2026 National Registry Summit - Speakers

Director, Assurance Learning & Development - Eisner Amper

Erika Bialek leads learning strategy, curriculum design, professional development programs, and compliance initiatives for assurance professionals across the Eisner Amper. In this role, she collaborates closely with firm leadership to modernize learning experiences, adopt emerging technologies, and build scalable programs that support both technical excellence and the development of professional judgment.

With more than 25 years of experience in public accounting and nearly two decades focused on learning and development, Erika brings a unique perspective that combines audit experience with talent development knowledge. Prior to joining EisnerAmper in 2021, she served as Senior Manager of Learning & Organizational Development at Marcum LLP, where she helped build and manage large-scale learning programs for thousands of professionals. Earlier in her career, she was an Audit Manager with Deloitte.

Erika is an active contributor to the accounting profession and currently serves as a member of the NASBA CPE Standards Working Group, where she collaborates with other professionals to explore the future of continuing professional education. Her recent work has focused on the intersection of AI, emerging technologies, competency development, and the evolving role of CPE in preparing professionals for a rapidly changing professional environment.

A New York CPA, PHR, and SHRM-CP, Erika holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business Administration from Washington and Lee University and a Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management from Empire State University. She is passionate about helping organizations develop future-ready talent and creating learning experiences that drive measurable impact.

Chief Operating Officer, NASBA

William “Bill” Emmer serves as chief operating officer of NASBA. In this role, Emmer oversees multiple operations at NASBA including services related to the Uniform CPA Examination (Exam), CPA licensing, the National Candidate Database, the National Registry of CPE Sponsors and other products and services, as well as Information Technology (IT). 

Emmer has more than 30 years of business and leadership experience. Most recently, he acted as the enterprise program manager of the CPA Exam where he was responsible for the day-to-day operations across the NASBA, AICPA and Prometric (NAP) enterprise. In this role, Emmer was instrumental in launching continuous testing of the CPA Exam and launching the CPA Exam in numerous international countries. 

Emmer’s career began with Price Waterhouse in the audit practice and later transferred to the newly formed systems audit group. He then worked in cross-functional roles at Becton Dickinson, The Seagram Company Ltd., The Seagram Spirits and Wine Group, and Universal Music Group. Throughout the years, Emmer has garnered experience in organizational and operational transformation, reengineering, enterprise change management and more. 

A New Jersey native, Emmer earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Montclair State University and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University. He has been involved in several community leadership roles, including over nine years of membership and service with the Bergen Highlands Ramsey Chapter of Rotary International and 10 years of leadership with the Board of Public Works in Ramsey, NJ. 

Change Fluency Expert

Jay Kiew is an innovation strategist and the bestselling author of Change Fluency, with more than 15 years of transformation experience. He has created more than $2B of impact for 400+ executives by designing, developing, and delivering organizational transformation, but his story extends far beyond the professional arena. Kiew is a half-blind cancer survivor, whose life is a testament to resilience in the face of adversity. His remarkable blend of professional expertise and personal resilience equips leaders to hack through the thick of change and disruption.

Kiew spent his corporate career working at Deloitte, TELUS, and ADP, where he led mission-critical strategic transformations. This included a $150-million primary care health policy reform, $13-million tech transformations, doubling app users from 1 to 2 million, and scaling 15 product lines to $35 million in 12 months. As the Chief Innovation Officer at The Change Fluency Co, he now invests his time in equipping organizations in speaking the language of change better, particularly in Agentic AI innovation.

At the age of 19, Kiew became the world's youngest Distinguished Toastmaster. He has since been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, USA Today, Digital Journal, the Financial Times, Globe and Mail, Financial Post, Ivey Business Journal, Change Leadership, and more.

Kiew holds an MBA from the Ivey Business School and lives in Vancouver with his wife, two daughters, and a stubborn Shiba Inu named Brooklyn.

Compliance Auditor, National Registry - NASBA

Megan Mason has been with NASBA since 2019, supporting the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through sponsor engagement and operational processes.

