Stories of Our Community

Taking Accounting Advocacy to New Heights

Brigid D Souza, CPA, MBA, fits the very definition of an accounting trailblazer. From working in Big Four accounting firms to creating the Civic Parent blog, from being a tenured assistant professor at Saint Peter s University in Jersey City to helping create an innovative work-for-credit accounting program, Brigid has more than a few accomplishments to be proud of. She also recently became the founder and owner of D Souza CPA, LLC.

Advocating for the accounting profession and teaching others to self-advocate have always been top of mind for Brigid as a CPA, professor and member of the Jersey City community where she is married to Devanjn and is mom to daughter, Indira, age 14, and son, Arjun, age 13. In 2013, when she was at home with her children and wanted to use her CPA skills to "enhance local community civics," she started her Civic Parent blog (civicparent.org). Specifically, that meant helping the Jersey City community understand where property tax dollars go and how it impacts school funding experiences she later shared with her students at Saint Peter's.

Brigid also shared her love for technology with her students. "I really enjoy the technology piece in concert with the accounting," she maintains, explaining how she taught herself Excel. Brigid worked in a technology data consulting group at Deloitte, which she notes was a "great training ground and where she gained a love for "teaching" due to their encourage ment to help junior staff.

While teaching accounting at Saint Peter's, she regularly heard from students that they wanted to obtain their CPA license, start a business and give back to their communities. However, the students often struggled with financial challenges in obtaining the necessary credits to go along with that plan. Attuned to these struggles, Brigid helped initiate the school s work-for-credit program with PwC where graduates can earn educational credits toward CPA licensure through full-time work.

Branching Out

Looking to help a broader part of her community and others in need of accounting advisory services, Brigid formed her own company in 2024, initially focusing on the accounting needs of small businesses and local parishes, but she is also looking to expand. The parishes all fall into the nonprofit category, which she describes as a "space with a lot of need." "I'm very keen to serve clients with very efficient system atized processes that I create," she shared.

Adjusting to being a business owner has been a smooth transition. "I don't look at any position as a final stop. I've done these transformations enough to know how important it is for retooling, growing and seeing what's possible," she said. "In each phase of my career, I have carried the tools I've learned to the next phase and continued to rebuild."

"I want to have a purpose-driven practice where I can give back. That's very important," adds Brigid, who credits the work she's been doing with the NJCPA, small businesses and social workers as influencing her to go out on her own. It's a local community focus but it s a virtual practice. It's about helping people understand their own business."

Even after starting her own firm, she remains connected to Saint Peter's, its students and the larger community. Her roots in helping Jesuit colleges like Saint Peter's run deep as she was a member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corp in college at Rutgers.

Early Influences

Her journey to become a CPA started mainly in graduate school studying for her MBA at The George Washington University in D.C. At that time, an accounting professor convinced her to switch her major from healthcare administration to accounting. She always loved math, however, with fond memories of solving for "x" in middle school math classes. It's also a big reason why she advocates for telling students as young as middle schoolers about the profession today.

All Paths Led to Banking for This CPA

With three banking jobs under his belt, most would say Jose M. Borbon, CPA, CRC, exudes the necessary quiet professionalism and confidence needed for a banking career. But that wasn t always the case. When he arrived in the U.S. from the Dominican Republic at the age of 10 with his parents and older sister, Meliza, he faced many challenges.

The first was learning English. Jose participated in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. "I didn't get held back because I tested well in math," he recalls. "Back then, there weren t many Spanish-speaking students at Hawthorne Elementary School. In ESL, it was just me and one other immigrant, so I was fortunate to receive one-on-one instruction from the ESL teacher to begin my English lessons."

Jose also had to adjust to American culture, his new neighborhood in Hawthorne and later Paterson. He navigated extended school hours, new teachers and new classmates after moving during the middle of fourth grade. With Jose's mother being a teacher in the Dominican Republic and then a bilingual elementary school teacher in the U.S., education was always stressed and prioritized, he says. "I am the first out of my immediate and extended family who has graduated college in the U.S.," he adds.

School Influence

When it came time for high school, Jose made the prudent decision to apply to Passaic County Technical Institute (PCTI), later renamed Passaic County Technical-Vocational Schools. He credits PCTI with sparking his interest in accounting. At PCTI, Linda Murphy, a retired CPA and full-time teacher, encouraged students to pursue an accounting degree and ultimately become CPAs. PCTI s Academy of Finance (AOF) program offered accounting classes in both the tenth and eleventh grades, along with a required paid work-based job training experience in the twelfth grade. "The program provided an excellent foundation, thanks to the extensive time spent teaching accounting fundamentals by a CPA and the early introduction to the workforce. I m forever grateful for PCTI because it had tremendous impact on my life," he explains.

Jose also made the practical decision to attend Rutgers University-Newark for college. The 30-minute commute, affordable tuition and established connections with large employers made Rutgers a responsible and reasonable choice, according to Jose. Additionally, graduating high school in 2010 during the Great Recession also influenced his decision to pursue account ing, given the low unemployment rate for accountants at the time.

From consumer loan manager at Columbia Bank to SBA portfolio/servicing manager at Kearny Bank and now vice president and audit manager at Northfield Bank, Jose's career in banking has been a focused journey. Crediting his success in commercial banking with earning his CPA, Jose says, "Being a CPA has allowed me to qualify for and obtain positions I wouldn t have secured otherwise. The credential and the value it holds in the business world have opened many doors for me. Because I wanted to maintain my CPA license, it has led to a wealth of opportunities." He adds, "Success comes in many forms. A CPA license gives you career mobility that many other professions don't offer."

Giving Back

Assisting the younger generation and the Hispanic and minority communities is important to Jose, who sees himself in many of the students he encounters on school visits. He is regularly involved in financial literacy programs at the middle school level and the NJCPA s career awareness presentations to high school and colleges, and he participates in Rutger s accounting advisory department meetings. Last May, he also took part in a career session at Barringer High School in Newark in conjunction with the NJCPA, the Center for Audit Quality (CAQ) and EVERFI. "I am motivated to do this because when I was in school, I never saw anyone who represented me. And, if you don t see yourself in a position, you may think it s not possible."

One CPA's Journey from Spain to New Jersey

Growing up as the daughter of parents who emigrated from Cuba, Isabel Del Corral, CPA, saw the importance of working hard and starting out on her own. Her parents left Cuba initially for Madrid, Spain, where Isabel was born and lived until she was about 18 months old with her older sister, Lucia, and then they moved to Hudson County, New Jersey, to be close to other relatives already in the Garden State.

Entrepreneurial Spirit

Isabel learned firsthand what it means to run a business from her father, who started and sold three businesses in his lifetime. He successfully ran a grocery store, a liquor store and eventually a meat distribution operation until he retired. That entrepre­neurial spirit stuck with Isabel and can be partly credited with the reason she initially became a sole practitioner; then an audit manager with her partners, Darren J. Fusaro, CPA, and David McIntee, CPA, now retired; and eventually a partner of McIntee Fusaro Del Corral, LLC in 2013. Previously, she worked as an audit supervisor at Wiss and a senior accountant at Withum.

“Obviously the businesses my father had were labor intensive and he worked a lot of hours, but he was always saying, ‘I don’t have a boss. I can do what I need to do and get to make my own decisions.’ That stuck with me,” she says. “Always in the back of my mind, I thought I would love to become a partner, where I would have control or a say in what was going on,” she explained.

Her father’s influence also shaped her interest in math and eventually accounting. “My dad was a numbers guy, which is where I got my love of accounting,” she adds, which started with her first introduction to balancing debits and credits in high school. “That’s what made me love accounting. The debits and credits must balance,” she remarks. Isabel went to Pace University, where she received her B.S. in accounting. “What I liked about Pace was that they had a public accounting major. They prepared you so students could pass the CPA Exam once you graduated.”

Today, she likes many other things about accounting, including the variety. “I like the fact that my day is never the same. Sometimes I’m in the office; sometimes I’m at clients’ offices; other times I’m working from home,” she adds. “I’ve had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of clients, for example, working with construction companies and doing inventory observations. I was up on a crane looking at the observation tower at Newark Airport.Obviously, there’s the numbers in this profession but there’s also a lot of interaction with people and the opportunity to work together with clients to help them reach their goals.”

Nonprofit Niche

After working at Withum and Wiss for about 10 years, she started out on her own and provided consulting services for another 10 years. During her time working as a consultant, she developed an interest in audits of nonprofit organizations. One of the main reasons she joined her current firm, which now consists of a staff of five, was because they specialized in audits of nonprofit organizations. Her firm also provides accounting and tax services, and she leads her firm’s employee benefit plan audit services. Isabel is also an active member of the NJCPA, having previously served as a Trustee and as president of the Hudson Chapter. She is currently vice chair of the Volunteer Relations Committee and a member of the Nonprofit and Accounting & Auditing Standards interest groups.

Sticking to her Cuban roots, Isabel, who is bilingual, has provided services to clients located in Latin America. Enjoying the ability to wear many accounting hats, she acknowledges, “Accounting is one of those professions where you can do so much.”

Taking the Road Less Traveled to Become a CPA

One could say it was in Christine Fabbro Brunner’s blood to obtain her CPA. Growing up in Edison in a family of doctors, lawyers and CPAs, she was used to people working towards advanced degrees and licenses. So, when Christine found the opportunity to obtain her CPA when she was already a mother of twins and working for more than 20 years, she took it.

Being raised Italian, her family had a big influence over her. Her father was a doctor, and her uncle was a CPA who had his own practice. I was introduced to being a CPA by my uncle. That was always in the background, she says. She was also influenced by her relatives’ career transformations. Her father was originally a chemical engineer and then put himself through medical school, while her aunt was a teacher who went back to get her law degree. “That transformation has always been part of my family,” she notes.

Given those influences, it’s no surprise that Christine, who obtained her CPA in 2022, also received her Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) credential and her Master of Accountancy (MAcc) degree.

The Early Years

Christine graduated from Seton Hall University with a B.S. in accounting. I’ve always loved math and science and was very interested in math, she explains. She found taking the CPA Exam in New York daunting since it required taking all four parts at the same time, so she opted instead to work in Manhattan and do investment accounting for hedge funds. She worked in asset management for CIT Group in Livingston and eventually Ziff Brothers, a multi-billion-dollar family investment firm in New York, for 16 years.

After marrying her husband, Daniel, who was with the FBI in New Jersey and has since retired, Christine left the workforce to raise her children. When they eventually went to school, she decided to obtain her MAcc online from Rider University with a concentration in forensic accounting. Still in the test-taking mode, she studied for, and passed, the CPA Exam. In order to be able to testify in forensic accounting, you need to have your CPA, she says.

And, since her husband was studying for his M.A. in International Security Studies at the University of Arizona at the same time, it made it easier in their family life. According to Christine, "The study plan worked because Daniel was also studying at night. We would put the twins, Hunter and Harper, now 7 years old, to bed and then study. That’s how we were able to do it."

When her children were older, she reentered the workforce, doing consulting at firms like Bederson LLP, where she handled forensic accounting, litigation support and tax controversy. Eventually Christine and Daniel realized their skillsets would be a perfect match for a forensic accounting and security firm, so they co-founded Brunner Sierra Group (BSG) in 2022.

Since they are also avid skiers, they opted to raise their children as well as set up shop in Montana. They are now able to service clients in both Montana and New Jersey.

Women Supporting Women

Christine, now CEO of BSG, also attributes her career success to strong female support. A lot of my jobs have been with wonderful women who have really helped me get ahead in my career as a woman. That was very instrumental to me, she says. At Ziff Brothers, in particular, there were many female leaders heading up tax, legal and finance departments at that time.

Women also supported her in studying for the CPA Exam, with her family plans and in co-founding her business. For those who know Christine, most would argue if anyone was going to pull off an active family life with twins and a strong professional career, it was going to be her.

One Millennial's Determination Leads to 30 Rock

When NJCPA member Danielle Karacsony, CPA, sets her mind on something, she typically doesn’t let anything stand in her way. That explains how the Millennial from Jersey City passed all four parts of the CPA Exam on her first attempt with an average score of 93. It also explains how she worked for both NBCUniversal and The Walt Disney Company before the age of 30.

Danielle’s career path started out at KPMG as an audit associate, advancing to an audit senior. Though auditing offered great opportunities, she saw the chance to work for a company she admired since childhood — Disney. “I really liked auditing, particularly risk assessment. But you should always be aware of the job market. You always need to be prepared,” explains Danielle. After two years at KPMG, she jumped to Disney, where she spearheaded fixed-asset accounting and analyzed marketing expenses.

“I thought I wasn’t ever going to have the opportunity to work at Disney if I didn’t move to Florida or California, where most of their operations were located. I was on their website and saw a job posting in New York for their streaming business. I applied and was selected,” she explains. Disney licensed out their platform to other third parties, which meant she had to know all the income streams to do her job well. “Getting involved in the fixed-asset process was important for me to understand how the business worked as a whole,” she says.

Danielle eventually made the leap to NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York as the manager of accounting. Here, she manages its subscription revenue process; oversees the automation tools for revenue recognition; resolves discrepancies; and collaborates with operations, marketing, partnerships and technology advisors on compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act controls. In short, she focuses on improving its business processes.

Her department also implemented a new software solution that automatically recognizes revenue. “Our (streaming) procedures had to be scaled in such a way that we could handle moving from a small business to a large-scale business. The manual process we had for recognizing subscriber revenue was not capable of handling the volume of transactions,” she explains. Danielle also works with marketing and partnership teams over vouchers for companies like JetBlue.

Early Decisions

As someone who enjoyed math throughout school, Danielle considered engineering before selecting accounting as her major. Danielle’s mother, Debra Karacsony, CPA, also a member of the NJCPA and formerly the director of quality control at Sax LLP, influenced Danielle’s choice to start in accounting. “She didn’t push me to become an accountant, but she said I should consider taking a class in college,” she says. Her mother’s only stipulation for Danielle and her sister, Amanda, now an interior architect, upon entering college was to select a major that led to professional opportunities. Danielle’s mother said, “Choose something you like, but you need to have a career path in mind.”

After initially entering the University of Delaware as an undecided major, Danielle took her first accounting class during her second semester and loved it. “Once I fully understood accounting, it was a no brainer. At the end of my freshman year, I declared an accounting major,” she says.

So, what specifically appealed to her? “It is very logical; accounting involves a different way of thinking than I had ever thought of before,” she explains. Jobs were also readily available. The Big 4 and other accounting firms were frequently on campus, offering internships and jobs, she says. “They had many events which you could participate in and learn about the profession. It became the obvious choice.”

A CPA Who Returned Home to MSG

It’s no wonder that Hoboken resident John Gibney’s love for the world’s most famous arena took him exactly where many sports enthusiasts would like to go: Madison Square Garden (MSG), home of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers. The former student manager for Fordham University’s men’s basketball team hasn’t strayed too far from the sports action. From an internship at MSG to returning to his dream job as a senior accountant for Venue Operations at MSG Entertainment Corp (MSGE), John — who is a CPA and CFE — has truly come full circle.

“I help manage expenses for live events and sports properties, such as boxing, college basketball, the MSG arena, The Theater at MSG, Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon Theatre and the Chicago Theatre. Everyone knows about Billy Joel’s record-breaking residency that’s winding down. A lot of people don’t realize MSGE also operates these other iconic venues which host some of the stars like Diana Ross or Barry Manilow. The Rockettes are in full swing right now,” he says. “There’s a cross benefit for having certain acts in certain venues. I work with the finance staff who make estimates for these events. I monitor the actuals and accruals and see where there can be some variances and work together to investigate them further.”

THE EARLY YEARS

A native of Fair Haven, John grew up with the knowledge that being a CPA was a wise career path. Furthering his education at a New York-based college with a great reputation like Fordham gave him several advantages. John, who was always good with numbers, had a few internships at notable companies such as Cantor Fitzgerald and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) before also interning at MSG on the finance side. “I always loved emerging from Penn Station and seeing the huge marquee outside. My father and I came here every March for the Big East Tournament. I wanted to do something in sports entertainment. I reverse engineered that. I realized nobody wants to do the nitty gritty accounting side of it so I figured that could be a niche,” he explains. “When you are a sophomore, junior or senior, that’s the time you can try something new and network.”

After graduating from Fordham, John started his accounting career in a traditional manner as an experienced assurance associate in PwC’s Private Company ServicesGroup in Florham Park after having pre­viously served as an intern in New York. “Most of my clients encompassed a wide variety of industries. I worked on small teams; I was probably doing more as a first-year than some folks working in public accounting as a second-year.”

Amid the COVID pandemic, he made the leap to corporate accounting at the fast-paced L’Oreal USA, where he stayed for two years as a finance analyst doing financial planning and analysis and supporting the engineering team. “I was making sure invoices were getting paid and monitoring budgets and trends for all the capital spending,” adds John. “It was during the pandemic and dealing with global sales. Things were changing on a dime.”

He always wanted to go back to the sports industry, however, and eventually found the opportunity in Venue Opera­tions this past January. “I like working on the entertainment side of MSG since it’s entrepreneurial in that new shows and residencies are always being added. The Arena itself hosts approximately 320 events per year,” he explains. “I’ve always been black and white about the numbers and like having a set of answers for everything.”

MORE SPORTS

Today, John is still active in the sports world himself, having played many sports, including basketball, while growing up. He is also a newly certified Junior College basketball official.

The Business and Accounting Side of Music

Jennifer L. Rosen, CPA, didn’t immediately set her sights on accounting or what it could lead to, nor did she expect to end up on the business and accounting side of music when she was playing the piano growing up in South Jersey. At that time, accounting was probably one of the furthest professions from her mind.

Jennifer and her older brother, Stephen, were introduced to music by their mother at an early age. Her brother, also a music enthusiast, eventually became an attorney who specializes in music. Jennifer performed in regional piano competitions throughout her childhood, driven around by her mother and father, and enjoys music so much she left at least one job to get back into it.

FOLLOWING THE NOTES

After obtaining both her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and her M.B.A. in finance from American University, Jennifer started out in a traditional accounting job where she worked in auditing for a public accounting firm and then made the leap to EMI Music as the publishing royalties manager. There, she managed the department responsible for the calculation and payment of foreign royalties to music publishers and songwriters.

After briefly leaving EMI to be an internal auditor for the sports and entertainment group at Aramark, the food services company, she returned to EMI — this time to EMI Music Publishing, feeling something was missing. There she spearheaded the team responsible for uncovering missing or misappropriated royalties that songwriters and producers are due, somewhat like forensic accounting. “It highlighted to me that the music part of it was key to me enjoying the number aspect of it,” she adds.

“At EMI, I was running the Infringement and Compliance unit. My job was to bring in money that otherwise wasn’t coming in — identify folks using music without a license, etc. My job was really investigative but on the financial end of it,” she explains. “There was something very satisfying about that full-circle approach, knowing that songwriter is getting paid. We’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars over my 15 years at EMI.”

In 2012, she joined Google Play Music, which was looking for someone who understood digital music licensing. “If they had an accounting background, it was considered even better,” she says, noting her CPA license was highly regarded. Later, she was also part of the team that sunset Google Play Music when Google Play and YouTube merged products in 2018. “At that time, we had two competing music services. It didn’t make sense to operate both,” she says.

Jennifer, now head of music publishing partnerships (North America) at YouTube, combines the best of both the business world and music. She manages YouTube’s relationships with music publishers who represent artists like Taylor Swift who writes many of her own songs. “I still talk to the folks I met back in the ’90s. The music business is very small in the grand scheme of things,” she adds.

The relationship part of the job has been key to her success. “At EMI, people had to like you to want to pay you and at YouTube, it’s critical in keeping the music available. So, if I’m calling, it’s essential the phone is answered; it’s a lot about building partnerships and relationships,” says Jennifer, who now resides in Wayne with her husband, Chad, and still enjoys playing the piano. “Even when I was doing the forensic accounting stuff, the relationship was the biggest piece of that,” she adds.

However, the most interesting part of her job is meeting famous singers and performers and hearing about their journeys as well as listening to live music. “I have met a lot of celebrities. Stevie Wonder and Sting were heros, and of course, being a Jersey Girl, meeting Jon Bon Jovi was epic,” she says. “For me, it was very cool to present Cyndi Lauper with her million-subscriber button. That’s an accounting function!”

A Father/Son Team That’s More Alike Than Different

With their six-week-old son in tow, E. Krasnomowitz, CPA, and his wife, LouAnn, made the trek from New Jersey to the University of Montana for Alex to complete a program to become a forest ranger. That career path wasn’t exactly conducive to raising a family and LouAnn also missed New Jersey. So, after a year, they headed home, Alex enrolled in accounting at William Paterson University, and he never looked back — though he still enjoys the outdoors.

Those twists and turns come naturally to Alex, who spent years working at Deloitte and other accounting firms in the greater New York area. He eventually founded his own company, Alex E. Krasnomowitz, CPA, LLC, in West Caldwell, whose clients run the gamut from music entrepreneurs and landscapers to cannabis market par­ticipants. In describing the new cannabis market, Alex, now the leader of the NJCPA Cannabis Interest Group, says, “It’s like packing up the wagons and going west. There’s absolutely no playbook.”

The flexibility in running his own practice also helped in raising his children. “My dad died when I was four, and I wanted to be with my children growing up. The industry was all about facetime. The profession has certainly changed — recognizing that family life contributes to your professional life as well,” he says.

He also never gave up on his passion for the outdoors — he just plans that around tax season. Alex and his now-grown son, Alex L. Krasnomowitz, CPA, CVA, MBA, member of the firm at Smolin LLC, always make time for their yearly ski trip with friends and family — this year it was to Montana. The two also share a passion for baseball, softball and soccer. Alex E. was a coach for 25 years for all of his three sons’ (one now deceased) teams and his daughter’s teams. To him, coaching was simply a part of helping to raise kids. “I have a right hand and if somebody needs something done, it goes up. It’s just my nature. I love being around kids,” he explains. Following that philosophy, Alex L. also coaches soccer and softball for his daughters — he has five to choose from, ranging in ages from 19 to 9 months.

Forging His Own Path

There are some differences between the father and son, however. While they share a love of accounting, they both decided not to work together. As Alex E. notes, it’s best for his son to “set his own path in life.” And, when reflecting on those choices, he admits, “My son is a rainmaker.”

Having focused on baseball at St. Bonaventure, Alex L. eventually realized that accounting was a good path to take. “Between the distractions of college and injuries, I realized that dream wasn’t going to last forever,” he explains. Alex L. received good grades in his accounting classes, which led him to his first job as an auditor with BDO Seidman in New York. He then moved to Denver for a job in forensic accounting, where he could also ski, and eventually San Diego, as a controller. His first daughter was born in San Diego, but after two years, Alex L. moved back to New Jersey to be closer to his family.

For now, he’s content to keep on making a name for himself on Smolin’s Forensic & Valuation team, where it comes in handy having a background as an auditor, controller and litigation consultant. “My job is primarily matrimonial matters and shareholder disputes,” he explains.

