SPEAKERS

Actor, David Wallace on “The Office”

After his initial shot at acting didn’t pan out, Andy Buckley was five years into his career as a Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch, part of a team managing over $500 million in personal assets, when he received the luckiest phone call of his life—the offer to appear on the NBC comedy The Office. His financial advisory background proved to be the perfect foundation for his fictional role as David Wallace, CFO of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.

Buckley remained at Merrill Lynch for six more years while continuing his role on The Office, which led to numerous additional acting opportunities. He currently has regular roles on the HBO comedy Avenue 5, opposite Hugh Laurie and Josh Gad, as well as the Netflix action-comedy series FUBAR, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Past regular or recurring roles have included HBO’s Veep and Silicon Valley, as well as Shameless, The Lying Game, Odd Mom Out, Casual, and Scorpion.

In film, Buckley has appeared alongside actors ranging from Will Ferrell, Michael Keaton, and Mark Wahlberg (The Other Guys), to Jeremy Renner (The House), as well as Chris Pratt and the T-Rex (Jurassic World), and Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy (The Heat). Other film credits include Lady Bird, Bridesmaids, Bombshell, and Most Guys Are Losers, opposite Mira Sorvino.

Andy Buckley emcees and speaks at corporate and charitable events across the country. The combination of his corporate experience and The Office persona brings a unique and entertaining element to his speaking engagements.

Born in Boston, Buckley also spent time growing up in St. Louis, Chicago, and South Florida. He attended Stanford University, where he played on the golf team during his first two years. He is married, has two sons, and resides in Los Angeles.

IMA

Brad Anderson represents IMA in commercial insurance, specializing in construction, real estate, and hospitality. Passionate about combating suicide and promoting mental wellness in construction, Brad merges personal and professional missions. Proudly married to Valerie, they share six children and a commitment to making meaningful impacts in their industry and community.

CLA Connect

David is a Principal and Cybersecurity Consultant in the CLA National Digital group with a strong focus on Offensive Cybersecurity.  He has over 14 years of experience in the field, performing penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, and social engineering engagements.  David’s expertise also includes project management for cybersecurity engagements across a diverse range of industries

Baker Tilly

Jordan brings more than 20 years of experience in strategy, planning, analytics and digital solution architecture across numerous business functional areas and industries.

With experience as a strategic team leader, analyst, architect and developer of analytics and AI solutions, Jordan helps businesses align their goals with Baker Tilly’s strategic and technological resources.

EBSARY Foundation Company

Yvette Aubin serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Ebsary Foundation Company, where she oversees the organization’s financial, accounting, and administrative strategies. With more than 25 years of experience in construction accounting, she brings deep expertise across financial operations, risk management, and strategic planning.  Yvette began her career auditing public and private sector entities with significant construction activity. She later transitioned into industry roles, serving as a Divisional Assistant Controller for the largest homebuilder in the United States.  She joined Ebsary in 2007 as Corporate Controller, where she quickly assumed responsibility for the company’s accounting operations, insurance and risk management, banking relationships, equipment financing, and cash flow management. She was promoted to Vice President of Finance in 2011 and named Chief Financial Officer in 2018.  Yvette holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in accounting from Florida International University. She is the Immediate Past President of the CFMA Miami-Dade Chapter, is one of the Florida Regional Conference Chairs, is the Chair of the National Heavy Construction Committee.

CD Bradshaw & Associates

Carrie D. Bradshaw, CPA, CCIFP, is the CEO and Founder of CD Bradshaw & Associates, P.C. and has spent more than 25 years working alongside contractors to help them understand their numbers and make better business decisions. As a Certified Construction Industry Financial Professional (CCIFP), Carrie brings deep experience in construction accounting, job costing, and financial strategy, grounded in real-world practice rather than theory. Her background includes years as a shareholder in a regional public accounting firm, where she led the construction industry practice group before founding her own firm to better serve clients in specialized niches. Carrie is passionate about teaching business owners how their financials tell the story of their business and how to use that story to build stability, profitability, and long-term success.

