Our Companies

Jon Lokhorst

• Executive Leadership Coach, Lokhorst Consulting
• Encoursa

Jon Lokhorst, CPA, ACC, is a leadership coach and consultant. He partners with CPAs, CFOs, and other leaders who face massive change in their industry and recognize the need for a new model of leadership to navigate those challenges. Prior to launching Lokhorst Consulting LLC, Jon enjoyed a 30-plus year career as a CPA, CFO, and organizational leader.

Herb Rubenstein

• Presenter
• Encoursa

Herb Rubenstein is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Washington and Lee. He was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to the University of Bristol where he received a diploma in the social sciences. He received his Master of Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs of the University of Texas at Austin. He has his law degree from Georgetown University. His books in Entrepreneurism and Leadership have been published by major publishers and he has over 100 articles on Ethics, Leadership, Boards of Directors, Change Management, Scenario Planning, and related management disciplines. He previously taught the Strategic Management capstone course for the Master of Science in Energy Management for the Graduate School of the Universi... Read more

Steven Mercatante

• Presenter
• Encoursa

Steven Mercatante is the principal and founder of TIR Consulting, LLC. He is a nationally recognized leader in tax reporting education and consulting on specialized compliance issues. He has conducted on-site consultation for corporate clients from across the world and led countless seminars and webinars for Aurora Training Advantage, IAPP, Balance Consulting, The Accounts Payable Network, Accounts Payable Now and Tomorrow, Progressive Business Conferences, The Center For Competitive Management, and more.

Jennifer Louis

• Presenter
• Encoursa

Jennifer has over 20 years experience in designing and instructing high-quality training programs in a wide variety of technical and “soft skills” topics needed for professional and organization success.  In 2003 she founded Emergent Solutions Group, which is dedicated to meeting organization’s professional training needs on a project or part-time basis.  Jennifer serves a wide variety of clients, including public accounting firms, private industry corporations, and public sector agencies.

Amanda Huyck

• Director of Integrated Partnerships
• Encoursa

Speaker

Dustin Hall

• Presenter
• Encoursa

Dustin Hall is Director of CPACharge - a fintech company based out of Austin, TX that specializes in payment processing solutions for CPAs. Dustin holds numerous marketing, sales, and software certifications and previously served as VP of Digital Experience at Springbox, President of Firesnap, Inc., and Director of Digital Strategy for the Business Marketing Association SoCal Chapter (SoCalBMA). Dustin was also an active member and speaker on digital marketing, sales and automation for the ProVisors network of attorneys and CPAs.

John Daly

• Presenter
• Encoursa

John L. Daly, MBA, CPA, CMA, CPIM, is a Chelsea, Michigan-based management consultant specializing in costing, pricing strategy and pricing model development. He has been a professional speaker since 1995 and began doing ethics seminars two weeks before the Enron scandal. John has been CFO for a Tier 1 automotive parts supplier and a large restaurant chain and COO for a window treatments manufacturer and retailer. He strives to make learning Lively, Informative and Fun. John is the author of Pricing for Profitability, published by Wiley & Sons. 

Amy Mann

• Presenter
• Encoursa

Amy Mann is Director of Communications for Affinipay and CPACharge. Amy is passionate about sharing the possibilities of payment technologies with leaders of accounting and law firms. She has experience working in the legal, financial services, and research industries over the past decade. 

Steven Dilley

• Presenter
• Encoursa

Steven C. Dilley, PhD, CPA, JD, is president of Federal Tax Workshops, Inc., in East Lansing, Michigan, where, for the past 37 years, his organization has prepared continuing professional education materials and presented seminars for accountants and attorneys throughout the U.S. He is nationally known for his knowledge of financial, accounting and tax issues of closely held businesses.

Matthew Briggson

• Co-Founder
• Encoursa

Matthew Briggson is a certified public accountant in the State of Michigan and a co-founder of Encoursa LLC, a technology company offering continuing professional education courses to CPAs and other financial professionals. Before founding Encoursa, Matthew spent time in public accounting at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in the Assurance Practice.

Mary Schaeffer

• Presenter
• Encoursa

Mary S. Schaeffer is the founder of AP Now, a B2B learning and information company focused on creating business intelligence around the accounts payable and payment functions. She has written 18 business books, created a number of CPE self-study courses, customized training and online training events. Schaeffer is a frequent and popular speaker at both online and live events. Previously she held positions as an Assistant Treasurer for the Equitable Life Assurance Society, a Financial Risk Manager for O&Y and a Corporate Cash Manager for Continental Grain. She has an MBA in Finance from NYU and a BS in Mathematics from York College (CUNY).

Gary Cokins

• Presenter
• Encoursa

Gary Cokins, CEO of "Analytics-Based Performance Management LLC": https://www.garycokins.com is an internationally recognized expert, speaker, and author in advanced cost management and performance improvement systems. He is the founder of Analytics-Based Performance Management, an advisory firm located in Cary, North Carolina. Gary received a BS degree with honors in Industrial Engineering/Operations Research from Cornell University in 1971. He received his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in 1974.

