Faculty

• Anne Oestriecher, CPA
  • Anne Oestriecher, CPA, is working with Oestriecher Financial Management Services, in Alexandria, Louisiana, as a financial planning representative, working with clients to manage their financial positions, including education and retirement savings, income protection, and other wealth management issues. Anne began her career with Deloitte & Touche, spending eight years in the audit department. Her client base was focused on the financial service and not-for-profit industries. In 1993, Anne moved to Hibernia National Bank, and served as the Accounting Policy & Control Manager. She was responsible for implementing new accounting policies, educating directors, senior management and the finance group staff on various accounting issues, documenting internal controls in accordance with FDICIA and later, Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Section 404. She also managed accounting staff responsible for several technical accounting areas, and served as a consultant to other departments in writing and implementing new policies and procedures. After the acquisition of Hibernia by Capital One in 2005, Anne began her own practice providing consulting services to small businesses and instructing continuing professional education for CPAs across the country. She has written several continuing education courses on accounting and auditing matters. Anne is a graduate of Loyola University in New Orleans, with a BBA in Accounting. She is a member of the Society of Louisiana CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs.
• Gina Pruitt
  • Gina Pruitt, CPA, CISA, CRISC, CQA, CEMB, is the Managing Director of Information Systems Assurance and Consulting Services with KraftCPAs. Gina has over twenty-five years of experience. She spent ten years in Big 4 public accounting as the Partner in Charge of the Nashville practice of Enterprise Risk Services (ERS) with Deloitte & Touche. Her responsibilities include IS audit and consulting, risk management, internal audit, service organization control audits, network security assessment, and network vulnerability assessment. In addition to being a Certified Public Accountant, Gina is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), and is Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) which recognizes professionals for their knowledge of enterprise risk and their ability to design, implement, monitor, and maintain information system controls to mitigate such risk. She is also a Certified Quality Auditor (CQA). Gina is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), the Tennessee Society of CPAs, and the Tennessee Bankers Association. She is also active in the Nashville Healthcare Council, Leadership Healthcare and the Nashville Technology Council. Gina is on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) and the Women Build Committee for the Williamson County Habitat for Humanity.
• Joseph Zanko, CPA, CIA
  • Joseph Zanco, CPA, CIA, is the Chief Financial Officer for Home Bank, a $525 million community bank based in Lafayette, Louisiana.  Prior to joining Home Bank, Joseph was the Principal Accounting Officer for Iberiabank.  He has served internal audit and financial statement audit clients in the financial services industry as a manager with Arthur Andersen.  His financial services experience also includes First Commerce Corporation.  Joe graduated from Louisiana State University in 1992 with a B.S. in Accounting.  Joe is a member of the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Society of CPAs and serves on the statewide Financial Institutions Committee.  He is also a member of the AICPA.
• E. Marlee Mitchell, JD
  • E. Marlee Mitchell, JD, is a partner at Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP, in the firm's Corporate and Commercial Transactions practice, based in Nashville, Tennessee.  Ms. Mitchell has extensive securities law and corporate finance practice experience, including underwritten equity and debt public securities offerings, private placements, joint ventures and venture capital financings, going private transactions, investment funds, federal and state broker-dealer and investment adviser regulatory compliance matters and Tennessee Securities Division contested case issues.  Ms. Mitchell is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward White, Inc.) and America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (Chambers & Partners) for her work in corporate law. Recently completed M&A transactions for which Ms. Mitchell served as lead counsel include the divestiture of the wholesale brokerage subsidiary of one of the world's largest insurance brokers, and the divestiture of an automaker's transportation and logistics subsidiary.  Ms. Mitchell also directs the securities work involved in acquisitions by a large bank holding company. Ms. Mitchell's practice also includes providing counsel on corporate law and governance, intellectual property law matters and real estate securities offerings, with an emphasis on securities offerings by public REITS and private real estate limited partnerships.
• Melissa Blaser
  • Melissa Blaser, CPA, serves as a Director with the Risk Management group of RSM McGladrey’s Great Lakes practice specializing in regulatory compliance and internal audit. She has over 18 years of experience in regulatory compliance, internal audit and public accounting for the financial services industry within a Bank environment and within a public accounting/ consulting firm. Melissa’s experience in the banking arena as well as at RSM McGladrey has provided her with a broad range of financial institution experience including: Developing and implementing risk-based compliance and internal audit plans. Performing internal audit, compliance and trust risk assessments as well as coaching others in co-source engagements. Providing consultative services and process reviews in the compliance and commercial and mortgage lending areas Implementing and testing FDICIA protocols. Managing HMDA reviews and re-filings. Training financial institution and industry groups including the Mortgage Bankers’ Association. Assisting with BSA investigations and look-backs. Performing numerous audits and monitoring engagements covering all consumer federal regulations including: the Truth in Lending Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, the Flood Disaster Protection Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Truth in Savings Act, the Expedited Funds Availability Act, the Electronic Funds Transfer Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, Regulation P, Regulation O and many more. Leading compliance professional associations in regular meetings and coordinating annual workshops. Prior to joining RSM McGladrey, Melissa has served as internal auditor, compliance officer and Bank Secrecy Act officer for a $600 million community bank. Melissa is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM), Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), Certified Financial Services Auditor (CFSA), and a Fiduciary and Investment Risk Manager (FIRM). She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS), the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the Illinois CPA Society, the Fiduciary and Investment Risk Management Association (FIRMA), the Northern Illinois Compliance Association (NICA) and the Institute of Certified Bankers (ICB).
• Monica S. Sonnier, CPA, CFA
  • Monica Sonnier, CPA, CFA, is a Senior Vice President in FTN Financial’s Portfolio Strategies Group, in Memphis, Tennessee. She assists institutional customers across the country in managing their fixed income portfolios, increasing profitability and managing risk. She specializes in portfolio, accounting and tax issues. She has worked extensively with financial institutions of all types on forecasting, regulatory issues and tax issues (including Sub S planning). She previously was the Chief Investment Officer for a banker’s bank and managed the Investment Division for the bank. She managed investment portfolios for banks, provided consulting services in investments and ALM, ran the bank’s ALM reporting service bureau and managed the operational area supporting safekeeping, trading and portfolio accounting services. Monica also spent eight years as the portfolio manager and funding manager at a large regional bank, managing a portfolio of over $2 billion in Government, Agency, Municipal, Corporate, Mortgage-Backed and Money Market securities. She began her career in public accounting with a CPA firm, specializing in audits of financial institutions. Monica currently chairs the Investment Committee of the AICPA and serves on the AICPA Council.
• Wynne Baker, CPA, CFSA, CBA, CFF