First Look Webcast Series Bundle

Keri Hart, Advantous Consulting, LLC

Keri Hart is a senior member of Advantous Consulting, LLC’s  Business Incentives delivery team. Keri joined the Advantous Consulting team in 2006 and is responsible for the technical and supervisory aspects of business incentives projects.

In her role as senior manager, Keri has almost 20 years of assisting manufacturing and healthcare companies identify, negotiate, and comply with various state and local business incentive programs including Louisiana Enterprise Zone Program, Louisiana Quality Jobs Program, Restoration Tax Abatement Program, the Industrial Property Tax Exemption Program, and a variety of discretionary incentive programs. 

Keri is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management. Keri is an active member of Louisiana Industrial Development Executives Association (LIDEA) and Louisiana Association of Tax Administrators (LATA).

Mary Hogan, EisnerAmper

Mary Hogan is a Director for Eisner Advisory Group’s HR Advisory & Outsourcing Group. With over 30 years of Human Resources experience, she is primarily responsible for the growth and development of the HR Advisory & Outsourcing services, as well as the strategic and tactical execution of HR services to clients. With her extensive experience, Mary brings a sharp focus to many HR programs including organization design, recruiting and retention, compensation and performance management.

Prior to joining Eisner Advisory Group, Mary held several HR Director roles, focused on the development and implementation of HR policies, programs and services. Mary also led her own HR consulting practice where she served as the Outsourced HR Director for client organizations providing strategic planning, goal setting and policy development in all HR functions

Kurt Oestriecher, Partner in Charge, Oestriecher & Company, APAC, CPAs

Kurt Oestriecher is partner in charge of accounting and auditing services with Oestriecher & Company, CPAs, in Alexandria, and is also involved in litigation support and small business consulting engagements.

Kurt is a 3-time recipient of LCPA’s Outstanding Discussion Leader Award and has been named an Outstanding Discussion Leader for the AICPA 10 times. Kurt has served on the Accounting and Review Services Committee, AICPA Council, and has authored several courses for the AICPA and LCPA.

James Schneider, Recruiting Manager, The Personnel Consulting Group

Jim Schneider, CPA, CIA serves as the President & Managing Partner at The Personnel Consulting Group. He is responsible for supervising the accounting, HR, & tech recruitment divisions, along with managing the day-to-day administration of the firm. Before becoming a recruiter, Jim served as an auditor with Big 4 and regional firms, in addition to industry accounting roles as a controller.

Jim is a past president of the New Orleans Chapter of the Society of Louisiana CPAs, treasurer for the American Association for Finance & Accounting, serves on the advisory board for the LSU Department of Accounting, at-large board of the New Orleans Chapter of the Inst. of Internal Auditors, and is on the membership committee of the Construction Finance Management Association. He has spoken at continuing education classes sponsored by the LCPA, CFMA (BR and New Orleans Chapters), IIA (New Orleans Chapter), Hospitality Technology & Financial Professionals, B-Sides NOLA (cybersecurity), Jefferson Chamber, and a variety of university accounting honor societies.

Outside of work, Jim is very active in his church. Jim, a 3rd generation Lakeview New Orleans neighborhood resident, now calls Old Metairie home and married his wife Grace in June 2024. He has run several marathons and also enjoys history as a member of various patriotic, conservator, and preservation organizations serving positions of treasurer, secretary, and at-large board member.

Gerard Schreiber Jr., Schreiber & Schreiber, CPAs

Jerry Schreiber is a Partner in the local accounting firm of Schreiber & Schreiber. He received his BBA from Loyola University and is a member of the AICPA, SLCPA, and New Orleans Estate Planning Council. He is the 2019 recipient of the AICPA Special Recognition Award and the 2018 Arthur J. Dixon Award. The AICPA Special Recognition Award has only been given out 30 times since 1887 by the AICPA. The Arthur J. Dixon Award is the highest honor bestowed by the accounting profession in the field of taxation.

He is currently a member of the AICPA Tax Executive Committee and has served on the AICPA IRS Advocacy and Relations Committee, AICPA IRS Practice and Procedures Committee, AICPA Tax Practice Responsibilities Committee, SSTS Guidance Task Force, SSTS Revision Task Force, Tax Forms Committee, Tax Forms and Education Task Force, and Circular 230 Education Task Force. 

Andrew Schwartz, LSU Business Education Complex Rotunda

As a Professor in the Information Systems and Decision Sciences Department in the E. J. Ourso College of Business Administration at Louisiana State University, Dr. Andrew Schwarz brings to his current position a unique blend of industry and academic qualifications. Prior to pursuing his Ph.D., Andrew completed his undergraduate degree at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, where he majored in social psychology and minored in sociology. Following completion of his bachelor’s degree, Andrew worked in the market research industry for Fortune 500 firms, crafting research aimed at developing advertising campaigns for both new and established products and built models to forecast future trends in the credit card and food and beverage industries. In 2003, Andrew graduated with a Ph.D. in Management Information Systems from the University of Houston.