Gary began his career as a strategic planner with FMC’s Link-Belt Division and then served as Financial Controller and Operations Manager. In 1981 Gary began... Read more

Jamar Cobb-Dennard

• Presenter
• Encoursa

Jamar Cobb-Dennard is a business broker at Indiana Business Advisors. The company has 40 years of experience helping more than 2,100 business owners prepare, value, and sell their businesses.

As a leadership consultant, Jamar specializes in teaching business owners how to advance their careers through effective leadership, networking, sales and communication skills. Over the last 4 years, Jamar has also been called on by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, the National Association of African-American Insurance Agents, Bethany Christian Services, and others to discuss diversity and inclusion strategies.

Jamar has led trainings for Veolia Water, the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, Indianap... Read more

Douglas Van Der Aa

• Instructor
• Encoursa

Doug is a lively and energetic speaker – especially on the subject of taxes and ethics. He has been a highly rated speaker and seminar leader for CPA Associations and other organizations throughout the country for more than 15 years.

Doug has over 25 years of professional experience, including tax practice in CPA firms and the practice of transactional business and real estate law as an attorney. As a CPA, Doug’s practice concentrated on the tax needs of closely held businesses, with their related pass-through entities, complex individual returns, estates and trusts.

Melisa Galasso

• Instructor
• Encoursa

Melisa F. Galasso is the founder and CEO of Galasso Learning Solutions LLC. A CPA with over 15 years of experience in the accounting profession, Melisa designs and facilitates courses in advanced technical accounting and auditing topics, including not for profit and governmental accounting.

Chris Harper

• Presenter
• Encoursa

Chris Harper, CPA, MBA is the Director of Education at Hungerford Nichols and an affiliate instructor of accounting for Grand Valley State University. A frequent speaker and instructor, Chris has taught a variety of continuing education courses on accounting, tax, and finance topics.

Vinay Nilakantan

• Head of Product - Payments Platform
• Encoursa

 Speaker

Frank Castillo

• Presenter
• Encoursa

I am the proud son of Francisco and Mercedes Castillo, two courageous Cuban immigrants who sought and found the American Dream. I was born in Boston, MA on April 15th; needless to say, my future as a CPA was predetermined!

My specialty? Restoring the natural balance of daily life by offering continuing education to awaken your mind during the day.... and deliver consulting services so you can sleep better at night.

My approach? Delivering on promises with integrity, thoughtfulness, and joie de vivre!

• Author of over 250 continuing professional education courses across various fields of study including personal development, accounting, taxation, regulatory ethics, economics, technology, and finance. Course delivery m... Read more

Liz Briggson

• Director, Partnerships & Education
• Encoursa

Liz is passionate about education and helping people reach their potential. 

Liz's corporate finance experience includes progressive finance roles with Kellogg Company, Amway, and Open Systems Technologies. At Amway, Liz was responsible for management reporting for Amway’s portfolio companies and financial planning & analysis for Amway’s finance and executive divisions. Prior to that, Liz served clients in the utilities, insurance, and manufacturing industries in the assurance practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Liz is a licensed CPA in the state of Michigan. She leads Partnerships & Education for Encoursa. 

Encoursa Encoursa

• CPE for CPAs
• Encoursa

Encoursa hosts NASBA-accredited CPE webinars for growth-oriented professionals looking for high-quality, affordable continuing education. To do this, Encoursa partners with leading companies who choose to present their solutions to CPAs and finance professionals in a live, educational format. CPAs can create an Encoursa account for free and have access to one-click registration, recordings of prior webinars, and CPE certificates available at their fingertips. 

Stephanie Bowie

• Speaker
• Encoursa

Stephanie L. Bowie, CPA, MBA is a certified 5D and DiSC coach, author, trainer, and owner of B. Empowered Leadership Academy, LLC. She is a servant leader who sows seeds of possibility, knowledge, and encouragement into people so they can achieve their maximum power and potential! A few of her professional accomplishments and activities are included below.

Training & Instructing

• Currently serves as the Director of Instruction for the 5-100th Training Battalion in the United States Army Reserves
• Taught classes on business and bookkeeping for several organizations, including the Indy Black Chamber of Commerce, Anderson University, Thrival Indy Academy, Kheprw Institute, Business Owner’s Initiat... Read more

Robert Stephens

• Presenter
• Encoursa

Rob Stephens is the Founder of CFO Perspective, which provides continuing education courses for CPAs and financial management courses for business advisors and staff. He has been quoted in Forbes, U.S. News and World Report, Business Insider, Business News Daily, and many other news sources. Rob has a 20-year career that includes serving as CFO for two banks and a health clinic system.  He was also Director of Operations at a $4 Billion bank and SVP of Finance of a $2 Billion credit union, where he was Program Manager of an investment advisory group with $170 Million in assets under management.  Rob is an adjunct instructor for the MBA program at Gonzaga University.

Rob holds a Masters of Science in Personal Financial Pla... Read more