2025 IPT Sales Tax Symposium Speaker Presentations

Renaissance Esmeralda * Indian Wells, California * September 28 - October 1, 2025

2025 Sales Tax Symposium Final Agenda-Information

2025 Sales Tax Symposium Registration List

Presentations are added as received.

Tapping Into Your Potential: Attempting the Absurd
Keynote Speaker:
Curt Cronin
Former Navy SEAL
Leading Authorities, Inc.
Washington, DC
Ethics in the AI Sector
Speaker:
Glenn C. McCoy, Jr., CMI, Esq.
Principal, National Tax
Ryan, LLC
New York, NY
Software, SaaS, and Apps
Speakers:
Daniel Fuentes, CMI
Tax Manager
Deloitte Tax LLP
San Antonio, TX

Sales & Use Tax Compliance for Oil & Gas Companies
Speakers:
Kacy Abney
Supervisor- Sales & Use Tax
Expand Energy Corporation
Oklahoma City, OK

Compliance, Determination, and Documentation
Speakers:
Jennifer Carter, CMI
Chief Operating Officer
Synexus Tax Solutions
Atlanta, GA

Legal 1 - Compliance/Pre-Audit
Speakers:
Brent K. Beissel, Esq.
Partner
Reed Smith LLP
Philadelphia, PA

Swinging Into Sales Tax Compliance
Speakers:
Timothy A. Brooks, CMI
Manager of Tax Technology and Sales Tax Compliance
Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores, Inc.
Oklahoma City, OK

Statistical Sampling Success
Speakers:
Christine Marie Macciomei
Sr. US Tax Manager
Indeed
Stamford, CT

AI 101 for Sales and Use Tax Professionals
Speakers:
Suchandra Sai Avula, CMI
Principal
PwC
Marietta, GA

Exempt and You Know It: Mastering Certificates
Speakers:
Richard Hofrichter, CMI, CPA
President
R3 Tax Solutions, Inc.- Home of VirtualTaxOffice
Glen Allen, VA

Motor Fuels Tax Vs. Sales Tax
Speakers:
Johnny Huynh, CPA
Client Services Partner
KSM | Motor Fuels Tax Consultants
Houston, TX

Legal 2 - Audit: Conducting With Appeals in Mind
Speakers:
Samantha K. Breslow, Esq.
Partner
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
Chicago, IL

Mergers and Acquisitions - US Indirect Tax Considerations
Speakers:
Jeffrey P. Birdsong, Esq.
Partner
Jones Walker LLP
New Orleans, LA

Legal 3 - Administrative Appeals
Speakers:
Kim Topinka
U.S. Indirect Tax Director - Research & Audit
Costco Wholesale Corporation
Issaquah, WA

Joseph A. Vinatieri, Esq.
Partner
Bewley, Lassleben & Miller, LLP
Whittier, CA
Data To Compliance 201
Speakers:
Logan Hart
Director-Tax Technology Consulting
Ryan, LLC
Denver, CO

Speakers:
Tim Aickareth, CMI
Lead Tax Manager
AT&T
Dallas, TX 

John Yoak
SALT Senior Manager
Frazier & Deeter Advisory, LLC
Palm Harbor, FL
Advanced Manufacturing and R& D
Speakers:
Eric Beaupre
Director - US Indirect Tax
Amrize Cement Inc.
Chicago, IL

How To Creatively Research Using Software
Speakers:
Robert A. Garcia, CMI
Partner
FandlGagnon, LLC
Las Vegas, NV

Sales & Use Tax Strategies for the Hospitality Industry
Speakers:
Marc Grossman, JD, LL.M.
Managing Director, SALT
Crowe LLP
Atlanta, GA

Introduction To Credits & Incentives
Speaker:
Minah C. Hall, CCIP, Esq.
Principal
VisionFirst Advisors
Buffalo Grove, IL
Legal 4 - What Would a Judge Do?
Speakers:
Jeremy Gove, Esq.
Counsel
Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP
New York, NY

Mastering Sales and Use Tax Refunds
Speakers:
Doris Cordevant, CMI
Senior Manager, State & Local Indirect Tax
Emerson Electric Co.
Saint Louis, MO

Christopher Engels, CPA
Partner
Crowe LLP
Los Angeles, CA
Notice To Resolution
Speakers:
Stacey D. Bermudez, CMI
Director, Indirect Taxes - State & Local
Floor & Decor Outlets of America, Inc
Atlanta, GA