Opting to follow his dad into accounting was an easy decision. “Mostly, as he said, he was around a lot. He consistently coached our teams and skied with us. Not many traditional CPAs with tax practices did much skiing. That had something to do with it,” he adds.

This CPA Gets to Watch Live Music in His Office

Gregory Levine, CPA, hadn’t originally planned on becoming a CPA nor did he set his sights on the music industry. Those two paths simply came together.

Greg, who would not have it any other way, is now a senior director of finance at The Orchard, an independent distribution arm of Sony Music Entertainment. He sees the nuances of his early career as laying the groundwork for where he is today. Take his first job in tax at Arthur Andersen in 2000. Before the collapse of Enron and Arthur Andersen, Greg realized that valuations excited him more than just tax. “I started in media entertainment in tax but after about a year I moved into valuations. The valuations group was more finance focused. It had the technical accounting, but we also did goodwill impairment testing, financial modeling and discounted cashflow modeling. It was a different atmosphere than tax,” he says.

Fast forward to when Greg landed a job at BMG Entertainment. His valuation experience and having a music client previously came in handy when he was hired into a corporate accounting role at BMG, where he performed high-level deal analysis. According to Greg, his group was responsible for giving deal advances to artists for their content. At that time, “they wanted to centralize all of the various deals out of BMG and wanted a central team to review and analyze that kind of information,” he explains.

BMG merged with Sony Music Entertainment in 2005, and Greg began working in corporate accounting for Sony. That was when he decided to become a CPA — having a boss who was also a CPA helped. “In order to stay competitive, I really need­ed to get my CPA,” he says. Greg’s boss was also able to sign off on his accounting work experience, which was needed for the license. “The fact that I worked for a CPA made the transition to get my sign-off and license much easier.”

Greg stayed at Sony for more than 12 years, moving eventually to the global digital finance department, which focused on their key digital providers (such as Spotify, Apple and Amazon) and making sure digital revenue was properly recorded on their front-line labels’ books (Columbia, Epic, RCA, etc). “They were like shared services but on the revenue side,” he explains. At Sony, Greg worked on interesting label purchases, notably the heavy metal label, Relapse Records.

When the CFO asked him to join his team at The Orchard, Greg remembers him saying, “I need somebody that understands digital accounting and the systems that Sony uses,” noting that there were many opportunities at such a large company. When he made the leap to The Orchard, Greg was able to see all the different parts in accounting since it is run as a separate business unit. “We’re dealing with payables and receivables and oversee the invoice and revenue processing for all the digital stores. We license everything for our digital stores,” he says. “We have some owned content where we process royalties, but most of it is a distributed business model versus Sony, where they own the content for the artist. We’re onboarding smaller companies to our Orchard platform, distributing their content, taking over their invoicing — constantly working with the tech department to scale our systems.” The Orchard has an office in the U.K., where they work with the tax department. “It’s more interesting than general accounting,” he maintains.

Working on smaller accounts has some advantages too. “We get to watch live music in our Orchard offices almost every week (smaller artists trying to break out). That is probably most fun to watch a band perform at 4 p.m. on a Thursday and then go home,” says Greg, who lives in Holmdel with his wife, Andrea, and children, Seth (13) and Sienna (11).

Making the Numbers Work for Make-A-Wish

Chief financial officers typically work to reduce costs, but Della Hammer Cherchia, CPA, CGMA, the recently retired CFO of Make-A-Wish New Jersey in Monroe Township, had another equally important task of stretching the budget to serve even more critically ill children than the 560 served on average per year.

“Our chapter finds as many eligible kids in New Jersey as possible,” says Della. “Studies have shown that, on average, 700 kids (in New Jersey) are diagnosed a year with a critical illness. Our goal is to reach every one of those kids.” Since 1980, the 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, which receives no federal or state funding, has granted more than 11,000 wishes.

All of the skills she learned along the way in her accounting career, she says, came to serve her well at Make-A-Wish New Jersey. “Every year, we start from scratch to raise money and grant as many wishes as we can,” she admits. That lofty mission never deterred her. “It’s a charity with a business focus.”

So what drew a CPA with a career in mortgage banking and strategic planning to assist critically ill children? Nonprofit volunteering and her enjoyment from giving back. After spending six years in public accounting at Touche Ross (now Deloitte & Touche) and the next 27 years in mortgage banking with the likes of Chase, PHH and MetLife, a colleague informed her about a CFO opportunity at Make-A-Wish New Jersey she couldn’t pass up. Della seemed a natural fit from her accounting expertise but also from her time serving on the board of her temple in Marlboro for 13 years, primarily as treasurer. “I just found the work as a temple volunteer really energizing. I was able to apply my skills to an organization in the evenings that really needed the financial expertise after working full-time during the day so it was like moonlighting,” she explains. This experience, she says, was relatable to Make-A-Wish New Jersey. Recalling her initial visit to the nonprofit, she explains, “It was one of those things, they had me at hello.”

She also liked the Make-A-Wish global brand with 59 chapters nationwide to connect as a network. “Their mission is so profound. I’ve always worked for global brands. That’s been something that I’ve always felt was important — to work for something that’s bigger than me,” she says.

Covid's Challenges

The well-recognized Monroe Township castle that comprises the façade of the Make-A-Wish New Jersey headquarters is a fixture in the community, but during the last few years even that wasn’t enough to garner all the donations needed. The COVID-19 pandemic slowed much of their fundraising. In fiscal 2019, Make-A-Wish New Jersey granted 595 wishes. In fiscal 2020 and 2021, they granted approximately 250 wishes per year. As of this writing, they granted 335 wishes for fiscal 2022, but their goal is to get back to the pre-pandemic level of wish-granting.

The pandemic also provided a great opportunity for Della to leverage her busi­ness experience with solving operational and strategic challenges. As she explains, they had to adjust to new and safe ways of holding fundraising events and community outreach. “During the pandemic, we pivoted to granting primarily online shopping sprees, room makeovers and camper wishes. We focused more on individual cultivation of donors and had to postpone travel-related wish-granting.”

Della also successfully navigated the myriad of challenges to obtain federal relief funding through the Paycheck Protection Program, which became a lifeline for the nonprofit.

Still Giving

In retirement, Della doesn’t plan on slowing down too much, but she will concentrate on granting the wishes of her first grandchild, Jeremy. She will continue to support nonprofits, and, of course, be an ambassador for Make-A-Wish New Jersey to anyone who will listen.

From Traditional Accounting to High-Fashion Strategy

Alexandra (Allie) Guccione, CPA, had one of the more typical beginnings in the field of accounting, but the Fairfield, New Jersey, native’s career certainly didn’t stay that way.

Looking for Strategy

After interning in PwC’s assurance practice, she was then hired into the practice after obtaining her B.S. in accounting and completing her CPA. While there, Allie spent most of her time working on pharmaceutical giant Merck. She explains, “Associates were given one area of the business to review/audit in the assurance practice. I was personally responsible for revenue, and thus conducted all required revenue testing.”

Allie enjoyed the work but soon realized PwC’s transaction services practice, which consisted of financial due diligence and mergers and acquisitions work, seemed more interesting and challenging to her. Never one to back down from new experi­ences, Allie jumped feet first into the transactions group and loved every minute of it. There, she advised clients on how much they should buy or sell a company for. “I would normalize earnings in order to produce an earnings number that our clients could either 1) bid off of in order to acquire a target company or 2) use as a proxy selling price if they chose to sell their own company,” she says. “What I liked about the work was the constant new challenges and projects. I would work on a deal for a month or so and then, shortly after, be placed on a new deal; my work was constantly changing.”

In the transactions group, Allie worked mainly with private equity firms on deals in health care and pharma. “Being in New York and New Jersey, pharmaceutical deals were very hot at the time,” she explains. She also particularly liked working on a deal for the e-commerce giant Chewy.com, where the company was sold to a private equity firm. “Being e-commerce, that was a lot more fun,” she admits.

Eventually, after several years at PwC, an opportunity came up at Tapestry, Inc. As the global retail apparel and fashion holding company for Coach, Kate Spade New York and Stuart Weitzman, Tapestry offered Allie an opportunity to focus her career on corporate strategy. Now, after more than four years at Tapestry, Allie is pleased with her decision. “I wanted to make a career move to go in-house where I could see the full lifecycle of my work play out,” she explains. “At the time I joined, Tapestry had just rebranded from Coach to Tapestry. They wanted someone who had accounting, controls and an M&A background to help integrate Kate Spade into the organization.”

That experience also proved to be exactly what the NJCPA could use in its chapter leadership positions. Allie became the president of the NJCPA Essex Chapter in June, after serving on the chapter board since 2019.

The Early Years

So, what inspired such a determined professional to go into accounting in the first place? Her alma mater, Lehigh University. “They have a very good accounting program,” she explains. “At Lehigh, the university sets students up to graduate with nearly 150 credits and the skills to pass the CPA Exam.” She feels that its course structure helps encourage students to take the CPA Exam right after college.

Her family also influenced her decision to go into accounting. “I originally thought I wanted to be a sports agent,” she explains, but her father convinced her that accounting was a good business major with great job opportunities. Allie’s mother is also a CPA. A lot of students, she says, don’t love accounting while attending their university but having an extra push from family in the field definitely helps.

Allie also learned a lot at her latest educational institution, Columbia University, where she completed her MBA. “I went to get my MBA to study corporate strategy and corporate development,” she says, noting that her current department is very research heavy.

One CPA's Passion to Drive Change

James (Jim) C. Bourke, CPA, CITP, CFF, CGMA, managing director of advisory services and partner at Withum as well as a past president of the NJCPA, has collected every regular season Topps baseball card ever issued, except for one — card number 311, a 1952 Mickey Mantle Rookie card, which he still has his eyes on. That steadfast determination comes natural to him whether it’s in collecting baseball cards or transforming the accounting profession.

The son of Irish immigrants from Jersey City, Jim was driven to be the first in his family to attend college. High school helped shape his interest in accounting. One accounting professor at Sayreville War Memorial High School, Mr. Caliendo, who has since retired, was a CPA who brought practical stories into the classroom. “I think I learned more about real-world accounting in that class than in my whole college career. When I was a senior in high school, I knew I wanted to be an accountant; there wasn’t a doubt in my mind,” he says.

Jim went on to be one of the first CPAs in the nation to receive the designation of Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP®) from the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). He also was elected chair of numerous AICPA committees and conferences connected with technology, including the AICPA’s first ENGAGE conference. He was one of the first CPAs in the country to receive the AICPA’s system and organization controls (SOC) for cybersecurity certificate.

With that number of “firsts” behind him, it’s no surprise that Jim is credited with using technology to advance the accounting profession. An early embracer of working remotely, data analytics and optimization, automation, artificial intelligence and cyber and information security, Jim routinely speaks to a national and global audience about how technology is helping to propel accountants into becoming the business strategists and trusted advisors that clients and companies need. “Our profession is now able to attract all of those next-generation professionals who embrace technology,” he says.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the technological change that was already occurring in the profession, he says, as clients needed immediate assistance with everything from loans to budgeting — and they needed help remotely and with their technology. “We are seeing a shift in the way firms derive revenue,” he notes. “CPA firms that find ways to transform their practices and offer advisory services will continue to see accelerated growth.”

Jim is also the global technology and advisory leader at HLB International, a global accounting network of which Withum is an independent member. “I have engineers. I have data scientists. You don’t have to be a CPA to be involved in many of the services offered today in our advisory group,” he says.

Early Influences

So, how did a determined CPA first embrace such technological advancements? Jim’s love for all things tech dates back to his obsession with technology and computer games. “I knew I was either going to be a CPA or a programmer and write video games because I had a passion for both,” he explains. “In college, I would write and design my own computer games.” Years later, when Jim first entered accounting, he noted there was a lack of technology in all of the day-to-day functions. “I started setting everything up on Lotus 1-2-3,” he recalls of the early days.

Today, he still loves a good video game and continues to drive himself and those around him — both on the job and with CrossFit every morning. Sometimes, he’s even joined by his three grown children — Emily, who works for a real estate company; Kate, a junior at Auburn University; and Brandon, the only accountant/technologist in the bunch, who works in the SOC group at Withum — or his wife, Jody, also a degreed accountant, who is now a real estate agent and restores furniture.

When Analytics, Finance and Blood Purification Combine

Chief financial officers are historically known for preparing budgets and analyzing costs, but Kathleen P. Bloch, CPA, MBA, CFO of CytoSorbents Corporation in Monmouth Junction, also fills her days discussing things like immune responses and blood filtration. That’s because CytoSorbents, which has been marketing its flagship blood purification device CytoSorb® in Europe since 2011, received U.S. FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in April 2020 to make CytoSorb available in the U.S. amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The device is used in the treatment of deadly conditions resulting from critical illnesses, including COVID-19, where in many cases the immune response is too strong and starts to shut down vital organs.

“It was so rewarding to help save patients’ lives here in the U.S. since we manufacture the device in Monmouth Junction. In addition, after all these years of only selling outside of the U.S., it’s great to finally have some sales in the U.S,” she explains.

Following its U.S. EUA, the company completed a public offering of its stock (NASDAQ: CTSO) in July 2020, to raise funds to support its global clinical development program. For a CFO like Kathy, that meant in addition to overseeing all Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reporting and compliance activities, she had to speak with investors, and along with her CEO, give presentations to help raise money. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, we raised $57.5 million in the public offering, which provided the capital needed for our clinical trial activities,” she explains. “The company’s key development focus in the U.S. is funding clinical trials evaluating the removal of certain commonly used blood thinners during urgent cardio¬thoracic surgery to reduce bleeding risk and complications. If U.S. FDA marketing approval is obtained, it should significantly add to the company’s future growth.”

Contributing to the company’s international growth has always been exciting to Kathy. “Because we have an international footprint and sell CytoSorb all over the world, we have five foreign subsidiaries. We have to deal with five different currencies in preparing our consolidated financial statements,” she says. When Kathy started with the company over eight years ago, there were 15 employees. Now, the company has more than 220 employees worldwide and subsidiaries in Germany, Poland, Switzerland and the U.K. The finance and accounting team has grown to 12 professionals.

Other Roles

Prior to joining CytoSorbents, Kathy wore many manufacturing CFO hats. Her cost accounting background and manufacturing knowledge allowed her to move from one industry to another. Kathy’s CFO roles have included Silver Line Windows, a window manufacturer in North Brunswick; Laureate Biopharma, a contract manufac¬turer of biologic drugs in Princeton; and PC Group, Inc., a manufacturer of bar soap and other personal care products headquartered in Manhattan. While every CFO job has been fulfilling, she notes that working in a company that manufactures a life-saving device has been particularly rewarding. “Leading the finance team at CytoSorbents, we’re not just crunching the numbers — our product is actually saving lives. When you hear that a tiny baby was hospitalized and hooked up to life support machines and then our device was used and the baby survived, there’s not much better than that.”

Kathy, who is now vice president of the NJCPA Mercer Chapter, favored applying her accounting skills to private industry over public accounting, but both career routes had their benefits. Having started out as an auditor in public accounting, she acknowledged the advantages of working with a broad array of companies, but she prefers the ability to gain in-depth knowl¬edge in a single company. “When you work in private industry, you really learn the business. You know the business model inside and out. And that makes it possible to identify areas where a slight adjustment in operating practices can make a big difference in cashflow or profitability — and significant improvements to the bottom line,” she says.

Breaking Down Barriers

After growing up in the inner city of Cleveland, Dr. Evelyn McDowell, CPA, CGMA, has overcome many obstacles. Now an associate professor of accounting and department chair at Rider University, Evelyn has lessons to share both inside and outside the classroom.

THE EARLY DAYS

As the second oldest of eight children, she took it upon herself to make sure her siblings were entertained — the only way an accountant knows how. “All my life I’ve been an accountant. I used to make paper money and hide it all over the house for my younger sisters and brothers to find, then I’d count it. Whoever had the highest amount would be the winner,” says Evelyn. “When I went to grocery stores, I wanted to work at the cash register. I loved that whole thing. I was mesmerized. I loved calculators. I loved the technology,” she adds.

While there was no mentor in Evelyn’s family, she did have an accounting influence at her high school when she took an accounting course. “I didn’t know anyone that had an accounting degree,” she explained but she liked the work involved. It was also in high school where she became one of the first members of INROADS, a nonprofit organization that helps African Americans become acclimated to the business world. There she learned what it takes to make it in business — which paid off in spades. She eventually worked in public accounting, for the city of Cleveland, in internal audit for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, internal audit for another bank and for a hospital before forming her own CPA firm.

Evelyn soon discovered she had a knack for explaining and presenting accounting to her clients and others — in short, teaching. So, she went back to school and got her Master of Accountancy and then her Doctor of Philosophy from Case Western Reserve University. Soon after, she jumped into teaching full-time. This took her from Cleveland to New Jersey, where she remains.

According to Evelyn, the most rewarding thing about teaching is helping students, especially students of color, navigate and enter the accounting profession. “I think accounting is the best profession ever on the history of the planet,” she explains. “I really like teaching intermediate accounting because that’s the foundation. If you don’t get that, then you are lost. I love having the responsibility to make sure they get it.”

COMMEMORATING THE MIDDLE PASSAGE

Evelyn also realized American slavery was something everyone, especially the youth, needed to be educated on. “Growing up in the United States of America, I could see that our country has a problem with owning up to the problems of the past and its relationship to the present. We all grow up not knowing much about the bad parts. I grew up not knowing about the magnitude and extreme barbarity of American chattel slavery and not knowing how deeply my family was affected by it,” she explains. “But, as I researched my family’s history, I could see the history from my great grandparents’ putting an ‘X’ as their signature since they couldn’t read and write, and a will with my second great grandmother (who was eight years old) being inventoried as slave property, just above the hogs and furniture.”

After researching her own history, she realized that other people could do the same and founded a hereditary society for descendants of those who were enslaved, called Sons & Daughters of the United States Middle Passage. The other part of the mission, according to Evelyn, who is the president of the organization, is to commemorate their lives. “Once we know their name, we remember who they are and what they went through and the last part is to educate their children and others about that history,” she says. As a new grandmother herself, Evelyn realizes how precious one’s history is.

All in a Very Long Day’s Work

CPAs routinely ask Edward K. Zollars, CPA, tax and technology partner at Thomas, Zollars & Lynch, Ltd. of Phoenix, Arizona, and all-around tax sage, about everything from capital accounts in partnerships to unemployment relief and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness. But the question they really want to ask him is, “do you ever sleep?” While the answer is decidedly “yes,” most would argue the validity of that given the quantity of carefully crafted responses he churns out daily to CPAs on both sides of the United States.

As a member of the New Jersey Society of CPAs, the Arizona Society of CPAs (ASCPA) and the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), Ed takes it upon himself to respond to numerous complicated tax queries in the form of emails, member forum responses and calls. Since joining the NJCPA in July of 2018, Ed has posted more than 1,700 times to its Connect Open Forum, which has actually helped boost membership at the Society. At the ASCPA, Ed was the driving force behind Arizona’s roll out of their first member discussion group, the predecessor to their current Connect system. Throughout the years, he has also contributed to other CPA societies, such as the California Society of CPAs’ CalCPA Yahoo Groups, its TaxTalk and a tax news group.

Others know Ed as the over-subscribed lecturer for the accounting continuing education program at Kaplan Financial Education (the Loscalzo Institute) and frequent contributor to Kaplan’s Current Federal Tax Developments website. As teaching became increasingly more natural to him, Ed acknowledges, “I had no intention to build that classroom skill; it indirectly kept happening.”

So where did he hone such skills? From working with his clients, of course. “Clients have been doing that to me for years, before I ever got to the teaching side of the equation,” says Ed. “As a CPA you have to be used to that. Take whatever is in front of you — however messy, mixed up and crazy it may be — clients still need to have something explained to them today. It helps dramatically to anticipate where the questions and problems are going to come from,” he adds. And it helps to do your homework. “Clients in Arizona know things about California. That’s why New Jersey practitioners better have some knowledge of what’s happening in New York.”

MIXING IN TECH

A native of Phoenix, Ed says he’s “always been down here in the desert.” Though he does not come from a long line of accountants, the desire to help people does run in his family as his brother, Jack, is in law enforcement in Phoenix. Ed’s technology skills, however, could have come from his father, who was among some of the earliest IT professionals dating back to the 1950s. Along with accounting, Ed pursued his interest in technology while attending Arizona State University.

From there he worked to update the technology at Thomas, Zollars & Lynch, which ultimately led to him being recognized by the AICPA for his tech skills. While in charge of technology at his firm, he supported lots of software. That led to becoming involved with WordStar, the word processing program on CompuServe, where he became a moderator and a systems operator. In the early 1990s, the AICPA launched their own forum on CompuServe and asked him to work the moderation software for the forum and to become a systems operator for them. He subsequently was appointed to technology panels and became a regular speaker at many state CPA societies, including the NJCPA.

Outside of helping CPAs, Ed also assists his local church, the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Phoenix, with what else? Accounting and technological assistance. He served for years as the financial secretary and continues to assist the current financial secretary with production work to run a podcast with the week’s sermon each Sunday.

Becoming a CPA- Still a Mother's Dream

While a mother may dream of many careers for her children, becoming a CPA often lands somewhere on that list. Just ask Alan E. Gumeny, a semi-retired CPA of Clifton, whose mother, Penny, proudly professed that wish publicly — long before Alan ever thought of becoming a CPA. Was it a premonition? Coincidence? Oddly, it would seem to be a bit of both.

In preparing to become a CPA, Alan, who was then a student soon to be graduating from Rutgers University in the late 1970s, opted to take a Becker Review course. On the wall in the classroom was an ad featuring a woman boasting, “My son, the CPA. It’s enough to make a mother cry.” When he looked up, he realized that it was his mother who was smiling with pride in the ad.

A Different Path

While Alan didn’t actually take the CPA Exam at that point in his life, he did eventually become a CPA through a non-traditional route. As soon as he was of age, he joined the Army, since his parents taught him and his four brothers the importance of having a “service mentality.” That sentiment came from his mother, he says, who was raised in the Great Depression. He recalls her saying, “When good things happen to you, turn around and give back.” Alan says his mother made some “good decisions,”noting that both parents acted and modeled to take advantage of New York’s burgeoning film industry and its close proximity to Nutley, where they lived. Penny mainly took care of the children and worked at the Associated Press in New York but also did “side gigs” modeling and acting when she could.

Alan also had a knack for making good decisions. After working three years as a combat engineer building bridges and other structures in the Army, Alan utilized the GI Bill to attend Rutgers University. There, he enjoyed both engineering and accounting classes but decided on accounting as a major. Between his job with the IRS, where he worked for three years after graduating from college, the commute as well as a new baby on the way, he was unable to finish studying for the CPA Exam.

He then went on to accept a job with the FBI, where he worked for 22 years and honed his investigative and forensic accounting skills involving mostly white-collar crimes. “Many of the cases you would have were bust-out scams (where organizations would end up closing shop and selling inventory on the black market), bankruptcy scams, Ponzi schemes and insurance fraud. I had to track these guys down and get the money back,” he explains.

