxy statements, exemptive applications, information statements, shareholder reports, and state law filings; he also responds to related SEC inquiries. Cillian also prepares plans of reorganization and registration statements on Form N-14 in connection with fund mergers and acquisitions involving both affiliated and non-affiliated funds.

Cillian participates in counseling investment advisers with respect to their obligations under federal and state securities laws. He advises boards of directors on issues arising under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as well as various corporate governance issues.

CHRIS MAHER

Chris Maher is vice president and deputy treasurer of the Fidelity funds. In this role, he is responsible for oversight of the funds’ valuation and liquidity risk management operations; fund policy setting and interpretation with respect to valuation and liquidity risk management matters; leading the funds’ Fair Value Committees and Liquidity Risk Management Committees; and liaising with the funds’ boards of trustees. Before assuming his current responsibilities, Chris led Fidelity’s asset management regulatory reform program office, providing governance and implementation support for new financial regulations.

Before joining Fidelity, Chris held various investment operation roles at State Street Corporation, Investors Bank & Trust, and Deutsche (Scudder) Asset Management. He has been in the financial industry since 1994.

Chris earned an MS in finance from Brandeis University, and a BS in accounting from Nichols College.

KATHLEEN L. MELLODY

Kathleen L. Mellody joined ICI in January 2019 as the senior government affairs officer.

Before joining ICI, she served as head of federal affairs at The Hartford, where she led the legislative and regulatory work for the firm, including for the mutual fund businesses. Before her tenure there, she served in the Obama White House as special assistant to the president and Senate liaison for banking and finance issues. Kathleen also served as a deputy assistant secretary for legislative affairs in the Treasury Department working on banking, finance, and terrorist financing issues.

Before entering the administration, she served as counsel on the House Financial Services Committee, and as counsel in MetLife’s government affairs office. Kathleen graduated from Georgetown University and the George Mason University School of Law. She is a member of the Maryland and District of Columbia bar associations.

ERIC J. PAN

Eric J. Pan is the president and chief executive officer of the Investment Company Institute (ICI). He took office as the 10th chief executive in ICI’s history on November 9, 2020.

Eric was previously a managing director of Rock Creek Global Advisors LLC, an international economic policy advisory firm in Washington, DC, and a senior research fellow at the Center for Law and Economic Studies at Columbia Law School in New York.

Eric served as the director of the Office of International Affairs at the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission from 2015 to 2019 and head of international regulatory policy at the US Securities and Exchange Commission from 2011 to 2015. He represented both market regulators in international standard-setting bodies, including the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) and Financial Stability Board (FSB), and in regulatory dialogues with European and Asian counterparts.

Before entering government service, Eric was the director of the Heyman Center on Corporate Governance and a professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York, where he wrote extensively about financial regulation and corporate law. He also practiced corporate and international law with Covington & Burling in Washington, DC.

Eric is a graduate of Harvard College, the University of Edinburgh, and the Harvard Law School. He is a member of the American Law Institute and an adjunct professor at Columbia Law School.

TAMMIRA PHILIPPE

Tammira Philippe is president and chief executive officer of Bridgeway Capital Management. She is a member of the firm’s Board of Directors and president of Bridgeway Funds; she also serves on the firm’s Portfolio Innovation and Risk Committee, Responsible Investing Committee, and Enterprise Risk Committee.

Before becoming president, Tammira led strategy and operations projects at Bridgeway for five years and was head of client service and marketing for another six years. She is also a CFA charterholder. Before Bridgeway, Tammira worked in strategy consulting with McKinsey & Company and business development and marketing for a global satellite communications start-up. She earned an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and graduated summa cum laude with a BS in computer science from Texas A&M University.

Tammira serves on the Texas A&M University Computer Science & Engineering Advisory Council, the Stanford GSB Management Board, the CFA Houston Strategic Advisory Board, and the Investment Committee of the Terry Foundation, a scholarship provider that supported Tammira’s education. She is passionate about promoting education and social justice.

Tammira lives in her hometown of Houston with her husband and two children. She enjoys learning, running, snow skiing, volleyball, travel, cooking, and time with family and friends.

KASEY PHILLIPS

Kasey Phillips is a vice president with MFS Investment Management (MFS) and an assistant treasurer of MFS Mutual Funds. Kasey’s primary role is overseeing the financial reporting process for the MFS Funds, including mutual funds, offshore funds, collective investment trust funds, and other products.

Kasey joined MFS in 2012. She was previously a senior vice president with Wells Fargo, where she served as fund treasurer of the Wells Fargo Advantage Funds and the former Evergreen Funds since 2005. Before becoming fund treasurer, Kasey held various roles of increasing responsibility within the fund administration team at Evergreen Investments. Kasey began her career in public accounting as an auditor within the financial services group at Arthur Andersen LLP in Boston.

Kasey earned a BS in accounting from St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont.

