Connect with fellow foundation leaders, exchange fresh ideas and discover practical ways to advance your foundation’s mission. Join PKF O’Connor Davies on Thursday, December 3, 2026, for our 19th Annual Private Foundations Executive Symposium to hear perspectives from specialists and peers that will inform your planning for the year ahead.
Explore the philanthropic landscape following the midterm elections, thoughtful approaches to sunsetting a foundation, opportunities to use artificial intelligence responsibly, strategies to strengthen cybersecurity and the latest IRS developments.
Program Highlights:
- Update from Washington, D.C. and the Midterm Elections – Legislative and policy developments, election outcomes and their impact on private foundations and the broader philanthropic community.
- Sunsetting a Private Foundation: Planning for Lasting Impact – Key considerations for spending down and concluding operations while honoring donor intent, supporting grantees and preserving a legacy.
- Cybersecurity and AI: Opportunities and Responsible Innovation – Practical perspectives on using AI in foundation operations while safeguarding sensitive information, strengthening cybersecurity and maintaining effective oversight.
- IRS Update: What Private Foundations Need to Know – Recent IRS developments and compliance considerations.
Whether you’ll join us in person or via live stream, we look forward to welcoming you for a timely and thought-provoking conversation with leaders across the philanthropic community.
Attend Live or Join Us on Zoom:
Register here for live attendance
Register here for virtual attendance
Agenda:
8:45 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. – Registration / Breakfast / Networking
9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – Program
Who Should Attend:
Foundation Board Members, Executives, Chief Financial Officers, Controllers, Program Officers and other private foundation professionals.
Hosts:
PKF O’Connor Davies
Thomas F. Blaney, CPA, CFE, Partner
Christopher D. Petermann, CPA, Partner
Practice Leaders of Philanthropic and Foundation Services
Presenters:
Integer, LLC
Sara Barba, Managing Partner
Harlem Children’s Zone
Ralph Stefano, Chief Financial Officer; formerly the Chief Financial Officer, Edna McConnell Clark Foundation
PKF O’Connor Davies
Thomas DeMayo, Partner, Cybersecurity and Privacy Advisory
Maher Masri, Partner, Chief AI and Transformation Officer
Tania Miranda, Director
CPE Credits:
1 CPE credit in Specialized Knowledge; 1 CPE credit in Information Technology
No prerequisites or advanced planning required
Program Level: Basic
Delivery Method: Group Program
Learning Objectives:
- Identify key implications of the midterm election results for private foundations and the broader philanthropic sector.
- Identify key financial, operational and governance considerations when planning to sunset a private foundation.
- Evaluate how distribution timelines and grantee transition planning can support a foundation’s charitable mission and lasting impact.
- Identify opportunities to use artificial intelligence in foundation operations and grantmaking.
- Recognize emerging cybersecurity threats, including threats enabled by artificial intelligence.
- Identify governance practices and internal controls that support responsible AI use and protect foundation assets and sensitive information.
- Identify recent IRS guidance and developments affecting private foundations.
- Recognize the implications of these developments for foundation tax compliance, reporting and administrative practices.
PKF O’Connor Davies is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State Boards of Accountancy have the final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE Credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org.