Maximizing Impact With Minimal Spend in the SALT World - 301
Speakers:
Larry J. Mellon
Tax Director - Chief Tax Office
Vertex Inc.
King of Prussia, PA

State of the State: Election Changes Causing Law Changes
Speakers:
Andre B. Burvant, Esq., CPA
Partner
Jones Walker LLP
New Orleans, LA
Michael Cronin
Principal - Global Indirect Tax
Grant Thornton Advisors LLC
Boston, MA


How To Use Technology To Make Your Work and Life Easier
Speakers:
Natalie Haynes
Partner
Ernst & Young LLP
St. Louis, MO

Top 5 Court Cases
Speakers:
David P. Dorner, Esq.
Partner
Reed Smith LLP
Chicago, IL
Stephen P. Kranz, Esq.
Partner
McDermott Will & Schulte LLP
Washington, DC
Unlocking Automation Potential (Optional-Non CE Session)
Speakers:
Matthew P. Brown, J.D.
Principal, State and Local Tax
Forvis Mazars, LLP
Charlotte, NC
Blake Eric Burge, CPA
Manager/State and Local Tax
Forvis Mazars, LLP
Atlanta, GA
Looney Locals
Speakers:
James J. Tauber, CMI
Managing Director, State and Local Tax
Andersen
Chicago, IL


Introduction To State Income Taxes
Speaker:
Christian J. Burgos, CMI, J.D., LL.M.
Partner
Berkowitz Pollack Brant Advisors + CPAs
New York, NY
Data To Compliance 301 (Tech)
Speakers:
Sam Guevara
Principal, Tax Technology Practice Leader
Ryan, LLC
Irvine, CA

From Risk To Refund: Best Practices in SUT Recovery
Speakers:
Rachael Averett, CMI
Director, Sales and Use Tax
Advantous Consulting, LLC
Baton Rouge, LA
Tim Hyak, CMI
Senior Director
Alvarez & Marsal Tax, LLC
Houston, TX
Hold the Line: Options for Battling Tax Base Creep
Speakers:
Cyavash Ahmadi
Counsel
Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP
New York, NY
Tina M. Hartman
Director, Tax Data & Insights
Vertex Inc.
Cincinnati, OH 

How the Tax Department Can Educate Auditors Through An Audit
Speakers:
Lisa H. Barnick
Director
Primoris Services Corporation
Lewisville, TX


VAT Overview for Sales Tax Professionals
Speakers:
Carlos V. Hernandez, CMI
Senior Tax Manager, Acquired Companies
Microsoft Corporation
San Francisco, CA

Matthew Wills
Managing Director, International Tax Services - VAT Practice Leader
BDO USA, P.C.
Philadelphia, PA
Speakers:
Carlos Anguiano
Director - External Tax Policy
AT&T
Sacramento, CA
Samantha K. Trencs, Esq.
Of Counsel
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Washington, DC
Data Wrangling 301: Practical Use Cases
Speakers:
Blake Eric Burge, CPA
Manager/State and Local Tax
Forvis Mazars, LLP
Atlanta, GA

The Hidden Challenges of Use Tax: A Deep Dive
Speaker:
Robert Ferraro
Tax Manager
Building Material Distributors Inc.
Galt, CA
Gregg Patnett
Senior Manager
KPMG LLP
Chicago, IL

B&O 301
Speakers:
Angela Deamico, CMI
Tax Senior Manager
Deloitte Tax LLP
Seattle, WA 9
Nicole M. Lyons, CMI
Tax Manager
Microsoft Corporation
Redmond, WA
From Simplification To Complication: The Marketplace
Speakers:
Anitha Chakravarthi
Senior Director of Indirect Taxes
EBay
San Jose, CA


Decoding Bundled Transactions: Sales and Use Tax Implication
Speakers:
Rachel Bradford
Senior Manager, Indirect Taxation
Harbor Freight Tools USA, Inc.
Calabasas, CA
Margaret C. Wilson, CMI, Esq.
Partner
Wilson Law Group LLC
Princeton, NJ

Generations At Work: Learning, Leading, and Laughing Together
Dennis Anding, CMI, CPA
Partner
Crowe LLP
Woodbury, MN