Industry Conference

Bill Felder, CPA, CISA, is a native of Long Beach, Mississippi, and received his Bachelors and Masters of Professional Accountancy from Mississippi State. He is a director in the auditing and consulting department of Harper, Rains, Knight & Company, P.A. where he is in charge of audit engagements to a variety of industries including government-assisted multi-family housing projects, hospitals, Federal government entities, employee benefit plans, workers' compensation, financial services, medical services, wholesale supply, churches and non-profit organizations. Bill is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Central Mississippi Chapter of Certified Public Accountants where he served as a past-secretary. Bill has earned the designation of Certified Information Systems Auditor from the Information Systems Audit and Control Association and is a discussion leader for continuing professional education courses sponsored by the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Andrew C. Copeland, better known as “Andy” is a shareholder of Diversified Contracting Services (DCS), a general construction firm located in Clinton, Mississippi. DCS has serviced the hospitality industry and government sector since 2010 by building new structures or performing major renovations to existing facilities. Andy serves as the CFO of DCS. In addition to his CFO duties, Andy has a small tax practice where he provides tax and consulting to both individuals and businesses.  

Andy earned his Bachelor in Public Accountancy from Mississippi State University and later his Masters in Taxation from Mississippi State. He is a member of the AICPA and the Mississippi Society of CPAs. Andrew is the author of Construction Auditing Accounting and Taxation, Construction Accounting Advanced Issues, and Taxation of Construction Contractors all continuing education courses published by the AICPA. Andrew has taught continuing education courses in the construction industry for 30 different state societies through the AICPA. He was honored with the Outstanding CPE Instructor in 2005 by the AICPA. Andrew was also honored in 2003 as one of the "Top 40 Under 40" by the Mississippi Business Journal. Andrew and his wife, Margaret, have two children.

Donna Ingram is President of Donna M. Ingram, CPA, PC in Vicksburg, MS. She previously was a partner at May & Company, LLP for 18 years and has practiced accounting for over 30 years. In addition to being a CPA, Donna is a Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified in Financial Forensics. Donna is a graduate of Michigan State University. She was a member of the Mississippi Society of CPAs Peer Review Committee for over a decade, serving one term as Chair. She also served as Chair of the MSCPA's Accounting and Auditing Committee. Donna served on the AICPA's Peer Review board from 2003 to 2005. Donna is involved in numerous civic and charitable organizations and has been a presenter of accounting, auditing and fraud related courses around the country. Donna and her husband Paul have two sons, one following in his mother's footsteps as a CPA and the other an assistant PGA professional at Pasatiempo.

David Peterson has inspired countless audiences to rethink how innovation happens in their organization. His insight and actionable content helps leaders foster a culture of innovation that encourages workforce diversity and instills accountability for driving growth. As the Chief Innovation Officer of First National Bankers Bank (FNBB) of Baton Rouge LA, David is a tireless advocate for rethinking the role of innovation in a corporate setting.  David understands the critical need to combat status quo thinking to achieve sustainable profits and competitiveness in any industry. He shares real world strategies and tools to foster a creative mindset, convert creativity into innovation and empowers attendees to be innovative where they are regardless of job function or title.

Peterson’s Innovation Driven Growth (IDG) content focuses on assisting enterprises in igniting enterprise-wide innovation.  Content includes innovation keynotes, workshops and challenges. David’s focus at FNBB is creating an environment where every individual is encouraged to look for innovations that spur growth, regardless of their size. David is a sought-after speaker at financial services regional and national industry events. David is also the author of the best-selling book Grounded: Anchored Management for Strategic Leadership and Effective Decision-Making (Little River Publishing, 2016). His approach to strategic innovation and fun engaging workshops and thinking challenges has been praised by C-Suite executives, entrepreneurs and millennials.

David is the former founder and CEO of Goldleaf Technologies, a leading provider of electronic payments software and a pioneer in the fintech industry. David was also Chief Strategic Officer of i7strategies. He currently serves on the boards of PaymentsFirst, ArgosRisk and softgiving. David is also a serial entrepreneur, having created start-ups in retail and professional services.

Jeremy Bond is a First Vice President and Corporate Treasury Relationship Manager for Trustmark National Bank. For the last nine years, he has been assisting large corporations, small businesses, associations, municipalities and state agencies of all sizes in the Central Mississippi area with their Corporate Treasury needs. Jeremy has over 20 years of banking experience with Trustmark. His passion is to assist businesses in becoming more efficient in their cash management process and better protected from the fraudulent schemes that exist in today's marketplace. Jeremy is originally from Demopolis, Alabama. He received his bachelors and master's degrees in Business Administration from Mississippi College. He has completed Banking School programs from the University of Mississippi and the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. He received his Certified Treasury Professional designation from the Association for Financial Professionals. Jeremy currently lives in Flora, Mississippi with his wife Holly and twin sons, Christian and Brooks. While attending Mississippi College from 1996 to 2000, he lived out his dream of playing college football as the placekicker for the Choctaws. Jeremy and his family are active members of First Baptist Church in Flora, Mississippi.

William A. (Billy) Morehead, Ph.D., CGFM, CPA

Billy is a Professor of Accountancy at Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi where he teaches primarily Governmental and Advanced accounting classes at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Billy retired from the State of Mississippi in 2011 after 27 years of service in various roles, including Vice President for Finance and Administration, Interim Dean, Chair, and Associate Professor at Delta State University, auditor for the State Auditor's Office; GAAP Project Administrator for the State Department of Finance and Administration; and CFO within the State Department of Mental Health.

Billy has been a member of the Association of Government Accountants for more than 30 years and has served as both National President and National Treasurer. Billy has served in various other national and chapter roles including the Chair of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Government Financial Management and the Chair of the Higher Education Committee. Billy has also received several AGA national awards, including three National President's Awards, the Educator Award, and the Robert W. King Memorial Award. Billy is a member of the Mississippi Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs. Billy is the 2024 MSCPA Outstanding Educator Award recipient.

As the Chief Technology Officer, John Tidwell ensures the alignment of technological innovations and solutions with YoungWilliams' business objectives. With expertise in IT resource planning and operational strategies, John oversees the complete spectrum of the YoungWilliams technology vision. This includes directing the design of the IT organization, systems integration, and the implementation of cutting-edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. With almost 20 years of experience in Child Support Enforcement, John has played a key role in building and maintaining Y-Trac, our proprietary Case Management application. John holds an Executive M.B.A. and a B.S. in Business Administration, Information Technology from Colorado Technical University, as well as a Certification in Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals.