2024 Fall Cluster

Diane Allison joined the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s office in May 2021 as the Director of Local Government Services, having served as chief financial officer in three different local governments for a combined total of 17 years.  LLA’s Local Government Services oversees the work of more than 200 independent CPA firms that conduct over 3,600 audits and other types of engagements, prepares fiscal and actuarial notes for the Louisiana Legislature, educates local governments on governmental accounting and internal controls, and performs various advisory services. 

Diane’s areas of expertise are accounting and financial reporting, financial management, budgeting, fiscal policies, school activity funds, accounting for the expenditure of tax-exempt bond proceeds, tax and fiscal compliance, and internal controls.

Diane has over 30 years of accounting experience, including for-profit manufacturing, not-for-profit, public accounting, and local government sectors. She has been a Certified Public Accountant for over 20 years and also holds certifications as a Chartered Global Management Accountant and Certified Government Finance Officer.  In 2019 she received the Woman to Watch Award from the Society of Louisiana CPAs. 

Diane has presented at national, state, and regional accounting conferences, including the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants’ (LCPA), Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), Accounting and Financial Women’s Alliance, and both the Southern and Louisiana Associations of School Business Officials. In addition, she has written articles for various professional publications. She has served on and chaired various LCPA state and chapter committees. She currently is Chair of the national GFOA Accounting, Auditing, and Financial Reporting committee; serves on the LCPA state and local Governmental Accounting and Auditing committee; President-Elect of the Accounting and Financial Women’s Alliance, New Orleans Chapter; and board member of the Women in Public Finance, Louisiana chapter.

Diane is a graduate of Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio with a Bachelor’s degree in English and Accounting. She is a member of the following professional associations:

• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
• Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants
• Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada
• Louisiana Government Finance Officers Association (past President)
• Accounting and Financial Women’s Alliance (past President of the New Orleans chapter)
• Louisiana Association of School Business Officials
• Association of Government Accountants
• Women in Public Finance
• National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers

Ron Gitz, CPA, CGMA, serves as CEO of the Society of Louisiana CPAs (LCPA), a non-profit membership association representing more than 7000 CPAs and future CPAs. Prior to joining LCPA in 2012, Ron had a diverse career working both in public practice and industry. He owned and operated several businesses, including a successful CPA practice.  

At the national level, Ron currently serves on the Board of Trustees for AICPA’s Benevolent Fund which helps members through temporary periods of financial difficulties. He also serves on the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy’s State Society Relations Committee, the Accountancy Stakeholders Working Group, and is Vice Chair of AICPA’s Interchange Planning Executive Committee. Ron is Past President of the CPA Society Executives Association and remains very active in the organization.

On the state level, Ron serves on the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry’s Taxation & Finance Council and is a member of the Committee of 100, and RESET. Ron also is a member of Louisiana State University’s Accounting Advisory Board. He leads LCPA’s Advocacy Team which works year-round to help create a more favorable economic environment for CPAs and the businesses and individuals they serve.

He holds both the CPA and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designations.

Ron enjoys being outdoors and cooking competitively. He lives in Covington with his wife, Jennifer. Together they have three children, Audrey, Mary Grace, and Harrison.

Luke Morris has served as the Deputy Secretary of the Office of Legal Affairs of the Louisiana Department of Revenue since April 2017. He supervises both the Litigation Division and Policy and Legislative Services Division. In this capacity, he advises the Secretary of Revenue on matters in litigation, legislation pending before the Louisiana Legislature, and policy guidance issued by the Department.

Morris received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2010 where he graduated summa cum laude. He attended the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University and received his Juris Doctorate along with a Bachelor of Comparative Law in 2013.

Anne Oestriecher's career has spanned public accounting, banking, nonprofits, and financial services. In 2005, Anne started her own practice providing consulting services to small businesses and leading CPE for CPAs across the country. In 2009, she expanded her services to include financial planning for individuals and companies to help them reach their financial goals.

Now based in Alexandria, Anne is a graduate of Loyola University in New Orleans, with a BBA in accounting. In 2009, she was named LCPA's Discussion Leader of the Year.

Candace E. Wright, CPA/CFF, is a Director in the P&N Accounting & Assurance Services Group. Candy joined the firm in 1985 and became a director in 1994. Prior to joining the firm, she was an accountant with a multistate pharmaceutical company.
Candy has experience working with financial institutions, non-profit entities, governmental organizations, employee benefit plans, healthcare organizations, and manufacturers. She also serves as the Service Line Leader for the P&N Accounting and Assurance Services Group. She is the team captain of many of the peer reviews performed by the firm.
Candy serves as the Chair of the Private Company
Council of the Financial Accounting Foundation.
Additionally, Candy has served on the Governmental
Audit Quality Center’s (GAQC) Executive Committee. She is a member of the LCPA’s Financial Institutions Committee, and serves as the Director in charge of the firm’s Financial Institutions Services Group.