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Dr. Andrew C. Temte, CFA

Biography:

Andrew Temte, PhD, CFA, is president of Kaplan Professional Education (KPE), a division of Kaplan Higher Education Group. As president of KPE, Dr. Temte is responsible for overseeing the following operating units:

• Kaplan University School of Professional and Continuing Education (PACE), helping individuals attain and maintain a wide array of industry-recognized licensures, certifications, and designations.
• Kaplan University College of Business and Technology, serving degree-seeking online and campus-based students.
• Hesser College, offering students online and campus-based degree and diploma programs in business, health, information technology, and general education.

In addition, Dr. Temte is responsible for the Enterprise Learning Solutions group which establishes and maintains corporate partnerships for Kaplan University.

Dr. Temte started his professional education career in 1990, working with Dr. Carl Schweser until 1999 to build Schweser Study Program into the global leader in CFA^® exam review. Upon the acquisition of Schweser Study Program by Kaplan, Inc. in 1999, Dr. Temte assumed leadership of the Kaplan Schweser organization. Under his direction, Kaplan Schweser became a leading global provider of innovative, efficient, and effective financial education solutions.

Dr. Temte earned his doctorate in finance at the University of Iowa with a concentration in international finance and investment theory. He holds the CFA designation and has over 16 years of university teaching experience in the areas of corporate finance, investments, and international finance.

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Dr. Tim Smaby, CFA, FRM

Biography:

Tim Smaby is Chief Learning Officer of Kaplan Schweser and Kaplan Financial Education, divisions of Kaplan Professional. Smaby joined the company in 2002 as the manager of the Level 2 CFA study materials. In his current role as CLO, Smaby oversees all content development and production for Kaplan Professional's insurance, securities, and advanced designations product lines.

Prior to joining Kaplan, Smaby was an associate professor of finance at Penn State Erie. Previously he held various positions in the banking industry with Bank One in Cincinnati, Ohio and First Republic Bank in Dallas, Texas.

Smaby is a CFA Charterholder and has also been awarded the Financial Risk Manager (FRM) designation. He holds a Ph.D. in finance from the University of Cincinnati, an MBA in finance from the University of Wisconsin, and a BS in economics from the University of Minnesota.

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Jodi Joachim, CFA

Biography:

Jodi holds an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley and a B.A. in Economics from Gustavus Adolphus College. Jodi joined Kaplan Schweser in 2001 and until recently focused on CFA content development and support. Currently, she oversees the editing and online content teams and the professional development product line. Prior to joining Kaplan Schweser, she worked in the financial planning and analysis groups at the division and corporate levels of Gap, Inc. Prior to that, she was an examiner with the San Francisco office of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), specializing in real estate valuation and analysis. Jodi is an avid equestrian.

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Denise Probert, CPA, MPA

Biography:

Until January 2009, Denise was an Associate Professor in the Dahl School of Business at Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI. She taught accounting and financial management at Viterbo University since 2000. Denise taught financial accounting at the intermediate and advanced levels, auditing, federal taxation, cost accounting, and financial management. In addition, Denise has taught quantitative methods in the Master of Business Administration program at Viterbo University. Prior to teaching at Viterbo, Denise taught at Upper Iowa University, Dakota State University, Southwest State University, and Wayne State College.

Denise has a Master of Professional Accountancy from the University of South Dakota. In addition, she holds a Master of Science in Business and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Education from Wayne State College. She is licensed to practice (CPA) in the state of Wisconsin and a member in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, American Accounting Association, Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and American Society of Women Accountants. Denise recently served as member and Treasurer of Gundersen Lutheran’s Partners board. Denise is a national and international speaker on the implications of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 on non-profit organizations and IT workers, building a culture of ethical behavior, ethics education, and assessment.

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Joyce Schnur, MBA, CFP®

Biography:

Before joining Kaplan Schweser as vice president and manager of CFP^® instructors, Joyce had over 20 years of personal financial counseling experience including serving as a senior manager of an international accounting firm, during which time she advised many executives, directors of Fortune 500 Companies as well as small business owners. Throughout her career, Joyce has been a frequent lecturer on many financial planning topics including stock options and estate planning. She is also an instructor for various financial planning courses including fundamentals, income tax, retirement and estate planning. Joyce holds an MBA in finance from Duquesne University and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Grove City College. Joyce is a co-author of Kaplan Financial’s Personal Financial Planning Theory and Practice and an author and editor for the Executive Tax & Management Report. She is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™.

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Rhonda Burton, CPA

Biography:
Rhonda is the proprietor of a public accounting firm offering a full range of accounting and consulting services to a diverse client base. She began her career with Ernst & Young in its accounting and auditing department, working primarily with Fortune 100 and SEC reporting clients. Her experience at Ernst & Young also encompassed work with governmental entities, including a large municipality with wide-ranging operations. She furthered her accounting career as senior account for Chiquita Brands International, Inc., and was responsible for the financial reporting for eight transportation subsidiaries. Later Rhonda was the finance officer/tax commissioner for the City of Springdale, Ohio, and was department director for both its finance and tax departments, working closely with the city administration and other department directors regarding all financial, accounting, and tax matters. The focus of her current practice is on accounting and reporting solutions for individuals, small businesses, and governmental entities.