While at the FBI, he eventually ended up going back to a Becker Review course, taking the CPA Exam in 2002 and passing all four parts in one sitting. Imagining how his mother, who had passed away by that time, would have reacted to the news of his passing the CPA Exam, he says, “I’m sure she would have been delighted and proud over the course of events that actually came true.” And that “dream” came true in spades — not only did Alan become a CPA, but his son, Bryan, is working towards that goal at a CPA firm in New York and his daughter-in-law, Kristen, and son-in-law, Keith, are both CPAs. He and his wife, Barbara, have two other non-CPA children, Eirik and Kristen, as well as five grandchildren.

Looking back, Alan speaks highly of his past job experiences, noting that having the right accounting skills helped him in all steps of his career. Alan eventually left the FBI for a six-year stint at a Wall Street law firm, retired in 2011 and later started his own consultancy.

The Best of Both Worlds

It’s not every day that a lawyer decides to obtain his CPA or a student is so motivated by taxes that he decides to become a lawyer — but that’s exactly what happened to Marcus Dyer, Esq., CPA, co-leader of tax controversy at Withum.

Marcus, who was raised in North Carolina, attended Duke University for undergraduate studies, achieved his master’s at the LBJ School of Public Affairs in Austin, Texas, and then moved back to the east coast to attend the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Determined to assist as many businesses as he could, Marcus never really forgot his southern roots. As he explains, he works to provide “comfort to the client.” And nowhere is that assistance needed more than in tax controversy. “Each day is a new challenge. I love de­fending the taxpayer against the government,” he explains.

The Early Years

What drove Marcus to law school in the first place was his experience at the LBJ School and a subsequent internship at a tax lobbying firm. “It was my job to tell the Legislature how much revenue and cost was associated with a bill. In Texas, any bill that had a net cost was dead on arrival. Some of the legislators would ask if they could preserve the essence of the bill and take the cost components out.” In order to do that, Marcus told them he would have to change the language of the bill. So, he got started. “I had to understand the legislation, work with our counsel to try to find a way to keep the essence of the statute…I said ‘this is fun.’” He then went on to take the law school admissions test.

While Marcus enjoyed taxes, he didn’t start out liking accounting. “Unlike most CPAs, I was studying things from the government standpoint…how to raise the most amount of revenue with minimal burden.” But it was during his classes at the University of Pennsylvania Law School that he discovered his love for actual tax work. “Most lawyers do not like taxes. I took the classes and I liked them, so I started taking more.” And after increasing exposure to tax controversy challenges, he also realized the importance of obtaining his CPA. Marcus then went to school at night to obtain the necessary credits to take the CPA Exam.

Nowadays, Marcus spends more time navigating taxpayers’ challenges amid the “partially closed labyrinth of the IRS,” as he calls it. “The bigger the challenge, the more satisfaction I get out of it,” he admits. Though there are fewer tax collection letters from the IRS due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Marcus works on lots of complex tax engagements. On any given day, he will be knee-deep in tax appeals, IRS examinations or dealing with significant tax penalties. As he says, “it’s really the best of both worlds.”

Paying it Forward

As an appointee to Governor Murphy’s Restart and Recovery Advisory Council and the chairman of the Foundation Board of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, Marcus knows the importance of assisting New Jersey businesses. At the Chamber, Marcus works to provide African American business owners with “the resources they need to flourish and remain viable businesses.”

And he does not take that role lightly. “If small business is the backbone of the economy, the success of African American businesses is critical if we want to uplift the economically disadvantaged communities in which these businesses tend to be disproportionately concentrated,” he says. Indeed, giving back is important to Marcus since he has had several mentors who have assisted him along the way — beginning with his uncle, Don Dyer, who was the first African American partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers; Rick Coyne, partner-in-charge at Withum; and John Harmon, founder, president and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

How a Three-Month Stay Turned into a Lifetime of Learning

Fabiana M. Mello, CPA, a native of Brazil, left to study English in the United States for three months when she was 19. The only problem was she didn't want to return home. "I saw an opportunity to earn a living here," she says. After realizing her potential to become an accountant and a CPA, she decided to attend Essex County College and then Montclair State University for her bachelor's degree. From there, Fabiana never really stopped learning,

She passed the CPA Exam in six months, then eventually earned her Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF), Certified Municipal Finance Officer (CMFO), Certified Tax Collector (CTC) and Qualified Purchasing Agent (QPA) certifications. And now, as the chief financial officer of the Borough of Lincoln Park, she is in the process of studying for her Registered Municipal Accountant (RMA) licenses.

"Math was also easier for me since I was just learning the English language. Little did I know that accounting is a whole new language," admits Fabiana. And since she likes problem solving, governmental accounting particularly suited her. From working on water utility issues, redevelopment challenges, town events, road upkeeps and repairs, and the development of new sports fields, she solves lots of problems.

"Everything I do has a long-term impact. The borough will be debt free by 2030," she says. "When I first started this job, I thought I might be bored coming from a CPA firm, but I am always learning new things. The laws are constantly changing."

Getting Started

Fabiana very much enjoyed her forensic specialty as an accounting manager at DiGabriele, McNulty, Campanella & Co., LLC in Fairfield. "In forensic accounting, there were no guidelines for the solutions, so you really had to be creative," she explains. But after a close mentor espoused the benefits of working as a municipal CFO, she was enticed by governmental accounting and all the hands-on projects that went along with it. She was appointed assistant CFO for the town of Paterson and eventually moved to CFO in the Borough of Lincoln Park in 2017.

And signs were there that she would be a natural in accounting even as a kid. "I grew up liking math and always liked the office environment — paper, pens, calculators. I actually collected pens and papers," she admits. "I thought it would be harder in the U.S., but I have a good work ethic, which helped." Her passion to perform was evident during her first internship with DiGabriele, McNulty and it's why they asked her to return several years later.

Though her family keeps her busy, she still enjoys her day job. At age 22, her son, John, is not exactly ready to follow in his mom's footsteps, and her two other children — Logan, age 9, and Luke, age 6 — do not have much of an idea about accounting just yet. But that doesn't stop her from encouraging them all to go into accounting one day. However, she and her husband, Rafael, will keep an open mind when it comes to their children's careers.

One thing she does push for, though, is for her children to embrace their Brazilian roots. While the coronavirus pandemic made her emphasize "the important things in life," according to Fabiana, it also helped her connect with her culture again. During the past few months working at home, she was able to sign both of the younger boys up for virtual Portugese language lessons. Her older son, already fluent in Portuguese, goes back every year to Brazil, but now her younger children will have an opportunity to experience the language.

Not Your Traditional Father/Son CPA

When Matthew B. Wielkotz, a CPA and a licensed public school accountant, first joined his father’s accounting and auditing firm in Pompton Lakes and Newton in 2012, he saw a few things he wanted to change. That’s only natural given that Matthew is part of the new breed of CPAs entering the workforce today. Fast forward a few years later, Wielkotz & Company did undergo some changes, but it also stayed the same in areas too — for good reason.

Matthew had planned to revise and revamp the “old way of doing things,” when he came to the registered municipal accounting (RMA) firm from PwC. But not everything needed to be modernized. Both Matthew and his father, Steven D. Wielkotz, CPA, a registered municipal accountant and licensed public school accountant, knew the value of keeping good client relationships intact — the kind that have been fostered since his father joined the firm from KPMG in 1995. Despite a few name changes, the firm has maintained its focus on governmental accounting and auditing — something both Matthew and his dad are proud of. “The client-relations side of governmental ac­counting is very exciting. It’s a very rewarding industry. It’s tough to find an industry that is more openly relatable to people than paying taxes,” he explains.

Matthew did leverage technology and bring more efficiency to operations and client organization. Having acquired accounting experience in real estate at PwC, Matthew also added redevelopment services to the slate of offerings the firm now provides along with its traditional specialty of serving municipalities and schools. His experience helps in providing New Jersey’s Payment in Lieu of Taxes Program (PILOT) agreements, which incentivize developers to build in underdeveloped areas and not have to pay traditional real estate taxes. “There’s a lot of really exciting things going on with development, such as affordable housing, open space park solutions, etc. The next 20 years of development in New Jersey is going to be fascinating,” says Matthew, who is also a part-time CFO for the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency.

Old and New

After they bought out some partners on the verge of retirement, which paved the way for a corporate restructuring, the firm rebranded as Wielkotz & Company, LLC. To this day, Wielkotz is a perfect mix of old and new, which provides the best of both worlds to its clients. To Matthew, leveraging technology is key to running a successful accounting and auditing practice. But as Steven reminds, though modernizing has its advantages, it’s equally important to maintain the level of hands-on auditing service that clients, such as Bergen County, Passaic County and al­most one hundred other local governments, municipalities and school districts have come to expect from them.

This kind of accounting and auditing leads both father and son — and now another son, Daniel, has entered the family business — to meet a variety of people from the polished politician to the exterminator or contractor who may not be an expert in municipal finance but has a legislative position in town government. “We help local politicians. They run on certain specific goals and we help them figure out the financial ways to achieve them,” explains Matthew. Assisting with getting a local government’s bond rating up and helping them communicate with the ratings agencies has a direct correlation to what they pay to borrow money and saves taxpayers money on an overall basis, adds Steven. “The ability to stabilize taxes and their budget and help them stay structurally balanced provides personal satisfaction to us since you are helping them accomplish their goals.”

This kind of niche accounting is indeed a two-way street. “They really lean on us a lot more than what I saw at the larger accounting firms,” explains Matthew. But that’s not a complaint. As Steven notes, some of his clients of more than 20 years are some of his closest friends. And sons Matthew and Daniel have grown up calling at least one mentor, a former county auditor himself, “uncle.”

Always the Teacher

While some professionals know from the start that they want to be CPAs, others end up there after going in another direction. Still, others never stop using their original talents and simply apply them to their new accounting roles. That’s the case with Jay Lauretta, CPA, director of risk strategy at ADP.

While Jay chose not to be an art teacher like he originally planned while attending Monmouth University, he has decidedly been “teaching” most of his life. At ADP, Jay enjoys being the advisor to an audit staff on all things related to Sarbanes-Oxley and career development. Previously, as an audit manager at Baker Tilly, he developed a specialty in healthcare and performing audits of employee benefit plans (EBP), eventually representing his region as part of the firm’s EBP Center of Excellence Group. There, he annually trained all levels of associates, including partners, and trained others on auditing standards and data analysis software.

What he likes best about auditing is the “dynamics of it, or the problem-solving.” According to Jay, “I like being the guy who helps people figure out their problems so they can go and execute on what they need to do.” At ADP, he enjoys “taking people under his wing and understanding the why of how we do something,” he says. “I’m constantly educating people or advising them. As an auditor I get to do that almost every day.”

When starting out in his career, Jay was unsure if he wanted to be an auditor or tax accountant. By the time he joined Baker Tilly, he knew he wanted to be an auditor. “I like the way accounts are balanced, exact and precise. I’m a very detail-oriented person, which served me well in accounting, but auditing taps into my social skills,” he says.

His love for teaching was further evidenced at his volunteer work at the NJCPA. Since 2008, Jay has been an NJCPA career awareness program speaker, where he presents the benefits of becoming a CPA to high school students around New Jersey. He was also the leader of the Emerging Leaders Council from 2013 to 2018, where he helped those new to the profession develop their careers.

Where it All Began

“I did a lot of painting and drawing,” explains Jay, noting that he went from wanting to become an art teacher to math teacher then science/pre-med before settling in at Monmouth University’s music industry program. Either by coincidence or by fate, half of that program was filled with business courses. “I took accounting because it was required by the music industry program,” he adds. “I remember sitting in the class on the first day thinking I’m probably not going to like this,” remembering the horror stories of his friends who hated accounting.

But he couldn’t have been more wrong. “I gravitated towards it pretty naturally and I really enjoyed it,” he says, noting that he could tell he liked it since it was the first homework that he did every night. When the professor found out that he wasn’t an accounting major, he phoned Jay directly to say, “You’re an accountant. The way you are in class, the way you do your work, you are an accountant. When you finally come to that realization, you let me know.” Jay eventually did switch majors.

Giving Back

Even his love for video games is still put to good use. For the past eight years, Jay has helped raise money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals through its “Extra Life” 24-hour video game marathon. “Video games are probably my favorite hobby. I knew this was something I could do and ask my friends to be a part of,” he says. Helping sick children also gives him more appreciation for his own family — wife Kyleen; daughters, Abby, 7, and Zoey, 4; and son, James, 10 months.

How Data and Analytics Helped One CPA Find Her Niche

Sasha Pailet Koff, PMP, CPA, CGMA, knew data and analytics would be the wave of the future in accounting. From helping to to build out the digital strategy for the U.S. Postal Service's first web page to becoming senior director of global supply chain digital operations at Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc. in Bridgewater, Sasha has always been about data and analytics.

In this role, on a daily basis, Sasha incorporates data science and predictive modeling and analytics for the supply chain organization to seek out opportunities to improve the patient, consumer and customer experiences, as well as drive revenue and cost improvement opportunities. "I work with everybody...from people on a plant floor, to data engineers and developers, to sales and marketing staff, to our finance departments all over the world....dealing with currency, tax and system models to be sure our customers have the products they want and need, while simultaneously driving profitability for our company," she explains.

Data analytics and predictive modeling is huge for the accounting profession, she adds. "When we think about forensic accounting, in particular, there's a whole world of capabilities." A CPA's job is not just about the mechanics of running the books, she notes, it's about understanding the financial performance and making sure the public has confidence in the financials that were compiled. "I see a huge need for those skillsets, and potentially more need because of the digital age in which we live."

Never Far From Accounting

While Sasha saw value in an accounting background owing to her father running his own CPA practice in the greater New Orleans area, she was more fascinated by engineering while at The George Washington University. She never entirely gave up on accounting, however, as she took the majority of her non-engineering elective courses in accounting. "If I look back on my college years, I think I actually built the futuristic CPA pathway. When I think about accounting or business acumen of the future, I fundamentally believe folks who will succeed will have to balance the problem-solving acumen of an engineer and the sound fundamentals of the accounting background," she explains.

Her career path is testament to those beliefs. After consulting at Andersen Consulting and having the U.S. government as a client for three years, she ended up going back to graduate school full time and getting even more accounting courses under her belt. She eventually achieved her MBA from Columbia University, where she had her first introduction to working in a corporate environment. Earning a summer internship at Rohm and Haas, which is now Dow Chemical, was a great opportunity as was landing a job after graduating at Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems, LLC, working for who else? A CPA. "My first job at Johnson & Johnson was in the strategic pricing gorup for North America. My role included the oversight of rebates and warranty payments to custmoers in the U.S. and was akin to an internal audit function," she explains.

From there, Sasha moved into a new business developmemt role at Johnson & Johnson, looking at acquisitions and divestitures and understanding profit and loss. She subsequently ran commercial operations for Cordis, a Johnson & Johnson Company, and was responsible for everything from sales force compensation to new product launches, cash flow and supply chain operations.

Lessons Learned

Choosing the corporate environment over public accounting and consulting was never an easy decision. Her first consulting opportunities with Andersen Consulting taught her many lessons, as well as how much she valued seeing projects through from the planning stages to fruition. As a consultant, she gave tremendous recommendations, she said, but she never knew whether they were put into practice and in what timeframe they would be implemented. Being on the corporate side, she has much more skin in the game. "I also have the accountability of it working and seeing it through. That really intrigues me," she says.

All in the Family

Tina M. Moyer, CPA, never thought she would be the controller of a candy company — though she definitely dreamed of candies as a little girl and certainly was good with numbers. Those two worlds combined when she was a manager at what is now RotenbergMeril and she was offered the controller position at the family-run Smarties Candy Company in 1999.

Known for its twist wrapped roll of pastel candies and candy necklaces, the Smarties Candy Company was founded in 1949 when Edward Dee brought his family from England to New Jersey and set up operations in a rented facility. Today, Smarties is run by Dee’s granddaughters Liz Dee and Jessica Dee Sawyer and their cousin Sara Dee, who are all co-presidents. It operates a factory in Union, New Jersey, and another in Ontario, Canada, where Smarties are referred to as “Rockets.”

Having just celebrated its 70th anniversary, the candy company continues to grow in popularity in the U.S. and abroad due to its school- and kid-friendly qualities — vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, peanut-free and allergy-free. A new brand, Smarties Squashies, recently debuted in the U.S. by Swizzels Matlow Co., a confectionary manufacturer in the U.K. who share family relations with the USA-based Dee family.

With global customer demands and routine accounting needs in the office, Tina’s job is always interesting. “It’s a lean machine here,” she explains. “I’m responsible for all of the accounting side of the business, banking, insurance renewals and human resources, plus I’m the administrator of the profit-sharing plan, and all the benefit programs run through me,” she says. Before working at Smarties, Tina was very familiar with the company, having audited Smarties Candy Company for 13 years beginning in 1986. “I remember driv­ing here in a snowstorm in my boss’ Trans Am,” she remarks. Today, she’s responsible for handling the accounting needs of 75 employees in the U.S. and 85 employees in Canada. “I even prepare the tax returns of the individual owners.”

With its biggest customers being Walmart, Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Target to name a few, and producing and selling over 2 billion candy rolls per year, it’s a mature business. “Our top 20 customers cover 75 percent of our sales,” she says. It wasn’t always easy managing the finances for such an organization since not everyone looked at the candy business from an accounting perspective, but Tina was always up for the challenge — making one of her first tasks to modernize the accounting processes.

A Family Business

To those who know Tina, she fits right into the family-run business. Since graduating from Rutgers University in 1986, Tina has only ever had two real jobs — working for a small accounting practice that eventually morphed into RotenbergMeril and working at Smarties. While it’s exciting to have such a national brand with global operations, she loves that it is still run on a small scale. To Tina, it offers the best of both worlds. “Everybody here has a true desire to continue this business into the next generation,” she says.

Close ties with vendors and clients are also par for the course at Smarties; RotenbergMeril is still Smarties’ accounting firm. “I think that was one of the contingencies when I took this job,” she says jokingly. “Where can you go where you know everyone and know everything about a company before you switch positions?”

“Accounting is a great profession. A lot of people go this route and end up working for their clients. You have such a good background in corporate taxes or payroll, for example,” she adds, noting that math and science have always been her strong suits — skills she handed down to her children. Her son Ryan, age 24, is a physics teacher and her daughter Dayna, age 17, wants to be an aerospace engineer.

One Accountant’s Journey from Lincoln Center to Withum

Carolina Carvalho, a tax staff level II at Withum and an NJCPA CPA Candidate member, has been playing the cello and classically singing since she was about 10 years old — and playing the piano since three. Since then, she has put in almost as many hours poring over tax returns for clients and studying for the CPA Exam. This musically inclined accountant still favors both music and accounting — and, thankfully, she doesn’t have to choose between them.

So, how did a tax accountant come to sing operetta at the NJCPA 2019 Annual Convention & Expo? Or, one could ask, how did a classically trained singer end up at an accounting convention in Atlantic City? For starts, Carolina always had a penchant for music, beginning with piano, cello and singing lessons as a child. She quickly went from St. Michael’s church choir in West End, New Jersey, to youth carol and regional music groups, and eventually on to Avery Fisher Hall and Lincoln Center. From 10 years of age through high school, Carolina performed in various countries — a new one every other year.

“One night we would be singing in the choir and another night we would be playing in the orchestra,” she recalls, noting that each event was more exciting than the next. She particularly favored performing at Carnegie Hall and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. “One of the most memorable events was singing in front of Pope Benedict XVI in Rome in 2005,” she said. “Every two years, we would travel to a different country,” she explains. While she likes the cello, she found that she “extended her love for music with singing.”

Music, whether singing or playing an instrument, has always been an outlet for her creativity and a way to express herself, she notes. Her two paths did combine in college when she attended Monmouth University’s five-year program for accounting and graduated with a BS in accounting and finance and an MBA. “Even though I was doing completely the opposite of music, I still participated in the music program and the chamber choir and orchestra on campus.” She even was able to sing at Monmouth University’s presidential inauguration which, according to Carolina, was “an unbelievable experience.”

Family Traditions

So, how does she maintain both her musical side and her accounting prowess? It helps that Carolina’s sister, Maria, who is older by 17 months, is also an accountant studying for her CPA and just as trained in music as Carolina. Her dad is an accountant and so was her grandfather.

Before going to college, she passed multiple rounds of Royal Schools of Music exam levels; but, even before high school she decided to follow in the footsteps of her father and grandfather in accounting.“ With accounting, you can learn something new every day and something different every day, especially with the new tax laws.”

She also favors working with clients and helping to assist businesses with their taxes. "I love working with people. In order to learn, you have to be on different teams and have exposure to many things.” She explains, “I never really thought about pursuing music as a professional career. Accounting was the best career path within business.”

Though she has a practical day job in accounting, music will always be in Carolina’s life. “I trained knowing whatever I did in life, I would always have music with me,” she says. “In music, you have to perform, you have to be open-minded. In accounting, you have to keep an open mind, especially in a changing world,” she says. She still sings with her sister every Saturday at St. Mary’s Church in Deal and also sings at weddings.

Down the road, she’s open to pursuing more accomplishments — the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) credential. “You learn throughout your entire life,” she says.

One CPA's Balancing Act

Simply put, Marc Feldman, CPA, is a problem solver. That kind of skill comes in handy as he performs a daily analysis of upcoming cash inflows and outflows and works to resolve any issues related to contracts or other topics as the chief financial officer of Helen Keller Services (HKS) in Brooklyn.

Feldman, who has been CFO of the organization since 2010, explains that “complexity is a constant” on the job, especially if “mission execution seems to be in conflict with the sustainability of funding for operations.” Helen Keller Ser­vices offers services to blind children and adults in New York City and Long Island and runs a preschool. It also works closely with its Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults division on Long Island. As he explains, “the unusual has been the usual in my work at HKS, par­ticularly with a small group of senior staff covering everything that comes up.”

Feldman makes sure employees understand that budgets are not to just be thought of in “budget season” alone. “There is truth in the adage often used in the not-for-profit world of ‘no margin, no mission.’ My role is to bring a consistent business perspective to the everyday and strategic management process, simultane­ously encouraging program managers to think along those lines in the same way as I learn to support and prioritize mission initiatives.”

A key example of this balancing act is when he and other senior executives at Helen Keller had to convince the board to sell the downtown Brooklyn headquarters building it had owned for 65 years. It involved selecting a broker, finding a buyer willing to lease the building back for a short but flexible period while HKS pursued leasing and building a new similarly well-located facility. “This was as complex an endeavor as anything I had been involved with in the private sector,” he adds.