CFMA

As Vice President, Member Engagement, Heidi leads CFMA's member engagement efforts, overseeing Conference, Chapter Engagement, and Partner Development. She plays a vital role in fostering connections and building relationships with members, chapters, stakeholders, and partners. Heidi's expertise lies in developing and implementing strategies to enhance member engagement, foster community, and build lasting relationships. Heidi actively engages in all partner development initiatives, ensuring strong relationships with CFMA's strategic partners. She also supports and guides the growth of CFMA chapters and aligns partnerships with sponsorships and exhibitions at the annual conference. Additionally, Heidi identifies venues that not only support the national conference but also facilitate the expansion of other programs like Peer Groups, the Emerging Leaders Program, and Spring Creek. Heidi earned a BSBA from Thomas Edison State University and an MPS in Publishing from The George Washington University College of Professional Studies.

Whitecap Risk Advisors

Lee Carsten is Founder and CEO of Whitecap Risk Advisors, where he advises architecture, engineering, and construction firms on technology governance, cybersecurity, and business resilience. He collaborates with executive teams to translate technology risk into business decisions, helping organizations strengthen operational resilience, meet evolving client and insurance expectations, and adopt emerging technologies with confidence.

With more than 20 years of experience in cybersecurity, enterprise technology, and risk management, Lee previously served as a Vice President in Aon's Cyber Solutions practice, advising organizations on cyber risk, insurance readiness, and business resilience. Earlier in his career, he helped organizations build software security programs, identify and remediate application vulnerabilities, conduct penetration testing, facilitate executive tabletop exercises, and develop cybersecurity programs aligned with business objectives.

Lee is a Fellow of the Information Systems Security Association, an honor awarded to fewer than 2% of members worldwide, and a contributing author to Tribe of Hackers. He serves on the Advisory Board for the University of the Incarnate Word's Cybersecurity and Computer Information Systems programs and is a frequent speaker for CFMA, AGC, ABC, RIMS, and other construction industry organizations.

Caryl Coronis, CCIFP, was CFMA’s 2024-25 Chair. In addition to managing finance and accounting functions, her construction financial management experience includes due diligence, mergers and acquisitions, risk management, strategic initiatives, lean manufacturing, IT, and HR; Caryl is also a CPA. She has been a CFMA member since 2006 and previously served as Chair of the Financial Survey & Benchmarker Committee, President of the Houston Chapter, and Director of the Lone Star Regional Conference and serves on several other national and local committees. She has provided content for Building Profits magazine and many education programs.

Novaura

Luke Davis is a Benefits Advisor for Novaura, an employee benefit advising agency primarily Texas employers. Luke joined the agency in 2017 after completing his degrees Marketing Analytics and Political Science at Abilene Christian University. It didn’t’ take long for Luke to become increasingly frustrated with the traditional health insurance approach that brokers and employers were adopting. What he saw was that employers were consistently stuck in the same cycle of premium hikes and tough decisions. Luke began to reach out and met with people in the benefits industry that were trying to solve the problems he was seeing in the industry. He worked with them and learned how to truly manage healthcare costs and help plan sponsors fulfill their fiduciary duties.  Now Luke partners with employers to help them take control and properly manage their healthcare spending. He has helped employers build and use direct contracts, internationally source medications, enhance benefit plan designs, and establish 3-5 year benefit blueprints for long-term sustainability.

Gray Reed

Christian Dewhurst focuses his practice on resolving the full spectrum of claims and litigation arising during commercial and residential construction projects. His work covers delay claims, design and construction defects, payment disputes, productivity claims, lien claims, and work injury claims. He represents every player in the construction process, from project owners, developers, and general contractors to subcontractors, suppliers, and distributors.

Beyond construction litigation, Christian represents businesses across a broad range of commercial disputes, including shareholder disputes, breach of contract, fraud, employment matters, and personal injury. Clients also rely on him to negotiate construction and general commercial transactions and to prepare the associated deal documents.

A native Houstonian, Christian earned his J.D. at South Texas College of Law, where he served as an Assistant Editor for the South Texas Law Review. He competed in moot court competitions across the country, winning national and regional championships along with several brief writing and speaking awards. At graduation, he received the Dean's Outstanding Advocate Award and was recognized by the American Society of Legal Writers for authoring the second-best moot court brief in the nation.

Wintrust Commercial Banking

Matt is President of Wintrust’s Construction, Engineering & Architecture (CE&A) Group.  Mr. Doucet has been with Wintrust 12+ years and leads the Bank’s national CE&A lending practice, providing competitive financing solutions to the firms who support the Construction Industry.  Within Wintrust’s CE&A practice, Matt’s team supports 300+ contracting/engineering firms nationally with committed capital of $1.5 billion.

