2026 Winter Cluster

Overview

Get ready for another round of high-impact learning at the Winter Cluster, at a new location this year! This can't-miss event combines cutting-edge CPE with a premier destination, offering the perfect setting to sharpen your skills and recharge for the year ahead. Explore timely, relevant topics presented by some of the profession’s most respected and dynamic speakers.

DAY 1: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19

7:30am - Registration & Breakfast

8:00am-9:40am
AI and How It Affects Cybersecurity, and the Future of Accounting
Scott Pruitt, CISM, CDPSE, CISA • Warren Averett • Birmingham, AL
AI is changing how finance professionals in public accounting and private industry work, make decisions, and manage risk. Discover the opportunities, challenges, and controls shaping the future of the accounting profession.

9:40am-10:00am Break

10:00-11:40
A&A Update  
Kurt Oestriecher, CPA • Oestriecher & Company • Alexandria, LA

11:40am – 12:40pm Lunch (included)

12:40pm – 2:20pm
Practical Tips to Business Succession Planning
Lauren Navarre, JD • Arena Collective • Slidell, LA
Audrey DeAgano, JD • Arena Collective • Covington, LA
First, this presentation delivers practical, actionable guidance on the five critical factors that determine a business's salability: building documented systems that can operate without the owner, strategically transferring key relationships, identifying and retaining the right people, thoughtfully structuring the seller's ongoing role post-transition, and preserving the core values and purpose that define the business's identity and culture.

Second, the presentation will touch on the key steps of a successful acquisition — from business valuation and identifying the right buyer, to due diligence, deal structuring, and ultimately the documents to expect at closing — equipping advisors with a practical roadmap to navigate the process with confidence and clarity.

2:20pm – 2:40pm  Break

2:40pm – 3:30pm 
TOPIC TBA

3:30pm – 4:20pm
Professional Issues Update
Ron Gitz, CPA, CGMA • Executive Director/CEO - Society of Louisiana CPAs • Metairie, LA


DAY 2: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20

7:30am - Continental Breakfast

8:00am – 9:40am
Breaking through Growth Wall 
Julie Couret • Executive Coach • New Orleans, LA
When growing companies hit an invisible growth ceiling, the root issue is rarely a lack of talent or ambition, t is an operational and leadership system breakdown. As business complexity expands, motion is frequently confused with progress, doer-leaders become structural bottlenecks, and decision-making stalls in day-to-day firefighting. 

Attendees will walk away with actionable strategies and frameworks to execute within their organizations:

Strategic Focus & Direction
Establish Strategic Trade-Offs: Forge explicit agreement across the executive team regarding which initiatives and distractions to say "no" to, eliminating operational confusion and safeguarding core execution focus. 

Design Optimization
Map Root-Cause Constraints: Pinpoint the exact operational bottlenecks where organizational complexity has outgrown existing systems, eliminating hidden friction, operational chaos, and stalled execution. 

Eliminate Leader Dependency: Identify process gaps where daily decision-making and accountability collapse back to leadership, successfully transitioning doer-leaders from operational bottlenecks into strategic executives.

9:40am – 10:00am Break 

10:00 - 11:40 am
Tax Update
Greg Booth, CPA • EisnerAmper • Metairie, LA 

Notice

HOTEL INFORMATION
Winter Cluster attendees get exclusive rates on rooms for this event starting at $82/night:

Golden Nugget Biloxi
151 Beach Blvd. Biloxi, MS 39530
228.436.7809

Book by October 26!

RESERVE ONLINE

SPONSOR THIS EVENT

Sponsorship is a great way to connect with CPA professionals and increase your visibility within the community. To learn more or recommend a sponsor, contract Diedra Allen at dallen@louisiana.cpa or click here for more information.