March 2026 Chapter Meeting

DATE: Wednesday, March 18, 2026
TIME: 1:00 PM – 6:30 PM
LOCATION:  Bridgewood Conference Center | Neenah

Event Timeline

• 12:30 - 12:55 PM
  Event registration
  
  
• 1:00 - 2:00 PM
  Robert Half Professional Development Presentation
  
  
• 2:00 - 2:15 PM
  Break / Networking
  
  
• 2:15 - 3:15 PM
  CIBC & Mason Wells Panel Discussion
  
  
• 3:15 - 3:45 PM
  Networking, Annual Meeting of Members, & Business Announcements
  
  
• 3:45 - 4:45 PM
  Dr. Bill Crawford Keynote Presentation
  
  
• 4:45 - 6:30 PM
  Social / Dinner
   

Location

Bridgewood Conference Center
1000 Cameron Way
Neenah, WI 54956

Keynote Presentation Time
3:45 - 4:45 PM

Title
Life From The Top Of The Mind

Keynote Summary 

This presentation will use neuroscience to break the cycle of stress and access our best regardless of the situation. 

Learning Objectives

• Participants will learn a system to shift from the stressed brain to the clear confident creative brain in under 45 seconds.
• Participants will learn how to access their best and change the chemical nature of their brain and body when stressed.
• Participants will learn how to rewire the brain so that they become more resilient to stress in the future.

Keynote Presenter & Biography

Dr. Bill Crawford
Crawford Performance Solutions

 In addition to being named Speaker of the Year for leadership organizations in both the United States and Canada, Dr. Bill Crawford holds a master’s degree and PhD in psychology from the University of Houston. He is also a licensed psychologist, author of eight books, and organizational consultant. Over the last 40 + years, he has created more than 4,500 presentations for such organizations as T-Mobile, Shell, The American Medical Association, PBS and many other organizations and professional associations, both nationally and internationally. In addition, his two PBS specials on stress and communication have been seen by more than 15 million people, and he has been quoted as an expert in such diverse publications as The New York Times, Entrepreneur, The Chicago Tribune, Investor’s Business Daily, and Working Mother, just to name a few. 

Robert Half Professional Development Presentation
Topic: The Evolving Role of CFOs - Navigating with Technology & Foresight 
Time: 1:00 - 2:00 PM

Presented By:

Summary & Learning Objectives

A look at the top priorities for finance leaders — among them, security and privacy of data, AI in finance, and financial and strategic planning and analysis in a time of economic and price volatility— points the way toward evolving roles and the tools to navigate change for leaders  whose responsibilities continue to expand in challenging ways.

Join Robert Half and Protiviti as they address the growing list of priorities faced by both leaders and professionals. In this session, we explore the results of Protiviti’s 2025 Global Finance Trends Survey and offer practical takeaways for finance leaders to address these challenges and how to identify technology and talent skills gaps for achieving short- and long-term business objectives.

Participants will learn:

• Identify the top priorities for CFOs and finance leaders in the next 12 months, including data privacy, FP&A and strategic planning 
• Discuss ways finance organizations are utilizing Generative AI  
• Explain how finance teams are navigating a dynamic, volatile economic and pricing environment
  
• Identify key employment trends and in-demand roles to stay competitive in attracting and retaining talent

Presenters & Biographies

Tim Hird
Executive Vice President - Enterprise Accounts
Robert Half | Protiviti

Tim Hird is executive vice president of enterprise accounts for Robert Half and Protiviti. In his role, he leads efforts to deliver integrated, client-focused solutions that help organizations build high-performing functions, solve complex business challenges and drive operational excellence across finance and accounting, technology, risk and compliance, and people and change management. Hird oversees Robert Half’s global enterprise account portfolio and plays a key role in aligning business development and delivery across multiple solution areas to support client growth and transformation initiatives. He works closely with leadership teams to ensure a consistent, high-impact approach to client engagement and solution delivery. Previously, Hird served as executive director at Robert Half. Since joining the company in 2000, he has held leadership roles across the UK, Europe and Asia-Pacific, including launching the division’s London office and directing operations in Singapore, Japan, China and Hong Kong.

Nick McKeehan
Managing Director | Protiviti

Nick, a Managing Director at Protiviti based in Chicago, is a global leader in the firm’s CFO solutions. With over 25 years of experience, he specializes in Finance Transformation, including public company transitions, finance process optimization, accounting standard transitions (ASC 606 & 842), reconciliation and restatement initiatives, shared service centralization, financial process re-engineering, and financial application implementation.

Chris Wright
Managing Director | Protiviti

Chris Wright, from Protiviti’s New York office, is the firm-wide Managing Director of the CFO Solutions and Business Performance Improvement teams, and is the sponsor of the firm’s ESG Client Service Steering Committee. He has over thirty-five years of experience serving clients as an external auditor, including 6 years as a partner at two global accounting firms (Arthur Andersen and KPMG), and as an internal auditor and financial reporting risk consultant.   

At Protiviti, Chris has provided internal audit out-sourcing and co-sourcing, Sarbanes-Oxley readiness and compliance services, and significant assistance to companies experiencing significant business transactions, financial restatements, regulatory inquiries, financial investigations and difficulties in implementing new accounting pronouncements. 

CIBC & Mason Wells Panel Discussion
Topic: Current Trends in the M&A
and Financing Markets
Time: 2:15 - 3:15 PM

Presented By:

Summary & Learning Objectives

Receive an update on current trends in the M&A and Financing Markets and learn from a panel of experts who are actively engaged in the M&A market in Wisconsin.

Learning objectives are as follows:

• Become more knowledgeable as to the M&A and financing markets, including current transaction and leverage multiples 

• Understand current issues facing transaction

• Learn negotiation skills and strategies used by Buyers to complete transactions

Moderator, Panelists, & Biographies

Ron Miller - Moderator
Managing Director & Head of U.S. Middle Market Investment Banking | CIBC

Ron Miller is Managing Director and Head of CIBC’s U.S. Middle Market Investment Banking. He actively managing transactions, business development, and private equity coverage. With over 35 years of transaction experience, Ron has completed more than 130 merger and acquisition and public and private financing assignments which represent approximately $10 billion of transaction value. In 2023 he was named by the Global M&A Network as one of the Top 50 M&A Investment Bankers in the Americas. He is also the host of the Market Monitor, a quarterly podcast highlight trends in middle market M&A and financing markets. 


Brady Walsh - Panelist
Business Development Manager | Mason Wells

As Business Development Manager, Mr. Walsh is primarily responsible for initiating investment opportunities and new business relationships for the Mason Wells Buyout Funds and portfolio companies. In this capacity, Mr. Walsh manages the firm’s relationships with intermediaries, generates investment opportunities, and manages the firm’s business development efforts. Before joining Mason Wells in 2020, Mr. Walsh was a Senior Consultant at Clerestory Consulting, where he focused on assisting clients in implementing effective organizational change. Prior to Clerestory Consulting, Mr. Walsh was a Senior Associate at PwC, where he worked on audit and advisory engagements and earned his Certified Public Accountant designation in 2017.

CPE Credit

Robert Half Professional Development Presentation from 1:00 - 2:00 PM = 1 credit
CIBC & Mason Wells Panel Discussion from 2:15 - 3:15 PM = 1 credit
Keynote Presentation from 3:45 - 4:45 PM = 1 credit

Registrations, Cancellations, or Questions?

Michelle Weiss
920.750.9110
michelle@mwcommunications.org

Register and send cancellations by noon on 3/11/26.

Register Now