2026 CFO SUMMIT

The CFO Summit provides expert knowledge for finance and accounting executives.
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: 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 [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: Kate N. Leichty, CPA

Info: During this session, Kruggel Lawton Tax Leaders will share most current and relevant Tax updates that are applicable to you.

🕑: 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
Finance Leader Panel Discussion
Host: Grant Hellwarth, Moderator
🕑: 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 Lenter, 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: TBD
🕑: 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.