Due to Feldman’s previous working experience as CFO at the Dyson- Kissner-Moran Corporation (DKM) in New York, and more specifically as treasurer of the Dyson Foundation, a private, family-directed grant-making foundation in Millbrook, New York, Feldman was comfortable working at Helen Keller and on real estate projects, in particular. “I could produce the due diligence information, negotiate a lease for the new space and take into account the complexities of consumers who need to be close to the many public transporta­tion options in downtown Brooklyn,” he explained. “Beyond the fantastic new space our team designed, I had the opportunity to improve the finances of the organization by selling that building for well over $50 million in 2016 when it was on the books for $1 million.”

While it can be busy, it’s not all work for the CFO. “I love the mission. I enjoy the work and seeing clients every day. The preschool used to be on a different floor, and now I see those kids coming and going every day,” he says.

From Auditor to CFO

A CPA since age 24, Feldman realized early on he wanted to not only look at numbers but go into the “deal-making” side of busi­ness as well, which is why he was so eager about revitalizing Helen Keller Services. After graduating from the University of Michigan, he went to graduate school at Columbia and obtained his MBA in finance. “I found so many finance people did not understand accounting, and those trained in accounting did not understand finance,” he says. “It’s all about building up your skillset and being flexible,” admits Feldman, who rose to CFO at DKM from treasurer and vice president of planning and analysis, where he sold many of its real estate investments.

Raised in Belleville, New Jersey, Feldman previously served as CFO at Biopharmaceutics, Inc., and as assistant vice president of finance at Del Laborato­ries. He began his career as a supervising audit senior at EY in Newark.

All in the Family

When Robert (Bob) Scorzo, CPA, was parking cars at a country club at the age of 18, he was told by a member that when he gets out of college, he needs to have a profession, such as CPA, doctor, lawyer or teacher. That advice not only stuck with him, he passed it on to his sons — and, surprisingly, they all listened.

More than 35 years later, Bob and his wife Annmarie are proud parents of three CPAs — Matthew, Stephen and Nicholas — and one Ramapo College student, Robert, who wants to become one. After toying with other majors like criminal justice and psychology, the three older sons became CPAs and ended up working at one of the big four firms. The youngest, Robert, was a 2019 recipient of the NJCPA Scholarship Award for college students.

So how do you raise such a CPA-focused family? It starts early. To Bob’s parents, who were Italian immigrants, obtaining a profes­sion seemed like sound advice. Bob’s twin brother, Michael, also took that to heart and earned his CPA, eventually becoming a partner at a CPA firm and leaving to invest in a glass business in Michigan. Today, he’s the president and CEO of several glass franchises in the Midwest.

Not to be outdone by his brother, Bob had his own entrepreneurial drive. “When I was 26, I started my own firm. From there, I eventually brought my small group of clients into another CPA firm,” explains Bob. One of the firm’s clients, the Windsor group of New Jersey-approved special education schools, offered him a job as the school Business Administrator. Years later, in 2003, he and his wife partnered with another cou­ple to own and operate four of the schools after the original founder stepped down. As Bob explains, “when I left the CPA firm for the schools, I thought it was an opportunity to delve into private industry. Working at the schools was a niche position that interested me.”

Bob now helps operates Windsor Bergen Academy in Ridgewood, Windsor Preparatory High School in Paramus, Shepard School in Kinnelon and Shepard Preparatory High School in Morristown. “We are here if parents are looking for a more specialized setting for their students. We complement public school districts and charter schools,” he explains.

Bob and his wife find their day-to-day functions especially enjoyable due to the kinds of students with which they interact, from elementary to high school. “Our staff does an amazing job. We have dedicated educational professionals. Working in specialized education is very rewarding,” he says.

Putting Accounting Into Practice

Where does accounting fit into this mix? Just about everywhere, according to Bob. “Operating the schools and having an accounting background is very helpful, especially being self-employed.”

To him, having an accounting degree has opened doors. “Over the past 30 to 40 years, school districts are hiring CPAs more than ever. There is a need for CPAs in just about any field so accounting pro­fessionals have many options,” he adds. “And if my sons choose to operate their own business like my brother and I do now, the accounting background and CPA license help to steer through all types of financial turbulence.”

Always the Coach

Even though his sons are grown, Bob can’t resist the urge to coach town sports and still participates on Kinnelon’s recreation­al board. “For others, it’s golf; for me, coaching is my hobby,” he explains. When his sons were younger, he coached lots of sports. “As a dad, it was important to have time for my sons. Once the boys got older, I still stayed involved in the community, working with little kids.”

He also feels the need to “coach” young professionals about the accounting profession when it comes up in conversation. He reminds students that “if you apply yourself and work hard, you will have more opportunities when you graduate.”

One CPA Who Doesn't Know the Meaning of "No"

Renee Bell is not your ordinary retired CPA. While most professionals in her shoes would be relaxing on the beach somewhere, she’s the kind who needs to keep working. Bell, age 88, is still an active notary public — a certification she is proud to hold for more than 50 years. “Even though I’m no longer working, I did maintain my notary public license and my CPA license. It’s convenient to have them. Many times, it was needed.”

Renee always had a can-do approach to work, beginning in high school when she was a part-time bookkeeper after school. Those skills came in handy years later. After grad­uation from high school she married, had two children (Julie and Laurie) and moved with her husband and children to California. She eventually returned to New Jersey with her family and went to work for an industrial builder, whose clients included BFGoodrich and Bank of America. “They saw frankly that I knew what I was doing. I ran the office and I attended settlement meetings with and for clients after they purchased the building since the owners were too busy and I knew what was required,” she says.

While working for the builder in accounting during the day she helped her husband Herman (now deceased) run his True Value hardware store at night. She didn’t mind working in both places — in fact, she seemed to thrive on it. But eventually she slowed down to raise her daughters, Julie and Laurie, when the couple moved to Margate, New Jersey. “I gave up working at that point but that was not my style,” she admits.

It wasn’t long before she eventually returned to the workforce when her children were much older and on their own. While working for a private CPA firm (Richard Paterson, CPA) handling a variety of tasks, she explains, “I came home and said, ‘I can do what these guys do.’”

And, she was right. So, she went back to school, while continuing to work, to finish the necessary requirements for a college degree in accounting. In 1994, Renee received her Bachelor of Science in accounting from Stockton University — several years after her children had already attended college elsewhere. “They graduated college before I did,” she admits.

What came next for a woman that doesn’t let much stand in her way? A CPA license, of course. After doing most of the accounting tasks in corporate as well as public accounting already, she realized she needed the formal license to move up at her firm and continue to maintain a great relationship with her clients. After receiving her CPA in 1997 at age 66, she was subsequently offered partnership in the firm she worked for.

Beyond Accounting

So, did the numbers guru want to do anything besides accounting? One might have to go back a bit far. Before any number crunching, Renee studied sculpture at Stockton. Like anything she put her mind to, Renee was able to succeed. She sold her first life-size sculpture of a woman reclining in a beach chair. “Every artist wants to sell their sculpture,” she says, noting however, that accounting is a better way to pay for college educations. Though she admits she is not physically able to reproduce pieces of this size anymore, she still appreciates art and fine sculpture — along with accounting, of course.

From Public to Private and Back to Public Accounting

David Rim, CPA, CGMA, senior manager at Mazars USA LLP, didn’t immediately know he would love public accounting, but after sampling the waters in private practice he came back to public accounting where he remains.

Working at Mazars came easy for him after having worked in private accounting at an environmental services company in Newark. It’s there where he honed his communication skills away from accounting jargon. “A lot of times there were accounting and financial reporting issues that I was used to conveying to other accounting professionals. Framing these matters in operating and general business terms went a long way in helping to get my point across,” says David. “It provided the opportunity to learn more about the operations of businesses while partnering with the plant managers and operations folks.”

This communication came in handy when he eventually decided to head back to public accounting and join the ranks at Mazars. While David enjoyed his time working in private accounting, he missed juggling various clients and the fast pace. He thought at the time that private practice would provide a better quality of life for him and his wife, Kimberly, a teacher in Old Bridge, but he missed the hustle and bustle of public accounting more than he anticipated.

At Mazars, David enjoys being a trusted advisor to his manufacturing, distribution and life sciences clients, not just a compli­ance person. “I like to be someone who’s asked to be there at the meetings and help clients solve problems.”

Niche specialties like his are important, he adds, especially as more public accounting firms expand into advisory capacities. “I feel very much at home with any manufacturing and distribution company. The production process always fascinates me,” he says, adding that pro­cess improvements and cost accounting are really exciting to him.

His first job in public accounting at EOS Accountants LLP in Hackensack also helped train him in this field. As an auditor, he worked with chemical manu­facturers throughout the Northeast who were mostly wholly-owned Japanese subsidiaries. He had a full, hands-on experience with clients, even climbing chemical silos as part of inventory counts.

Other Lessons Learned

He wasn’t always so set on accounting. Prior to landing his accounting jobs, he originally wanted to try his hand at law. “I actually wanted to be an attorney,” he says, when he worked at a part-time job while attending Ramapo College. But, according to David, “it didn’t seem like the life for me.” He soon realized he favored accounting work more than any legal projects.

He also has military experience which didn’t provide him with the technical side of accounting, but it did give him an invaluable worldly perspective. As part of his four-year enlistment with the U.S. Army after high school, he was deployed in the Republic of Korea for two years and also patrolled the streets of Baghdad in 2005. As David describes his time in the military, “it’s four years of your life finding out who you are as a person.”

Growing up in Bergen County in a Korean-speaking family helped while being stationed in Korea. Though the Americanized Korean language can be somewhat different, being able to communicate “came in handy at times,” adds David. His basic training in Oklahoma also helped prepare him for Korea and Iraq. “It was quite an experience,” he says.

Though David continues to thrive on being busy, his daily tasks just increased tenfold — David and Kimberly welcomed their first child, Jonathan, in September 2018.

How One CPA Never Left Broadway

Not many CPAs have led as full a life as Howard Bookbinder, CPA. From having lunch with the likes of Harry Belafonte and Jerry Lewis, to doing stand-up comedy, to being on the set of “Howdy Doody,” Howard has pretty much done it all.

In his own words, “I’ve been on Broadway since I was 16,” referring to being an usher at the Palace Theater on 47th Street and Broadway and running his CPA practice today on Broadway in Fair Lawn. Born in Brooklyn, Howard has met movie stars, been on a television program as a child, ran for mayor of Glen Rock and Bergen County Freeholder and became a Councilman in Glen Rock.

So, where did all of this limelight start? With his grandmother. “My grandmother was a big shot in Coney Island,” he says, referring to how she ran the New York division of the USO during World War II. As a perk, he was able to help her lead the Fourth of July parade. His grandfather was a dancer, wrestler and steeplechase barker, who had quite a few brushes with stars of his own.

From there, Howard spent time in both Brooklyn and the Bronx after a challenging turn of events where his father contracted tu­berculosis and the family separated. Reunited years later, Howard’s entertaining personality always got him noticed in school and in the community. He participated in the “Howdy Doody Show” since his teacher’s niece was the puppeteer who manipulated Howdy Doody. “They would take us from school to the NBC building, bring us upstairs and give us balloons and candy,” he said.

SURROUNDED BY MUSIC

Though accounting and theater don’t exactly go together, he enjoyed both. And it’s a good thing too — while working at M. Silberman & Co., an accounting firm in Manhattan, a music composer had the office in front of them. “I had to work and do tax returns listening to his piano playing,” said Howard, who didn’t complain too much since his office’s location was also next door to that of Irving Berlin’s (of White Christmas fame) and above the restaurant owned by Jack Dempsey, the famous boxer. “I did audits of royalties for Frank Sinatra and a couple of other stars,” explains Howard.

And when Howard was offered the chance to usher, and eventually emcee, at the Palace Theatre next door, he jumped at the chance — in between accounting work, of course. “I was 6'2" at the time, and the guy running the Palace Theater asked, ‘Would you like to be an usher?’” It’s there where he met and dined with Danny Kaye, Harry Belafonte and Jerry Lewis.

GOOD AT NUMBERS

Realizing his true talents were still with numbers, he worked at Chemical Bank (which became Chase Manhattan Bank), and eventually met his wife Beverly and had three children, David, Glenn and Melisa (deceased 1991). He attended night school at Pace University to set his course to become a CPA. In an unprecedented move, Pace let him take the actual CPA Exam as his class’s final exam since, by this time, he had already worked six years in public accounting. “I was able to sit for the real exam, which was thrilling,” said Howard.

After a short stint at a larger firm, he returned to M. Silberman and became partner. Eventually he leapt to New Jersey to be closer to one of his clients, set up a private practice, became a teacher at Rutgers University, joined several NJCPA committees and interest groups, authored Bergen Record’s Tax Mailbag as well as his own books, and was appointed to the New Jersey Israel Commission.

But though Howard’s life has taken var­ious turns, some aspects of his childhood will always remain. “As I tell everybody when I teach ethics, my mother left me with very good bones and post nasal drip. She also me gave me a ‘twitch.’ When a cli­ent starts giving me a lie, my twitch comes out and notifies me,” he said.

How a Mother and Son Chose to be CPAs — at the Same Time

Elena Klarberg, senior associate at Sax LLP, did not take the traditional route to obtaining her CPA. After marriage, divorce, raising three boys and holding a series of part-time jobs, Elena decided she wanted a career. So, in her 40s, she enrolled in Caldwell University’s adult undergraduate program to obtain her bachelor’s degree. In 2018, Elena completed all four parts of the CPA Exam, and she now awaits her CPA license.

While passing the CPA Exam was a test of “resilience, fortitude and stamina,” according to Elena, it was well worth the journey. “I started studying and took the first part of the Exam before I started working at Sax,” explains Elena, who is an NJCPA scholarship recipient and a CPA Candidate member. “I was coming home from work and studying. I would study on the weekends all day. My kids basically saw my back for months. It was definitely grueling, but I had the goal in my mind. I wanted it done.”

Taking an alternative path to an ac­counting profession and working among younger professionals did not discourage her. According to Elena, “my professor told me that 15 years or so ago, there would not have been a place for a person like me in public accounting.” But today, having al­ready had plenty of experience as a teacher, camp counselor and working in business development for a transport company, Elena brought something different to the table than someone just starting out in the workforce. “The people I’m working with are my son’s age,” she admits. But in a testament to Sax, she says, “I was treated like all the other first years, no special treatment. I’m just like everybody else. It was a fantastic experience.”

More the typical age of a first-year accountant, Elena’s son, Zachary, staff associate at Citrin Cooperman, knows first-hand how determined his mom can be. Having graduated from William Paterson University of New Jersey in 2017 and being well on his way to his own CPA, Zach often studied at the same time as his mom. A familiar sight around their house was them both holed up in their study caves: Elena in her office and Zach in his bedroom. Like most moms, though, she often passed along study notes, but he had some good advice, too.

So, what’s it like having one’s son prepare for the CPA Exam at the same time you are? It makes for a very chaotic but quiet household when studying, according to Elena. “There were two separate occasions where we both received scores on the same day,” adds Zach, who notes that they made a point of never taking the same exam section on the same day. And despite their mutual affection for accounting, they ended up in different specialties: tax accounting for Zach and audit and accounting for Elena, who works in the firm’s real estate niche.

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Elena’s positive take on accounting did hold some sway over her son’s decision to enter the field. As Zach notes, after his mother took some accounting classes, he started getting interested in the topic. “Her decision to get her accounting degree definitely had some influence on me. We both had very positive school experiences, such as good mentors and teachers,” he said. Zach took his last part of the Exam in December and is awaiting his score.

Not all of Elena’s sons, however, are headed for accounting, but at least one more Klarberg could be joining them. Her youngest son Matthew, aged 18, is studying finance at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, and he is considering a minor in account­ing. However, her middle son Jacob, aged 21, currently at William Paterson, favors more finance. Both younger brothers have learned not to be in the house when test scores are released.

Busy Season Takes on a Whole New Meaning on the Farm

As a tax and audit professional, Timothy J. Shore, CPA, CGMA, co-managing member of Levine, Jacobs & Company LLC, is used to busy days. In fact, he thrives on it. But even the most weathered accounting professional would have to admit that Tim puts in some of the longest hours — both at his day job in Livingston and at his night job on his farm in Great Meadows.

And just like in accounting, life on the farm is never typical, particularly when taking care of 12 Nigerian Dwarf goats, 12 chickens and ducks, two pigs, eight Great Pyrenees guard dogs and many foster cats and kittens. Animals also have their own “busy seasons.” Making sure they are up-to-date on their shots and that their coat, skin color and eyes look good is all part of maintaining the live­stock. Even though the ducks are Tim’s least-favorite animal, they still demand a lot of upkeep. Speaking highly of his guard dogs, however, he says “they bark a lot, but if something did come onto the fields, they would attack it.” That’s a very important feature since the Shores live next to a bear preservation.

Thanks to his wife, Barbara, a Pennsylvania native who worked for years in animal shelters and shares his love of animals and living in wide-open spaces, he manages the demands of accounting with the necessities of running a farm. His children, Nick, age 15, and Nina, age 12, also help in the daily routine of running the farm. His son is so good with the goats that he is affectionately called the “goat whisperer” by his family. Both children have benefited from growing up the last four years on the farm, with one of their favorite memories being the time they held newborn bear cubs.  

So how does Tim fit in a CPA firm, a farm and a family? Good time management. His typical routine starts at 4:30 a.m. when he opens the stable doors, gives food and water to the animals, gets ready for work and drives an hour to practice audit, accounting and tax as well as be his firm’s go-to contact for construction, funeral, medical and other client niches. When he comes home in the evening, Tim does the reverse procedure, gathering the animals back into their stables and stalls and preparing them for the night. He remembers to pay close attention to the goats, which often knock over their water.

Calling Tim’s dedication to the farm a “labor of love” would be an understatement. “We are both very animal friendly,” says Tim of why he and his wife chose this kind of lifestyle. To Tim, tending to the animals is a perfect end to his day. “There are two sides of my life. Just taking care of the animals is relax­ing in and of itself. While it’s work, it’s pleasurable work.”

His days could get even busier. The Shores plan on adding more animals — a cow, a horse and perhaps even a donkey are on their wish list. “Everybody loves coming to see the animals,” says Tim, who has hosted many family birthday parties and gatherings on the farm.

Giving More

When they are not working on the farm, the Shores, who take in cats about to give birth, work with Eleventh Hour Rescue in Randolph, a volunteer-based animal rescue organization. “It’s a full-time job taking care of these cats,” said Tim discussing his wife’s commitment to the animals and working with the shelter. Barbara works tirelessly to prepare the cats for adoption by transporting the animals to veterinary checks and monitoring their feeding. Since they started working with Eleventh Hour two years ago, Tim and his wife have pre­pared more than 70 cats for adoption.

Solving Problems from Pre-K to College

In 2005, when Kelvin Smith, CPA, MBA, announced his resignation from being the controller at Mercer County Com­munity College for another opportunity, they didn’t exactly let him leave. Instead of giving the usual two weeks’ notice, he ended up extending his stay to help them complete their annual audit. And since he was so helpful, they offered him a teach­ing position even after leaving the school earlier than originally planned.

Twelve years later, Kelvin is still teaching as an adjunct professor at Mercer and he also has been teaching at Thomas Edison State University for their online course division for 11 years. Due to the high demand for online courses, he is busier than most adjunct professors in the summer — these courses are shorter and require more condensing of accounting subject matter than regular courses during the school year. He teaches financial and managerial accounting and other courses from entry level to intermediate account­ing, auditing, fundraising management and graduate accounting courses.

Loving every minute of teaching, Kelvin says, “there’s something special about providing a service that’s going to help students. I like the interaction with students and giving back.” Kelvin’s wife, Delores, calls him “God’s helper” since he is a mentor to many students and provides guidance on how to get on the right track with their career and lifestyle. Delores helps keep him organized and grounded.

And that’s no easy task. For his day job, Kelvin is the School Board Administrator for the Willingboro School District in Burlington. He manages the day-to-day op­erations of running the pre-k to 12th grade school district as well as the food service component of the schools, which consists of about 100 employees. A typical day might involve consulting with the school board attorney; overseeing staff who man­age payroll; transportation, such as school busing and special needs’ access; and facilities, including the school grounds.

“When I’m in the classroom, I talk about my job at the school district,” he said. And when he’s at his job at the school district, he draws on all his experience from working with students and help­ing with programs such as Read Across America. “Based on my work experiences, I’m able to do these varied areas of my job. When I go to work, I really enjoy what I do. It’s part of who I am,” he said.

Kelvin is truly an example of how accounting, in his words, can lead to “a great, diversified experience.” Previously, he was the director of finance for Trenton Housing Authority and worked at Stockton Univer­sity as payroll manager. In addition, Kelvin operates his own CPA practice with his wife. Their small firm has 15 diverse clients ranging from nonprofit organizations to defense, real estate and health care industries. “I just love what I do. I thank God that He somehow allows me to manage all this stuff,” said Kelvin. It also comes down to good staff and qualified people in his departments. “I have a great staff at my full-time job. We sit down and we talk.”

No Time to Retire

When retirement finally comes, Kelvin doesn’t plan on slowing down much. He wants to continue teaching, for one. “When I retire, it will give me time to do more,” he readily admits. Kelvin also says he will consider offering additional services to clients; he doesn’t currently do attest engagements, for example.

And he plans on continuing to assist students and aspiring CPAs. His main message to pass on: “Once I obtained my CPA license, I realized I could accomplish anything. If I can do it, you certainly can.

The Other Life of a Forensic Accountant

Richard A. Vera, II, CPA, CITP, MBA, MSc, CFE, CSA, CFCE, CECFE, CCCE, AQA, has had as many interesting assign­ments as a forensic accountant as he holds certifications. As a former senior forensic auditor at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) at the U.S. Department of Justice for the past 14 years — 23 years in all with the U.S. government — the non-traditional CPA worked on all kinds of criminal financial investigations. Forensic accounting at the government level is not exactly what it looks like on television, but to hear Richard explain it, his day sounds almost as exciting. ATF was at one point the sec­ond largest tax-revenue generator for the government as part of the U.S. Treasury Department. But after 9/11, the criminal investigation department was formally transferred into the Justice Department, so Richard’s group of special agents and forensic auditors moved with it, focusing exclusively on criminal investigations.

A typical day in Richard’s shoes may mean waking up at 3 a.m., waiting outside on a field mission until the armed agents and police are done serving a search war­rant and clearing the premises, and then joining the search team. Searches could be for anything from illicit cash, such as drug money, to business records or items of val­ue purchased with the cash. “Once we were called into a case by the special agent, we would pick up the financial end of it and run with that,” explains Richard, who was one of about 65 forensic auditors working for ATF at that time.

So how did he utilize his accounting skills in the middle of a crime scene? “Someone gets into a business and may later try to sell it. If they can’t get rid of it, they end up burning it,” he said, explain­ing that sometimes the cash involved in a business goes through many migrations. “I did a lot of arson-for-profit work, which is always interesting,” admits Richard, who covered a region from Maine to Florida, though mostly New York and New Jersey.

