This International Accounting Day, BILL is celebrating you

Barry C. Melançon is Chairman of Baker Tilly International and a strategic advisor to Baker Tilly US. He also chairs the Caseware Global Executive Innovation Council and advises CPA.com, and he serves on the boards of two national nonprofits.

Barry spent 30 years leading the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), retiring as president and CEO on December 31, 2024. He began his career at a small CPA firm in Louisiana and went on to champion the accounting profession around the world. Under his leadership, the AICPA founded CPA.com, introduced the computerized CPA Exam, and joined with CIMA to create the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants and the CGMA designation for management accountants.

Kim leads CPA.com’s CAS 2.0 practice transformation programs, focusing on helping firms establish and grow optimized CAS practices through consulting, practice development and training offerings.

Prior to joining CPA.com, Kim’s career has spent more than 30 years in public accounting, with the last 13 years at Wipfli, LLP. During her time at Wipfli, Kim led their CAS practice, providing a value-driven client experience utilizing an industry-focused U.S. and offshore team delivered through an innovative digital platform. Most recently, she turned her focus to the Wealth & Asset Management industry, where she led the Broker Dealer & Advisor Network segment of the vertical.

Kim graduated from Montana State University with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Accounting. She lives outside Phoenix, AZ, with her family.

Jason founded Thriveal in 2010 as a way to help entrepreneurial CPA firm owners connect, learn, and grow. He serves as the Visionary and CEO of Thriveal, and his partner Julie Shipp serves as the Integrator and COO of the organization. Since 2010, Thriveal has helped many small firms grow by providing a community, coaching services, webinars, firm consulting, monthly growth groups, and live events. Deeper Weekend is the annual live event by Thriveal, now in its 16th year.

Jason is the host of the Thrivecast podcast (since 2011) and speaks and writes frequently for the financial and creative industries.

Leslie Liondas, CPA, is the founder of Leslie Liondas, CPA, PLLC, and co-founder of NexPath Coaching, LLC. With over 12 years of experience running her own accounting firm and more than seven years coaching leaders, Leslie helps accounting professionals and business owners improve financial visibility, streamline operations, and build teams and systems that don't depend on constant oversight.

As both a practicing CPA and leadership coach, Leslie brings a practical perspective on how businesses can leverage technology, automation, and AI while maintaining the processes, accountability, and human judgment necessary to produce reliable results. She also serves on an AI working group with TXCPA Houston, contributing to conversations about the evolving role of AI in the accounting profession.

Leslie is a Certified John Maxwell Speaker, Trainer, and Coach, and holds both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Professional Accounting. Her expertise has been featured in the Woodard Report, Clockwork Revised and Expanded by Mike Michalowicz, and other industry publications. She also serves as chair of the TXCPA Houston Accounting Disciplines Committee.

I work for Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a non-profit that builds and delivers beds for kids who don’t have a bed of their own.  We have over 350 chapters across the country and it is as rewarding as it sounds!  In my personal life, I love being a mom to my 4 growing kids, doing just about anything creative with my hands, being outdoors (preferably off-roading or on the beach) and working in my flower garden.

Ariege is BILL’s SVP of Product Management. A dynamic leader with over two decades of experience, she has a proven track record of driving growth and delivering innovative solutions for small and midsize businesses and accounting professionals. Joining BILL in late 2024, Ariege brings extensive experience in leading teams and transforming businesses, with a passion for empowering businesses through intelligent, automated financial solutions that free them to focus on what matters most.

Ariege joins BILL from Intuit, where she led several business segments, most recently the Accountant Segment within Intuit's® Small Business and Self-Employed Group. In this role, she served more than 700,000 accountants globally, helping firms embrace technology, better manage their practices, and become strategic advisors to their clients. Her prior experience includes product leadership roles at Redbox and PayCycle (acquired by Intuit). Ariege's career began in customer service at PayCycle, where her front-line experience shaped her approach to product and business leadership.

Recognized by Accounting Today as a Top 100 Most Influential Person (2019) and by the Silicon Valley Business Journal as a Woman of Influence (2021), Ariege holds a BS in Science, Technology, and Society, with a concentration in Computer Science, from Stanford University.