Audits of Employee Benefit Plans Conference (E2505230)

As the Chief Accountant, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Mr. Auerbach is responsible for managing the resources of the Office of the Chief Accountant and implementing various comprehensive, nationwide enforcement programs relating to certain provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). He also provides ERISA related accounting and auditing technical expertise within the Employee Benefits Security Administration and is the liaison with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and other professional organizations. Mr. Auerbach provides executive oversight and leadership for EBSA’s fiduciary oversight program for the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). The TSP is the largest defined contribution plan in the world, with assets of in excess of $500 billion and 5.0 million participants.

Mr. Auerbach is a certified public accountant and earned his B.S. in accounting, from the University of Maryland.

Rance Buss, CPA, serves as the Weaver LLP Employee Benefit Plan Services National Practice Leader. With more than 30 years of focused EBP audit experience, Rance is recognized nationally for his knowledge of employee benefit plan audit services. Rance currently serves on the AICPA Employee Benefit Plans Accounting, Auditing and Regulatory Update Conference Committee; and he also formerly served on the AICPA Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center Executive Committee and on the AICPA/DOL SECURE Act Task Force. Rance is a repeat speaker at various national and state society conferences, and webinars on a variety of employee benefit plan audit topics.

Matthew is an audit director at CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP with a focus on the technology industry. He has been working in public accounting for nearly 8 years on a variety of privately owned and publicly held clients. He has experience with complex revenue recognition, business acquisitions, and planning and performing financial statement audits and reviews of various sizes.

Susan W. Hicks, CPA is a Associate Director with the AICPA Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center. She is responsible for all Center activities, including member recruitment and retention, member communications, technical support to the Center’s Executive Committee, and serving as liaison to the DOL. She also staffs the AICPA Employee Benefit Plans Expert Panel. Prior to joining the AICPA, Ms. Hicks was a manager at Touche Ross & Co. She obtained her B.S. in Accounting at the University of Northern Colorado.

Jay has spent 17 years in accounting and auditing, and six years in industry for a Fortune 500 company. For more than a decade he has had a strong focus in employee benefit plan audits, particularly in risk assessment and internal control-related work. Jay is a member of Withum’s Employee Benefits and Pension Plan Team and is a representative of the Firm’s Employee Benefits and Pension Plan. He also serves on Withum’s Innovation Catalyst team. Jay assists clients in navigating and succeeding in employee benefit plan audits by providing expert guidance, ensuring compliance with complex regulations, and equipping them to proactively address audit challenges. His specialization and strategic approach enable clients to achieve efficient, hassle-free audits while safeguarding their retirement and benefit plans. He participates on various NJCPA student programs.

Sean is a senior manager at Withum's Whippany, NJ office and has 15 years of public accounting experience. His expertise includes auditing, financial statement preparation and business consulting. Sean is a member of the Firm’s Manufacturing, Distribution & Logistics and Employee Benefits Services groups. In these roles he provides accounting and auditing services to clients within the manufacturing, distribution, cannabis and transportation industry sectors and employee benefit audit services to plans across all industries. Sean is also the Audit Team Leader of the Cannabis Services team and a frequent presenter at conferences and workshops on emerging accounting and industry topics. He resides in Bergen County, NJ.

Olga has over 20 years of experience auditing and tax compliance of employee benefit plans. She is a senior director at RSM and consults with audit teams on the application of professional standards and related firm policies in this area, providing high-level guidance on all aspects of ERISA. She is a member of RSM’s employee benefit plan national champions team where she develops and presents professional education material, practice aids and tools to support the firm’s employee benefit plan audit practice.

Melinda is a Manager with the AICPA Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center (EBPAQC). She is responsible for staffing the EBP Expert Panel and assisting with activities in the EBPAQC; providing technical assistance on audit and accounting matters; and assisting other AICPA teams on EBP activities. Prior to joining the AICPA, Melinda was a Senior Accountant at Wipfli LLP. Melinda earned her undergraduate degree, a Bachelor of Science in Education, from Baylor University, and her graduate degrees, an MBA and Master of Science in Accounting, from the University of Colorado at Denver.

Sean is an employee benefit plan services team leader (audits employee benefit plans year round) with more than 15 years of experience auditing retirements plans sponsored by publicly traded companies (including those that sponsor multiple plans) and privately owned entities. Sean works closely with the leadership team and is involved in the overall performance of the fieldwork, closely monitoring the day-to-day performance of the engagements and other team members. Sean is a member of the NJ Society of CPAs, NY State Society of CPAs, and the AICPA.

Jamie Polak, CPA, began her career at SobelCo in September 2012, after completing a one-year internship that began in May 2011. Jamie’s career began after she graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Accounting in 2012 and earned a Master’s in Accountancy in 2013. She is both a member of the American Institute of CPAs as well as the New Jersey Society of CPAs.
Currently, Jamie is a Manager in the accounting and auditing department and in that role she devotes a significant amount of her time on audits of employee benefit plans and financial services clients, concentrating mostly on audits of brokers and dealers. She is responsible for monitoring and reviewing engagements, delivering excellent client service, and staff development.
Jamie is committed to ensuring the firm complies with their quality control standards by assisting in the technical review for the firm’s compilation and review engagements. She sits on the firm’s accounting and auditing committee and joined the quality control team in January 2019.

As a certified financial planner, Tyler assists individuals and families with all aspects of their financial planning and investments. Clients value his input, so much so that they often connect Tyler with their children for guidance on setting up their first individual retirement accounts (IRAs) or paying back their student loans. Tyler also works with HFM’s 401(k) clients, helping them maintain successful retirement plans, presenting workplace financial wellness and 401(k) education seminars, and delivering 1:1 financial advice for employees.