More than 100 professionals from across the nation, including former and current congressional members, state officials, executive officers, U.S. business leaders, CPA partners and business advisors gathered for America Rising: STEM, Leadership & the Future of U.S. Business—an exclusive leadership event hosted by alliantgroup.

During the two-day conference, attendees were treated to a series of interactive panels highlighting some of the most crucial issues facing U.S. business leaders and policymakers.

Those in attendance included former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, former Alabama Governor Bob Riley, former Missouri Governor Kit Bond, former U.S. Congressmen Harold Ford, Jr. and Rick Lazio, former Senior Counsel to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee Dean Zerbe, former IRS Commissioners Mark W. Everson, Steven Miller and Kathy Petronchak, and alliantgroup CEO Dhaval Jadav.

Thomas DeLong, a Senior Fellow, former Philip J. Stomberg Professor at the Harvard Business School and author of “Flying Without a Net,” gave the conference’s keynote lecture on the importance of leadership and empathy within any successful and sustainable business.

Keeping with the theme of leadership, alliantgroup Vice Chairman of Professional Services and former CEO of Deloitte Italy Frank Tirelli and former COO of Grant Thornton Jim Brady, gave a presentation that focused on a number of strategies to build and manage a successful professional services organization.

Leveraging their combined seven decades of experience within the industry, Tirelli and Brady discussed how professional services has evolved over the years and where executives from these organizations should be spending their time to grow their firms.

In addition to these events, the conference also included a panel on the growing importance of cybersecurity protocols for mid-market businesses and a presentation from alliantgroup CEO Dhaval Jadav awarding 13 STEM scholarships to students who are pursuing higher education within a STEM field.  “I would like to thank everyone who took the time to attend this event,” said alliantgroup CEO Dhaval Jadav. “Our goal in hosting these conferences is to provide thought leadership to our CPA firms and the businesses they serve. By providing them with the information they need to stay ahead of emerging economic, industry and policy trends, it is our hope that we are offering another avenue to ensure their continued success.”