Richard was also frequently contacted for Grand Jury or criminal trial expert testimony. “I have been in situations where I saw evidence of someone collecting unemployment while at the same time ledgers showed they were running a business. We retrieved tens of thousands of dollars in cash. I had to confer by phone with the prosecutor and articulate why I believed the cash was derived from illicit means. At that point we were authorized to seize the funds,” he said.  In another case, he assisted in obtaining a confession from a landlord who was in deep financial debt and attempted to murder a tenant.

Looking to make a switch in 2018 and seek out private company work, Richard left the ATF to become the director of financial and digital forensics for Critical Elements, Inc. He also continued to work for the government — as an auditor in the Internal Review section of the U.S. Army Reserves. He is now one of only two information systems professionals certified by the American Institute of CPAs in New Jersey.

Even before choosing forensic accounting as a career, he realized he always had a knack for solving problems. “I wanted to go make a difference,” said Richard, who had applied at ATF before 9/11 and eventually received a call to come on board in 2002. Immediately after 9/11, Richard did pro bono accounting services for victims and their families. Even as a child, he always wanted to fight for what’s right. “Sometimes I would actually mediate arguments when I was a kid.” As a young adult he joined the Army, eventually patrolling the “Iron Curtain” between East and West Germany.

In It for the Long Haul

Not many CPAs get to play with trucks as a child and then spend whole days evalu­ating them as an adult. But that’s the case with Scott Fitzgerald. As the assistant controller at Inter-Metro Freight, based in Elizabeth, Scott had to learn the ins and outs of the freight industry — no easy task but a place where he now feels right at home.

To Scott, keeping track of the financials for Inter-Metro Freight means being on top of the transportation for everything from wine and spirits to timber, stone and any other heavy-weight commodity. What started out as an in-house trucking com­pany to assist holding company Fedway Associates of Basking Ridge transport their containerized cargo of wine and spirits from the port and rail to the warehouse door, Inter-Metro has grown into a na­tional truck operation that services ports in New York/New Jersey, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia and California. Its fleet of over 700 new tri-axle chassis (which hold containers) enable the firm to trans­port in some parts of the country up to 100,000 lbs. at a time, a 20,000 lb. increase over the standard gross vehicle weight limitation across the U.S. “Instead of a customer using 10 containers to import or export their merchandise, they can use eight containers with us,” he explains. “In addition to our tri-axle chassis, our tractors have four axles compared to a standard three-axle tractor. Because of that, we are able to carry extra weight.”

While hauling freight was new to Scott, he was used to dealing with all kinds of customers from his days as an institution­al equity trader. After almost 15 years in finance, he made the leap to accounting as the Great Recession of 2007/08 made him realize accounting, not trading, would be a more useful and practical profession. “I know accounting has many transferrable skills,” says Scott.

He didn’t take too long to ponder about getting a CPA, however, when opting to go the accounting route. After a quick read of what courses he was lack­ing, he became a full-time student for a semester and made up his mind to sit for one section of the CPA exam every time it was offered. The end result? He easily passed the exam on his first try. Soon af­ter, he joined a regional accounting firm, where he remained for about five years.

Digging Deeper

But it wasn’t until he jumped to the corporate accounting side at Inter-Metro Freight that he discovered what he liked best about accounting — analyzing expenses at a deep level and coming up with solutions for more efficient operations. “I can dig my teeth deeper into the financials. Here, I can see how we’re doing and how I can help with different expenses, such as why a certain expense went up,” explains Scott, who calls himself a problem-solver. “I’m definitely more hands on and more focused.”

With Inter-Metro Freight’s specialty in heavy-weight transportation, Scott has to be on top of the correct billing for each client and state, and even those international customers who want to ship something domestically. “Each state has a limit of the max gross vehicle weight. A lot of times a container is not full by volume but maxed out by weight,” he adds.

That means a lot for Scott to keep track of. So is he up to the challenge? A decisive “yes,” he says. “I do the financials for all of our remote locations, and will do so for future sites also. We are growing that part of the business.”

And while the firm’s expansion plans do come with a cost, they also mean more opportunities to satisfy customers. “We are very vertical here. We have customers that ask us to bring their products off of the ship, get them to another company and truck them somewhere else. It also can mean getting them on the rail,” says Scott, who is always looking for ways to save his company and his customers shipping costs.

From Signing to an Indie Label to Signing Tax Returns

Shaune Scutellaro, CPA, tax senior manager at CohnReznick LLP, did not have the most typical path to becoming a CPA, but he wouldn’t trade it either.

As the lead singer in his band, Echo Screen, from 2003 to 2007, he enjoyed performing for crowds. Though he con­centrated more on sports growing up, he realized in college he had a talent for song­writing. After leaving one band and helping to form Echo Screen — named for his passion for video gaming —Shaune and his new band members eventually signed with an independent record label. Echo Screen went on to tour in New Jersey, Pennsylva­nia, and several tours across the country; but they had fans as widespread as Japan and Europe. 

What he loved best about being in a band was the writing — particularly about life experiences and relationships. “I always wanted to craft my story with my songs,” he says, noting one of his favorite songs was “Everything After Bradford,” which described one of the band’s most surprising shows in Bradford, Pennsylvania. It’s interesting to Shaune since “ev­erything after that show went completely wrong,” he says, adding that “people got sick and we missed shows.” The lyrics explain that “sometimes you think things are going well and all of a sudden it can go away just like that.”

Another favorite song was “This Letter Bomb” about a friend’s relationship that had gone on too long. For this song, Shaune and his bandmates traveled to Minnesota, where they spent 12 hours filming an animated video for the song.

When he finally decided to leave his band at the age of 24, it was mostly a family decision, based on his planning for the future and his wife Adrienne’s job offer in California. “It was time. As much as music is a lot of fun, there’s a lot of hard work and hard parts about it, such as the hours. The more I did it, the lifestyle was not for me,” he says. 

Moving Towards the Numbers

Shaune didn’t immediately favor accounting over singing; it just worked out that way. As a student in college, Shaune had worked several summer intern jobs in tax and auditing while working for his father, Joseph Scutellaro, CPA, partner, Cohn-Reznick LLP, who then worked at his own firm, Jump, Scutellaro & Co. (eventually becoming Jump, Perry & Co.). It’s here where Shaune gained experience doing taxes in the spring and going out on audits in the summer. “When you are an accountant, you can do two or three very different jobs from each other. You are not pigeon holing yourself into one profes­sion,” he says.

Shaune saw that he had a knack for getting to the bottom of client problems, understanding their particular industries and presenting their issues in a coherent and informative way. He always knew he liked math — and was good at it. While he was content to sing, after marrying, moving to California and looking to start a family, Shaune eventually turned to accounting to provide a quality life. A small CPA firm in Los Angeles was the start of his full-time accounting career. 

But does accounting measure up to singing? For Shaune, it’s a definitive “yes.” “People really rely on you, and if you do your job right, you are really helping people; if you pay attention and do your best for the client than you are valuable to them.” He adds, “I have the opportunity to interact with people on a personal level. That came across to me very early; there aren’t many things that are more personal to people than their finances.” 

Today, Shaune is still crafting notes, though more for clients than for hit songs. And with three kids and a special­ty in tax, including start-up technology companies, he doesn’t have too much time for song writing.

Disconnecting to Connect

Lynn Petrovich, CPA, has worked for clients on both sides of the track — for the highest-paid private wealth manager to the low-income individual who hasn’t filed a tax return in years. To Petrovich, who resides in Monmouth County, tax help should not come in one package.

After working for several years as project controller at Tutor Perini, a specialty construction company in New York, she realized in her free time she could help the needy in her own backyard. Along with her daughter Katrina, an attorney, she became a volunteer for AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, a free tax program aimed at low-income and senior citizens who cannot afford tax preparation services. It was here that she discovered a void in the lower-income communities that CPAs like herself could fill. “Five or six years into being licensed I felt discon­nected from society. What I was seeing in corporate accounting was not what I was seeing in the community where I lived,” says Petrovich.

Branching Out

In 2016, Lynn and her daughter, seeing the need for year-round tax services (including preparation of amended and prior year returns) and helping taxpayers with IRS notices, founded People’s Tax Clinic (PTC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that helps low-income individuals with their financial needs, including basic legal document preparation like wills, health care directives and powers of attorney. It was an ideal way to reach out to those who need help the most. Though she still has her day job, it reassures her to know that she is doing her part for society. “My expertise was greatly needed elsewhere. It was rewarding to me. It’s a way to move forward for the benefit of society.”

At PTC, most clients will not pay a fee for services. For others, there are nominal fees based on a sliding income scale. So far, People’s Tax Clinic has helped about 50 individuals, which is work that is in addition to Lynn and her daughter’s service as tax season volunteers at AARP. “We’re doing returns for people who were formerly incarcerated, living in their cars, facing foreclosure, fighting cancer, people who have to pay $600 in health care penalties even though they make only $19,000 a year, etc.,” she explains.

Lynn would love to see the organization reach out to more communities with the help of charitable donations, corporate grants for funding and the hiring of volunteers, but she is first focusing on New Jersey. “If someone called us and needed help over a notice from the government, it’s certainly not some­thing we would turn down,” she adds. “If they needed help in Georgia, we would network and try and find someone in Georgia who could help.”

Low-income and elderly people are not the only ones who benefit from her desire to reach out to the less fortunate. Petrovich can also be seen regularly speaking pro bono at high schools in Monmouth and Ocean counties about the perils of student loan debt (her seminar is called “Everything you need to know about student loan debt, before, during, and after college”). Students, she notes, are in dire need of education about what having too much student loan debt can mean for one’s future.

Helping those young adults who do not have access to financing hits home with her own upbringing. As a student, she did not have many places to turn for advice, but her love of accounting and the profession prevailed. "I always enjoyed math and accounting when I went to college part-time at night. I started taking classes at Brookdale Community College. I then transferred to Monmouth College. Once I got into a couple of accounting classes I was hooked," she says.

Staying the Course

Vibert (Bert) Wailoo, CPA, MBA, CMA, CFF, CGMA, professor of accounting at Kean University, doesn’t do anything lightly. Take, for example, his running. After partaking in a half-marathon in his home­town of Maplewood, he opted for the next big thing — the New York City Marathon. Eight marathons and some additional half marathons later, Bert kept on running. But now, he prefers long walks and yoga instead.

Bert, a former cricket player having moved to the United States from Guyana in 1969, likens his interest in running to his ability to accept challenges. Sports, for the most part, came easy to him though he enjoys a difficult workout, meeting it head on and then moving onto the next challenge.

He remembers telling his wife, “I’m going to run a marathon.” She did not seem too excited about the prospect, particularly since it meant following him to California, Washington, D.C., and Canada. But she became his biggest supporter and he looked forward to seeing her at the finish line. To get through those marathons, he said “you practice but you can’t look at the road every step of the way. It’s 26 miles.” He added, “you need to know what is your pace and figure out how you are going to get there. If you look up at a hill, you are in trouble. I tell my grandson and granddaughter, who are runners, don’t look up the hill.”

Classroom Lessons

That methodical approach is what has kept him teaching accounting at Kean University for more than 30 years. Similar to running, Bert has a process for teaching in each classroom — making sure students know upfront that their job is to learn and his job is to teach.

He thoroughly enjoys breaking through to even the most difficult students about the virtues of accounting. And when students question his methods, he is ready for them. Just like in running where you have to have a goal and think about the steps taking you to the finish line, he said, problem-solving in accounting is similar. “You have to get the steps, like a budget. You have to decide the steps to get there so they are all the same.”

Perhaps most importantly, Bert has a knack for not giving up, which comes in handy when introducing new students to the merits of accounting — and certainly helped him as a runner.

For example, after working the “grave­yard shift” from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York while simultaneously being married and a father to two young children, he went on to attend college at Pace University, eventually achieving his B.A. and his MBA. “America has great specialization,” added Bert. “When I came to this country, I was thinking I was going to major in math,” he said, but accounting offered a lot of math-related courses.

Bert’s corporate experience also had a hand in shaping the kind of teacher he is today. After college, he began working in accounting at International Paper. The corporate world taught him valuable teaching lessons, especially in how to listen. International Paper had a policy at that time in which all new supervisors actually had to learn to manage by taking a course, so Bert went to school to be a better manager. “What I learned (and to this day I use it all the time) was you have to learn to listen to someone who is working for you until they stop talking,” he said, noting that’s how to fully understand their perspective when approaching a project.

Similarly, he learned it’s important to practice listening to someone that one does not like. “You will learn that someone can have a different point of view than you, but you can still learn something from them.”

A Different Kind of Client

When Amy Both, CPA, is not up to her eyeballs in spreadsheets and client meet­ings, a different type of client is keeping her busy — the four-legged kind. After providing audit, tax and consulting services all day to clients at Neral & Co, PA, of Wall, Amy often begins her next shift managing the needs of fish, reptiles and exotic birds. That’s because she and her husband run an exotic pet shop in Jackson called Major League Exotic Pets.

It’s not easy juggling clients and family life with husband, Allen, and daughter, Addison, age 11, along with helping to look after the latest chameleon or hedgehog that enters her family’s pet shop, but the combination keeps things interesting. On any given day, snakes, reptiles or African cichlids may need her help. Growing up, Amy always had dogs in the house or a pet hermit crab by her bed but the decision to step up to exotic pets was solely her husband’s influence.

Amy sees both kinds of businesses as a good fit for her. “I love to help customers,” she says, which is particularly the case during tax season. Amy established her niche at Neral, where she caters to nonprofit organizations, cases related to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and issues related to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It’s in these sectors she believes she can truly roll up her sleeves and help the small to medium-size business customers effectively.

Similarly, her desire to help guide the work of other nonprofit groups compelled her to become more involved at the NJCPA. She joined the organization’s Nonprofit Interest Group in 2008 and eventually became the leader of the group. Well-versed in government audit standards from Neral, she became an effective member of the group, advising on expo­sure drafts and new accounting standards, and developing roundtable discussions. Amy currently serves on NJCPA’s Board of Trustees and is a member of the Audit Committee and Student Programs & Scholarships Committee.

That same kind of involvement can be seen in how she helps manage the pet shop. Knowing what it takes for a family to take a pet into their home, particularly a nontraditional one, she and her husband have raised the bar on how they sell pets. Her family’s pet shop matches up the best kind of customer with the appropriate pet, and even turns down business if the fit is not likely to be appropriate for both the pet and the customer. Often a customer may think they want a certain kind of pet until they know what is involved with the upkeep and maintenance. “You have to take into account the interest of the fish/reptiles and the customer, and you want a good match for the pet,” she says. Making sure everything works smoothly is important, she adds.

Paying it Forward

Despite her interest in animals, Amy also has a knack for numbers. She began her “love” of numbers while in high school. With two of her grandparents and an aunt becoming accountants, she was taught at an early age about the virtues of the profession — lessons she still carries with her today.

Amy is adamant about making sure current students have that same interest in accounting. On occasion, when she’s able to speak at her alma mater, Manches­ter Township High School, and tout the profession, she jumps at the chance. “To be able to give back to the high school where it all started for me is great. When an opportunity comes up to speak, it’s great to be able to give back. It’s my high school; it’s my town,” she says.

When Rory Gannon, CPA, MST, was just five years old, he realized the courtroom was something special — not because of all the people in the room but the judge. To Rory, going to court was the time he would get to see his dad in action — the late Superior Court Judge Edward V. Gannon. What he didn’t know then was that he would return to court many years later as a senior forensic accountant for Smolin Lupin.

Growing up as a Gannon was anything but typical. Rory’s uncle is Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon. In a family of judges and sheriffs, Rory was surrounded by discussions of keeping law and order at a young age — even during family gatherings, such as baseball trips, Giants games and vacations. These events typically expanded to include retired judges and courtroom staff who had become “family” to the Gannons over the years. This expan­sion was natural since, dating back to the 1990s, his father served on the bench in three counties: Morris, Sussex and Passaic. One particular childhood memory gives a glimpse into how all-encompassing law enforcement was in the Gannon household: A routine Boy Scout meeting at his home turned out to be a lesson in what judges often have to deal with on a daily basis — criminal threats. Armed guards were protecting the Gannon property with rifles due to courtroom activity earlier that day.

Saving Troubled Youth

Protecting the public, particularly troubled youth, has always been high on the Gan­non family agenda. According to Rory, his dad “wanted to deter youths from doing wrong,” so he helped set up juvenile work programs in Morris County, and assisted Sussex and Passaic County youth. Rory continued that tradition by participating in a variety of charitable initiatives geared towards helping youth as well as entire families. He participated in Habitat for Humanity and Knights of Columbus and later helped his co-workers at Smolin sponsor a family in need at CPC Behavioral Healthcare.

Connecting the Dots

Rory’s interest in accounting can also be traced back to his family’s involvement with the law. “There are lots of connections between forensic accounting and law,” he says, noting that both rely on what he calls a “questioning mind.” Both law firms and accounting advisories are looking to enhance litigation support services, but Rory says only as a forensic accountant does one get to sink one’s teeth into uncovering “big data” transactional problems, for example, or even calculating what value can be placed on wrongful death cases to assist clients in court.

It’s only fitting that Rory works in a firm whose slogan is “We’re not your average CPA firm,” as clearly Rory is not your average CPA. “Not a lot of forensic accountants have a tax background,” explains Rory, who received his Masters in Tax from Rutgers University. He rejoined Smolin after two years in investment banking, where he gained practical knowledge on valuing Real Estate Investment Trusts and performing net asset value calculations, purchase price allocations and various litigation support services. He also obtained his Series 7, Series 79 and other licenses from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. As satisfying as investment banking was, Rory still felt something was missing — the opportunity to unravel employee fraud cases, find unrecorded cash or determine what assets may be undervalued. So, Rory opted to return to Smolin where he felt he truly “belonged.”

Family, understandably, means a lot to Rory, which is why he enjoys working at Smolin and the role he plays there. “While we may get into disagreements with another expert in litigation regarding an approach, a cap rate, a normalizing adjustment, we as forensic accountants are one giant family working to assist the client, not ourselves,” he said. “It is this family atmosphere that helps me to relate to the prestigious men in the Gannon household who I grew up under.”

From Olympic Organizer to Wealth Manager

Diahann W. Lassus, CFP®, CPA, PFS, was in charge of AT&T’s customer service operation in New Orleans when she was approached by Clare E. Wherley, CPA, CFP®, then a director at AT&T, to run the Olympic Field Operations Team in Los Angeles in 1984. AT&T was sponsoring the 1984 Olympics and wanted key people to run the project and build the team. Diahann was a natural fit — she was one of the few women in management at AT&T with a technical background.

She was loaned to the project in December, 1983, charged with building the Olympic Field Operations and Technical forces. Nine months later, the project pulled off one of the greatest telecommunications wonders of the world at that time. Diahann had 700 people scattered over all the Olympic venues, many on a three-shift basis. They operated and maintained the telephone systems and computer terminals and assisted athletes and others in using the equipment. “It was certainly one of the great learning experiences in my career,” Diahann says.

When Diahann returned a year later, she felt as if the world had changed. “The Olympic experience was pretty incredible. We were operating 24/7 with people spread all over southern California reporting into me, running an organization that was larger than anything I had ever run in a normal job,” she says. Shortly after returning, Diahann began thinking about a different career path.

Diahann and Clare, co-founders and president and CEO, respectively, opened the doors of Lassus Wherley in 1985 and later opened a second office in southwest Florida. While managing a wealth man­agement firm is different than running an Olympic project, Diahann realized some of the same management skills still applied. “The biggest challenge is in hiring the right people and then trusting them to do their jobs,” she says.

To set themselves apart from the myriad advisory firms out there, they decided to offer a fee-only structure, where Lassus Wherley would only be paid for the services offered, never on a commission basis or via a third party. “The challenge for most people is to recognize whether the individual giving them financial advice is held to the higher fiduciary standard. Are they held to a standard that says they have to put your interests first?” Diahann asks.

In It For the Long Haul

From the start, Diahann and Clare encouraged clients to take a long-term view of their financial needs, regularly asking themselves, “Where do I want to be next year and in five years, and what do I have to do to get there?” Clients seem to respond to that kind of thinking.

“Evaluating a client’s financial well-being is part of a whole package. It’s not just about money, it’s about life choices,” Diahann says. “Financial planning may initially be viewed as just investing but should be integrated with the overall wealth management service offered,” she says. Proud that the firm still has its first client who signed over 30 years ago, she adds, “That’s the thing that keeps you going in this business. You can really see the impact you’ve had on clients’ lives.”

Helping Others

Giving back to the community is also a big part of Lassus Wherley’s service to clients. Over the years, the firm has supported more than 100 charitable organizations, those of its own choosing and those of its clients. They put considerable time and effort into determining which organizations should receive funds, volunteer hours or some combination. “We have a tough time every year. So many of the organizations do so much good that it’s really hard to choose where to allocate dollars, both from the firm and personally,” says Diahann, who, as an avid women’s sports fan, admits some favoritism in personally supporting Florida State University’s women’s basketball, volleyball, soccer and softball.

In keeping with her love of sports, it turns out Los Angeles wouldn’t be Diahann’s last opportunity to impact the Olympic Games. At the 2012 London Olympics, she participated in a panel discussion on economic sustainability sponsored by Rutgers Business School’s Thought Leadership Program.

A CPA’s Love for Basketball Benefits Kids With Special Needs

For the past 13 years, Melissa Soranno, CPA, has volunteered for the Challenger Division of the Toms River Basketball As­sociation (TRBA), facilitating basketball activities for children with special needs.

Melissa’s love for basketball started at age six. She went on to serve as team cap­tain of her eighth grade team, play center and forward in high school, and referee her town’s third grade girls’ basketball team.

When Melissa was in high school, her father and another TRBA board member spearheaded the Challenger program. They wanted to provide a much-needed basketball program for kids in the com­munity and for those with special needs. “They needed people to help, volunteer and coach. At the time, I was on the girls’ varsity basketball team at Toms River High School North. My dad was able to get permission from my coach to let the team volunteer for the program,” says Melissa. “To this day, the team still volunteers.”

Melissa even continued to volunteer while attending Rowan University. “I would come home every weekend to help out. I liked doing it. It was a lot of fun. And when I graduated college, I stuck with it,” says Melissa.

Today, Melissa works with students at TRBA who have developmental chal­lenges, ranging in age from four to 18. She shares that one of her favorite things to do is select Christmas gifts for the kids and have Santa Claus surprise them with the presents.

An Adapatable Approach

Melissa has developed an adaptable system to engage the kids. The partici­pants follow her improvisational lead by participating in scrimmages, drills and exercises that keep them active, engaged and having fun. Plus, she says the parents enjoy watching their kids let loose and enjoy themselves. But that doesn’t mean the role she plays doesn’t have its occa­sional difficulties: “The challenge is to get the kids focused. Sometimes they want to sit with their parents and it’s hard to keep them engaged. It’s about trying some­thing else. You can’t do the same thing for too long because they get bored. The hardest thing is just keeping them going for an hour.”

