Summary image for blog post, including Small Business Institute logo, Department of Accounting logo, 1 faculty presenting, 1 faculty being given an award, and 2 faculty co-presenting in front of their first slide
Summary image for blog post, including Small Business Institute logo, Department of Accounting logo, 1 faculty presenting, 1 faculty being given an award, and 2 faculty co-presenting in front of their first slide

MSU Denver’s Department of Accounting was well represented at this year’s Small Business Institute Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida. A total of 6 accounting faculty and 1 recent MPAcc alum were selected to present. Below are the speakers and the title of their presentations:

SBI conference 2024 - Sheri & Amy

Amy Cardillo, Senior Lecturer & Sheri Betzer, Senior Lecturer

  • Title: Cooking the Books: Unveiling Fraudulent Accounting Practices and Navigating the Legal Investigation Process

Dr. Letitia Pleis, Full Professor

  • Title: Generative AI and the Accounting Assistant That all Small Businesses Need
faculty headshot - Letitia Pleis
William Mesa

Dr. Bill Mesa, Associate Professor

  • Title: Tangible Skills for Accountants Working in a Technologically Disruptive Environment

Dr. Angela Busila, Lecturer

  • Title: Is Hiring Gig Workers a Profitable and Reliable Strategy for Small Businesses?
Small Business Institute conference 2024 - faculty (Angela) smiling in front of her 1st slide before she starts presenting

SBI conference 2024 - Marni Horan (MPAcc alum) presenting with Dr. Andrew Holt

Dr. Andrew Holt, Full Professor & Marni Horan, recent MPAcc alum

  • Title: Reviewing Financial, Governance, and Voluntary Accountability by U.S. Non-profits: Mere Regulatory Compliance or the Embodiment of Excellence?

In addition to MSU Denver representation in these various presentations, one of our faculty members also won an award. The Small Business Institute (SBI) Association recognized Dr. Andrew Holt as an SBI Fellow! This is the highest honor that the SBI awards to recognize select members. SBI conference 2024 - Andrew's award

Ron Cook, SBI Director, shared the following remarks:

  • “Andrew has done an incredible job in every board position and continues to be an active and enthusiastic member.  In addition, he was one of the drivers of the recent significant increase in the participation of MSU Denver within SBI. He won the Homer Saunders Mentor last year. He is the Editor, Small Business Institute Journal. He planned and organized MSU Denver’s hosting of the 2023 Small Business Institute Conference last April  while being the Immediate Past President.“

Congratulations to all presenters and to Dr. Holt for becoming an SBI Fellow!

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