AGA BOSTON CHAPTER 2025 VIRTUAL WINTER SEMINAR

Yoko McCarthy, MBA, CFE, CISA, CGFM Related Seminars and Products

Principal

BerryDunn

Yoko is a principal in BerryDunn’s Government Consulting Team. She co-leads the Compliance and Risk Management practice, which provides compliance assurance services. Since joining BerryDunn in 2012, Yoko has helped state and local governments strengthen internal controls to protect their resources from waste, abuse, and fraud, and improve operational efficiency while maintaining compliance.

Prior to joining BerryDunn, Yoko worked for the Office of State Auditor in Massachusetts for over eight years.

She holds a Master of Business Administration from University of Massachusetts Boston, and is a Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Information System Auditor, and Certified Government Financial Manager.

Outside of work, Yoko is an active member in her community. She is an incoming president for AGA Boston Chapter. She is a co-organizer of a community with over 600 members that connects Japanese-speaking women in the Boston area, and a co-founder of a community where Japanese-speaking professionals educate and inspire one another to improve racial and gender equality in their professional careers and personal lives. Yoko is also the proud mother of two daughters, Mia and Anna.

Blakeney Bell Related Seminars and Products

Senior Manager, Audit

KPMG Data & Automation Solutions Hub, Great Lakes and Northeast Lead

Blakeney is an audit senior manager with over 13 years of experience in the public sector, higher education and other not-for-profit industries.  In her current role, she assists engagement teams across industries in understanding their client’s data to enable a modernized, technology-focused audit approach and gain meaningful insights. She utilizes her background serving engagement teams and her understanding of data and KPMG’s technology capabilities to ensure that the full suite of KPMG’s technology solutions are deployed in an efficient and effective manner. This approach includes the identification of automated routines that enhance the audit experience and increases audit quality, while incorporating artificial intelligence into the audit. Blakeney has also led the development of automated routines specific to the state & local government and higher education industries.

Joseph Zajac Related Seminars and Products

Partner, Audit

KPMG Defense and Intelligence Sector

Joe is a partner in KPMG’s Washington DC office. He has over 20 years of experience performing government financial statement audits and delivering financial transformation advisory services, primarily in the Federal government’s Defense and Intelligence Communities. Joe leads initiatives related to technology enablement and generative artificial intelligence solutions to modernize the finance function and empower CFOs and their teams to be leading voices for AI adoption across their entities.  Joe has spoken on AGA’s Wake Up Wednesdays and is a frequent speaker at Defense financial management events on AI and the future of finance. Joe lives on a farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley with his wife Kathryn (who is from Charlestown MA) and three young children, where they raise pureblood Akaushi wagyu cattle.

Kimberly Jones Related Seminars and Products

CGFM and Education Programs Manager, AGA

AGA Boston Chapter

An engaging and entertaining public speaker, Kimberly Jones is the CGFM and Education Programs Manager for AGA. In her roles, she promotes AGA’s Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) certification, and markets and manages AGA’s onsite & virtual training programs.

She’s been with AGA for over nine years and is the author of two published novels.

Herb Escher Related Seminars and Products

Dale Carnegie

Herb Escher is the Head of Dale Carnegie of New England and Upstate NY, where he has led a remarkable 300% revenue growth through organic initiatives and strategic acquisitions. With a career that began in business development and progressed into executive leadership, Herb has built leadership pipelines for companies such as Wegmans and L3Haris. Passionate about enhancing leaders, fostering collaboration, and driving regional success, he continues to expand Dale Carnegie's impact. Known for his dynamic approach to business and personal growth, Herb is also an avid strength enthusiast, balancing professional excellence with a commitment to fitness and continuous improvement.

Jim Piotrowski Related Seminars and Products

Principal

CLA

Jim has 12 years of experience specializing in providing auditing and accounting services to governmental entities, including states, state retirement systems, state financing authorities, and municipalities throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. During this time, he has performed hundreds of audits and assurance engagements throughout the Commonwealth. He performs his duties with an astute knowledge of the governmental accounting and auditing standards, as well as the standards required by the federal single audit.

Technical experience

• Governmental GAAP
• U.S. Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS)
• Government Auditing Standards
• Uniform Guidance
• Financial Reporting

Education and Professional Involvement

• Bachelors of Business Administration in accounting from University of Massachusetts Amherst,
• Amherst, Massachusetts
• Certified Public Accountant
• Certified Government Financial Manager
• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
• Association of Government Accountants
• Massachusetts Association of Certified Public Accountants

Key relevant clients

• Commonwealth of Massachusetts
• State of Vermont
• Massachusetts General Court
• Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency
• City of Framingham
• City of Newton
• City of Waltham
• City of Worcester

Chris Mouradian Related Seminars and Products

Partner | Healthcare and Not-for-Profit Assurance, Advisory, and Consulting Services BerryDunn

BerryDunn

Chris Mouradian has over a decade of experience in audit, accounting, and advisory services, specializing in healthcare and nonprofit sectors. As Chair of the firm’s Innovation Council, he champions the Copilot pilot program, focusing on practical business applications and change management.

Clare Lizotte Related Seminars and Products

Senior Corporate Counsel | Risk Officer

BerryDunn

Clare Lizotte is a senior attorney on BerryDunn's legal team, where she supports the firm's compliance programs. As a founding member of the Innovation Council, Clare plays a critical role in the Copilot rollout, focusing on legal, regulatory, and quality control analysis.

Mike Schoenbaum Related Seminars and Products

Director of Information Technology

BerryDunn

Mike Schoenbaum has over 25 years of IT experience and holds several certifications, including MCSA, ITIL, SSCP, and VMWare. A founding member of the Innovation Council at BerryDunn, he played a key role in driving the Copilot rollout and the integration of technologies across the firm.

Richard Peters Related Seminars and Products

Partner

HKA

Richard Peters, CISA, CDPSE, CISSP, QSA, CTCE, is a senior cybersecurity advisor with over 25 years of experience in security, compliance, and investigations. He specializes in risk management, penetration testing, and forensic analysis, including crypto tracing and blockchain investigations. An expert in PCI-DSS, NIST CSF, and HIPAA, he has led security assessments across industries such as finance, healthcare, and energy. With a deep technical background in networks, applications, and hardware, Richard is known for translating complex security risks into clear business insights.