Top Sessions to Attend at AAA Global Connect: An Educator’s Guide to the 2026 Program

You didn’t get into accounting education to teach the same syllabus forever. But between generative AI reshaping how students research, the CPA licensure pathways diverging state by state, and new standards changing how firms handle crypto assets, staying current can feel more urgent—or more overwhelming. Prepare your students for the realities of accounting by knowing what’s next in the profession. At AAA Global Connect—the AAA’s premier annual gathering—academics, standard-setters, and practitioners come together to keep you ahead. 

2026 AAA Global Connect runs from Saturday, August 1 through Wednesday, August 5, 2026, in Las Vegas, with pre-conference workshops on August 1–2, followed by the Opening Plenary and the start of concurrent-session programming on Monday, August 3. From there, a dozen or more tracks run in parallel through Wednesday afternoon. This guide highlights the sessions that matter most if your priority is what to teach next semester and how to keep your students exam- and career-ready. Session times, titles, and presenters reflect the current event program as published.  

AAA Global Connect is the American Accounting Association’s flagship annual meeting, bringing together accounting academics, doctoral students, membership organizations, and practice-side partners from firms like Deloitte, KPMG, EY, and PwC.  

For educators, it’s the fastest way to hear directly from the AICPA & CIMA, IMA, and standard-setters like the FASB about what’s changing within the industry. 

With multiple tracks running simultaneously—including DATA (data analytics), TAR (early-stage research), accounting pipeline research, and dozens of discipline-specific sessions—you’ll have access to engaging presentations and discussions featuring a diverse lineup of respected educators and thought leaders. This is your opportunity to discover, connect, and walk away with insights that can help you truly make an impact. Check out some key topics and sessions below that might be of interest to you. 

Start Monday, August 3 (10:15–11:45 a.m.) with Talent and Workforce Development — Exploring the Current Intersection of Academia, Licensure, and Employment, moderated by Michael Decker of the AICPA. Held right after the Opening Plenary, it’s designed to give attendees, in the AAA’s own words, “a strong foundational understanding for the entire Global Connect conference.” The session will cover enrollment trends, CPA Exam candidate behavior under alternative licensure pathways, and firm hiring amid growing AI, outsourcing, and offshoring adoption. 

Follow up Tuesday, August 4 (10:15–11:45 a.m.) with Embracing Opportunities: Navigating the Evolving CPA Licensure Pathways with Innovative Solutions, where AICPA & CIMA’s Beth Piuze, Jan Taylor, and Lindsey Yopp dig into how bachelor’s- and master’s-level programs are adapting curricula to the new licensure pathways states are rolling out. Then, Tuesday at 2:00–3:30 p.m., The Integration of Current and Emerging Global Accounting Topics in the Undergraduate Accounting Curriculum (presenter not listed) tackles a real consequence of licensure reform. As fewer students need a Master of Accounting to sit for the exam, fewer are getting exposure to international accounting topics. This panel offers concrete strategies for building international content into undergraduate courses instead. 

Tuesday, August 4, (2:00–3:30 p.m.) offers Beyond the Hype: Practical Strategies for Building an AI-Proficient Accounting Workforce, moderated by Jennie Ly of Baker Tilly with panelists Ann Dzuranin (Northern Illinois University) and Kinman Tong (Baker Tilly). This session brings together educators, firm trainers, and corporate AI deployers to explore how to teach AI as a tool that amplifies professional judgment, not a threat to it. Running at the same time, Teaching Critical Thinking, Professional Skepticism, and Ethics in the Age of Generative AI, moderated by Jennifer Cainas (University of South Florida) offers modular, scalable classroom activities for helping students question AI-generated content instead of just grading around it. 

Also, in that same 2:00–3:30 p.m. slot are DATA Session 9 and DATA Session 10. DATA Session 9 features the EY Academic Resource Center’s (EYARC) analytics-mindset cases plus Structured Query Language (SQL) Fiddle content. DATA Session 10 walks through an introduction to data preparation in Power BI with Power Query, taught by Guido Geerts (University of Delaware) and Leanna Geerts (Tower Hill School).  

The crypto-asset research session on Tuesday at 4:00–5:30 p.m., Crypto Assets and the Accounting Profession: Reporting, Auditing, Taxation, and Regulatory Perspectives, moderated by Qiu Zheng (University of Michigan-Flint), unpacks how the FASB’s ASU 2023-08 fair-value measurement and disclosure requirements for digital assets are changing both financial reporting and how you teach it. 

This year’s program leans heavily toward CPA-track content, but two Tuesday sessions speak directly to the broader certification pipeline. Using Data Analytics to Strengthen Critical Thinking and Build the Accounting Talent Pipeline (4:00–5:30 p.m.) will discuss how the CPA changes and the CMA’s strategic-decision-making focus are both testing data analytics differently than they used to.  

In addition, Tuesday’s Modernizing Managerial Accounting Education: Curriculum, Careers, and Technology (2:00–3:30 p.m.) moderated by Di Wu (California State University, Bakersfield) is worth your time if you teach toward the CMA or advise students on their certification path to bring insights back to advising conversations.

Monday’s Belonging Is a Business Strategy: Engagement, Access & Community in the Accounting Talent Pipeline (4:00–5:30 p.m.) moderated by Eshe Dotson (Plante Moran) and Tuesday’s Strengthening the Global Accounting Pipeline: Insights from Practice, Policy, and International Experience (10:15–11:45 a.m.) moderated by Amal Said (Northern Kentucky University) both dig into what’s actually working to widen the pipeline into the profession. Pair either with Tuesday’s Inspiring the Next Generation: University Outreach and Resources for High School Accounting Education (2:00–3:30 p.m.) moderated by Markus Ahrens of AAA if you’re building outreach partnerships with local high schools. 

Take a look at Strategies For Working In The Current Environment (Tuesday, 2:00–3:30 p.m.) moderated by Natalie Churyk (Northern Illinois University), where mentoring and workplace-expectation panelists from KPMG, PwC, EY, and Deloitte’s teams speak candidly about what firms want from new hires right now. And if you want direct access to AAA leadership, block off Tuesday, 5:30–6:00 p.m., for Q&A with AAA—an opportunity to meet AAA leadership and ask them questions directly.

The theme across nearly every session above is the same—the profession is changing faster than any single textbook revision cycle, whether it’s AI reshaping assessment design, licensure pathways reshaping enrollment, or new standards reshaping how you teach crypto assets. That’s the work Gleim has done for more than 50 years—tracking every CPA update, every CMA case-based-question rollout, and every IRS and IIA change for the EA and CIA. 

If you’re heading to Las Vegas, be sure to connect with our Professor Relations team at booth #35 or contact us at professor.relations@gleim.com or 800.874.5346 ext. 658. We hope to see you at 2026 AAA Global Connect.