He is currently involved in research aimed at investigating: 1. IT acceptance and use 2. Information technology management issues, such as governance, firm boundary choice, and alignment 3. The implementation and diffusion of technology within organizations, and 4. Future technology trends Andrew has been ranked in the top 1% of the globe in terms of research productivity in top tier journals and his work has appeared in MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, Journal of the Association for Information Systems, among others.

Tom Stringfellow

Tom Stringfellow joined Argent Trust Company in 2021 as Chief Investment Strategist for the organization. He brings to the company over 40 years of extensive experience in the investment management and energy industries.

Prior to Argent, Tom was at Frost Bank, where he served as President and Chief Investment Officer of Frost Investment Advisors, LLC and as Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of the Frost Wealth Advisors group. He was founder of Frost Investment Advisors, LLC, and responsible for launching the Frost mutual fund complex, formerly included in Barron’s top fund family list.

Tom has graduate degrees in both Economics and Business. During his professional career, he has been sought out by national news outlets for his expertise on the economy and equity markets. His comments on investing and market conditions have been published in the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, US News & World Report, CNBC, Yahoo Finance, and CNN; while also appearing on business media outlets including Fox News, Bloomberg TV and Radio, Forbes, and many others.

Tom has chaired the Investment Committee of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and was appointed as a Council-At-Large Member by the AICPA Board of Directors. Additionally, Tom served on the CFA Institute’s Disciplinary Review Committee, engaged in oversight of ethics issues governing members and CFA candidates.

He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation and is a licensed CFP® and CPA.

Kim Wallett, Advantous Consulting, LLC

Kim Wallett is a senior business incentives expert who brings over 15 years of experience to Advantous Consulting, L.L.C. In her role as Senior Manager,  Kim manages the technical and supervisory aspects of business incentives projects for a wide portfolio of clients, providing guidance on the identification, management, and compliance of various federal, state, and local business incentives offered by governing bodies. Kim is a primary resource for the Quality Jobs Program, Enterprise Zone Program, Industrial Tax Exemption Program, Cooperative Endeavor Agreements, Digital Interactive and Media Software Program, Work Opportunity Tax Credit, and Employee Retention Tax Credits related to natural disasters and COVID-19. 

Kim collaboratively works and consults with our External Affairs team, contributing to our business development, marketing, and government relations efforts. She has established strong ties throughout the community, building valuable relationships with chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, business and industry associations, and state and local officials. Kim currently serves on the Board of Directors for Louisiana Industrial Development Executives Association (LIDEA), co-chairs Ellevate Louisiana’s Taxation and Economic Development Committee, and is a member of Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance (GBRIA). 

Kim graduated from Louisiana State University’s EJ Ourso College of Business with a Bachelor of Science in International Trade & Finance. Outside of work, Kim is an active member of Jefferson Baptist Church, LSU Alumni Association, and Phi Mu Alumnae.

Laila Zissis

Laila Morcos Zissis, PCC, NBC-HWC, CMC, is an intuitive and an ICF Professional Certified Coach, National Board-Certified Health, & Wellness Coach, and a Certified MentorCoach©.  Zissis has a private practice in New Orleans, Louisiana, and is working with or has worked with The Georgetown University Institute of Transformational Leadership Life as a Practicum Advisor with students earning their Health & Wellness credentials, Lyra Health, and Headspace Health. 

Laila decided to go into coaching after experiencing her own challenges in life including unmanageable stress, infertility, weight gain, and most recently, she has undergone breast cancer. But through her own development, she is happy, healthy, and thriving. She helps others achieve the same transformation easily and effortlessly through Coaching – enhancing function at work and at home. We all experience unhappy times in our lives with dreams of achieving more, and Laila is honored to work with clients to uncover what might be getting in the way of their highest potential. 

Zissis is also the Founder and President of LikeMinded Ladies™, a 501c6 membership organization comprising women in business and/or those interested in launching new careers or undertaking new professional endeavors who support each other both professionally and personally to advance toward accomplishing their goals. 

Previously, Zissis worked in Travel Media, Marketing & Sales Executive for MILES, the nation's leading tourism marketing partner, where she worked hand-in-hand with New Orleans & Company and their 1,100 + business members to create forward-thinking content marketing for leisure and business travelers. Zissis is also an award-winning television and radio journalist and public relations practitioner with an extremely diverse background. Her knowledge with on-point messaging and media training, navigating emergent social media, and providing multi-pronged public relations strategies has helped bring clients' businesses to another level in the marketplace.