People News: April 4, 2014

CALIFORNIA

BlackLine Systems CEO Therese Tucker was honored at the 2014 FSTech Awards with the ‘Barry Holland Memorial Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement’ – recognizing the Los Angeles-based software company founder for her accomplishments building BlackLine from the ground up into the leader in its space .

FLORIDA

Lisett Murch, a team member at Wolcott & Associates PA recently passed the Enrolled Agent exam administered by the Internal Revenue Service, earning her status as an Enrolled Agent. …James Metzler, CPA, has agreed to serve on the Abacus Advisory Board. Metzler most recently was vice president of Small Firm Interests for the AICPA and a member of its senior management team. In that role, he led AICPA initiatives aimed at serving the needs of 44,000 CPA firms including their practice success, advocacy and issues in serving private company clients. During his tenure, he built and directed the team that transformed the AICPA Private Companies Practice Section into a globally recognized and respected source of practice management resources and expertise. …The North American Board of The Institute of Internal Auditors has selected the 2014 inductees to the American Hall of Distinguished Audit Practitioners. The inductees to the American Hall of Distinguished Audit Practitioners are: Roger Carolus (posthumously), who was a driving force behind the establishment of the Twin Cities Chapter in the 1960s and ’70s and served as Chief Auditor for two of the region’s largest and most prestigious organizations. In addition, he was an IIA volunteer in leadership roles at the local, national and international levels from 1967 until his death in 1986. Nicholas DiMola, the co-founder and principal at Quality Plus & Associates, an internal audit service firm. He has more than 35 years of financial and internal audit experience and is an active member of The IIA, serving The IIA New York Chapter Board of Governors and The IIA’s international committees. Edward Dudley, an active volunteer in The IIA for more than 30 years, served on virtually all committees within the Professional Development Council, spoke at national and international IIA conferences, authored articles for The IIA magazine “Ia”, and served on both the North American Board of Directors and International Board of Directors. Sam McCall, the chief audit officer for Florida State University and has been nationally recognized on multiple occasions for his contributions to the government financial management profession. He is a recipient of the Robert W. King Memorial Award and the Tallahassee Chapter of The IIA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Betty McPhilimy, an associate vice president of Northwestern University, has progressed the internal audit function to include value-added advisory services focused on compliance and risk assessment initiatives. She is a previous IIA Chairman of the Board and winner of the Victor Z. Brink Award. Leon Radde (posthumously), former chair of The IIA Board of Directors, pioneered the development of internal auditing courses taught in major U.S. universities and established The IIA target school program. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to college and university relations, The IIA established the Leon R. Radde Educator of the Year award.

INDIANA

Emily Schenk and Caleb Spears have joined Kemper CPA Group LLP, Greenfield as staff accountants, and David Hoover joined the firm as a tax intern.

MAINE

Carl Chatto has been promoted to director in the audit practice of Baker Newman Noyes. Chatto, who has been with the firm since its founding in 1995, will oversee the firm’s audit practice across its four offices. … Matthew Barlion and Rafael Henckel have joined BerryDunn as staff accountants in the firm’s Portland office. Nicholas Corrow and Benjamin Williams have been hired as tax specialists. Miles Smith, a senior consultant, and Jane Courcy, a consultant, have joined the Management and Information Technology Group at the firm. Ryan Doil, Nicolle Field, Lori Kleckner, and Gary Listug, senior consultants, have joined the firm’s Government Consulting Group. Laura Pandolfo has been hired as a Business Development Associate for the Management and Information Technology Group and the Government Consulting Group. Jim Piraino has joined the firm as a manager in the the tax consulting and compliance group. Prior to BerryDunn Piraino worked at McGladrey as a tax manager.

MASSACHUSETTS

Kenneth Appleby has joined Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. as a member in the firm’s Boston office. Formerly a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP, Appleby brings to the firm deep, tax-specific expertise that spans myriad industries and sectors. He regularly advises clients on such matters as the implications of domestic and international M&A transactions; private equity and real estate fund formation and investments; tax optimized structures for the creation, holding and disposition of intellectual property; the design and implementation of tax efficient structures for real estate development and corporate transactions; like-kind exchanges and syndicated tenant’s-in-common offerings; equity and deferred compensation plans; joint ventures; formation and operation of exempt entities; and multi-state tax planning, particularly state taxation of intellectual property.

MICHIGAN

Beth Bialy, a partner with Southfield, Mich.-based governmental auditing and accounting practice Plante Moran PLCC, was presented with the Being a Difference Award by the NASBA Center for the Public Trust.