The Link Between Basketball and Accounting

Melissa’s approach allows her to thrive in the world of accounting. The adaptability skills she has honed while working with children who have special needs helps her manage the sometimes unpredictable world of accounting.

But Melissa didn’t always know she wanted to be an accountant. During high school and college, she did administrative work for a real estate development company. When management discovered that the bookkeeper was embezzling money, Melis­sa took over bookkeeping responsibilities. “I kind of stepped in as the accountant and helped uncover the money the previous bookkeeper took,” she says. This incident, along with taking business classes, sparked in Melissa an early fascination with forensic accounting.

She worked alongside the company’s public accounting firm to uncover the embezzlement scheme. At the end of the engagement, Melissa recalls, “The account­ing firm offered me an internship. I laughed at them saying ‘I don’t want to be an accountant!’” But she ended up accepting the internship, and she worked at the firm for seven years.

Now, Melissa’s accounting journey has taken her to Bessemer Trust Company where she serves as associate vice presi­dent and senior accountant. She continues to incorporate the ability to change things up with the kids in the basketball program and in her new role overseeing staff and advising clients.

Running a Business, a Classroom — and Ultramarathons

P. Jeffrey Christakos, CPA, wouldn’t consider himself a natural-born athlete. As a matter of fact, this Monmouth University professor and partner at Christakos & Co. and Westfield Wealth Management says he couldn’t even run a mile in high school. But it’s definitely clear that today he has the physical and mental stamina of an athlete. Jeff has not only run eight marathons, he has completed four ultramarathons.

Getting Started

When Jeff was 26 years old and his career was taking off, he needed to find a way to manage work-related stress. “I would work out my anxieties on a treadmill,” says Jeff. After realizing how much he enjoyed running, he did it more frequently. “I would run before work, during lunch and after work,” he says. He signed up for his first marathon, running from Asbury Park to Sandy Hook and back.

After Jeff had run numerous marathons and half marathons, his son, Andrew, who also works at Westfield Wealth Management, decided to join him. “He wanted to start exercising and thought that running would be a great start,” says Jeff. “I would put on my running shoes with my suit pants and run with him around the park.”

Taking on an Ultramarathon

With six marathons under his belt, Jeff decided to try an ultramarathon. “It’s a one-mile loop that’s mostly asphalt,” explains Jeff. “You have access to an open kitchen, and there are people who cook all day and all night for runners. You can have all the food you want. You can place an order, run another mile and then pick it up.” The goal isn’t to compete against time, but to run for as long as the body allows. Participants run and/or walk until exhausted and take breaks in between. People cheer on runners — even those who are putting in their miles in the middle of the night.

Jeff’s first ultramarathon was a six-hour running event; he ran more than 30 miles. In a subsequent ultramarathon, he ran 56 miles. Last he and May, Andrew ran in a 24-hour event and completed 70 miles. And in May 2017, father and son will together attempt a 48-hour ultramarathon.

The Science of Ultramarathon Running

“Running is about mind over matter and seeing what your body can do,” says Jeff. He abides by the three Ts of ultramarathon running:

• Technique — Jeff utilizes chi running. The idea is to keep the body straight, chest ahead of feet, and make a falling motion when moving forward so that the runner doesn’t rely on leg muscles to push off of. Runners swing their elbows to create a pendulum motion to propel forward when running up hills. Jeff uses a 90-beats-per-minute cadence with light foot bounces. “If I’m ‘falling’ for 24 hours, running for that time period isn’t that difficult,” says Jeff.
• Training — Jeff has a 12-minute-mile pace and runs three times a week. He’ll run 10 miles twice a week and up to 20 miles on a longer run, depending on the race he’s training for.
• Temperament — Although running can come with all sorts of challenges, Jeff says having a sense of humor is important — especially while running with blistering toes or in harsh weather.

Taking It to the Classroom and the Board Room

“Whenever I have a challenging task, I know that I can press through because I’ve been able to accomplish things I thought I could never do with my body,” says Jeff. The same strategy that helps him endure ultramarathons helps him solve problems as a business owner and professor. Jeff likes to inspire his students who might feel overwhelmed by school work. He tells them, “If an old guy can run 56 miles, you can do an extra problem or two.”

He's the Sports Tax Man

A native of Brooklyn whose grandfather emigrated from Italy — a heritage he takes much pride in — Robert Raiola, CPA, grew up watching and playing baseball. While he admits he didn't have the chops to play in the big leagues, he was able to capitalize on his love of sports with his current role as director of sports and entertainment at PKF O'Connor Davies. With 20 years of sports and entertainment accounting experience, Robert's clients include professional athletes, high-profile coaches, broadcasters, models, musicians, entertainers and comedians.

Building a National Following

About five years ago, Robert ventured into new territory by establishing a presence on Twitter as @SportsTaxMan. "Twitter has helped me expand my brand and be a thought leader in the area," Robert says. National Public Radio (NPR) caught wind of the tax tips and facts he was sharing on Twitter and interviewed him about the tax repercussions athletes would have to consider for certain deals. They ended the podcast with a very appropriate song: "Tax Man" by The Beatles.

Media recognition has helped Robert attain more than 52,000 followers on Twitter. But has this translated into more business? "A mother of a second-round draft pick in the NFL said, 'Based on your Twitter feed, you really know about taxes, and I want to talk to you about representing my son.' One call and one meeting later, we were hired," Robert said. "I've gotten a bunch of new clients because of my Twitter feed."

Robert co-authored the book Winning Tax Strategies and Planning for Athletes and Entertainers, published by the AICPA, and has provided sports tax advice and information for ESPN, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, the Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Bloomberg and local sports news. "People care about who wins and loses [in sports], but they are also interested in athletes' wages and how they are impacted by taxes in different states," he says.

Becoming a Trading Card

Robert grew up collecting Topps baseball cards, so imagine his surprise when they reached out to him about creating his own trading card. It was like a dream come true. "Back in January [2016] … they said, ‘We are big fans of your work and we want to feature you on a trading card.' It was an honor to be part of the [sports card] set. I was flattered," he says. Robert's card is part of Topps' Allen & Ginter line.

Advocating for His Clients

For privacy reasons, Robert won't reveal who his clients are, but he doesn't shy away from providing commentary on tax issues affecting the sports industry. For instance, Robert publicly criticized the City of Cleveland for taxing an athlete who did not have physical nexus in the city. "If you're a player, you really need to have a CPA who is familiar with the tax laws relating to professional athletes," says Robert.

There are other assessments besides income taxes of which athletes need to be mindful. Athletes and entertainers need to understand everything they"re paying for and why they are paying it. "It's not what you make, it's what you keep," he says.

Robert enjoys helping clients navigate the murky tax waters and make the best financial decisions. "This is my area. I know it well, and I think I do it well," he says. "We always hope that we get to enjoy going to work and love what we do. I really have a passion for what I do."

Twin CPAs Share Unique Bond From Childhood to Accounting

Jesse and Chris Stoop, identical twins, grew up playing the same sports and ultimately chose identical career paths. Jesse is a senior audit manager at CohnReznick LLP, and Chris is an audit manager at EisnerAmper LLP. They have both been with their respective firms for nine years, and both are CPAs.

Jesse is four minutes older than Chris: "I joke that I had four minutes of freedom" before Chris was born. Chris says they're "two peas in a pod." They're competitive when it comes to sports and push each other professionally.

Growing Up Together

Even in their competitiveness, they always encouraged and pushed each other to be better athletes. In high school, the Stoop brothers participated in wrestling, track, skiing and baseball. But they were never rivals. "We never had to compete for one spot. There was always room for both of us to play," said Jesse. Their athletic pursuits were even documented in an Asbury Park Press feature article. The twin brothers continued to play together as defensive backs for their college football team.

The Stoop brothers say being twins comes with more positives than negatives. "You always have someone to play with or fight with. We always had that special bond. It was always good to have a partner in crime," said Chris. When their family moved from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, for instance, Jesse and Chris leaned on each other to adapt to the change.

They don't take it personally when people mistake their names. "I have an aunt (78) to this day who says, 'Chris, right?' and I say, 'No, it's Jesse.'" The brothers like to occasionally pretend they are the other twin, to playfully confuse people. "When someone comes up to me saying they know me, I sometimes like to joke and say, 'I'm sorry, but I've never met you before,'" said Jesse.

Their Accounting Journeys

Jesse didn't plan to major in accounting. "I didn't go to Fairleigh [Dickinson University] intending to be an accounting major, but I took the first basic class [in accounting] and realized it was interesting. There were a bunch of accounting firms at a career fair I attended as a freshman. I wasn't looking for a job, but all these people were looking to hire me. So I took more classes and found that I really liked it," said Jesse. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and then went on to earn a Master of Science in Accounting at Fairleigh.

Chris was a marketing major during his undergraduate years. After a few internships, Chris realized he wanted to take a different career direction. "I did a lot of internships in the finance field and realized the finance route wasn't what I was interested in, so that's when I started to learn more about accounting … That's when I made the switch by getting a master's in accounting," said Chris. After the brothers attained their graduate degrees, they passed the CPA exam within a year of each other.

Jesse says that one benefit of having a twin brother in the same profession is that they can give each other insights. When they have questions or need advice about navigating a situation at work, they often lean on each other for support.

Life Today

The comradery between the Stoop brothers has continued into adulthood. They live within 10 minutes of each other and are involved with NJCPA volunteer activities. Jesse has been part of the Student Programs & Scholarships Committee for the past four years. Chris is now president of the Mercer Chapter. Both brothers are married, and Jesse has two children.

Chris says, "We were brothers in the backroom, and now we're brothers in the boardroom. It's come full circle, in a much different environment."

Accounting Maven, Zumba Expert, Inspirational Professor

New Jersey native Nicole M. DeRosa, CPA, brings her vibrant energy not only to her role as a tax manager for WithumSmith+Brown but also as a Zumba instructor and as an adjunct professor for Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC).

When she was younger, Nicole wasn’t sure what profession she wanted to pursue as an adult. But she did know that her love for math, teaching and dancing could pave a path for her in the future. That love for math transformed into a passion for accounting after Nicole attended an accounting class as a junior in high school. "That's when I fell in love with becoming an accountant," recalls Nicole. Her love for teaching led her to become an adjunct professor at RVCC, where she helps students on their paths to becoming accountants. Nicole takes her love for dancing to Gold's Gym as the Zumba instructor on Tuesday nights.

Nicole's path to success was possible through perseverance, hard work and enthusiasm. While she was pursuing her Master of Science in Accounting at Fairleigh Dickinson University and studying for the CPA exam, she was a full-time tax accountant. After passing the CPA exam, Nicole immediately reaped the benefits of the credential's prestige. "Being a CPA holds you in higher regard," she says.

Nicole recalled an experience when she and a partner at an accounting firm sat with a client. The client focused most of his attention on the partner, ignoring her. But once the partner shared that Nicole had just passed the CPA exam, the client's attention completely shifted. "As soon as he found out I was a CPA, it was like night and day ... the CPA credential is a synonym for respect in the profession," shares Nicole. "After that meeting, he wanted me to do his taxes!"

Zumba was one of the stress-relieving activities that helped Nicole juggle it all. She immediately loved the fitness dance classes, and she seized the opportunity to teach the class after the original instructor left. How did gaining her Zumba license compare with getting her CPA license? "Getting the Zumba license was a joke compared to the CPA exam!" she says. "The smiles and laughs I get from gym members attending my class are what keep me coming back for more." Nicole has been teaching Zumba since 2011.

One of Nicole's favorite accounting professors at RVCC was looking for accountants interested in teaching Tax Accounting I. She decided to give it a shot. That professor had opened the door for her to work for Withum, so she wanted to give back to her alma mater and help guide students on their accounting paths. But her reason to teach was bigger than that. "It's kind of a give-back thing, but I also wanted to get familiar with public speaking," shares Nicole. While many people dodge public speaking opportunities, Nicole wanted to take it head on, inspiring students along the way. She shared a story about one student who was thinking about giving up accounting. Now that student is an auditor for a small accounting firm. "There is always somebody that makes [teaching] worthwhile," notes Nicole.

Whether she's leading a class at RVCC, inspiring fitness at a Zumba class or plowing through busy season as a tax manager, what drives Nicole to success is this mantra: Enjoy each opportunity with contagious enthusiasm and positive energy. "Even when things get stressful, I always try to keep a positive attitude and stay enthusiastic," says Nicole.

This NJCPA member is always looking for new challenges, seeking different opportunities and having fun in whatever she does. Her motto certainly stands true: "If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life."

From Poverty-Fighting Achiever to Award-Winning Entrepreneur

Born in a small terrorist-inflicted village in Punjab, India, Jatinder Singh, CPA, relied on scholarships to get quality education at boarding schools. As the oldest of five siblings, Jatinder had to learn how to grow vegetation to help support her family. She also struggled with epilepsy, but she didn't let that stop her from reaching her academic goals.

Jatinder's first exposure to accounting was as a child, when she saw her uncle working on income taxes. After looking at his books, she liked that accounting required business sense. "I studied business accounting on my own, and I would go and tutor kids to make money," she said. But Jatinder decided to be a biology major to please her parents. "My parents wanted me to be a doctor. So I left India promising them that I would become a doctor in the United States. But I knew in the back of my mind I would never be a doctor."

After she finished college at Drexel University in 1998, she worked at Temple University in Philadelphia as an office manager. She took accounting classes as an employee of the school. As she continued to learn about accounting, Jatinder worked for a couple of CPA firms and began studying for the CPA exam. She passed in 2007. After obtaining her CPA license, she worked her way up to vice president of finance and accounting for a woman-owned IT company in a suburb of Philadelphia. Jatinder then took her accounting career to the next level by starting her own practice, with three clients. "At that point, I wanted to expand my horizons and get involved in the CPA community." She became a member of the NJCPA Southwest Jersey Chapter and eventually became the chapter president.

Coming from northern India, Jatinder is grateful for the opportunities she was able to capitalize on in the U.S. "I am really thankful for this country. This country gave me the freedom that my country could never give me." Jatinder wanted to give back and extend opportunities and resources to businesses and professionals in India.

She served as president of the U.S. chapter of the U.S. India Investors Forum for two years and is currently president of the U.S. India Business Forum. These nonprofit organizations are designed to help companies in India understand what the U.S. has to offer. Jatinder worked with the U.S. Commercial Service and the U.S. India Business Forum to encourage companies in India to take advantage of incentives the American government created for international companies to move their businesses to the States.

Because of her significant contributions to the U.S. India Investors Forum, Jatinder earned the Hind Rattan (translated as "gem of India"), a national award in India. "My parents have the award up on their mantle," she says, explaining that her parents wanted to keep the award as a reminder of how much Jatinder overcame to accomplish her success.

Jatinder believes relationship building is the road to client loyalty, allowing her to keep clients for decades. "My relationships with my clients have lasted longer than some marriages. I’m kind of married to my clients!"

Jatinder is an advocate for empowering women. She has spoken at New Jersey colleges, encouraging female accounting students to start their own businesses and get involved with organizations that allow them to serve their communities.

Jatinder's path to success wasn't an easy one with shortcuts or leisurely walkways. She had to work her way out of poverty, trusting her parents to wrangle the money for her plane ticket to the U.S. But she knew that when she hit rock bottom, success was right around the corner. Jatinder hopes to inspire others to make great decisions for themselves.

"People say [about me], 'She really thinks she's all that.' I don't think I'm all that. I know I am. I worked for it. I deserve to reward myself."

Here's to Your Health(care)

There’s so much information out there on the ACA, much of it erroneous. If you’re establishing yourself as an expert, make sure you know what you’re talking about.

Growing up on a farm outside of Philadelphia, Novak was one of five children to parents who wanted to raise a family with minimalist organic roots. It wasn't until years later that he discovered that they weren't poor farm kids but the children of an aerospace engineer.

That upbringing led Novak to get a B.S. in animal science at the Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture in 1982. "Unfortunately, I discovered that a career in science was very difficult work for not much pay," laments Novak. So, he obtained an M.B.A. from Temple University in 1985 and later an M.T. from Villanova University.

Novak's first job was with investment banking firm Drexel Burnham Lambert in 1986. "It really was like the movie The Wolf of Wall Street back then," says Novak. "I flew on private jets, wore power suits and had a red Porsche." But after a year, Novak decided to hang his shingle, and he's been self-employed ever since. "I was naïve," says Novak. "I struggled for five years while I built my practice."

"I was one month away from taking the last part of the CPA Exam when I got hit by a drunk driver," recalls Novak. "It took me six years to fully recover, and by that point my experience was outdated. Also, due to the onerous regulations, I had to take every part of the exam again." But the tenacity paid off, and Novak earned his CPA license.

In 1995, long before the Affordable Care Act (ACA) joined the national lexicon, Novak created a website to help his small business clients learn about and obtain health insurance. "You could call it an early version of a health care exchange," he says. Novak developed a health insurance following through his website (MedSave), interviews and appearances. "I got really good at web analytics: determining how people choose websites, how long they stay on a site and other patterns." During its peak, MedSave had approximately 35,000 visitors. In 2006, he was even asked to do recordings for a national HR medical training firm: "The recording contract I always wanted," laughs Novak.

Novak sold MedSave in 2008 and a couple of years later he launched Freedom Benefits, a website that offers health insurance links and information. "It's a low-maintenance resource that gets about 500 visits a day," says Novak.

"Before the ACA, it was the Wild West, with all types of issues on the table," says Novak. "After the ACA, the government really defines health care. It can be a highly emotional topic, and people really do blame the messenger."

Welcome to Abo's Funhouse

There's the sumo wrestler table, mannequin lamp and singing deer head. You might think the Abos are the king and queen of kitsch, but Marty calls it "early contemporary wacko."

Marty Abo, CPA, has always been a fun, easy-going guy. "I sat close to the stage at Woodstock," says this non-rebellious child of the ‘60s from Long Island. "But, for me, it wasn’t this 'life-changing' event. It was just a fun time with a group of friends seeing some great bands."

A couple of years later, Abo graduated from Syracuse University with a B.S. in accounting and transportation. After working at his dad’s CPA firm and then Touche Ross, he met his soul mate, Jane, and the couple settled in Cherry Hill in 1976. Abo started his own firm in 1978 and hasn’t worked for anyone since. "We began as general tax and accounting and evolved to do valuations, divorce issues and shareholder disputes," says Abo, a holder of the ABV, CFF and CVA designations. "I think forensic accounting is a great career path for accountants because it involves unique people skills, technical skills and practical experience."

"I leaned a hell of a lot just from studying for the CPA Exam. It’s in my tool chest and it affords me a certain flexibility," notes Abo. He was twice-named as an NJ delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business.

What Abo likes to do for fun really centers on his home. "You've got to see it to believe it," he laughs. Inside you'll find a parking meter, fully operational phone booth, traffic light and one of Abo's favorite things, a classic Cadillac turned into a couch. "Jane and I thought about the concept of brining the outside inside," says Abo. Thus, you’ll find awnings on the inside windows, murals, trees, the perfectly placed fire hydrant and a retro Diner's Club sign.

Abo tells the story about buying a nine-foot ceramic chef at a furniture store going-out-of-business sale in Manhattan and the trials and tribulations of getting such an acquisition back to Cherry Hill. "After finally getting back home, I wrote on the statue's chalkboard 'Jane, anyone can get jewelry for her anniversary.'" It's with this story, and others, that you realize Marty and Jane are two peas in an eclectic pod. "We’re just the two people who were supposed to find each other," says Abo.

The home is very tasteful and homey — complete with three dachshunds — so much so that it's been featured in a variety of magazines. "We like to take normal stuff and give it a twist," points out Abo, "like substituting faucets for handles on our kitchen cabinets."

"At my practice, I deal with a lot of divorce, death and financial ruin," comments Abo. "That makes me want to enjoy life, have a good time and share my home with family and friends."

2007 NJCPA College Scholarship Recipient

My dream of becoming an accountant started in 2004 when I began college. My parents always told me to network with people and organizations that would enable me to succeed in my career. Taking their advice, I found the NJCPA through a Google search. I connected with an NJCPA NextGen outreach manager, who made me aware of the scholarships available to accounting students. After submitting my application, I was invited for an interview and ultimately awarded a scholarship, which I humbly accepted.

My life changed with the NJCPA scholarship. Not only did it lessen my financial burden for that semester, but it afforded me the opportunity to meet and connect with a partner at Deloitte, who made me aware of the job openings at the firm and encouraged me to apply. Today, I am a senior auditor at Deloitte. I would not be where I am today without the NJCPA scholarship.

Two years later, I was honored to serve as keynote speaker at the 2009 NJCPA Scholarship Ceremony, where I had the opportunity to pay it forward and encourage others by sharing the scholarship’s impact on my own life and career. The same year, I contributed to the NJCPA’s CPA Exam Cram blog. I can go on and on about the priceless opportunities the scholarship has afforded me, but all I can say is thank you and ask the organization to continue to keep up with your good works. The NJCPA scholarship has wiped away my tears and gave me a great shot in life.

Taking Aim at Safety

Bianco heard a lot of talk about further restricting gun owners' rights. He thought it was time to exercise those rights before it became too late.

Frank Bianco, CPA, had a couple of epiphanies at the beginning of the new millennium: His accounting career took a turn toward the health care sector, and he developed an interest in firearms — more on that later. Accounting first appealed to Bianco while he was in high school. "I had a teacher who made accounting more interesting, he took it beyond just bookkeeping."

After graduating from Rutgers in 1987 with a B.S. in accounting, Bianco worked for a variety of electronic and consumer product companies and later went into the health care sector. So, why was public accounting’s loss industry's gain? "I like a hands-on focus on a single business," notes Bianco. "Being a decision maker and contributing directly to business outcomes are exciting to me."

Bianco studied for the CPA Exam while commuting on the train to Manhattan for work. "The CPA designation sends a clear message that you are an expert and a professional," comments Bianco.

Bianco heard a lot of talk during the 2000 presidential election about further restricting gun owners' rights. He thought it was time to exercise those rights before it became too late. With the guidance of his father-in-law, who is a Certified NRA Instructor, Bianco purchased a Ruger GP100 revolver. "In order to use this weapon safely, I thought it was important to know as much as possible and be as proficient as possible," says Bianco. He read at length and practiced at the shooting range. "People started coming up to me and asking questions," adds Bianco. "So, I’ve been teaching people for 10 years and have been a Range Safety Officer and a Certified NRA Instructor since 2011."

Though he doesn't compete in official events, Bianco can shoot a three-inch grouping at 25 yards. "I’m really more interested in the teaching aspect than the marksmanship aspect," notes Bianco. One area where Bianco would welcome more government intervention is requiring mandatory training for first time buyers of firearms.

Bianco is a member of the Old Bridge Rifle and Pistol Club. "It has approximately 500 members who have different interests, including marksmanship, defense and hunting. You'd be surprised at how many accounting and finance professionals are among our ranks," says Bianco.

How does Bianco's hobby complement his profession? "They both gravitate toward precision and accuracy," says Bianco. "You need to put in the time to get the right results."

