Meet the Speakers

 
Evan Masyr, EVP/CFO, Salem Media Group
(Executive Summit Chair)
 Evan D. Masyr has been Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Salem Media Group since July 1, 2007. He began his career with Salem in February 2000 as the Controller. As CFO, Evan is responsible for the financial and accounting operations, investor relations, managing the capital structure and financial risk and controls. Since being at Salem, Evan has been involved in raising more than $1.8 billion in capital. During his career, Evan has implemented numerous programs aimed at improving efficiencies and reducing costs including implementing a new cash management system, purchasing card program, remote check deposits, a fixed asset system, electronic distribution of internal financial statements and a centralized billings and accounts receivable system. Evan has been honored by the Pacific Coast Business Times with their 40 Under 40 award in 2005 and by the San Fernando Business Journal with their 40 Under 40 award in 2009.  Additionally, he was awarded as one of the CFO’s of the Year in 2010 and 2022 by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal. He was named one of the Top 15 Broadcast Best Finance Leaders each year since 2019. Most recently, He was awarded the CFO Leadership Award by the Los Angeles Times in 2024.Prior to joining Salem, Evan worked as a manager for the Transaction Services department of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Evan has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1995. He graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting. Evan is active in his local community where he successfully fought the local school board regarding the closure of a neighborhood school. He also helped create a School District Finance Committee. Additionally, he serves on the Finance Committee and as an elder of his church. Evan also is the founder, President and Board Member of Adopt Hope, a 501(c)3 organization supporting families with adoption. He has coached PONY baseball and AYSO soccer and taught accounting class at a local business college. Evan and his wife Christy have been married for 31 years and have four children.
 
Ben Shoesmith, Senior Economist, KPMG
Ben Shoesmith is a senior economist with KPMG LLP. His primary role at KPMG is to monitor and analyze economic indicators with a particular focus on international economics. By closely examining economic developments, Ben provides analysis and insights to the KPMG Economics team, enabling firm leadership and clients to gain a deeper understanding of the evolving economic landscape and effectively manage economic risks. While Ben's expertise covers various aspects of the domestic macro economy, he has developed a specialization in international economics, with a specific focus on Southeast Asia. His in-depth knowledge of this region allows him to offer unique perspectives and guidance to KPMG's clients. Professional and industry experience Prior to joining KPMG, Ben held several positions in the field of economics. He worked as a Foreign Exchange Analyst at VF Corporation, where his responsibilities included analyzing and managing international currency exposures through hedging strategies. He also served as a Quantitative Analyst at BB&T, where he forecasted portfolio revenues and losses under various economic scenarios as part of the Federal Reserve's Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (CCAR) stress tests. Additionally, Ben worked as a Research Analyst at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), contributing to economic research projects. Ben's professional background also includes internships on Walmart's Corporate Development team and with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Risk Group. These experiences provided him with diverse perspectives on corporate strategy and risk management. Overall, Ben’s wide-ranging expertise in economics, particularly in international economics and Southeast Asia, make him a valuable asset to KPMG LLP and its clients.
 
Todd Hartman, EVP, Kalil & Co.
Todd Hartman is the Executive Vice President of Kalil & Co., Inc, and has been brokering radio, television, outdoor, and tower transactions since 1999. Todd is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce. Todd Hartman sees the entire playing field of the media brokerage business with uncanny vision. He is able to not only identify the logical buyer but is also able to think outside the box for other buyers the world does not know about. He prides himself on not being an outsider in the transaction process but, rather, an “insider” who is loyal, trustworthy, and confidential. Another of Todd’s strengths is his ability to remove the emotion from a situation. This ability to remain calm at all times allows him to come up with the correct course of action almost immediately. Todd is an avid University of Arizona fan, enjoys playing golf and working out.
 
