Speaker Bios: Member Appreciation Day 2026

Barbara Agerton

Accounting Practice Intermediary, Poe Group Advisors

Barbara Agerton, CPA, is an Accounting Practice Intermediary with Poe Group Advisors, where she helps accountants confidently buy, build, and sell their firms. A CPA since 1989, Barbara founded her own tax practice in 2005 and transitioned it to a fully cloud-based firm in 2013. Her forward-thinking approach earned national recognition in 2016 as one of 15 finalists for Intuit’s “Firm of the Future.” In 2021, she engaged Poe Group Advisors to sell her firm, giving her valuable firsthand experience on both sides of the transaction. Barbara holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Master of Accountancy from the University of West Florida. As a military spouse, her career has taken her across the country before ultimately returning home to Texas. She is a member of TXCPA, AICPA, and the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA), and earned her Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) designation in 2026. Known for her professionalism and relationship-focused approach, Barbara is committed to helping clients achieve successful outcomes. Outside of work, she and her husband enjoy flying their plane.

Emily Jones

Sports Reporter, Texas Rangers Baseball Club & Insurance Agent, Advocate Financial Partners

Lindsey Kennimer, CPA

Senior Director, AICPA Governmental Auditing and Accounting

Lindsey Kennimer, CPA, is Senior Director of Governmental Auditing and Accounting at the AICPA, where she leads initiatives focused on governmental auditing and accounting, including compliance and single audits. She oversees the AICPA’s Governmental Audit Quality Center and its Executive Committee and plays a key role in advancing audit quality across the profession. Lindsey also directs the AICPA’s governmental accounting efforts, including work with the State and Local Government Expert Panel, engagement with the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), and responses to GASB due process documents.

Prior to joining the AICPA, Lindsey spent more than 19 years in public accounting, most recently as an audit partner with Snow Garrett Williams in Weatherford, Texas. She has extensive experience performing financial statement and single audits for local governments. Lindsey has also served as a peer review team captain in Texas and as a subject matter expert for the AICPA Oversight Task Force, conducting enhanced oversight reviews of Government Auditing Standards and Single Audit engagements.

Chris Lucas, CPA/ABV, CFA, CEPA

Owner, Lucas Valuation Group, LLC

Chris Lucas is the founder of the Lucas Valuation Group and an affiliate of DBG Advisors, a leading DFW business brokerage firm. During the last thirty years, he has valued hundreds of companies and performed valuations in almost every industry. A decade of his valuation experience took place on Wall Street as a professional investor in leveraged finance debt instruments. During this period, he added expertise in credit analysis and debt structuring to his robust valuation skillset. Chris founded the Lucas Valuation Group in 2018 to assist small and medium sized business owners understand what their businesses were worth and to help them plan for successful transitions from their businesses. In addition to his desire to help small and medium sized business owners, Chris occasionally serves as an expert witness. He has qualified as an expert in a variety of capacities in both state and federal courts.

Ryan Pannell

Business Broker, Accounting Practice Sales

Ryan Pannell is a Dallas-Fort Worth based Practice Transition Consultant with Accounting Practice Sales. For more than 20 years, she has assisted sellers and buyers in the transfer of accounting and tax practices and has personally facilitated close to 500 sales during that time. She is involved in every part of the process from business valuation and marketing to closing and transition. Ryan is a Texas Real Estate Broker with a degree in Economics, Managerial Studies and English from Rice University in Houston, Texas. Accounting Practice Sales was founded in North Texas and is the largest marketer of accounting and tax practices in North America.

Tim Pike, CPA, CFE

Regional Managing Partner, The Bonadio Group

Tim is the Dallas Regional Managing Partner of The Bonadio Group and a member of the firm’s Partner Admittance Committee. Pike has extensive assurance experience in a wide variety of industries, and he also devotes considerable time consulting with organizations on internal controls, litigation support, and accounting best practices. He additionally performs peer reviews and consults with accounting firms regarding technical issues. In 2020, Tim was recognized as the CPA of the Year by TXPCA Dallas and served as chair in 2018-2019. He is the current chair of the TXCPA Governance and Awards committees, served as Chair of the Board for TXCPA in 2023-24 and is a past chair of the Peer Review Committee and Membership Task Force.

