Scaling New Heights 2026: 15 must-see sessions

Orlando’s largest conference for accounting professionals is just around the corner

Scaling New Heights 2026 will see hundreds of people gather for sessions that promise to help guide them through the future of accounting. This year’s theme is ‘Strange New World’, so expect plenty of sessions about AI, innovation, and advisory.

To help you narrow down the agenda, here is a handpicked list of 15 must-see sessions.

Day 1: Sunday, June 14

How to pick the right tech when everything looks shiny

Time: 12pm

Presenter: Liz Mason, High Rock

Keeping up with rapidly evolving tech is one of the top concerns amongst accounting professionals today. In this session, Liz will give you a practical framework for vetting, testing, and implementing new tools so you can cut through the hype and make confident decisions that protect what's already working.

How to stand out with a unique brand in a traditional industry

Time: 12pm

Presenter: Keila Hill-Trawick, Little Fish Accounting

Keila is no stranger to developing unique client experiences. In this session, she will show you how to develop clear positioning and differentiated messaging that reflects your firm's real value, so your brand does the work of attracting the right clients and supporting your long-term growth goals.

Better together: How tax & CAS synergy builds unbreakable client bonds

Time: 2.40pm

Presenters: 

• Megan Leesley, Dark Horse CPAs 

• K.C. Eames, Dark Horse CPAs

When tax and CAS teams work in sync, clients feel the difference. Megan and K.C. will show you how to structure shared engagements with clear roles, smart workflows, and the right automation tools so that handoffs are seamless, bottlenecks disappear, and your clients get a cohesive experience that keeps them coming back.

Ideal clients aren’t found; they’re built

Time: 2.40pm

Presenter: Tony Proctor, EA, Proctor & Assocs.

The best client relationships are shaped in the first 90 days. Tony will walk you through a practical system covering behavior standards, a structured client onboarding plan, scope guardrails, and a red/yellow/green client health score so you can protect your margins, reduce rework, and know exactly when a relationship needs renegotiating.

Red flags and paper trails: A fraud accounting workshop

Time: 2.40pm

Presenters: 

• Robert Nordlander, CPA, CFE, IRS-Criminal Investigation (former special agent)

• Candy Bellau, Kramerica Solutions

Think you can spot fraud? In this hands-on workshop, Robert and Candy hand you mock financial records, emails, and interview transcripts from a fictional embezzlement case and ask you to find the evidence. You'll learn how to identify red flags, trace suspicious transactions, and build a solid timeline—all skills that translate directly to protecting your clients in the real world.

Day 2: Monday, June 15

The death of the clock: Pricing in the age of AI

Time: 7am

Presenter: Ron Baker, Author, Speaker, Podcast Host

Ron is the godfather of value pricing. In this session, he will explain why in this AI-age, billing for time is actually a liability. He explores how you can shift from billable-hour structures to value-driven, outcome-focused pricing models that reflect what clients are actually paying for: insight, responsibility, and results.

Recommended reading: Is your billing model making your team miserable?

Inside the AI-powered firm: An honest conversation about AI, growth, and what actually works

Time: 8am

Presenters: 

• Peter Lezama, Gusto

• Ian Vacin, Karbon

• Tyler Otto, Specialized Accounting

The firms pulling ahead with AI in accounting are making deliberate choices and learning fast, not waiting for the perfect strategy. This fireside panel will answer the tough questions: what's working, what isn't, and what separates the firms actually doing it from those still deliberating. Whether you're figuring out where to start with AI or how to scale what you already have, this one is worth the early alarm.

Driving transformation: Guiding teams and clients through change

Time: 5.20pm

Presenters: 

• Ashley Rhoden, High Rock Accounting

• Questian Telka, ReQoncile Financials

Ashley and Questian share how to navigate transformation from two angles: managing internal shifts like technology adoption and workflow updates, and supporting clients through their own transitions. You'll leave with practical tools for building trust, maintaining alignment, and leading change with confidence on both sides of the relationship.

Breaking the tax season cycle: How one firm transformed workloads, clients, and culture

Time: 5.20pm

Presenters: 

• Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk, BBR Companies LLC

• Jennifer Mitchell, Account Sense PLLC

What if tax season didn't have to feel like a sprint to survival? Jennifer’s firm ditched the traditional February-to-April crunch in favor of a year-round preparation model, assigning each client a dedicated two-person team and a specific month for their work. Bonnie joins her to unpack how the transition happened, how clients responded, and what other firms can take from the experience.

From doer to leader: Redefining the owner's role in CAS

Time: 5.20pm

Presenter: Emily Cheshire, Aprio

When you're the one handling billing, operations, and team oversight, strategy never quite makes it to the top of the list. Emily explores how you can build a team of leaders around you so your practice grows on its own momentum, rather than running on yours.

Day 3: Tuesday, June 16

Humans in the AI loop: A need or a bottleneck?

Time: 8am

Presenters: 

• Maanoj Shah, Finsmart

• Dave Olsen, Nimbl

• Ian Vacin, Karbon

• Kenji Kuramoto, Basis

If AI can handle the work, why are so many firms still stretched thin? Could the answer be how work is designed? This panel challenges the idea that technology alone solves capacity problems, exploring why human expertise remains essential in an AI-enabled firm and how a blended model can free up space for the higher-value work that actually moves your practice forward.

Designing your workday around energy, not capacity

Time: 11am

Presenter: Kim Petro, Woodard

Traditional productivity advice always focuses on managing time, but performance is often determined by a person’s energy. Kim introduces a practical framework for aligning your work to your natural energy patterns across the day, so your best thinking goes to your most demanding work, and the rest fills in around it. A small shift in how you structure your day can make a significant difference in what you actually get done.

Modern marketing strategies for accounting firms: From AI to trade

Time: 5.20pm

Presenter: Terrell Turner, TL Turner Group

One-size-fits-all marketing won't cut it anymore. Terrell Turner walks you through a range of modern strategies, from AI-powered research tools to video content, email campaigns, and trade show tactics, so you can build a marketing mix that fits your firm's goals, audience, and budget. You'll leave with practical ideas ready to put to work straight away.

Day 4: Wednesday, June 17

Beyond the bottleneck: Letting go without losing control

Time: 4.10pm

Presenters: 

• Terri Warren, Innovative Ops LLC

• Melissa Stout, Milestone Business Solutions

• Carla Caldwell, Caldwell Consulting and Training

Are you the biggest bottleneck at your firm? Many firm leaders are. And it’s not because they want to be, it’s just that letting go feels risky. This panel will share the systems and mindset shifts that make real delegation possible, so you can build team accountability, maintain client excellence, and step back from the day-to-day without losing visibility or control.

Vulnerability as a strength: Building a more resilient firm in an uncertain world

Time: 4.10pm

Presenter: Nancy McClelland, CPA, The Dancing Accountant

Imposter syndrome and self-doubt aren't weaknesses unique to you. Nancy brings frank stories from accounting leaders who've wrestled with the same struggles, making the case that vulnerability isn't a liability but the human edge that builds stronger cultures and firms that can weather genuine uncertainty, especially as AI takes over the routine work that once kept everyone busy.

See you in Orlando

Scaling New Heights is going to be a jam-packed five days. The Karbon team is so excited to see you there, so stop by booth 33 to say hi