John Sanders, Principal, Bond & Pecaro
John Sanders is a principal in the firm of Bond & Pecaro, Inc., a Washington, DC‑based consulting firm specializing in valuations, asset appraisals, and related financial services for the media and communications industries. He was one of the founders of the firm in 1986. Prior to his association with Bond & Pecaro, Inc., John was Manager, Appraisal Group, with Frazier, Gross & Kadlec, Inc. He worked for that firm in various analytical and managerial positions between 1982 and 1986. John has been actively involved in both fair market valuations and asset appraisals of over 2,000 television, radio, hardline and wireless cable, radio common carrier, newspaper, and related communications businesses. He has provided expert testimony in local, state, and Federal courts, as well as in arbitration and regulatory proceedings. John has spoken on financial issues for the Cellular Telecommunications Association (CTIA), the Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA), the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), the Media Financial Management Association (MFM), the Telecom Publishing Group, and other organizations. His commentaries have also been published in the trade press, including Cellular Business, PCIA Journal, Open Channels, Broadcasting & Cable, and Communications magazines, the Broadcast Financial Journal, TVNewsCheck.com, and the MFM SmartBrief. He has been interviewed by publications including The Washington Post, The Orlando Sentinel, Communications, PCS News, Radio World, Wireless Week, and Telephony.
 
 
Deborah Newman, Head of Media & Entertainment Industry, Grant Thornton

Deborah Newman is the Head of the Media & Entertainment industry based in the Los Angeles office. In her leadership role, she oversees the growth and operations of the firm’s Media & Entertainment industry practice, which encompasses a full range of audit, tax and advisory services. Deborah has over 25 years of experience in the industry including as the head of Global Compliance & Business Process Improvement at Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., and prior to that as an Entertainment partner in the audit practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She has deep expertise in global entertainment businesses including broadcast television, filmed content production, theatrical and home entertainment. During her expansive career, Deborah has worked with multi-national companies to solve numerous complex challenges such as changing international regulatory standards, financial reporting challenges, operational challenges in unique entertainment specific areas such as participations and residuals, and change management due to mergers, acquisitions, significant business process and technology changes. Deborah has served many clients across the filmed content business including Walt Disney, Sony Pictures Entertainment, A&E Networks, NBC Universal, Fox Studios, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Paramount Pictures, the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences, Screen Actors Guild and the Motion Picture Association. Professional qualifications and memberships: Deborah is a certified professional coach and is six sigma certified. Community involvement: Deborah is an advisor to the board of North Valley Caring Services, a center for community empowerment, offering a wide array of programs to enable residents to lift themselves out of poverty, while also encouraging them to build a vision for their community’s future. Education: Graduate of California Polytechnic University in Pomona, California.

  
Alvaro Duque-Estrada, Senior Director EEA practice, The Hackett Group
Alvaro (“Al”) Duque-Estrada is a Senior Director at The Hackett Group's EEA practice with over 20 years of experience driving strategic innovation and digital finance transformation across Fortune 500 companies.  Specializing in the deployment and optimization of Oracle EPM finance systems, with a strong focus on process automation, operational efficiency, and scalable productivity solutions.  Proven ability to transform complex finance and accounting functions by integrating leading practices and adopting cutting-edge technologies, including cloud technologies, AI, and advanced analytics. As part of The Hackett Group’s EEA) practice, Alvaro is responsible for leading client engagements, designing and architecting solutions, and enabling implementation teams to deliver digital world class solutions that incorporate best practices and address industry-specific challenges.
 
 
Rachen Patel, Principal, The Hackett Group
Rachen Patel is a Principal in The Hackett Group’s EPM, ERP & Analytics (EEA) Practice. Rachen has over 25 years of experience in managing strategic initiatives to achieve business results. His experience combines a unique set of skills spanning business, functional and technical competencies which effectively enables world class consultancy specifically in terms of strategic roadmap, architecture, and transformation of Financial processes and systems. Proficient in working with IT and Business Execs to effectively prioritize tasks, bridge the gap between business objectives and technology capabilities, and translate business requirements into successful enterprise solutions.  As part of The Hackett Group’s EEA) practice, Rachen is responsible for Hackett’s ERP Solution Architecture team, bringing highly experienced solution architects to our client’s most challenging problems to design and implement world class solutions.
 