In his free time, Tim and his wife Kristin enjoy exploring new cities and places. Tim is also an avid runner who has participated in hundreds of races. While he has competed in events ranging from 5Ks to marathons, the half marathon is his preferred distance. His favorite times to run each year are the day after Christmas, to watch kids playing with their new toys, and New Year’s Day, when he can sense the new year. Tim is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and TXCPA. You will also find Tim training other professionals on various continuing education topics throughout the state and periodically serving as adjunct faculty for local universities. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Texas Woman’s University and a Master of Accountancy degree from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Renee Prince, CPA, CGMA

President at Renee Prince, CPA, PC

Renee is driven by her entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for her profession. She has served on various AICPA and TXCPA committees to drive the profession forward through continuing education, continuing the pipeline of potential CPA candidates, working with federal, state, and local politicians to advocate for policy for accountants and taxpayers alike, and creating an environment to foster growth with other firm owners. As a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas and Lubbock Christian University, as well as national and local chapter leadership academies, she has consistently sought opportunities to not only grow as a leader but also to create strong bonds between and within organizations. Renee loves working with clients to help them achieve their dreams. In her spare time, she loves to read, quilt, hike, and spend time with her family in the pool.

Donna Rutter, CPA

Founder, Donna R. Rutter CPA, PC

Donna Rutter, CPA, is a Texas-based tax expert and the founder of Donna R Rutter CPA PC in Fort Worth, a firm she established in 2021. She brings more than 25 years of experience in tax and business advisory services, including senior roles at major accounting firms such as Arthur Andersen, KPMG, and EY, where she served as Executive Director of Indirect Tax Services. Donna specializes in multi-state taxation, tax policy, business advisory services, process automation, and QuickBooks accounting. Recognized for her leadership and expertise, she was named a Great Woman of Texas in 2019 by the Fort Worth Business Press. She is deeply involved in shaping Texas tax policy, having served on the Texas Society of CPAs State Tax Committee and as a member of the Texas Comptroller’s Taxpayer Advisory Group, where she has advised on state tax regulations and testified before the Texas House Ways and Means Committee. A graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington with a BBA in Accounting, Donna is also committed to volunteerism, having served on the board of Alliance For Children, and remains active in professional organizations such as the AICPA. She is widely known for her leadership in Texas taxation and her work training and mentoring other CPAs across the state.

Venkat Venkatesan

Senior Manager at EY

Venkat Venkatesan is a Senior Manager in EY’s Tax Technology and Transformation practice, where she helps shape the digital strategy for the US firm’s indirect tax platform and broader innovation agenda. She brings deep experience across AI, data engineering and cloud architecture, and leads cross-functional teams in translating complex tax requirements into agile, client-ready solutions. At the intersection of tax, technology and innovation, Venkat works with tax executives to build enterprise-scale data lakes and embed intelligent automation for real-time insight and more trusted delivery. She holds an MS in Information Management from Syracuse University and a B.Tech in Information Technology from Anna University. Venkat is passionate about innovation, continuous learning and mentoring future talent.

Michael A. Villa, Jr.

Partner, Meadows Collier

Mr. Villa was named the Best Lawyers® 2024 Litigation and Controversy-Tax "Lawyer of the Year" in Dallas/Fort Worth and recognized by Best Lawyers® from 2021 to 2026. He has also been named a Texas Super Lawyer in Texas Monthly and Texas Super Lawyer Magazines from 2013 to 2025. From 2010 to 2013, he was named a Texas Rising Star. Mr. Villa focuses on resolving federal tax controversies and white-collar crime, including securities, tax and bank fraud. He represents individuals, closely-held businesses, and large corporations in IRS audits, appeals, and litigation, as well as in business disputes and lawsuits involving fraud, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, deceptive trade practices act violations, non-compete violations, business torts, and other commercial disputes. Mr. Villa represents athletes and specializes in NIL issues, tax strategies, entity formations, endorsement strategy, and long-term brand development for collegiate athletes. Prior to joining the firm in 2007, Mr. Villa worked in Washington, D.C. as a Congressional intern to U.S. Senator John Breaux (Retired) and worked as an Associate with a regional law firm in New Orleans, Louisiana. From 2004 to 2005, he served as a Judicial Clerk to the Honorable James J. Brady, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Louisiana. Mr. Villa was admitted to practice in Texas in 2005 and in Louisiana in 2004.