CHUCK PULSFORT

Chuck Pulsfort is head of global fund accounting policy and head of fund financial regulatory reporting at BlackRock. He is responsible for the appropriate accounting treatment concerning complex transactions and new accounting rules applicable to more than 4,000 funds globally. Chuck develops BlackRock’s accounting viewpoints affecting fund performance and engages with industry and accounting governing bodies to advocate for comprehensive disclosures that buoy investor confidence. In addition, he is accountable for designing and enhancing the internal and external regulatory reporting operating environments responsible for delivering more than 27,000 financial regulatory to regulators globally. These roles are critical to BlackRock’s global reputation and the effective marketing and distribution of ETFs, mutual funds, and alternative fund products in multiple jurisdictions.

Before joining BlackRock, Chuck worked at Ernst & Young for 13 years, serving large and small hedge fund, private equity fund, and mutual fund clients. He obtained a BA in economics and business administration from Ursinus College and is a licensed in Pennsylvania as a CPA.

JESSICA REIF-CAPLAN

Jessica Reif-Caplan is vice president and tax counsel at Fidelity Investments, where she provides tax advice to the company’s many products and advisers, such as the mutual funds, alternative funds, and digital asset services, on matters that range from fund structuring and the taxation of financial products to tax compliance and risk management. Jessica also advises Fidelity’s products and advisers on the effects of tax reform and other domestic and international legislative and regulatory changes. In addition to her work at Fidelity, Jessica is cochair of the SIFMA Asset Management Group Tax Committee and cochair of the Tax Task Force of the Chamber of Digital Commerce.

Jessica joined Fidelity in 2011. Before that, she was a tax associate at Goodwin Procter LLP in Boston. Jessica earned her JD from Harvard University and graduated magna cum laude from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

JULIE A. ROACH

Julie A. Roach has 29 years of experience in providing guidance to organizations on operational, financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and internal control matters in the investment management industry, with an emphasis on registered funds, hedge funds, and private equity funds. Julie serves as treasurer to the Diamond Hill Funds. In that role, she oversees all SEC filings on behalf of the funds, chairs the Valuation and Liquidity Committee, reviews distributions, and provides oversight of the funds’ custodian and fund accountant. Julie previously served as an assistant treasurer and head of valuation oversight at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, where she was responsible for valuation oversight of investments held in mutual funds, commingled funds, and exchange-traded funds. She began her career at Deloitte, where she served as a client service senior manager on audits of global and national businesses in the investment management industry with assets under management between $1 million and $3.5 trillion. Julie serves as the chair of the ICI Security Valuation Operations Committee. Julie earned her BSBA in accounting from the University of Dayton.

GREGORY M. SMITH

Gregory M. Smith is senior director, fund accounting and compliance at the Investment Company Institute, where he focuses on accounting, financial reporting, and compliance matters affecting SEC-registered investment companies. He coordinates the Institute’s Accounting/Treasurers Committee, Accounting Policy Subcommittee, and Security Valuation Operations Committee, as well as the Tax and Accounting Conference. He also manages the annual ICI/IDC Directors Practices Study, which reports information on fund board practices and independent director compensation. He joined the ICI staff in 1992. Before joining ICI, Greg worked for the Securities and Exchange Commission, both in the Division of Investment Management and the Division of Market Regulation. He received an MS from Georgetown University and a BA from Gettysburg College. He is a CPA, as well as a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Association of SEC Alumni.

AMY SNYDER

Amy Snyder recently joined EY’s financial services organization wealth and asset management practice as a tax principal, and has 20 years of experience in the asset management industry. She has extensive experience advising registered funds, including mutual funds, ETFs, and closed-end funds, and other investment vehicles on technical tax issues and compliance matters.

Before joining EY, Amy spent seven years as a senior counsel in the office of the general counsel at The Vanguard Group, Inc., where she provided tax law advice to Vanguard and its mutual funds, ETFs, and other investment products. Amy was also a partner in the tax and benefits group at the law firm Ropes & Gray LLP, working with a wide range of the firm’s investment management clients.

Amy is a former chair of the Investment Management Committee of the American Bar Association Tax Section and former member of the Conference Advisory Board of the Philadelphia Tax Conference. She has a BA in economics from the University of Notre Dame and a JD from Boston College Law School.

LINARDS STRAUSS

Linards Strauss is a managing director in Deloitte’s audit practice with 15 years of experience providing services to the investment management industry. He has served leading investment managers and their registered and unregistered fund products as well as trading firms, including a leading market maker in the crypto asset space.

In addition to client service, Linards is the leader for the investment management industry in Deloitte’s national office audit and assurance services group, where he is the subject matter expert for the industry and provides consultations on topics such as investment valuation and identifying and addressing audit risks related to safeguarding, transferring, trading, and valuation of crypto assets.

Linards has coauthored a publication on the unique and complex considerations of crypto asset custody and has delivered various presentations on the topic.

He currently serves as a member of the Valuation Committee for One Deloitte Price, delivered by Deloitte’s Omnia|DNAV technology solution for investment management.

