Faculty

• Gary A. Hotchkiss, CPA
• James A. Smith, CPA
  • Managing Director of Smith, Jackson, Boyer & Bovard, PLLC
  • James A. Smith, CPA, serves as Managing Director of Smith, Jackson, Boyer & Bovard, PLLC, a Dallas based, full service Certified Public Accounting firm. Mr. Smith began his career with a major international accounting firm where he served in both the audit and tax divisions. In his thirty-seven years of professional experience, he has performed audit engagements in real estate development and construction, investment partnerships, manufacturing, utilities, and transportation and health care. He has worked with companies ranging in size from large, multinational corporations to small, closely held companies. He has also been engaged extensively in tax and financial planning consultations for closely held corporations and their owners. Mr. Smith has appeared as a featured commentator on all four Dallas/Ft. Worth network news stations, including three and one-half years as a featured business commentator on KXAS, TV5; on the TSCPA “CPAs on Call” state wide tax television program; and on various radio news programs. He has conducted seminars on tax and financial planning for the Dallas Chapter of the TSCPA and stock brokerage firms and life insurance companies, and on marketing and practice management for the TSCPA, the North Carolina Association of CPAs, the Arkansas Society of CPAs, the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs, and the American Institute of CPAs. Mr. Smith currently serves as Immediate Past Chair of the Texas Society of CPAs (TSCPA), having served as its Chair for the 2007-2008 year, and as a member of its Executive Board and its Board of Directors. He is currently serving a three year term as an elected member of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) Council and is an appointed member of the AICPA Accounting and Review Services Committee. He has served as Chairman of the Dallas Chapter of the TSCPA for the 2002-2003 year and a member of its Board of Directors. He has served the TSCPA as Treasurer and Treasurer-Elect, as elected member or its Executive Board, as Chairman of the External Relations Steering Committee, Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee, Chairman of the Management of Accounting Practice Future Issues Committee, Sub-Committee Chairman of the Quality Review Committee, and Chairman of the Public Practice Association. He has also served on the Strategic Planning Committee and as Chairman of the Young CPAs Committee of the Dallas Chapter of the TSCPA. In recognition of his service, Mr. Smith has been named by the TSCPA as Outstanding Steering Committee Chairman for the year 1999-2000, Outstanding Committee Chairman for the year 1995-1996, and Outstanding Committee Member for the Year 1992-1993 and 1995-96. The Dallas Chapter of the TSCPA also named him CPA of the Year for 1999-2000. Mr. Smith is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Texas and is a graduate of Southern Methodist University with a BBA in Accounting and Economics.
• Kurt G. Oestriecher, CPA
  • Partner-in-Charge of Accounting and Auditing Services, Oestriecher & Company, CPA’s
  • Kurt G. Oestriecher, CPA is partner-in-charge of accounting and auditing services with Oestriecher & Company, CPA’s, a local firm in Alexandria, Louisiana. Kurt joined the firm in 1986 upon graduating from Northeast Louisiana University and became a partner in 1994. In addition to his client responsibilities, Kurt serves as a discussion leader for various accounting and auditing courses throughout the United States and also authors and presents update courses for state and national accounting conferences. In recognition of his efforts, Kurt was presented the 1998 Outstanding Discussion Leader Award by the LCPA. Kurt has also served as an Adjunct Instructor of Accounting at Louisiana State University – Alexandria and Northwestern State University. Kurt is a member of the AICPA and the Louisiana Society of CPA’s (LCPA) and is a Past-President of the LCPA. He has served and continues to serve on numerous state committees, and served as Louisiana's designated member of AICPA council in 2001-2002. Kurt also served on the AICPA Accounting and Review Services Committee from 2000 – 2004, and will begin serving a term on the Joint Trial Board in the fall of 2005.
• Laura A. Billingsley, CPA
  • Senior Technical Editor for Thomson/Reuters/PPC
  • Laura A. Billingsley, CPA, is a senior technical editor for Thomson/Reuters/PPC, in Fort Worth, Texas, where she is responsible for the technical content and annual update of several PPC products, including Guide to Compilation and Review Engagements, PPC’s e-Tools, and The PPC Accounting and Auditing Update newsletter. She is a coauthor of PPC’s Guide to PCAOB Audits, PPC’s Guide to Religious Organizations, and PPC’s Guide to Fraud Risk Assessment: Implementing SAS 99 and Related Guidance. Before joining PPC, she was a senior audit manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, where she managed audit, business assurance, and consulting engagements for a wide variety of domestic and international clients. Ms. Billingsley is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. She has a M.S. degree in accounting, a Masters degree in education, and a B.S. degree with a major in mathematics.