Advanced EBP Issues (2020 NJCPA Employee Benefit Plans Conference Replay) (E2008434)

Elizabeth Harper (Liz), Member of the Firm, joined SobelCo in the fall of 2009 to assume the role of Quality Control Senior Manager. In 2014 she was promoted to Director with responsibility for reviewing all of the financial statements and service organization control (SOC) reports issued by the firm along with client correspondences ensuring that the highest quality standards are met and that the reports are in accordance with the established authoritative standards. Liz is dedicated to ensuring that the firm complies with its internal quality standards. This includes involvement with the engagement teams during all phases of the work, personnel training and development, and monitoring of engagement quality. Liz is also responsible for client service of SOC, employment benefit plan (EBP) engagements and other audits.

In 2016 Liz was given the additional role as Director of the Employee Benefit Plan Audit Group and in 2017 was elected as a Member of the Firm. Liz brings insights gained based on her previous experiences at a "Big Four" firm and a local CPA firm to all of the roles she plays at SobelCo.

While at a local firm, Liz had a wide variety of responsibilities across a range of industries, which she draws on daily at SobelCo. From her years at KPMG, Liz is able to leverage the knowledge she gained managing financial and internal control audits, quarterly reviews and agreed upon procedures, with well-known clients ranging from Philips Lighting to Ricoh Corporation. This global exposure adds value to the current SobelCo regional environment and it will be a critical component of future growth as the firm continues to expand, serving national and international clients in the coming years. By combining her perspectives from private industry and public accounting, she can provide meaningful solutions to SobelCo's clients.

Melissa B. Kurtzman focuses her practice on representing management in a variety of employee benefits matters, including the design and implementation of qualified and non-qualified retirement plans and welfare and fringe benefit programs, employee benefits tax matters and employee benefits in mergers and acquisitions. She also provides advice on: - Employee benefit plan administration - Reporting and disclosure obligations - Fiduciary responsibilities - Internal Revenue Service and Department of Labor correction programs - Contingent workforce issues - Efficient design of retirement and welfare plans Melissa acted as an expert witness in a federal bankruptcy matter in connection with qualified plan issues. Additionally, she represents plan sponsors in employee benefit plan IRS and DOL audits. She assists plan sponsors in self-audits of benefits plans prior to or in connection with government audits. Prior to joining Littler, Melissa served as a partner at WolfBlock LLP where she focused on employee benefits and served as a director of Erisa Compliance for a large 401(k) plan record keeping company.

Pamela Reynolds represents and counsels national corporations, small businesses, universities, and other clients in a broad range of labor and employment matters, with an emphasis on ERISA and benefit plan litigation. She litigates in federal courts throughout the country and in New York State courts, and defends employers under investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, New York State Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the New York State Division of Human Rights. Pamela has litigated cases involving breach of fiduciary duty claims under ERISA, including a case involving “stock drop” allegations with regard to a 401(k) plan that included company stock in its portfolio. Additionally, she has successfully defended clients against claims of denial of medical, severance, or retirement benefits.

Anurag Sharma is a Principal of the Firm’s Cybersecurity practice and System & Organization Controls (SOC) practice based out of our Princeton, NJ office. Anurag is a regular speaker on Cybersecurity and SOC related topics at many State CPA Societies including NJCPA PICPA, CTCPA, FICPA, the AICPA and other organizations. Anurag has authored many articles dealing with Cybersecurity challenges faced by small and medium businesses (SMB) and has been frequently quoted in NJ Biz Magazine, Boston Business Journal and PEI Private Fund Management Magazine.

Anurag has over 19 years of experience and is one of Withum’s leading Cybersecurity specialists. His areas of expertise include Cybersecurity Assessments (NIST Cybersecurity Framework), SOC Suite of Services (SOC 1, SOC 2 and SOC for Cybersecurity), Corporate Governance, Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 compliance and ISO/IEC 27001 Consulting.

Anurag is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and Certified in Risk and Information Systems Controls (CRISC). He is also designated as a SOC 1 and SOC 2 and SOC for Cybersecurity specialist by the Oversight Task Force of the AICPA Peer Review Board. He is a graduate of Symbiosis Center for Management & Human Resource Development (India), where he received his Master of Business Administration degree in Information Systems. Anurag is a member of Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) and International Information systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2.