Matt has spent the last 35 years working with CE&A firms in the Surety and Banking Industry.  He spent the first 15 years in the Surety Bonding Industry working with CE&A firms of all specialties and sizes, covering the Midwest, West and Southeast territories of the country.  Over the last 20 years Matt has been in the Banking Industry partnering exclusively with CE&A firms regionally and nationally providing financing solutions to help achieve their operational goals and objectives.   Matt is an active member of the Construction Financial Management Association (“CFMA”), Illinois Road Transportation & Business Association (“IRTBA”), Surety Association and has been the Treasurer of the Chicago Building Congress for the past 9 years.   He is also a 2010 Leadership Greater Chicago fellow.

Mr. Doucet currently holds Board positions with Bridge Communities (www.bridgecommunities.org) as the Chairman of their Property & Grounds Committee, Tuskegee Next Foundation (www.tuskegeenext.org) and the Chicago Building Congress as their Treasurer (www.chicagobuildingcongress.org).

Matt holds a bachelor’s degree in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  Matt is married to his beautiful wife Kerry of 15 years and has been blessed with two amazing children Lily (13 yrs old) and Brady (10 yrs old).  The family is active parishioners at their home Parish, Immaculate Conception in Elmhurst where both kids attend school.

Zachry Construction

Eli Embleton leads employee development initiatives at Zachry Construction. His work helps construction leaders close the communication gaps that can quietly affect safety, trust, productivity, employee engagement, and advancement. Rather than treating language as an academic subject, Eli teaches leaders how to use language as a practical tool for connection. He created FUNctional Spanish, an international award-winning workplace language program built for the realities of construction. Through functional workplace phrases, cultural understanding, language partners, and immersive learning experiences, FUNctional Spanish helps teams build confidence, strengthen relationships, and create job sites where more voices can be heard. Eli is also a mental health advocate and the co-chair for the Construction Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference with Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas. Eli is most known for his role as the Dream Manager where his work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, TIME, and Newsweek. His academic work on leadership was published by the Johns Hopkins University Press, and he continues to lecture in the Harvard Graduate School of Psychology, and Texas A&M Graduate School of Engineering classes. His message equips construction leaders to turn barriers into bridges for belonging, safety, and stronger business performance:

Baker Tilly

Jerry has practiced public accounting since 2015. He provides accounting and consulting services to midsize organizations and publicly traded companies.

Jerry primarily serves clients in the construction and technology industries. He's experienced in Sarbanes-Oxley 404 (SOX) compliance as well as US GAAP implementation, SEC reporting, and first-time audits of private companies.

Austin Industries

Matt Hollensworth is the Director of Chaplain Services for Austin Industries, where he has served for more than 20 years in leadership roles spanning operations, innovation, leadership development, and employee care. A Board-Certified Chaplain and graduate of Cornell University's Senior Executive Leadership Program, Matt combines executive leadership experience with a passion for workforce well-being.

He is also the Founder and Senior Pastor of Three Sixteen Church in Athens, Texas. Through his work in both industry and ministry, Matt helps individuals and teams build resilience, strengthen relationships, and discover greater purpose. His unique blend of construction industry experience, leadership expertise, and pastoral care equips him to help people thrive both personally and professionally.

Wipfli Advisory LLC

Bill Hughes is a partner with over 30 years of public accounting experience. He works primarily with closely held private companies, with an emphasis on construction organizations ranging from small, specialty subcontractors to national general contractors. Bill is passionate about building long-term client relationships by providing the necessary services, knowledge, and resources to help meet their business objectives and maximize their profits.

Brookstone

Samantha Hutchison is the CFO and one of the owners of Brookstone Construction in Houston, Texas.  She has been a member of CFMA since 1999.  Samantha is a Past President of the Houston Chapter, and nationally she has served on various committees including Chapter Resource, Conference Planning, Leadership Development, and Finance.  She was a member of the Executive Committee and served as National Chair from 2017 to 2018.  More recently, she participated in CFMA’s mentor program where she had the privilege of working with several of the current generation of CFMA leaders.  Samantha is a CPA and a CCIFP, and is a graduate of Texas A&M University.

Business Information Group

Ken Jones is Co-Owner and COO of Business Information Group (BIG), where he helps construction and A&E firms leverage technology to improve business operations. With more than 25 years of IT experience, he specializes in ERP strategy, software implementations, integrations, business process improvement, digital transformation, and AI. Throughout his career, Ken has worked with hundreds of contractors and design firms across North America to solve complex technology challenges and maximize the value of their business systems. He is a frequent speaker at national and regional industry conferences, including CFMA and ABC events, and has presented or served on expert panels for leading technology providers including Trimble, Deltek, Command Alkon, and RequordIT.