 
Mandy Reeves, Managing Partner DC, Latham and Watkins
Mandy Reeves, recognized as one of the top antitrust lawyers in the world, is a partner in the Litigation & Trial Department. She is the Office Managing Partner of the Washington, D.C. office, and formerly served as Global Chair of Latham’s Band 1 Global Antitrust & Competition Practice. Mandy is a sought after global leader and strategic adviser in the antitrust bar. She routinely provides sophisticated advice to lead clients through their toughest matters, whether it involves developing a creative strategy to work constructively with global regulators to obtain regulatory approval, aggressively proceeding successfully through litigation and trial, or advising and leading the charge in defending novel monopolization claims in confidential investigations or landmark litigations. Her work cuts across all industries including high technology, life sciences, healthcare, aerospace, entertainment, sports, media, communications, agriculture, automotive, retail, and consumer products. Mandy is one of a handful of lawyers to have successfully led merger matters opposite both the DOJ Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission in recent years from signing, through the Second Request process, to closing following trial. Mandy is a Chambers Band 1 lawyer and Global Competition Review (GCR), the world’s leading antitrust publication, named her the Global Competition Lawyer of the Year. She has also received numerous other accolades including Law360 Competition Law MVP; Forbes America’s Top 200 Lawyers; Legal Media Life Sciences Antitrust Lawyer of the Year; GCR Top Women in Antitrust; and The Deal “Top Women in Dealmaking.” In addition to Chambers, she has been recognized by Legal 500, Benchmark Litigation, and has been named a Who’s Who Global Thought Leader in Competition Law. Mandy previously served as Attorney Advisor to Commissioner J. Thomas Rosch at the Federal Trade Commission. She is an active member of the American Bar Association’s Antitrust Section, where she previously served on the Section’s Governing Council and has chaired the Annual Law & Economics Institute for Judges, an intensive training program, which trains federal judges in antitrust law and economics. Mandy has served in multiple management roles at Latham including her previous position as Chair of Latham’s Global Antitrust & Competition Practice Group and Global Chair of the firm’s Mentoring Committee. Prior to joining Latham, Mandy clerked for Judge Mary Beck Briscoe, former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and for Judge John G. Heyburn II, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.
 
Jenna Kirkpatrick Howard, Senior Vice President, Lockton Companies
In her role as Senior Vice President at Lockton, Jenna works with non-profit and for-profit organizations to identify, assess, and manage their financial, operational, and reputational risks. This is accomplished by understanding the mission and goals of her clients and then lead Lockton teams in the risk management strategy, insurance program design, risk finance, employee benefit consulting, claims advocacy, and risk control. Her clients are real estate owners, developers, general contractors, engineers, community development entities, social services, higher education, and other entities with large property portfolios. As a 2018 graduate of the KPMG Executive Leadership Institute for Women (ELIW), she is committed to mentorship, advocacy and the advancement of female business leaders. Within her firm, she serves on the executive committee for Lockton’s Women in Leadership for the Northeast and Steering Committee for the Diversity Equity & Inclusion Council. Jenna is also a member of the Elite Women Producer (EWP) group within Lockton. This group of producers is committed to taking the business to the next level and making a positive impact. After a decade of membership in Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW DC), Jenna stepped into the role of Board President for 2020. This organization’s mission is to advance women in commercial real estate through education, networking, professional development, and mentorship. During her four years on the Board of CREW DC, she played a pivot role in the development of the current strategic plan and championed a key objective of that plan on fostering female leadership. Jenna also serves on the Board of Directors for the American Association of University Women (AAUW) whose vision is equity for all accomplished through the mission of advancement and advocacy for women and girls. Jenna co-authored a book for the American Bar Association titled Construction Insurance: A Guide for Attorneys and Other Professionals. In addition, she regularly hosts webinars on risk management topics and speaks at industry events such as the ABA Construction Forum, Washington Business Journal, and RIMS. In her spare time, Jenna is actively involved in philanthropy working with groups that support families in the Washington DC community. She was previously the Board Treasurer for 826DC, a nonprofit dedicated to working with students to develop their writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Jenna also is on the host committee for the 2020 Women on Boards Luncheon and the Annual Harvest for Hope Event for Volunteers of America Chesapeake raising funds to end homelessness in Northern Virginia. In addition, she joined the Finance Committee of Community of Hope, an organization that provides quality healthcare and stable housing to families in the DC Metro area.
 
 Dan McGuire, Principal, Ryan LLC 
Dan McGuire is a Principal in Ryan, LLC’s State Income and Franchise Tax Practice. He has more than 30 years of public accounting experience and retired in 2023 as a State and Local Tax Partner with a Big Four firm. Dan advises clients on state income and franchise, sales and use, and property tax matters, including controversy, multistate tax planning for restructurings and mergers and acquisitions, and tax compliance across the United States. His experience spans media and entertainment, financial services, private equity, and technology services.  He is a frequent speaker for COST, TEI, MFM, the Maryland Association of CPAs, and other industry groups. He is a past board member of the Media Financial Management Association and a Trustee of the Maryland Academy of Sciences.