MINNESOTA

Erich Pugh has joined Grant Thornton LLP’s Minneapolis tax services practice as a partner.

MISSOURI

Caleb Harris, an associate at BKD LLP’s Springfield office, is a recipient of the 2013 Elijah Watt Sells Award from the AICPA. … Roy Kramer, tax services partner at Brown Smith Wallace in St. Louis, has earned his Personal Financial Specialist designation.

NEW JERSEY

Frank Pina, a managing director at The Mercadien Group and principal in Mercadien PC, and a leader in its forensic and litigation support practice, has been selected for inclusion in the nationally-recognized Philadelphia Business Journal’s annual “40 Under 40” list.

NEW YORK

Alan Kahn, a CPA has joined the full-service, independent broker/dealer American Portfolios as an investment advisor representative. …Rothstein Kass has added eight new employees, including two senior-level professionals: Joseph Fox and Marlon Dunbar as director and senior relationship manager, respectively. Both will work out of the firm’s New York office and bring extensive experience in managing the personal and financial affairs of high-net-worth clientele. The group added three new account managers, including Avigal Nisim, Cynthia Recinos and Rasa Ziliontye, and made key additions to the group’s support staff, including a new administrative assistant, Marina Budnikova, and two bookkeepers, Vanessa Diaz-Aquino and Jonathan Zayas. …Jeff Curry, a banking risk management leader with more than 35 years of experience in both the public and private sector, has joined Deloitte's governance, regulatory and risk strategies practice as a director. Curry will assist Deloitte's banking clients with stress testing, enterprise risk management, and regulatory compliance programs. …Troy Paredes has joined PwC US, New York, as a senior strategy and policy advisor in the firm's financial services regulatory practice. He will advise client boards of directors and senior executives with regard to business strategy, governance, risk management, and other areas. Prior to joining PwC, Paredes was a Commissioner at the Securities and Exchange Commission for five years, from August 2008 until August 2013. He served throughout the financial crisis and during Dodd-Frank's implementation. Paredes holds a bachelor's degree in economics from UC Berkeley and earned his JD from Yale Law School. He is the author of numerous articles on financial regulation, corporate governance, innovation, and behavioral economics. He also is a co-author of a multi-volume treatise on securities regulation. … Tony Panebianco has joined Grassi & Co. as director of Family Wealth Strategies in the firm’s Jericho office. Bill Franzon joined the firm as a tax principal. … Yong Chen has joined LCS&Z LLP, Latham, as a staff accountant. … Alan Ziegler received the NASBA Center for the Public Trust’s Being a Difference award at a recent event sponsored by the Rochester Area Business Ethics Foundation. … Robert Mirsky, global head of KPMG's hedge fund practice, has relocated to New York from London where he will join the U.S. firm to help further strengthen its Alternative Investments team.

NORTH CAROLINA

Brooks Malone, a partner at Hughes Pittman & Gupton LLP, recently spoke to members of First Flight. He discussed how to prepare financial forecasts and use them as a management tool to grow businesses.

OHIO

Becca Davis was recently promoted to director of practice growth at Rea & Associates. In her new role, Davis is responsible for leading the firm’s marketing and business development efforts, guiding strategy for each of the firm’s 11 offices, as well as 12 special service and niche markets. … Dave Worden has joined Elek & Noss CPAs as a senior staff accountant. … Deborah Defer, an associate director at SS&G and an Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, has been selected to become part of the Intuit Writer/Trainer Network.

OREGON

William Langlois, Charlotte Martin, Lauren Smith and William Steele-Long have joined Kernutt Stokes as audit and tax associates. Benton Collins, John Brewer, Jennifer Cranford, and Matthew Eberhart has joined the professional staff at the firm … Ray Jordan, former owner of Ray Jordan, PC has joined Perkins & Co, in Portland, as a principal in the tax department. ...

PENNSYLVANIA

Amy Gohn Anstine, a manager at Reinsel Kuntz Lesher LLP, has been named to Central Penn Business Journal’s 2014 “Women of Influence” awards list for her leadership and achievements at RKL, as well as her contributions to the community. … Key Coleman, joins Smart Devine as a managing director in the business advisory practice. He has over 25 years of experience providing business and financial analysis in the insurance and reinsurance industry. Key’s areas of focus include forensics, dispute analysis, damages and expert testimony. Andrew Wiest, also joins the firm as a managing director with over 25 years of experience in the valuation and appraisal of business enterprises, intangible assets, liabilities and securities for financial reporting purposes such as purchase price allocations, impairment testing and equity compensation, including the analysis and valuation of complex capital structures. Dominic Caglioti, another addition to the firm’s managing director team, has over 30 years of public accounting experience. His background includes working with service oriented businesses, such as medical, legal and real estate, in addition to manufacturing, distribution, retail and professional athletes. His field of expertise includes tax, financial, estate and business planning.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Thomas John Way has joined Cherry Bekaert LLP as director in the firm's tax practice. An expert in tax planning and consulting services, Way will serve entrepreneurial clients in the real estate, construction and professional services industries.