1985 NJCPA High School Scholarship Recipient

My high school accounting course not only taught me that I thoroughly enjoyed the subject, but it also opened my eyes to the varied career opportunities available to accountants. As I approached graduation, I knew that I wanted to major in accounting at college, but I also knew that I would need financial assistance in order to do so.

My father passed away when I was eight years old and my mom worked hard to support our family, but was unable to fund a college education. A guidance counselor suggested that I apply for an NJCPA scholarship. Back then, the awards weren’t as large as they are today, but every dollar helped. More importantly, participating in the scholarship application process educated me about what it meant to be a certified public accountant. I knew then and there that I didn’t just want to be an accountant; I wanted to be a CPA.

Receiving the scholarship helped drive me to my ultimate goal. As the first child in my family to attend college, I certainly didn’t want to let my mom down, but I also didn’t want to disappoint the NJCPA members who had helped lead me through the scholarship process. I knew from the outset that once I achieved my goal, I wanted to give back to an organization that cared for aspiring CPAs and the profession.

As partner-in-charge of the New Jersey practice of WeiserMazars LLP, I am committed to getting our staff more involved with the Society. We aren’t just looking for our CPAs to be members of the NJCPA; we want a connection between the firm and the Society. Whether they join committees, interest groups, chapters, speak to high school students about the opportunities within the profession or write articles, our staff is encouraged to be active volunteers.

Technically Speaking

Campbell’s first exposure to technology came at a computer programming camp when she was 12. "I made a rectangle move across the screen and thought I was hot stuff."

Ask Jaime Campbell her passions growing up and she says playing the piano and crunching numbers. "I played the piano from kindergarten through fifth grade," says Campbell. "But in fifth grade my mom really changed the trajectory of my life. She noticed that math came easily to me. So, she got me access to a special program and I was soon doing college-level math as an 11-year-old."

But late in her high school career, Campbell was drawn back to the piano, "partly because my mom said she was going to sell our piano if I wasn’t using it," she laughs. "I became the accompanist for the school choir and ultimately decided to major in music at college." She received a bachelor of music education from Florida State University in 1997 and soon thereafter became the music teacher at a Florida elementary school. "That was really my first entrepreneurial endeavor," notes Campbell. "I revamped the music program and got the kids' and the administration's buy in."

In 2000, Campbell moved to New Jersey with her husband but didn't want a career in music anymore. "Being good at math, I thought the accounting profession would be a nice use of my logical thinking. So, I began an accelerated M.B.A. program at Rutgers for non-business majors."

After graduating in 2003, Campbell began at Bartolomei Pucciarelli as a generalist doing tax and audits. Two years later, she went for her CPA license. "I'm a letter junkie," exclaims Campbell. "But it also enhances earning opportunities and helps build client trust. Whatever I focus on, I try to take it to the limit."

"I really fell in love with Excel in grad school," reveals Campbell. "You enter a couple of numbers and, like magic, instantly get an answer without doing manual calculations."

"When I got to Bartolomei Pucciarelli, I continued to develop a deep expertise in Excel and QuickBooks. I went from being a tax preparer for clients to their technology advisor. And the firm was able to expand its service offerings," says Campbell.

Campbell has been a recurring technology speaker, has taught at Kean University and is a Certified Technology Trainer and a Microsoft Certified Trainer. She's even authored the QuickBooks Cookbook for Experts which focuses on QuickBooks and was in the top 0.4 percent in sales on Amazon.

The Campbells moved to South Carolina in 2013 and formed a consulting firm that uses technology to help make clients' finances work smarter. "It's wonderful to be entrepreneurs and parents all from the comfort of our home," says Campbell.

2009 NJCPA College Scholarship Recipient

Receiving the NJCPA scholarship was a major stepping stone in my professional career. It provided me with added financial security, professional networking tools and an opportunity to work at one of the largest accounting firms in the world.

Financial security was always a concern for me, primarily because I was raised by my grandmother, now 90 years old, who had no financial means of her own. The scholarship allowed me to focus on my education, rather than the amount of student debt I was accruing.

Through the NJCPA Scholarship Fund, I met various members of the professional community, including inspiring entrepreneurs and members of both mid-size and large firms. I built strong relationships that provided me with added confidence and a robust network during my post-college job search. Additionally, just having "NJCPA Scholarship Recipient" on my resume served as a great talking point during my interviews. Almost every interviewer would ask me about the scholarship and my experiences with the NJCPA. This connection provided me with the opportunity to work at KPMG LLP, one of the biggest accounting firms in the world.

The NJCPA scholarship gave me a strong foundation and opened up doors to the opportunities that led me to where I am today, a senior audit associate with KPMG LLP. This position gives me the privilege of interacting with CFOs, CEOs and other business leaders on an almost daily basis. Moreover, it enables me to live near my grandmother and look out for her in her golden years the same way she cared for me in my formative years.

Integrity With Indulgence

Cheryl Corbett, CPA, reached a crossroads in college. Should she major in business (a strength) or photography (a passion)? "It was a tough decision," says Corbett. "But I came to the realization that probably 1 in 30,000 submitted photos make the cover of National Geographic."

Thus, Corbett graduated from Rutgers with a B.S. in accounting in 1998. "In accounting, everything is connected," she notes. "If something doesn't jive, the numbers will tell you. And it keeps people in check, which I find appealing."

You could say Corbett reached another crossroads in 2001. She moved from a small, public firm to doing corporate finance for a virtual who's who of companies: Prudential, Lucent and ADP. "It allowed me to expand my skill base and learn about logistics and supply chains," says Corbett.

"Early in my career, I wanted to become a CFO," comments Corbett. "So it made sense to obtain the CPA designation." She also mentions the New Jersey Society of CPAs as reinforcing that decision. "The staff and the members are a community, a real team," she adds.

In 2011, Corbett came to a third, and perhaps the largest, crossroads in her life. "I felt like a round peg in a square hole," admits Corbett. So, she took a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where she could ski, relax and think. "I saw all of these contented people who seemed to have created a pleasant balance in their lives," she recalls. On the plane ride home, she vowed to change her life dramatically for the better. She decided to walk away from an unhappy job and an unhappy marriage.

But what to do next to pay the bills? "As a child, I had often baked with my mother and grandmothers," says Corbett. "And I felt like the types of things I was baking and then giving to friends and bringing to parties were better than the products out there."

After researching the market, Corbett saw a need for healthier baked goods that had natural ingredients, contained less sugar and salt, were presented well, but still tasted great. "A five year old can pronounce our ingredients," notes Corbett.

After easing into the marketplace via a farmer's market, Corbett went all in and secured retail space in her town of Warwick, NY, in 2013. Thus, Corbett's Cookie Bar Kitchen was born. The store offers gourmet cookies, brownies, coffee and teas. "The baked goods have vibrant, Willy Wonkaesque packaging," says Corbett.

"I got a good deal on the store lease," Corbett remarks. "But then I had to learn things about design, trademarks, commercial ovens and so on." She credits her accounting and finance background with being invaluable regarding taxes, depreciation and asset management.

Corbett admits the first six months was rough. "I think my biggest mistake was trying to implement suggestions of many well-intentioned people," says Corbett. "As an entrepreneur, you have to stay focused on your products and do what you feel is right."

Corbett’s Cookie Bar Kitchen’s philosophy is "Integrity with indulgence." "I wanted to combine the professional integrity I had during my corporate finance days with the idea of indulging or taking time to smell the roses, or the brownies as the case may be," comments Corbett.

How does Corbett unwind from the pressures and responsibilities of being a small business owner? "I have a lot of interests," she notes. "I enjoy skiing, paddle boarding, meditation, seeing live music and hiking." She’s hiked at more than 30 national parks, Grand Teton in Wyoming topping her list. She also spends time giving back. She volunteers for SkiDUCK, an organization that takes underprivileged kids skiing and snowboarding. "But they first need to have good grades in school," Corbett emphasizes.

Now, two years after her grand opening, does Corbett have any regrets about not becoming the next Annie Liebovitz? "No," she laughs. "We're doing well and getting an increasing amount of attention."

It's a Life of Crime for This Society Member

I get a lot of satisfaction from helping convict someone who’s engaging in human trafficking or preventing money from going to criminal organizations.

The jargon sounds like it’s from a Hollywood movie: Operation Predator, the El Dorado Task Force, the black market peso exchange, Hawala money transfers. But for Christopher G. Costa, his work at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is quite real.

After his hitch in the Marines ended in 1997, Costa worked for a veritable who's who of law enforcement: the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, the Veterans Affairs Federal Police, the Federal Protective Service, the U.S. Air Marshals Service and the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Much of what he did was to mitigate security risks via policies, procedures and counter-measures. He also participated in the investigation into the attacks on 9/11 and received a service award for his response and recovery efforts during and after the tragedy. "For some reason, I remember seeing a bunch of baby carriages in the rubble on Church Street that day," recalls Costa, "and thinking 'thank God they're empty.'"

So, is Costa a world-class crime fighter or humble accountant? He is, in fact, both. "Most of what I do includes undercover investigations and search warrants of bank statements and ledgers to follow the flow of illegal activity so as to seize assets of high-target criminal enterprises leading to the sale at auction," encapsulates Costa.

"When I got to one of my first assignments in the New York metropolitan area, we formed it almost like a small business. We had to deal with staffing, budgets and reports. But a formal accounting education also helps me do my job in the field. Criminals and the technology they use are getting more sophisticated. So I have to make sure I’m on top of my game," says Costa.

Costa hopes to one day pursue the Certified in Financial Forensics designation and perhaps open his own practice and teach.

Costa's oasis is coaching his two teenage daughters at soccer, and he releases much of the tension that goes with his profession by studying Brazilian jujitsu.

So, how is his job different than the movies? "Fiction is a lone law enforcement person getting angry at the system because a case gets thrown out on a technicality and wanting to take justice into his or her own hands," says the north Jersey resident. "Reality is an integrated team provides unbiased testimony and reports of the facts, and it understands that it can't control the outcome. That's up to a jury."

2003 NJCPA College Scholarship Recipient

I moved to the United States at the age of 18, when I left my family and home country of Hungary to attend college in New Jersey. I chose to pursue accounting because it was something that came easy to me even though I had not yet mastered the English language.

I began my studies at Bergen Community College. After earning my associate's degree, I transferred to Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU). During my junior year, my professor nominated me for the NJCPA scholarship. I interviewed for the scholarship and was delighted to find out that I was selected as a scholarship recipient. Thanks to the NJCPA scholarship, I was able to graduate with minimal student loans and complete FDU's 150-credit program and complete my master's degree in just one semester.

After I graduated in 2003, I took a job with JH Cohn (now CohnReznick LLP) in Roseland where, as an audit manager and member of the manufacturing and distribution Industry practice group, I work on audits of publicly traded and private companies and employee benefit plans. One of the things I enjoy most about my job is it allows me to meet and interact with a variety of people.

A few years after receiving the scholarship and starting my professional career, I became actively involved with the NJCPA. I wanted to give back and stay connected with the organization that helped affirm and support my goal of becoming a CPA. Today, I am a member of the NJCPA Young CPAs Council as well as the NJCPA Student Programs and Scholarship Committee. Additionally, I have the privilege of mentoring an NJCPA high school scholarship recipient, which gives me the opportunity to encourage a student who is on their way to becoming a CPA just like my professors did for me. I enjoy being a part of their journey as they prepare to enter the accounting profession.

A Chip Off the Old Block

Woodcarving is clearly different than my day job, there’s a precision and creativity there that’s also present in accounting. It's been interesting developing that part of me.

"My dad was a Marine who served in WWII," says Bernard R. Gingras, CPA. "I grew up in a household of eight people with one bathroom where you said 'yes sir, no sir.'" That same sense of discipline and respect has served the younger Gingras well over the years.

"One long-time, well-respected Upsala accounting professor 'drafted' me into accounting. He decreed that 'from now on, you're an accounting major until you change,'" says Gingras. Well, he never did change and graduated with a B.A in accounting in 1973.

During his senior year at Upsala, Gingras became an intern at John J. Eccelston & Company in Paramus. "I became a partner in 1976 and basically had since forgotten what it’s like to work for someone else," notes Gingras. By 1989 Gingras felt it was time to go out on his own. "My firm is like the old country doctor, we do a lot of the basics and do them well," says Gingras.

Gingras talks about the CPA designation and wanting to be involved at a high level, achieving a degree of excellence and becoming prepared to lead others.

At one point in his life, Gingras found himself with quite a bit of disposable time. Not to suggest that he was driving his wife Irene crazy around the house, but she bought him two months of tuition at the American Woodcarving School in Wayne.

He practiced and honed his woodcarving skills at the school and in his basement studio to the point where he now has a website featuring a multitude of pieces. "I loved cowboy and Indian movies as a kid, so I do a lot of western-themed sculptures," notes Gingras.

The website is merely for display; it's not a commercial site. "I don't sell them, I do it for myself or to give sculptures as gifts," says Gingras. "I've won a number of awards at shows, and that's very gratifying." Gingras works in a variety of woods, typically bass wood, and each piece can take six to nine months to complete.

There's one piece that stands out on Gingras' website called "Hill 382" which captures the bloodshed, horror and fear that Gingras' dad and many other servicemen endured during the battle for Iwo Jima. The carving comes from a photo of that battle. While it's not confirmed, Gingras is pretty certain that one of bloodied and bandaged men in the photo is his dad. "I just hope my carving did those Marines justice," says Gingras.

The Time Traveling CPA

I write, I create — telling stories, sharing facts — my words read worldwide.

"My dad passed away when I was four years old," says Maryann Holloway, CPA. "And it was left to my mom to raise me and my four siblings." Holloway's dad would have been proud. She graduated magna cum laude from Rowan University in 1997 with a B.S. in accounting. "The year after I graduated Rowan, I started at Bowman and Company auditing government clients," says Holloway.

Holloway cites an accounting career path based, in part, on her appreciation for "keeping things in order." But why take the next step and become a CPA? "The CPA designation puts you one step ahead of others, and it's a credential you can carry with you for the rest of your life," she says.

In her spare time, Holloway has been rather active on Ancestry.com. "Interestingly, I've located one descendent who was the focus of a 1700s article in Benjamin Franklin's Philadelphia Gazette and another relative who, while selling his goods in town, was apparently chased by some British Redcoats."

Often the yin of someone who works with numbers for an occupation leads to the yang of an interest in words in his or her spare time. Such is the case with Holloway. "A couple of years ago, I was reading some online blogs and thought 'I can do this,'" comments Holloway. She began writing an almost-daily blog of historical anecdotes: "If I Only Had a Time Machine. I've written a few haikus and some short stories, one of which was published as part of an anthology on Amazon.com," she adds. Her “blog, has nearly 500 followers.

Encouraged by the positive feedback from her followers, Holloway started another blog, this one a little more personal. Never really knowing her father, she wanted to tell his story by telling the story of the ship her dad served on during World War II, The U.S.S. Hornet (CV-12). The blog, “USS Hornet (CV-12) — A Father’s Untold War Story” traces the timeline of the ship through the battles it participated in. “It’s a way to get a little closer to the dad I never knew,” says Holloway.

This CPA Is for the Birds

I've chased the Spruce Grouse (Falcipennis canadensis) through five states and have yet to see it. It's a very secretive bird and hard to find.

When your father helped create the New Jersey Division of Taxation's Sales Tax Bureau, there's a good chance accounting is in your future. And that's exactly what happened to Ivan Kossak, CPA. "I saw how much my dad loved accounting, and I seemed to have an aptitude for it," says Kossak.

Because he had a job waiting for him after receiving an undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Kossak was able to backpack though Europe in the summer of 1982. "I remember sleeping on a hillside in Greece and being awoken by someone riding a donkey that had a bell around its neck," recalls Kossak.

After several years in public accounting in auditing, Kossak became a controller for several firms. "I liked working internally at a company. You can make much more of a difference," says Kossak. "I helped save one company from bankruptcy by adjusting its pricing model and using excess plant capacity." In 1994, Kossak started his own practice, specializing in controller and management functions.

Kossak has an outdoorsy pursuit that really gives him goose bumps, so to speak: bird watching.

Kossak has been known to get up at 2:30 in the morning to take a trip to Martha's Vineyard because an internet posting announced that a Red-Footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus) was spotted. "That was its only sighting in the Western Hemisphere," exclaims Kossak. "The Red-Footed Falcon is generally only found in Europe and Africa. It was quite a thrill."

Kossak likes to point out that you can have an amazing birding experience right here in the Garden State: "Another great sighting was a Reeve (Philomachus pugnax) in Wayne."

Of the approximately 1,000 bird species in North America, Kossak has seen 524. He keeps what birders call a "life list." What does Kossak get from spending time with his fine feathered friends? "It's great physical and mental exercise, a sense of adventure," adds Kossak. "You build a collection, but don't need room in your house to store it. And you get the thrill of the hunt without the killing. Plus, I’ve seen a lot of beautiful places and connected with nature."

And birding's similarities to accounting? "Both activities have the same element of record keeping," says Kossak. "And both birders and accountants seem to have an organized mind."

A CPA and His HOG

Perhaps many of us who work in offices all day have a heightened appreciation of the outdoors. Such is the case for James A. Kruper, CPA. First, the office part …

Kruper knew during his days at Linden High School that he would major in accounting at college. "I have a natural ability with numbers," says Kruper. "In high school, I tested very well in math and cognitive thinking. So I decided to pursue a career that played to my strengths."

After graduating from Seton Hall in 1984 with a B.S. in accounting, Kruper worked for a few medium-sized public accounting firms. In 1996, he joined what is today Levine Jacobs & Company LLC. "I started as a senior accountant and made partner in 2004," notes Kruper. "My focus is on certified audits and technical reviewing of financial statements."

Kruper reflects on his decision to make public accounting his path: "I like the variety and flexibility it offers. It's never boring and you never know what'll happen tomorrow. In public, our advice is always needed."

In 1989, Kruper made another career-altering decision — to obtain the CPA designation. "I wanted to earn as much as I could, for a better quality of life for my family and me," he comments. "It's a necessary credential for advancement, that's even more true today."

Within months of passing the CPA Exam, Kruper joined the New Jersey Society of CPAs. "Aside from the privilege and prestige of joining the Society," says Kruper, "there's the benefit of having others in the profession with whom to discuss issues as well as the CPE and networking opportunities."

Kruper lives in Garwood with his wife Frances. His three kids (Alexa, Tarra and James) are grown and out on their own. James isn’t too far away, since he also works at Levine Jacobs. For relaxation, Kruper likes golfing, fixing things around the house, and he recently got into clay shooting. He's also an active member of the Garwood Volunteer Fire Department. "Garwood’s a pretty quiet town," notes Kruper. "Thankfully, fires are rather infrequent."

… And now for the outdoors part. In 1999, a friend of Kruper's had gotten a motorcycle. "I had always wanted one and it seemed like the right time," says Kruper. He first took a New Jersey safety course and got the required motorcycle endorsement on his license. "In October, I went to Liberty Harley-Davidson in Rahway and purchased a 2000 Harley- Davidson Sportster 1200 Standard."

While at Liberty Harley-Davidson, Kruper noticed a flyer for the Liberty Chapter of the Harley Owners Group (HOG). "I thought joining would be a good way to meet like-minded people, plus I thought it would be more fun to ride with others," comments Kruper.

The HOG chapter takes mostly daytrips on the weekends to places throughout New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. Kruper has ridden with the club to Niagara Falls, and goes annually to Wildwood for the "Roar to the Shore" rally. Kruper has also gone on some interesting road trips outside of the group. "A couple of friends and I took the scenic route down to Florida," he recalls. And in 2005, Kruper and a Levine Jacobs partner, Robert Blackwell, CPA, flew to Dallas to purchase a couple of barely used Police Road King Harleys and then drove them back to New Jersey. "I'm a 'buy American' kind of guy," says Kruper. "All of the cars in my family are American made."

In 2003, Kruper was asked to become the membership officer for the Liberty Chapter of HOG. One aspect of the job is helping at the group's annual holiday toy run. "Each November, about 600 of us ride from Rahway to Robert Wood Johnson Children's Hospital in New Brunswick," says Kruper. The group rides along Route 27, complete with police escort and a bevy of spectators. "We bring toys for the kids and spend some time with them, which RWJ really appreciates. The cookies and hot chocolate they provide us are a nice touch. Afterward, we have a celebratory dinner at the American Legion in Rahway. The charity ride has gotten a lot of press coverage, and it’s really great to be a part of that event."

Sing Along With the CPA

I went into the school auditorium. It was dark and quiet. I began playing. I looked up and there was a crowd watching me perform. It was quite exhilarating.

Howie Kutcher's childhood almost sounds like a Neil Simon play or Woody Allen movie. He grew up an only child in Brooklyn. His dad, Marvin, was a professional drummer who played at presidential inaugurations and at Carnegie Hall; his mom, Natalie, was a homemaker. Musicians and other creative types often visited the Kutcher household.

"My parents always encouraged me to play an instrument," says Kutcher. "But they said I shouldn't make it a career because it's a tough life.” Kutcher decided to major in accounting at Baruch College. "I've always liked quantifying, sorting and putting things in order," says Kutcher.

After receiving a B.B.A. in accounting in 1981, Kutcher worked in public accounting, but he noticed a dearth of recruiters in corporate taxation. "There were maybe 20 of these recruiters in the country, and I also had a few ideas about how to enhance the process," he notes.

So, in 1990, the Briarcliff Manor, NY, resident started his own tax recruiting company in the New York metro area. "It was tough in the beginning," says Kutcher. "But I tirelessly networked, built a database and have been active on social media. These days, all I do is recruiting."

When he's not matching tax accountants with companies looking to add personnel, Kutcher likes to stay in shape by playing tennis and walking. "I've walked a mile every weekday for 10 years, even if I was sick or there was a blizzard outside," states Kutcher.

Kutcher's original passion, playing the piano, nearly fizzled before it got a chance to blossom. "When I was in grade school, practicing Bach and Beethoven every day got boring," says Kutcher. "However, I got a new piano teacher who was a hippie, and he introduced me to The Beatles, Billy Joel, Elton John and other rock musicians, and it renewed my interest in playing."

These days, Kutcher gives his time playing at schools, nursing homes and private parties. "One day, I played kids songs at a nursery school at 8:00 a.m., then at 8:00 p.m. I played show tunes at a nursing home — talk about the circle of life."

"It's a great feeling when you play at a nursing home and you see someone who is frail and sullen one minute and smiling and tapping his toes the next."

Past President, NJCPA 1984 - 1985

If you’ve never heard John’s name before, just know that in many ways, he is the patriarch of today’s NJSCPA Scholarship Fund. It could be said that his passion for the Fund was forged even before its founding, when, in 1955, John was one of five lucky high school seniors to receive a $1,000 scholarship, a significant amount of money 58 years ago, to help pay his college tuition.

