Tax Practice Quarterly: 2026 Future-Focused Tax Practice Forum

CPA

With over a decade of experience in public accounting, Kelly specializes in providing tax, accounting and advisory services to small to medium sized businesses in the professional service industries. Kelly is highly respected within the accounting community was named Top 40 Under 40 CPA by CPA Practice Advisor in 2024. She is active in professional organizations from which she has received numerous awards and mentions for her work in the field, including: Top 50 Women in Business on Long Island (Long Island Business News) 2022 Premier Business Women of Long Island (Long Island Herald) Top 50 Women in Accounting nomination through Ignition Kelly is an active member of the AICPA, NYSSCPA, and Whoggga. She serves on the AICPA Tax Practice Resiliency Committee, dedicating her time to enhancing the practices of fellow CPAs. She also runs a monthly mastermind group that supports current and prospective firm owners. In 2023, she co-founded the podcast From Zero to Millions: Accounting Edition with Bilal Mehanna, CPA. The podcast has achieved thousands of downloads and features leading voices in the accounting world. Kelly has appeared on the AICPA’s Tax Odyssey podcast, Thomson Reuters’ Pulse of the Practice podcast, and Tony Wilson’s Ask an Accountant podcast. She has authored articles for Accounting Today Voices, Bloomberg Tax Spotlight, and CPA Practice Advisor. When not working, Kelly enjoys spending time with her family and their dog.

CPA, MBT

Chris Wittich works with individuals, businesses, trusts and estates, and expats providing tax planning and tax compliance services. He enjoys challenging research projects as well as training others in all things tax. Beginning his CPA career at Boyum Barenscheer in 2007, Chris quickly made his mark in the firm’s tax department and completed his MBT degree from the University of Minnesota in 2008. His passion for educating others is evident as he is the firm’s most prolific website blogger. He carries that devotion into volunteering as he has been a tax season volunteer with Prepare+Prosper every year since 2001 when he was in 10th grade. Chris is a proud 2014 AICPA Leadership Academy graduate and the 2015 MNCPA Tax Conference chair. He spoke at the 2018 AICPA Engage Conference and the 2018-2019 MNCPA Tax Conferences. In 2019 he began serving on the AICPA’s Tax Practice Management Committee and on the AICPA’s task force to revise the Statements on Standards for Tax Services. Chris grew up in Eden Prairie, Minnesota but now lives in Eagan with his wife Brittany and cat Cornelius. In his spare time, Chris is busy playing golf or Ultimate Frisbee. His nickname, Ravenous Tiger, dates back to his days in drumline in high school.

CPA, CGMA

April Walker is a Lead Technical Manager in the AICPA’s Tax Division. Prior to joining the AICPA in January 2016, April was in the public accounting field for twenty years, specializing in individual tax, closely held businesses and their respective owners, and not-for-profit taxation. April practiced at Blackman & Sloop, CPAs, a local firm in Chapel Hill, NC, for the past 14 years and prior to joining that firm, she worked for almost 5 years at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, LLP in Raleigh, NC. April is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the North Carolina Association of CPAs.