Karen C. Moody
Karen C. Moody, CPA, CGMA
President/CEO
Mississippi Society of CPAs
Karen C. Moody graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a BSBA in Accounting and began her 8-year career in public accounting with the Haddox Reid firm in Jackson, MS where she was a senior audit manager specializing in oil and gas and hotel/motel clientele, as well as, individual and corporate/partnership tax. She then worked at the Lampton-Love Companies, regional propane retailers and distributors in the Southeast, for over 26 years as the CFO/Director of Accounting and was responsible for all aspects of financial reporting and budgeting, human resources, internal audit, acquisitions, and office management. Karen was active in the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants throughout her career having served as President, Vice-President and Secretary of its Central Chapter, Secretary and Chairman of the Board of the MSCPA, and she chaired the Awards, Education & Scholarships Committee for many years and served on the Industry Committee as well. She served several terms on the Board of Governors and was also chosen as a CPA Ambassador for Mississippi. Her love of the MSCPA lead her to become the President/CEO of the Society where she recently celebrated her 9th year anniversary in that role. Karen enjoys serving as a mentor to the Society's Young CPA Network officers and members and to student members from the colleges/universities across the state.
Blaise M. Sonnier
Dr. Blaise M. Sonnier has been the Director of the School of Accountancy and the Jerold P. Morgan Distinguished Professor of Accounting at the University of Southern Mississippi since 2022. A native of Louisiana, he earned a Juris Doctorate from Louisiana State University in 1985 graduating in the top 5% of his class. After graduating from LSU Law School, Dr. Sonnier served as a law clerk for two Louisiana Supreme Court justices. From 1986 through July 2007, Dr. Sonnier was engaged in the practice of law in Louisiana with a concentration in the areas of taxation, commercial transactions, estate planning, and corporate law. Dr. Sonnier was also awarded a Doctorate of Business Administration by Grenoble School of Management, Grenoble, in France. Switching to the field of education, Dr. Sonnier joined the faculty of Florida International University in 2007 and served as the Director of its Executive Masters in Taxation program. In 2012, he transferred to the University of Colorado where he was the Wilcox Endowed Professor of Accounting and Department Chair of Accounting and Finance. He has been a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the American Accounting Association, the American Taxation Association, the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants, the Louisiana Bar Association, and the Mississippi Society of CPAs.
