Barry
Friedman
CEO, BizActions
Everyone talks about us-
ing technology to keep
in touch with clients, but
Friedman has actually
made it possible, with a Web-based platform
that gives firms of all sizes access to 21st cen-
tury marketing techniques. Small wonder Biz-
Actions sends out over 4 million newsletters
and e-mails each month.
Career Highlights: CEO, BizActions, 2000-present
... Managing director, American Express Tax & Business, 1993-1998 ... Managing partner, Friedman &
Fuller CPAs, 1980-1993.
Other Affiliations: AICPA ... CEO, HomeActions (for
real estate professionals) ... Past adjunct professor,
Loyola College Executive MBA Program ... Founder,
GovCon.
Education: Loyola College, 1980, MBA.
Personal: Born 1941, New Haven, Conn. ... Married
to Barbara ... Four children.
Blog/Twitter: http://bizblog.bizactions.com/blog/
online-marketing / @bizactions_ceo
J. Russell
George
Treasury Inspector
General for Tax
Administration
Frankly, we can’t keep up
with J. Russell George. His
IRS watchdog’s countless carefully analyzed
reports and recommendations delve into
every aspect of the tax agency’s operations
— even to the point of recently analyzing the
effectiveness of the other IRS watchdog, the
Taxpayer Advocate.
Career Highlights: Treasury Inspector General for
Tax Administration, 2004-present ... Inspector general, Corporation for National and Community Service, 2002-2004 ... Staff director and chief counsel,
House Government Management, Information and
Technology Subcommittee, 1995-2002 ... Law practice, Kramer, Levin, Naftalis, Nessen, Kamin & Fran-kel ... Associate director for policy, Office of National
Service, White House ... Assistant general counsel,
Office of Management and Budget ... Assistant DA,
Queens County District Attorney’s Office.
Education: Harvard University Law School, JD ...
Howard University, BA.
Personal: Born in New York City.
Michelle
Golden
President,
Golden Practices
Well-regarded for her so-
cial media savvy and prac-
tice management counsel,
Golden’s conference sessions on everything
from sales proposals to firm operations pack
rooms and spark discussion. She continues
the conversation on the blog she established
in 2005, now supplemented with insightful
Tweets to her thousands of followers and a
published book on social media strategy.
Career Highlights: President, Golden Practices,
1999-present ... Marketing director, Husch & Eppen-berger, 1998-1999 ... Marketing director, Williams
Keepers, 1994-1998 ... Staff accountant, Comprehensive Care Corp., 1987-1993 ... Staff accountant,
CooperVision, 1985-1987.
Other Affiliations: Senior fellow, VeraSage Institute
... Author, Social Media Strategies for Professionals
and Their Firms ... Contributing author, Bull’s-Eye!
The Ultimate How-To Marketing and Sales Guide ...
Lifetime member and past board member, International Association of Facilitators ... Past board
member, Association for Accounting Marketing ... St.
Louis Tax Assistance Program.
Education: Columbia College, 1996-1998 ... Irvine
Valley College, 1988-1990 ... Santa Ana College, 1982-
1984.
Personal: Born 1966, Long Beach, Calif. ... Four children, one grandson.
Blog/Twitter: www.goldenpractices.com /
@michellegolden
Jeff Gramlich
President,
CCH Small Firm
Services, a Wolters
Kluwer business
Charged with helping keep
small firms aware that
CCH has essential tools to help them con-
duct their business, Gramlich continues to
elevate the brand name and its products for
sole practitioners, tax preparers and mod-
est-sized firms. His division is laser-focused
on its user base and regularly delivers new
technology to serve them.
Career Highlights: President, CCH Small Firm Services, 2006-present; senior vice president of business
development, CCH, 2003-2006 ... Vice president of
product development, Thomson Corp., 1989-2003 ...
Supervisory senior, Arthur Young & Co., 1984-1989.
Other Affiliations: CITP ... AICPA ... Texas Society of
CPAs.
Education: University of Arkansas, 1982, BSBA Accounting.
Personal: Born 1960, Fort Smith, Ark. ... Married to
Mary Beth ... Three children.
Twitter: @jeffgsfs
Larry Gray
Government liaison,
NATP
Gray has a wealth of experience in all things related
to tax, as a practitioner, a
speaker, an educator, an
advisor on tax policy, and as a highly respect-
ed and frequently consulted representative of
the practitioner community.
Career Highlights: Partner, Alfermann Gray & Co.
CPA LLC, 1977-present.
Other Affiliations: Government liaison and past
president, National Association of Tax Professionals
... Modernized e-File 1040 Executive Steering Committee, IRS Electronic Tax Administration Advisory
Committee; member, IRS Advisory Committee, Office of Professional Responsibility Subgroup ... Past
president, Missouri State Board of Accountancy ...
Past member, Computerized CPA Exam Committee,
AICPA ... Enforcement Practice Committee, NASBA
... Instructor, National Society of Accountants ... Instructor, Missouri Society of CPAs ... Contributing editor, Annual Income Tax Book, University of Illinois.
Education: University of Missouri, 1977, BA.
Personal: Born 1955, Salem, Mo. ... Two adult children.
Blog/Twitter: www.facebook.com/agccpa /
@agccpa
Angie Grissom
Executive VP and
COO, The Rainmaker
Consulting Group
With one of the fastest-
rising profiles in strategic
planning consulting, train-
ing and continuing education circles, Gris-
som has become a regular on the speaking
and presenter agendas of many of the pro-
fession’s major gatherings.
Career Highlights: Executive vice president, chief
operating officer and owner, The Rainmaker Consulting Group, 2011-present; vice president and
director of consulting, Rainmaker Consulting, 2004-
2010; trainer and facilitator, Rainmaker Academy,
2004-present; senior consultant, Enterprise Network, 2001-2004 (all Five Star 3 companies).
Other Affiliations: Vice president and board member, ASWA Music City Chapter ... National Speaker’s
Association ... Institute of Management Consultants
... Marke Trends Committee, AAM ... Teacher, Grassland Heights Baptist Church ... Volunteer, Grassland
Elementary School.
Education: Middle Tennessee State University, 2012,
MBA (in process); 2000, BBA.
Personal: Born 1977, Nashville, Tenn. ... Married to
Chadwick ... Two children.
Blog/Twitter: www.therainmakeracademy.com /
@atgrissom
Sen. Orrin
Hatch
R-Utah
Since taking on the top
GOP spot on the Senate Finance Committee, Hatch
has co-led a series of hearings on tax reform while pushing for lower
taxes on flow-through businesses, and for repeal of the health care reform law and its 1099
reporting provisions, along with changes in
Private standards
With the Financial Accounting Foundation considering the creation of a new
board to set private company accounting standards, we asked the Top 100 how
likely they thought it is that we’ll see separate standards in the near future. They
saw it as everything from inevitable to
extremely unlikely — with a third group
wanting something entirely different.
As chair of the Blue Ribbon Panel, I am very
hopeful we will see change consistent with
the panel’s recommendations. But given
the lack of openness by the FAF in the last
six months about what they have done and
plan to do, it is very unclear to me where
they are headed. — Rick Anderson
If the FAF listens to the perspectives of users, preparers and the CPA profession and
their letters — 100 percent. — Tom Hood
Differential standards will most likely be
the rule within three years. Note disclosures will be dramatically reduced and esoteric calculations like stock compensation,
goodwill and derivative accounting will be
limited. — Troy Waugh
I think it is highly likely, as there are really
no realistic options. Private business does
not have the resources to adopt IFRS, and
will continue using U.S. GAAP and/or a
modified U. S. GAAP. — Parnell Black
The Blue Ribbon Panel recommendations
should be adopted and we are closer than
ever before in the 30+ year history of this
issue. But it is essential that firms that serve
the private companies of the U.S. write to
the FAF now and that they engage clients as
well as users to write. — Barry Melancon
I think it is very likely. ... I believe that the
final result is yet to be determined and that
it will be a compromise and will potentially
emerge as a hybrid of a completely separate board scenario. As an example, it could
possibly evolve as a subset/sub-board of
the current FASB. — Loretta Doon
The recent FAF discussions imply that the
creation of a new board may be unlikely. A
middle-ground position, that I believe may
occur, would be adding new members to
the existing board that are given autonomy/
authority on private company matters.
— Ken Bishop