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Kristen Goedert, JD, CPA

Biography:

Ms. Goedert is currently Corporate Counsel and Chief Operating Officer for a closely held Aggregate Company. She has been concentrating on corporate legal issues as well as estate & trust planning for the family owners. Previously, she has worked with the accounting firm McGladrey & Pullen, LLP focusing on estate, gift and trust tax planning and preparation as well as S corporations and individuals. Kristen has also practiced law again focusing on all issues related to tax. She received her law degree from Vermont Law School, cum laude, in 1991 and received her Bachelor’s Degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 1988.

She has also been an adjunct professor of accounting at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse as well as a frequent speaker on financial and estate issues affecting women. She has served on the Boys & Girls Club of La Crosse Board of Directors and was a member of the local committee of the Office of Lawyers Regulation dealing with attorney ethical violations.

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Susan Lakatos, CFA, CFP

Biography:

Susan is a market professional specializing in equity and fixed income valuation, corporate finance, economics, and wealth management, with a focus on statistical and analytical methods and techniques. Susan previously was the global director, securities, at the New York Institute for Finance, where she was in charge of all global training on the financial markets and investments. In this capacity she supervised the development of materials and programs by the staff of instructors and trained personally for key clients.

Her background as an investment analyst and advisor encompasses covers a wide range of financial instruments and clients. Her positions include managing editor street insight for TheStreet.com, director of research for Veronis Suhler, a merchant/investment bank; president of Ananda Advisors in New York; vice president in investment strategy for Kidder, Peabody & Co.; and economist for Washington Analysis Corp., then a subsidiary of Prudential Securities.  Susan was appointed by the United States Secretary of Labor to the U.S. Department of Labor Business Research Advisory Council, which oversees construction and release of economic indicators, including the Consumer Price Index and employment data, and served for ten years.  She was invited to the White House in recognition of her service.

A specialist in Wealth Management and the Capital Markets, Susan has more than a decade of teaching experience and has delivered programs worldwide, including an international economic conference on financial markets and corporate restructuring, with speakers including: Hon. Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Federal Reserve; Hon. Janet Yellen, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors; Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky, U. S. Trade representative; and other key players in world financial markets.

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Darren Lee, CFA, FRM, CPA, CA

Biography:

Darren operates his own consulting practice in Toronto, dealing primarily with tax and finance issues for both corporate and personal clients. He was formerly a tax manager with KPMG, an auditor with Deloitte, and an account manager at the Royal Bank of Canada. Darren graduated from the University of British Columbia with a bachelor of commerce degree.

Darren has extensive experience in lecturing and grading activities relating to professional finance and accounting programs. He has taught for Kaplan Schweser since 2004 and currently manages and teaches in their weekly CFA exam preparatory course in Toronto as well as authoring/editing their FRM study materials.   He also teaches taxation courses for the University of Toronto and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario.

In addition to those activities, Darren maintains part-time careers as a real estate broker and a concert pianist.  An avid runner, he will participate in the 2011 Boston Marathon after qualifying for it recently on his very first marathon attempt. 

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Kim Lyons, MSA, CPA, CGBP

Biography:

Kim has been teaching full-time in the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Accounting Department for eleven of the past twelve years. During that time, she also held the position of Finance Content Specialist with Kaplan Schweser in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Kim received her Bachelor and Master of Science in Accounting from Illinois State University in 1993 and 1994, and passed the CPA exam at that time. Her teaching responsibilities have included Elementary Financial and Managerial Accounting Principles, Intermediate Accounting, Taxation for Non-Accountants, and Personal Finance. In addition, she acts as a faculty advisor to the University’s VITA program, assisting students, elderly, and low-income taxpayers with their tax return preparation and electronic filing each spring.

Prior to teaching at UW-La Crosse, Kim taught at Illinois State University. During the summer of 2008, she earned the qualification of NASBITE Certified Global Business Professional. The CGBP designation demonstrates an individual's understanding of the global business environment, including Global Business Management, Global Marketing, Supply Chain Management, and Trade Finance. Kim has published in the Journal of the Academy of Finance, was quoted in the October 2007 issue of Money Magazine, and is currently engaged in future publications.

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Alan M. Ruppelt, CPA, MST

Biography:

Alan earned a Master of Science degree in taxation and a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. He is a CPA and is licensed to practice in Wisconsin.

Alan has an extensive financial and tax business background and currently operates his own consulting business in Milwaukee, Wisconsin dealing primarily with tax, finance and accounting issues for both personal and corporate clients. He was formerly a senior tax manager with Deloitte & Touche LLP and has held various responsible posts with multinational companies including Director of International Tax positions with AT&T, Cray Research, Inc., Manpower, Inc., and The Parker Pen Company. At various times in his career he has held active positions with the Tax Executives Institute, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the state CPA societies in Minnesota, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Alan enjoys diverse financial challenges and recently spent almost 6 months applying his skills as Interim CFO/Controller for The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee. For the last few years, Alan has assisted Kaplan Schweser in the review and update of various CPA/CPE courses and the Kaplan CPA Review Course.

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