Miter

John Laufer is an early GTM member of Miter, the leading modern operating system built for construction, helping contractors streamline payroll complexities, field operations & expenses. With years of experience in the industry, John has played a key role in optimizing financial and operational processes for construction businesses in all fifty states. John is an active member of the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) Austin Chapter, serving on the membership committee & staying engaged with industry trends and best practices.

AM Advisors

Dr. Jonathan Murphy is an award-winning economist, acclaimed speaker, and nationally recognized expert in economic policy, forecasting, insurance reform, and institutional economics. As an Associate Fellow at the Institute for an Entrepreneurial Society and Assistant Professor of Economics at Nicholls State University, Dr. Murphy brings a rare blend of academic rigor, real-world consulting experience, and policy expertise to audiences across the country. A recipient of the prestigious 2024 Elinor Ostrom Prize, Dr. Murphy has established himself as a leading voice in modern economic thought and applied economics. His published work spans information economics, institutional economics, economic history, and pedagogy research. Beyond academia, Dr. Murphy is highly regarded for translating complex economic trends into actionable business intelligence and practical policy solutions. His expertise in insurance reform and economic policy has led him to testify before the North Carolina State Legislature and advise the Louisiana Department of Insurance on critical regulatory and market issues. Prior to his academic career, Dr. Murphy served as a consultant and economic forecaster for ITR Economics, where he advised business leaders and organizations on market trends, economic cycles, strategic forecasting, and long-term planning. Known for his engaging presentation style and ability to simplify complex economic concepts, Dr. Murphy delivers insightful keynote presentations that combine data-driven analysis, historical perspectives, and practical takeaways.

Mastermind

Dorsey Standish is a neuroscientist, engineer, TEDx speaker, and CEO of Mastermind who has spent over a decade translating cutting-edge brain science into practical performance tools for leaders under pressure. At a time when AI is reshaping work, burnout is costing organizations billions, and attention has become the scarcest resource in business, Dorsey teaches leaders something no productivity hack can: how to rewire the brain itself:  She holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Texas at Dallas. She left a career in engineering to found Mastermind, which today delivers brain health and resilience training to Fortune 500 companies, high-growth teams, and mission-driven organizations including Meta, Toyota, American Airlines, Deloitte, Cathay Pacific Airways, Turner Construction, and HITT Contracting. She leads the company as CEO while raising a family — bringing the same framework she teaches to the most demanding proving ground there is: real life.

Dorsey's keynotes and workshops are built around a single conviction: resilience is trainable. Using her signature frameworks — including the 3 R's for Resilience — she gives audiences neuroscience-backed tools they can apply in 60 seconds or less to manage stress, sharpen focus, regulate emotion, and lead more effectively under uncertainty. Audiences leave not just inspired but equipped. Her work has been featured in The Dallas Morning News, Good Morning Texas, and the TEDx stage. She is also the host of the On Your Mind podcast.

Frost Bank

Tyler Stein is an Executive Vice President for Frost Bank where he leads a team of bankers across the San Antonio market.  He has more than 16 years of commercial banking experience with an emphasis in the construction industry.

Wintrust Commercial Banking

Pat leads the Wintrust national ESOP lending practice, providing competitive financing solutions to ESOP-owned companies.  Pat has 35 years of commercial banking experience and a proven track record of developing and building relationships, financial analysis, risk management, and the development of his staff.  Throughout his career, Pat has been responsible for leading a team of bankers tasked with generating Middle Market opportunities in the Chicagoland area, and new and mature ESOP opportunities across the country.  He is a member of the Illinois and National ESOP Association, the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) and Employee-Owned S Corporations of America (ESCA).  Pat holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Ball State University and a M.B.A. from Loyola University Chicago.

The Beck Group

Robin is the Director of Project Accounting at The Beck Group, bringing more than 30 years of experience in project accounting for national and international general contractors. Throughout her career, Robin has supported complex construction projects ranging from $300 million to $1.2 billion in value, including projects delivered through public-private partnerships (P3s) and joint venture structures.  Her experience spans multiple market sectors, including healthcare, hospitality, and corporate office builds, where she partners closely with project teams to strengthen financial controls, navigate complex ownership and reporting structures, and support successful project outcomes. Robin is recognized for her practical, project-focused approach and deep understanding of the financial and operational challenges unique to the AEC industry.  Robin earned her Certified Construction Industry Financial Professional (CCIFP) designation in October 2021 and remains actively engaged in advancing best practices in construction financial management.