TENNESSEE

Anthony Hill, Fernando Capablanca, Jeremy Adkins-Hill and Gregory Williams have joined Kraft Enterprise Systems LLC. KES, an affiliate of Nashville-based KraftCPAs PLLC, is the Mid-South’s premier provider of software solutions. Hill, a CPA, consults with clients who use Dynamics GP and Dynamics AX. He has more than 28 years of experience in a variety of positions within the financial and technology industries. Hill holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Tennessee at Martin and an MBA from the University of North Alabama. Capablanca, a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist, is specializing on providing consulting services to clients who utilize Dynamics AX. He has more than 15 years of experience in various business, technology and information systems roles, and he has also managed implementations of Epicor and Oracle EBS. Capablanca earned a bachelor’s degree in computer and information sciences from the University of Florida. Adkins-Hill, a Microsoft Certified Professional, works exclusively with Dynamics GP clients. His 10 years of experience includes serving as an intelligence analyst in the U.S. Army and various roles in the manufacturing industry. Adkins-Hill holds a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems from Youngstown State University. Williams, a developer with the KES technology team, assists clients with custom software development and provides support to clients who use NetSuite. He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Freed-Hardeman University. Jennifer Batey has become a member at Kraft Enterprise Systems. Batey, a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist, has more than 18 years of experience in the technology and finance industries. As an MCTS, Batey is certified in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 Financials, Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 Installation and Configuration, and Microsoft Dynamics 10.0 Human Resources and Payroll. She is also credentialed as a certified public accountant and is a member of the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants.

TEXAS

Lupe Garcia, an audit manager at Whitley Penn, has been elected to serve on two boards of directors. Garcia will serve on the Board of Directors of the Texas Society of CPAs for a three-year term and the Board of Directors of the Houston CPA Society for a two-year term beginning on June 1, 2014.

WASHINGTON D.C.

Eric Oman has joined Ernst & Young LLP as an executive director in the firm’s international tax services after more than three years as the Legislative Assistant to US Sen. Michael Enzi, a member of the US Senate Finance and Budget Committees. Oman will be based in Washington, DC, in EY’s National Tax Department. Oman received his Bachelors of Science in Business and Masters in Business Administration from Indiana University. He is licensed as a CPA in the District of Columbia, California and Indiana. … Steven Richards has been named senior advisor to the director of the Division of Enforcement and Investigations at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. Richards has served as Special Advisor to PCAOB Chairman James Doty since March 2011. In that role, Richards advised the Chairman on all matters that came before the Board and worked with the other Board members on the Board's priorities. … Daniel Werfel will join Boston Consulting Group in Washington D.C. office as a director in the public sector practice. Werfel joins BCG from the Internal Revenue Service, where he was personally selected by President Barack Obama and Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew to serve as Acting Commissioner in the wake of the agency's recent organizational crisis.

WISCONSIN

Mary Bowden has joined Schenck as an administrative assistant in the Appleton office. Kathrine Cihlar joined the firm’s Wausau office as a receptionist. Kathleen Evenson joined the firm’s Sheboygan office as a director of First Impressions. Beth Jackels joined the firm’s Appleton office as a medical coding specialist in the health services department. Brooke Koch, SPHR joined the firm’s Appleton office as the Training & Development Coordinator. Deanna Mathys joined the firm’s Green Bay as an administrative assistant in the government and not-for-profit department. Meagan Remberg joined the firm’s Sheboygan office as a Department Executive Administrative Assistant in the small business department. Jackie Rosen joined the firm’s Appleton office as a Human Resources Business Partner. Jacob Stanzer joined the firm’s Green Bay office as a Staff Accountant. Ian Tilson joined the firm’s Appleton office as Operations Administrator for Schenck Investment Solutions. Michelle VandenBush joined the firm’s Green Bay office as an Administrative Assistant. VandenBush has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a minor in Communications. Her experience includes marketing, market research, administrative support and managing workflow. Charlotte Van Rossum has joined the firm’s Wausau office as a staff accountant in the tax department.

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