KATIE SUNDERLAND

Katie Sunderland is assistant general counsel, tax law for the Investment Company Institute and ICI Global. Katie has experience with a broad range of tax issues that affect the investment fund community, including managers, investment funds, and investors. At ICI, she primarily works on global tax issues affecting both US and non-US regulated funds, such as treaty entitlement and EU matters (e.g., public country-by-country reporting). She is also involved in Business at OECD’s Business Advisory Group to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) projects on the Common Reporting Standard (CRS), Treaty Relief and Compliance Enhancement (TRACE), and the digital economy. Before joining ICI, Katie worked extensively with private funds (i.e., hedge funds and private equity) and sovereign wealth clients as an associate with large international law firms.

CATHERINE A. TAYLOR

Catherine A. Taylor (Kitty) is a vice president and tax counsel in the tax department of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. In that position, she specializes in tax issues that affect individuals investing in financial assets and how taxes can affect their financial lives. She also monitors tax legislation and regulatory changes for the company and its clients. She specializes in mutual fund and information reporting tax issues. She worked extensively with the development of the average cost rules for mutual funds. In 1996 and 1997, she was a member of the IRS’s Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee. She received her JD and MBA from the University of Minnesota.

DAVID TRERICE

David Trerice is an assurance partner in the asset management practice at PwC resident in the Boston office. Dave leads PwC’s asset management governance practice, which advises directors and investment advisers on emerging issues, including the management fee contract review process, valuation oversight, and general governance matters. He has authored several thought leadership publications regarding the management fee contract review process and facilitated trustee roundtables to discuss emerging trends. Dave has more than 30 years of audit and advisory experience in the asset management industry leading both corporate and product engagements, including various internal control reviews of investment management, broker-dealer sales and distribution activities, and back-office operations. Dave earned his BS in accounting from Bentley College. He is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Massachusetts Society of CPAs.

LIZ VAUGHN

Liz Vaughn serves as the Head of Fund Tax – Fixed Income at Vanguard. In her role she is responsible for establishing and maintaining the funds’ tax accounting policies, ensuring U.S. tax compliance, evaluating new rules and regulatory changes, and providing tax planning support to Vanguard’s business areas. Liz has over 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, including Tax at PwC and Audit at EY. She received her B.S. in Accounting and Economics from the University of Delaware and MBA from Drexel University.

JENSON WAYNE

Jenson Wayne is the chief accountant of the Division of Investment Management at the US Securities and Exchange Commission. In this role, Jenson works closely with Commission staff to develop recommendations for policies to ensure the full and fair disclosure of financial information by investments companies, interpretations of rules relating to the form and content of financial statements, and the establishment of uniform standards of auditing and accounting practices with respect to investment companies. Jenson also manages the accounting examination program within the Division of Investment Management, which reviews and provides comments on thousands of registered investment company’s annual financial statements and regulatory filings each year. He frequently discusses investment company accounting rules and industry practice issues at regional and national conferences.

Before joining the SEC, Jenson was a senior manager in the audit and assurance services practice at the public accounting firm KPMG, in the Los Angeles office. While there, he primarily worked on audits in the investment management industry, including public business development companies, private equity funds, and hedge funds, as well as other public investment management and investment services firms. Jenson is a CPA and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He graduated from the Leventhal School of Accounting at the University of Southern California.

RHEETA WISE

Rheeta Wise, president of the MFS Service Center and senior vice president of Massachusetts Financial Investments in Boston, Massachusetts, has more than 30 years’ experience in the mutual fund industry.

Rheeta joined MFS in 2005 from PFPC Inc., where she was a senior vice president responsible for the product development and project management organizations on behalf of the transfer agency division. Before that, she was a senior vice president with the BISYS organization responsible for sales/marketing support and product development. A large part of Rheeta’s career was spent with First Data Inc., where she held several positions within the transfer agency division, exiting as a senior vice president over the product development team. She has been a longstanding member of NICSA, serving on several committees; she currently is a member of the Board of Directors. She also represents MFS’s interests participating on the ICI Operations Committee. Rheeta attended the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and Boston University, where she received her certification in project management.

MEGAN WOOD

Megan Wood is a partner in PwC’s asset and wealth management trust solutions practice. She specializes in the delivery of tax services to regulated investment companies, exchange-traded funds, and common trust funds. Megan has been with PwC for 14 years, primarily serving clients in the asset management industry.

Megan leads large tax compliance and outsourcing engagements, for which she advises clients on numerous tax consulting and planning issues, including tax equalization, controlled foreign corporations, and tax mergers. As a specialist in exchange-traded funds, she also regularly advises clients on the complexities of redemption in kind transactions and earnings and profits. In addition to her client service commitments, she leads PwC’s Traditional Fund Learning and Education Committee, for which she has instructed and developed content for several national firm trainings.

Megan is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants. She received an MS in accounting and a BS in accounting with a minor in Hispanic studies from Boston College.