Wintrust Commercial Banking

Chris VanTassel is a Senior Vice President and South Division Lead for Wintrust’s Construction, Engineering & Architecture (CE&A) practice, where he has spent more than 12 years helping construction-related businesses achieve their financial goals. Wintrust’s CE&A team provides specialized banking solutions to more than 300 construction, engineering, and architecture firms nationwide, representing over $1.5 billion in committed capital. With more than 18 years of commercial banking experience focused exclusively on the construction industry, Chris partners with Middle Market CE&A firms across the southern United States. His deep understanding of the industry’s unique financial and operational challenges enables him to provide strategic guidance and customized financing solutions that help clients grow, work through ownership transitions, and navigate the day-to-day nuances of the industry including project delays, slow pay, challenging owners, and seasonality to name a few. Chris is an active member of the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA), the Associated General Contractors of Texas (AGC), the American Subcontractors Association of North Texas (ASA), TEXO, and the Dallas Surety Association.

First Rule Contract Training

Eliot is a teacher and a national public speaker as well as being a seasoned (37 years and counting) and cynical construction lawyer. In 2018, he founded First Rule Contract Training because he realized that teaching construction professionals how to avoid problems was vastly preferable to profiting off those problems as a lawyer. In 2022, Eliot was engaged by Crowe, LLP, a national accounting, and consulting firm, to teach construction law to its proprietary AI which has now been relaunched as First Rule Contract Manager.

Gray Reed

Experienced at both the trial and appellate levels, Brian Waters is a commercial litigator focused on insurance, indemnity, real estate, and construction matters. He handles complex litigation for clients throughout Texas, along with national dockets of collection matters and nonparty subpoenas for multinational energy companies.  Brian has handled a wide range of real estate and construction disputes, including claims for construction defects, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud in real estate transactions, misrepresentation, DTPA violations, and negligence, as well as commercial lease disputes. He also helps carriers and policyholders resolve multi-million-dollar insurance coverage disputes in state court, federal court, and arbitration. His personal injury and property damage practice involves defending clients against claims ranging from slip and falls and motor vehicle accidents to catastrophic workplace injuries.  While attending South Texas College of Law, Brian served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Lynn N. Hughes in the Southern District of Texas. There he learned how complex cases are assessed from the other side of the bench, along with effective ways to deliver oral and written arguments that resonate with judges in his private practice.

Alliant

David Wightman is a Senior Vice President at Alliant Insurance Services. With a career in surety, insurance and risk management of 40 years, David’s main focus is tied to Surety for clients with a heavy emphasis on the construction industry. His experience spans the globe with placements for clients ranging in size from Mid-Size General Contractors to ENR 100 firms to Fortune 500 companies to local subcontractors and specialty contractors. David is a subject matter expert in providing performance-based security, having placed multiple single bonds well in excess of $1 Billion. Additionally, David places Property & Casualty, and Sub-Contractor Default Insurance programs for the same clients.

David’s brokerage career is approaching 20 years. Alliant is the US largest construction brokerage in the United States. He has held various national roles in the past, including leading, producing and consulting on surety operations, both strategically and tactically. Prior to his brokerage career, David managed the Travelers Texas contract surety operations and was at the firm over 20 years.

David has served as a National Officer for CFMA and is a past President and active member of CFMA’s Houston Chapter. He has spoken numerous times nationally and locally to and on behalf of CFMA. David most recently concluded a 3 year term as a Certification Board member for Certified Construction Financial Professionals (ICCIFP). He is also an active member of Associated General Contractors (AGC).

David holds a degree in Business Management from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and has designations as a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and an Associate in Fidelity and Surety Bonding (AFSB).

Siteline

Claire Wilson is the co-founder and CEO of Siteline, a billing software for subcontractors. Previously, she was a project manager at Tishman Construction in New York City, where she worked on major projects like Hudson Yards and JP Morgan's Corporate Headquarters. She is a national board director of the American Subcontractor Association, is an active CFMA San Francisco member, and has spoken at numerous regional and national construction conferences. Claire holds a BS in Civil Engineering from Bucknell University.