About this Event
Welcome to the 2026 CFO SUMMIT! Join us for a day of networking, learning, and collaboration with top financial executives from around our region. This in-person event will take place on Thursday, November 12, 2026 at the Four Winds Hotel South Bend.
Get ready to gain valuable insights, exchange ideas, and build connections that will help elevate your career and business. Don't miss out on this opportunity to connect with industry leaders and take your financial expertise to the next level. See you there!
SESSION INFORMATION
Location: Four Winds Hotel South Bend – Ribbon Town Ballroom
Delivery Method: Group-Live
There will not be a virtual option available
SESSION DESCRIPTION
The CFO Summit provides expert knowledge for finance and accounting executives. Join us for a day to plug in, recharge, and connect with other professionals in your field.
SESSION OBJECTIVES
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Describe and share with your leadership teams current tax issues of relevance to their organizations
- Apply knowledge of economic trends and forecasts to help set strategy
- Identify the factors that influence successful execution and identify practical strategies to align leadership, culture, and communication with desired business outcomes.
- Recognize how finance leaders can use AI to increase organizational value through practical implementation strategies, informed risk management, and sound decision-making.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
- Chief Financial Officers (CFO)
- Vice Presidents of Finance
- CPAs in Private Industry
- Controllers
CPE INFORMATION
Program Sponsor: Kruggel Lawton CPA
Recommended CPE: Up to 8 hours. Final CPE will vary based on breakout attendance.
Prerequisites: None
Advanced Preparation: None
Program Level: Overview
Refund Policy: You must cancel your registration within 7 days prior to the event to receive a full refund.
For more information regarding refund, complaint and program cancellation policies, please contact our offices at 574.289.4011 or email [email protected].
CPE CERTIFICATES
CPE certificates will be based on sign-in at the conference. CPE Certificates will be issued within three weeks from the conference date and will be sent from KL Learning [email protected]. Please be sure that this email is not blocked by your company firewall.
We ask that all attendees sign-in regardless if you need CPE or not. For safety reasons, it is important that we can account for all our of guests.
In accordance with the standards of the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, credits will be granted based on a 50-minute hour. State boards of accountancy, state bars, and other state regulatory bodies have final authority on the acceptance of courses for continuing education credit. Please check with your state board regarding applicability of this course towards your continuing education requirement.
Agenda
🕑: 07:30 AM - 08:05 AM
Registration and Breakfast
Info: Check in at the registration desk located in the Main Lobby of the hotel. Staff will direct you to the meeting space from there.
🕑: 08:05 AM - 08:15 AM
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Host: Sara Sweers, CPA
Info: Welcome message from Sara Sweers, Emcee.
🕑: 08:15 AM - 09:15 AM
The Human Delta: AI, Genuine Ethics, and the Evolving Role of a CFO
Host: Adam Kronk, Director, University of Notre Dame
Info: If everything feels up for grabs with the advent of powerful AI, what remains the same? Rather than indulging in doomsday scenario planning or naive optimism, what's the appropriate "middle path" for a prudent CFO to help her enterprise navigate the moment? Drawing on ancient wisdom and current data, Adam will give us a lens through which to look at the profession in the here and now, endeavoring to provide a few practical prescriptions for "getting it right."
🕑: 09:15 AM - 10:30 AM
Timely Tax Updates from Kruggel Lawton Tax Professionals
Host: Brandon R. Gritton, CPA
Info: During this session, Kruggel Lawton tax leaders will share a high-level overview of estate and gift tax planning. They'll cover key concepts, current exemption amounts, common planning opportunities, and practical considerations that business owners and families should understand when preparing for wealth transfer and succession.
🕑: 10:30 AM - 10:45 AM
Morning Break
Info: Morning break will be held in the Foyer.
🕑: 10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Economy Update
Host: Chris Simone, Merrill Lynch
🕑: 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM
Lunch
Info: Lunch buffet will be served in the Foyer
🕑: 12:45 PM - 02:00 PM
CFO Unfiltered: What Finance Leaders Are Building, Buying, and Challenging
Host: Grant Hellwarth, Moderator
Info: Today’s CFO is expected to do far more than oversee financial reporting. Join a panel of finance leaders as they discuss how the CFO role is evolving into a strategic business leadership position. Topics will include building and developing future-ready finance teams, leading organizations through growth, acquisitions, and integration challenges, and effectively partnering with CEOs, boards, and business owners to drive results. The session will conclude with a fast-paced lightning round where panelists share practical insights, lessons learned, and advice for today’s finance leaders.
🕑: 02:00 PM - 02:10 PM
Afternoon Break/Transition to Breakout Room
Info: Review the breakout session descriptions below and select one you are most interested in during registration.
🕑: 02:10 PM - 03:00 PM
Breakout #1: AI Practical Use Cases for the Finance Function
Host: Casey Martin, Moser Consulting
🕑: 02:10 PM - 03:00 PM
Breakout #2: Every Business Plan Succeeds or Fails Twice
Host: Jennifer Lentner, Founder, Soundtrack Consulting
Info: Most organizations devote tremendous discipline to defining the business strategy. Far fewer devote the same discipline to planning how the organization will execute it. Whether you're integrating an acquisition, driving operational improvement, responding to changing market conditions, or executing another strategic initiative, success depends on how quickly people understand what's changing, why it matters, what's expected of them, and how they can contribute. In this session, we'll explore how leadership, culture, and communication work together as a strategic business lever that helps organizations accelerate execution. You'll leave with a new way to think about organizational performance and practical approaches you can immediately apply to help your team gain traction, sustain momentum, and protect the value of strategic initiatives.
🕑: 02:10 PM - 03:00 PM
Breakout #3: Navigating Emerging HR Risks
Host: Mike Palmer, Barnes and Thornburg
Info: Join Mike Palmer, Partner with Barnes and Thornburg to learn more about emerging HR issues.
🕑: 03:00 PM - 03:15 PM
Break / Transition to General Session
🕑: 03:15 PM - 04:15 PM
Cyber Risk Is Business Risk: What CFO's Need to Know about Financial Readiness
Host: Joe Hartford, PH.D. President of Reclamere, Inc.
Info: Cyber risk is no longer just an IT concern. It directly affects financial performance, insurance coverage, operational resilience, regulatory exposure, and board accountability. This session will show CFOs how to translate cyber and AI-related risks into business terms, strengthen financial readiness before an incident occurs, and help leadership make better-informed decisions about risk, insurance, and governance.
🕑: 04:15 PM - 04:30 PM
Closing and Q&A
Host: Sara Sweers, CPA - Emcee
🕑: 04:30 PM - 06:30 PM
Reception and Networking
Info: Join us after the event for networking, light appetizers, and drinks.
Event venue & nearby stays
Four Winds Casino South Bend, 3000 Prairie Avenue, South Bend, United States
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