She began her career as an Account Manager, working closely with sponsors to navigate application requirements and maintain compliance with NASBA standards. Megan was recently promoted to Compliance Auditor, where she conducts sponsor audits and reviews CPE programs to ensure alignment with NASBA’s Statement on Standards.

With experience in both sponsor support and compliance review, Megan brings a practical, detail-oriented perspective on program quality and regulatory expectations.

Megan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Studies with a concentration in Elementary Education from George Mason University. 

 

Compliance Auditor, National Registry - NASBA

Karen Mourcy has been with NASBA since 2020 and serves as a Compliance Auditor with the National Registry Team. She conducts desk audits of CPE sponsors, evaluating program materials and instructional design elements to ensure compliance with NASBA’s Statement on Standards. With experience in both sponsor applications and auditing, Karen brings practical insight into common compliance challenges and effective solutions.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in International Finances from Hollins University.

 

President - NASBA Center for the Public Trust (CPT) and Chief Ethics Officer - NASBA

Sedrik Newbern serves as president of the NASBA Center for the Public Trust (CPT) and chief ethics officer of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA). As CPT president, Newbern oversees the non-profit ethics and leadership organization’s day-to-day operations and a growing number of CPT programs. His tenure with NASBA began in 2019, where he served as CPT operations director. In 2021, he transitioned to a consultant for the CPT. As chief ethics officer, Newbern oversees ethics compliance initiatives for the organization. He also represents NASBA in ethics related activities within the accounting profession.  

Prior to joining NASBA, Newbern held various marketing and operations leadership roles across the insurance and nonprofit sectors. His expertise in strategic planning and marketing contributed to a successful 19-year career with Allstate Insurance Company, where he served as a regional and senior marketing manager responsible for the development and implementation of marketing strategy and sales training for corporate and agency leaders. In 2010, he transitioned from Allstate’s home office and purchased an Allstate insurance agency, which soon led to the acquisition of two additional agencies and grew to become a $3.5 million agency operation in Libertyville, IL.   

Newbern is also president of Newbern Consulting, LLC, an Amazon best-selling author and a John Maxwell Certified Coach, Trainer and Speaker. With a passion for storytelling and helping others find their passion and restoration, he has published multiple books and consulted with other authors to publish more than 30 books. Additionally, he has shared his knowledge, experience and passion for entrepreneurism as a college professor in his role as entrepreneur-in-residence in the Department of Management for Gordon Ford College of Business at Western Kentucky University (WKU).   

A consummate servant leader, Newbern has served on several non-profit boards and committees including serving as co-founder of The Precious Gift of Hope Foundation. Currently, he is the immediate past president of the Western Kentucky University Alumni Association Board of Directors, serves on the WKU Gordon Ford College of Business Advisory Board and the Nashville State Community College Business Advisory Committee, and is a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.   

For his leadership in business and in the community, Newbern has been recognized as one of Lake County Illinois’ Most Influential African Americans, received the Alumni Achievement Award from Western Kentucky University’s Gordon Ford School of Business and received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award and Civic Leadership Award from the Chamber of Commerce.  

Newbern is a native of Nashville, TN, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Western Kentucky University and an MBA with a concentration in economics from Tennessee State University. He attributes his success as an entrepreneur, corporate leader and college professor to the support and motivation he receives from his wife Denise and their son Matthew.  

 

Director, Compliance Services, NASBA

Amy Tongate is the director of Compliance Services, responsible for the Accountancy Licensee Database (ALD), the Accountancy Licensing Library (ALL), the CPE Audit Service platform, the Rules Engine Service application and the National Registry of CPE Sponsors at NASBA. She joined NASBA in December 2007 as a CPEtracking account manager. From 2008-2013, Tongate managed two large firm accounts on the CPEtracking platform, managing nightly feed processing, custom development requests and CPE-related questions for those clients. In addition, she conducted research on CPE rule changes, writing business requirements and testing programmed rule changes. Tongate was promoted to product manager for CPEtracking in 2013, as it was being transitioned from an individual CPA and firm platform to a service that could be used as a tool for use by boards in conducting CPE audits.  

 

In 2017, she became the senior manager of CPE Audit Service. In January 2019, she was promoted to associate director, CPE Services. She assumed the role of director of Compliance Services in August 2024. Across the Compliance Services products, she guides the direction of the various business lines and related activities, along with priorities, strategies and objectives. Further, Tongate ensures that each business line’s team has and adheres to a set of policies and procedures to ensure the accuracy and integrity of their product’s content and functionality.   

 

Prior to joining NASBA, Tongate worked for 19 years at Gaylord Entertainment Company, the last eight years of that time at the Opryland Resort and Convention Center as the ticketing systems manager. She earned her MBA through the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management in 2015. Tongate has extensive experience in client management and IT resource collaboration. She is also very practiced in research and analysis of business requirements, process improvements and creating documentation for applications used by internal and external stakeholders. 

 

Best-Selling Author and Expert Storyteller

Carlos Whittaker is a best-selling author, expert storyteller, and impactful speaker to all kinds of audiences– from auditors to teachers to non-profit leaders to dermatologists. No matter who you are, his message is for you.

Carlos uses his vast and varied personal life experience to captivate and engage audiences in ways that few else can. Whether your team is suffering from burnout, conflict, distraction, or disengagement, Carlos is sure to reinvigorate them with insight, humor, and inspiration.

With his person-oriented talks, How to Human and Moment Maker, Carlos will remind your organization that when we are good to ourselves, we can be even better for others. Humans do not exist in the vacuum of the workplace, so when we address the things going on in the background, we create a greater capacity for relationships, work, creativity, and patience.

Carlos will equip your team to become not just better employees, but better coworkers, leaders, friends, parents, spouses, and, most importantly, better humans. Join Carlos and countless others in the pursuit of being human together.

He and his wife Heather live in Nashville, Tennessee, with their three amazing children, where you can find them working on the family farm, planning trips around the world, and dancing to Single Ladies (seriously, Google it).

 

Deputy Chief Legal Officer, NASBA

Elizabeth Wolfe, Esq., serves as Deputy Chief Legal Officer at the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA). In this capacity, she is a strategic advisor to NASBA’s executive leadership with practice concentration in regulatory law and legislative policy supporting NASBA’s mission to enhance the effectiveness and advance the common interests of its 55 member Boards of Accountancy and administration of the Uniform CPA Exam, with international testing. Ms. Wolfe counsels C-suite and senior leadership on legal risk, compliance, data privacy, and governance with a focused oversight on initiatives involving artificial intelligence and accessibility. She also oversees NASBA’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) team with respect to Testing Accommodations for the CPA Examination.

Prior to joining NASBA in 2018, Wolfe was Assistant General Counsel at the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance providing legal guidance to the Regulatory Boards Division. Her portfolio included advising multiple professional licensing boards on federal antitrust law, the Tennessee Open Records Act, and the Tennessee Open Meetings Act, and she was responsible for drafting legislation and administrative regulations.

Ms. Wolfe graduated cum laude from the University of Tennessee where she double majored in art history and political science. She earned her J.D. from Belmont University College of Law where she served as Vice President of the Student Bar Association.

She is an active member of the Tennessee Bar Association, the Association of Corporate Counsel Small Law Department Network, Belmont Law Alumni Council, and the Nashville Bar Association, currently chairing the in-house attorney committee. Ms. Wolfe mentors law students and serves on the board of Buchanan Arts, a nonprofit art studio focused on after-school at risk youth programming that promotes creativity and community. She was recognized as one of Nashville’s Top 30 Under 30 in 2018 for professional achievement and community involvement and was a member of the 2023-2024 Nashville Bar Foundation Leadership Forum. She enjoys spending time in her hometown of Nashville, TN, with her husband, almost 5-year-old daughter, and almost 3-year-old son.