Thirty 30 years later, John was afforded the opportunity to help a new generation of high school seniors when he was nominated for President of the Society. We’ll let John tell the rest of the story in his own words. The following is excerpted from his speech at the 2011 Scholarship Awards Ceremony:

“As I prepared for my term as President, I wanted a theme, or to tackle an issue or project that could be accomplished within my term as President. Because of my familiarity with the internal dynamics of the Society, I knew the Scholarship Fund was weak and needed strengthening. Although the Fund had been in existence for 26 years, it was heavily subsidized by the Society. Four $3,000 scholarships were granted annually to high school students who were seriously planning to major in accounting.

The final count was just over $148,000, and we awarded 22 scholarships in 1986. But, the success did not end with the term of my office. Each year the support has continued.”

Thanks to John and members like him, over the last six decades the Fund has granted more than $4 million in awards.

2000 NJCPA High School Scholarship Recipient

My Wife

I met my wife Liron, who is also a CPA, while in grad school at the Rutgers University Professional Accounting MBA program, which was the fifth year of my NJCPA scholarship. We came from very different backgrounds; she was a political science major that decided to reinvent herself after a year in the workforce and pursue a career in business, I was coming right from finishing my undergraduate degree in management information systems ready to wrap-up my academic career and break into the business world. We began as strangers, but eventually became quick friends and study partners (which, in fairness, mostly meant she studied hard and then shared her notes with me).

Before I knew it, we were taking trips into Manhattan for job interviews together and debating which firm was the right fit for us to start our careers. We both chose PricewaterhouseCoopers, her in New Jersey with a focus on pharmaceuticals, and me in New York in their real estate assurance department. We kept in touch over the next few hectic years, trying to schedule our annual staff training sessions and CPA review classes together. We could always count on one another to share our "war stories" of public accounting and find ways to laugh about it all.

Shortly after I left PwC, Li moved into Hoboken (just a five minute walk from my apartment) and that about sealed it. Once we lived in the same town we quickly moved from "work friends" to "more than friends" and never turned back. I am happy to report that we just recently celebrated our one-year anniversary with a trip to Bermuda, and are enjoying our "honeymoon" years. It's funny to think that we never would have met if it weren't for our common interest in accounting.

Who knew that pursuing a CPA license could lead to love?

Networking

One of the great parts about the NJCPA and the various student programs, in my opinion, is the opportunity it provides young professionals to meet other CPAs and develop their network. When I was fresh out of school, or for that matter in school, I was amazed at how much exposure I had to CPAs and CPA firms through my involvement in the Society. Now that I am a bit further down the road, I relish the opportunity to meet the next generation of CPAs and help them get started on their career. Whether it is through presentations at my old high school as part of the Career Preparedness program, or moderating a panel discussion at the annual Scholars Institute, I love to see the enthusiasm and perspectives all the new faces can bring to the profession.

One example that sticks with me is Ellyn Ultz, who I met at the NJCPA scholarship awards presentation in [2008]. We spoke only briefly, but I was impressed by how aggressively she was pursuing the 150 credit-hour requirement that I made note of her potential and filed her away as someone to remember. Fast forward a few years when Ellyn was looking for her first job and was interested in PwC. I immediately forwarded her resume to HR and told them she was on the "must-interview" list. Fortunately they took my advice, and currently count Ellyn as one of their highly-rated Senior Associates.

Of course, recommending someone for a job is one thing, while giving someone a job is something else entirely. I currently serve as the Controller of Capital Trust, Inc., and last year when we needed to find a top-notch Senior Accountant I immediately turned to my NJCPA rolodex (speaking metaphorically, of course). I put a call in to Dan Drake, a fellow scholarship recipient I met a few years ago at the Scholars Institute. I knew Dan had the right background we were looking for and the right attitude to be a strong member of our team. Plus, as any employer or manager will tell you, you cannot beat having a personal connection or reliable referral when it comes to a job candidate.

After the success we had hiring Dan, I look forward to the next opportunity to leverage my involvement with the Society and connect with another of its young CPAs.

Financial Advisor

We all know that CPAs are divided into two camps … tax and audit … or public and private … or Big Four and small/mid-sized firms. However you think of the CPA profession and your role in it, one of the most-important, if under-recognized roles CPAs play is that of a trusted advisor. I am not referring to providing advice to clients and consulting on business strategies, which are important to be sure, but rather I mean becoming an advisor to friends and family.

Starting with my college days and when I was just beginning my career, my friends and family knew that as a CPA I was a reliable source of financial advice and trustworthy as a confidant. Some of people’s most closely-guarded secrets are financial after all, and I am proud of the fact my friends are comfortable confiding in me. From basic budgeting questions and college graduates drowning in credit card debt, to retirement planning and real estate transactions, I have advised my friends and family on these sensitive issues and, I hope, helped provide guidance during these difficult economic times.

We all work to get paid, and appreciate our year-end bonus checks, but the satisfaction I get from putting my professional knowledge and experience to work helping the ones that I love? You just can’t put a price tag on that.

Twin CPAs Share Unique Bond From Childhood to Accounting

Jesse and Chris Stoop, identical twins, grew up playing the same sports and ultimately chose identical career paths. Jesse is a senior audit manager at CohnReznick LLP, and Chris is an audit manager at EisnerAmper LLP. They have both been with their respective firms for nine years, and both are CPAs.

Jesse is four minutes older than Chris: "I joke that I had four minutes of freedom" before Chris was born. Chris says they're "two peas in a pod." They're competitive when it comes to sports and push each other professionally.

Growing Up Together

Even in their competitiveness, they always encouraged and pushed each other to be better athletes. In high school, the Stoop brothers participated in wrestling, track, skiing and baseball. But they were never rivals. "We never had to compete for one spot. There was always room for both of us to play," said Jesse. Their athletic pursuits were even documented in an Asbury Park Press feature article. The twin brothers continued to play together as defensive backs for their college football team.

The Stoop brothers say being twins comes with more positives than negatives. "You always have someone to play with or fight with. We always had that special bond. It was always good to have a partner in crime," said Chris. When their family moved from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, for instance, Jesse and Chris leaned on each other to adapt to the change.

They don't take it personally when people mistake their names. "I have an aunt (78) to this day who says, 'Chris, right?' and I say, 'No, it's Jesse.'" The brothers like to occasionally pretend they are the other twin, to playfully confuse people. "When someone comes up to me saying they know me, I sometimes like to joke and say, 'I'm sorry, but I've never met you before,'" said Jesse.

Their Accounting Journeys

Jesse didn't plan to major in accounting. "I didn't go to Fairleigh [Dickinson University] intending to be an accounting major, but I took the first basic class [in accounting] and realized it was interesting. There were a bunch of accounting firms at a career fair I attended as a freshman. I wasn't looking for a job, but all these people were looking to hire me. So I took more classes and found that I really liked it," said Jesse. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and then went on to earn a Master of Science in Accounting at Fairleigh.

Chris was a marketing major during his undergraduate years. After a few internships, Chris realized he wanted to take a different career direction. "I did a lot of internships in the finance field and realized the finance route wasn't what I was interested in, so that's when I started to learn more about accounting … That's when I made the switch by getting a master's in accounting," said Chris. After the brothers attained their graduate degrees, they passed the CPA exam within a year of each other.

Jesse says that one benefit of having a twin brother in the same profession is that they can give each other insights. When they have questions or need advice about navigating a situation at work, they often lean on each other for support.

Life Today

The comradery between the Stoop brothers has continued into adulthood. They live within 10 minutes of each other and are involved with NJCPA volunteer activities. Jesse has been part of the Student Programs & Scholarships Committee for the past four years. Chris is now president of the Mercer Chapter. Both brothers are married, and Jesse has two children.

Chris says, "We were brothers in the backroom, and now we're brothers in the boardroom. It's come full circle, in a much different environment."

Take Me to the River

"My first class at college was a three-hour lecture in organic chemistry," says Jonathan E. Perelman, CPA. "I knew then that I wouldn't follow in my father's footsteps and become a physician."

But Perelman felt that he could get a good job, not to mention a wealth of experience, by having an accounting background. So, he did just that, graduating in 1976 with a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and later from Seton Hall with an M.S. in taxation.

After getting that wealth of experience by working at a series of accounting firms, Perelman put out his own shingle in 1981. "We were a general practice that specialized in health care," comments Perelman. In 2002, Perelman's practice merged with Friedman LLP, where today he is a partner who specializes in physician and dental practices.

"As the son of a doctor and a teacher, my parents always stressed an education," notes Perelman. "In obtaining the CPA designation, I wanted to get a significant credential and stand out from the crowd."

Another way to stand out was to join the New Jersey Society of CPAs. "The Society’s CPE programs are excellent, and its events are a fun way to catch up with colleagues in a relaxing atmosphere," says Perelman, one of the founding members of the NJCPA young CPAs group.

And when he's not advising clients on the financial intricacies of the Affordable Care Act? Perelman likes to put the top down on his sport car and road-trip taking in the fall foliage. He's also a diehard NY Giants fan who enjoys hiking and photography, and has a comprehensive stamp collection — his oldest stamp dating back to the mid-1800s. "In 2001, I founded the NJ/Wharton Business School Alumni Association," says this 2014 NJ CPA-List winner. "With about 300 members, we've had Chris Christie, Meredith Vieira and prominent CFOs as speakers. The alumni association experience has been very gratifying."

But what he really falls for hook, line and sinker is fishing. "When I was a kid, we'd go to the Catskills every year. And while my dad golfed, my brothers and I would fish on the streams running through the golf course," recalls Perelman.

Jump ahead to 2004 when Perelman's brother, Robert, took him fly fishing on the Upper Delaware River and he got "hooked" so to speak. "Fly fishing is much different than rod-and-reel fishing," notes Perelman. "You generally go for trout, which is one of the most challenging fish to catch. There's also a lot more technique involved with fly fishing: how to cast, where to cast in the river and what type of fly to use. And it’s more about catch-and-release for the next person.”

Perelman has fished in some exotic and not-so-exotic locations. "I've fished in Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, the United Kingdom and right here in New Jersey's Raritan River," says the Chatham resident. He's also joined fly fishing clubs in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

He calls the South Fork River in Idaho the most beautiful, with bald eagles flying around and the fish literally jumping out of the water; the Upper Delaware in New York the most challenging; and the Garden State’s Raritan River the site of his largest catch, a 26-inch rainbow trout. Perelman also notes the time he was fishing in Pennsylvania and had a close encounter with a black bear.

Perelman has even gotten his son, Max, into fishing. While Max isn't at fly-fishing status just yet, he's holding his own with the rod and reel. "He just caught a three-foot pike in the Passaic River," comments Perelman. "Believe it or not, thanks to some conservation efforts, the Passaic River is slowly becoming a mecca for pike fishing."

Fishing has become so enjoyable for Perelman, he’s put away his golf clubs. "Every September, me, my brothers and some friends get on a plane and go somewhere to fish," notes Perelman. "We fish, have a few beers, meet some interesting people on the river and bond over the experience."

"Breathing the clean air and seeing such scenic landscapes, fly fishing is such a peaceful, relaxing experience," says Perelman. "It's the perfect antidote for a stressful tax season."

All Hands on Deck

Boating has been great for our family; it really keeps us connected.

Bulkhead, draft, waypoint. These are the type of terms that Chris Zirrith, CPA, had to learn as a novice boater. But it's no different than learning words like accrual, general ledger and net present value when starting out as a young accountant.

"I had to take an elective in college, and I took an accounting class because my roommate had the book and I didn't have to buy it," laughs Zirrith. "It came easy to me, and at the end of the semester I changed my engineering major to accounting."

After graduating in 1986, Zirrith worked for a couple of mid-sized public firms in New Jersey, focusing on the real estate sector. "I became an auditor at Ironstate Development’s predecessor," he says. "Ironstate develops large complex urban apartment and hotel developments. I currently serve as the company CFO."

"I like the fact that accounting is logical; there's an order as to what needs to be done," says Zirrith. Part of that order was getting the CPA designation. "It was always a primary goal," he adds. "Being a CPA gave me a feeling of accomplishment and respect from other professionals. In fact, this year I’m celebrating my 25th anniversary of becoming a CPA."

Does Zirrith have any words of wisdom for students interested in private accounting? "Just go in with an open mind. Public accounting is great, but it's not for everyone; and not everyone will become a partner," he says.

Zirrith traded in his golf clubs for a boat — a hobby that the whole family could enjoy. "My wife and daughters took to it immediately," comments Zirrith. "As the girls grew up they became more involved and learned to appreciate the nuances of boating." The Manalapan residents would cruise near Red Bank on the Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers. "In time, we took overnight trips to Atlantic City and Long Beach Island," he adds.

The last run of a previous boating season, Zirrith met someone at his local dock with the same exact boat. "It turned out to be a pivotal encounter," recalls Zirrith. "He suggested we take our boats down to Florida together for the upcoming winter." This thousand-mile run took Zirrith's hobby to a whole new level. He and his family have since expanded their boating destinations to include ports such as Nantucket and The Bahamas. "I'd like to make it to Maine one day," says Zirrith. "And navigating to Cuba would also be interesting."

Zirrith's favorite port of call is Montauk. "The boating’s fantastic; it's a jumping-off point to many other great places. Soon-to-be empty nesters, the Zirriths are looking forward to new destinations. "I wouldn’t be surprised if my daughters captain their own boats one day," says Chris.

Father Time

I can appreciate this incredible bonding time now and hopefully have a long career at the firm — so what's six weeks in the grand scheme of things.

As a "future business leader of America" at Lacy Township High School, Mark Philips knew he would go into accounting. "I like structured thinking and telling a story through financial data," says Philips. It was at a College of NJ career fair that Philips met with representatives of the New Jersey Division of Taxation. He joined the Office of Criminal Investigation and investigated individual, sales and use, and cigarette tax fraud cases, including joint insurance fraud investigations.

In 2005, Philips took a course in state and local taxation (SALT) that altered his career trajectory. "The class covered day-to-day tax issues in business, court cases, controversy and applying the law — it was eye-opening," he recalls. Philips obtained a conferee position at the New Jersey Division of Taxation in the Conference and Appeal Branch. "We heard administrative appeals for companies," he comments.

By 2008, Philips was at a crossroads. It was around this time that the New Jersey State government was cutting benefits and freezing promotions and he was hungry to learn more, quicker. That same year, Philips joined KPMG where he became a specialist on New Jersey tax issues. "Having the CPA designation was a huge help when I entered public accounting."

One of the reasons Philips feels he's found a home at KPMG is the firm's approach to work-life balance initiatives. "My wife Erene and I had a boy, Gabriel, in June. KPMG's paternity leave program lets me take up to six weeks off at 100-percent pay within six months of the child’s birth, provided the other parent is back at work for four of those weeks," says the Middletown resident. "Erene’s ecstatic about the leave. I can really bond with Gabriel, plus he isn't the best sleeper, so I can pick up from where my wife left off in getting him into a routine."

"Right now, I'm perfecting my swaddling technique," Philips notes. "I look forward to us going to the park, running errands and visiting Gabriel's 91-year-old great grandmother Evone."

Philips tied up his loose ends at work before the paternity leave. "I scheduled the leave after my busy season," he says. "I've created an Excel file that has all of my projects, who the partner is on each project, any staff on each account and the project's status. I've distributed the spreadsheet to everyone who needs to know."

Far removed from the days when the dad could enjoy a cigar outside the delivery room and then go back to work in a day or two, Philips thinks KPMG's paternity leave policy simply makes good business sense.

On Your Mark, Get Set …

I get to interview athletes, the media and sports executives. We all have a story to tell.

"Growing up in Jamaica," says O’Neil A. Reid, CPA, "track and field is the sport of kings." That love for the sport stayed with Reid when he immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1989.

Reid began his college career at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica where he majored in economics. After he took a principles of accounting course, he fell in love with it, and it became his major.

After settling in Morristown, Reid enrolled at Rutgers University as a 21-year-old freshman where he graduated with a B.S. in accounting and a minor in math in 1992. He continued his studies at Rutgers and received an M.B.A. in 1995.

"I became a credit analyst at Panasonic." Thus began a career in private accounting for Reid. He did stints at Dun & Bradstreet; Brother International; and TRAC Intermodal LLC, where he's been since 2005. "I enjoy accounting because you're able to combine math and business. The numbers don't lie; one plus one always equals two," says Reid. "And with corporate finance, I enjoy the challenge of breaking down as well as building up financial statements."

"The CPA designation’s extremely prestigious. And I always want to validate what I do and add credibility to my work," adds Reid.

One tie to his Jamaican homeland is the sport of track and field. "I'm an avid fan," says Reid, who goes to many of the professional and collegiate track meets in the New York metropolitan area. Reid took his fandom one step further and began writing about the sport for TrackLedger.com in 2007. "I write athlete profiles, analysis, previews and recaps of meets," notes Reid.

Reid had been a guest many times on a friend's radio program that covers the Carribean sports scene, primarily track and field, basketball and cricket. Reid was such a natural behind the microphone that he was invited him to do his own show: The Sports Zone with the Professor on Jamminz Radio and 100.7 FM. "I love it," says Reid. "I get to interview athletes, the media and sports executives. We all have a story to tell."

Why the professor? It turns out Reid has taught at the County College of Morris, Burlington County College and Warren County Community College. Notice a theme? "I like to teach introductory courses at the county colleges because the students there are very 'bright eyed' about learning," exclaims Reid.

Lifting as We Climb

I get so much satisfaction from helping someone who was in my shoes many years ago. It’s much easier to mentor kids into a good situation than pull them out of a bad one.

Growing up in a single-parent household in the rough-and-tumble Bronx of the 1970s and 1980s, things could have turned out very differently for Ainsley Reynolds, CPA, CGMA. But having strong role models helped propel him. "I had an accounting professor my junior year who really sparked my interest in accounting," says Reynolds. "Accounting’s weaved into almost all aspects of life and business."

Reynolds began at PWC in 1997 in audit and advisory services. He later worked at Deutsche Bank and Hilton Hotels. "I made a strategic decision to learn both sides of the audit process, as well as the public and private aspects of auditing," notes Reynolds.

"If you're going to do something, do it all the way," advises Reynolds. And that's why, in 2003, he obtained his CPA designation. "Being a CPA takes you from having a job to having a career."

In 2007, Reynolds accepted the position of director of accounting at the New Jersey Division of Investments where he manages the state pension fund. "The government sector is one of the few places where you can be in charge of billions of dollars," comments Reynolds.

In his spare time, Reynolds is a certified NRA firearms instructor and a "master BBQ chef" who's won a trophy for his Jamaican spiced turkey.

In 2004, Reynolds and his fraternity started a mentoring program for at-risk youth at Piscataway High School. The program includes high-profile speakers, sessions on investing and public speaking, mock career fairs, and college trips. "We have judges, doctors, business people and others who share their success stories with the kids," says Reynolds. "Our first year, the school had no African-American kids in the National Honor Society. By the time this group graduated high school, there were nine."

The program, Mentoring and Leadership Equals Success (MALES), moved to Somerset Intermediate School in 2009 where s fraternity brother is the principal. It also dropped the participatory age to fifth graders. "That seems to be the time where kids become vulnerable," states Reynolds. "The program also became less race-based and more class-based, which made it more diverse. I'm a member of the National Association of Black Accountants and its motto is 'lifting as we climb,' which is something I try to live by."

Approximately 200 kids have gone through the MALES. "One individual told me that the program inspired him to become a teacher. Upon graduation, he received a substantial offer from a company. However, he asked the company to defer his offer for two years so he could participate in Teach For America, which the company did. This young man felt an obligation to give back, and that's what our program is all about," says Reynolds.

A CPA Who Doesn't Always Play It Conservatively

You've probably seen Gail Rosen, CPA. She's seemingly everywhere: Inc. magazine, FoxNews, The Wall Street Journal, NJN, The Star-Ledger and elsewhere. "I enjoy the public relations aspect of being a sole practitioner," says Rosen. "CPAs have a lot of really good information to share with the media and the public."

Rosen is many things in addition to being a media darling. She's a passionate advocate for small businesses and entrepreneurs, a political dynamo and a self-proclaimed gym rat.

So how did this girl from Brooklyn become a Somerset County mover and shaker? "While at Baruch College I took a job at an accounting firm (Arthur Young) and I loved it." That led to an internship and ultimately a job offer. She found her life's calling when she got her first small client. "Being involved in all aspects of a business, understanding the big picture, that is where I wanted to be," adds Rosen.

Because of her affinity for small business, Rosen devoted all of her energies to starting her own practice. "I was engaged and we just bought a house," says Rosen. "So I sat with my fiancé and crunched some numbers. We figured we could cover our expenses and, if necessary, live off the blueberry bush in our backyard." Thankfully, it didn't come to that. In fact, at that time, in 1983, her business contacts grew quickly. Today, her firm does tax and accounting for individuals, small businesses and start-up companies. "I love working with entrepreneurs," exclaims Rosen. "I believe I have a knack for making their businesses better and feel much appreciated by them."

As is her "let's get to it" nature, Rosen got her CPA designation right after graduating college. "I believe in everything behind the credential: CPE, peer review and so on. If you're going to do something, you have to do it right," says Rosen.

And her passion for politics? "I began with the Somerset County Business Partnership, met political leaders and expanded my participation," says Rosen. She's been the treasurer for the Somerset County Republican Committee, Bridgewater Republican Committee and Assemblywoman Denise Coyle.

"Through politics, I get to meet a diverse group of people and get access to decision makers who can positively impact programs for small businesses and entrepreneurs," Rosen notes.

2009 NJCPA College Scholarship Recipient

I was raised by my father. I am the middle child of three daughters. My dad has been a driver at UPS since before I was born. My dad worked long hours and was tired on the weekends but he never let it stop him from being the coach for any sports my sisters and I wanted to play or staying up with us at night if we were sick. Growing up, my dad never let on that money was tight. Now as an adult, I think to myself, how the heck did he pull that off? He worked such long hours, raised three children alone and never let us feel that we were a burden nor did he hint when times were tough. I can only imagine how much he worried each and every day. I could go on and on about how great my father is and what a great life he gave my sisters and me, but the bottom line is that he taught me every day that the sky is the limit. He also taught me that in order to get where I wanted to be, I needed a great education.

As I got older, I worried about how I was going to afford college but my dad would not let me settle for going to a college I could afford instead of the college I wanted, no matter what the cost. He cosigned all my loans and we went through the whole process together. Even though I have to write a check each month for a good chunk of change for my college education, I wouldn't go back and change a thing. My college education got me to where I am today. I donate to the NJCPA each year because it may not seem like much, but to someone it can mean the world. I believe every individual with drive and ambition deserves the chance to soar towards the sky and only stop when they want to, not because they can't afford it.

From CPA to Plié

"Sharing an art with the community gives me so much fulfillment. There's that moment on stage just as the curtain goes up — there's nothing like it."

Kimberlee S. Phelan, CPA, isn't one to stand still. She grew up in Corona del Mar, California, with seven sisters and one brother. Dad was an airline pilot for United Airlines and Mom was a high school accounting teacher. When it came time for college, Phelan changed coasts and went to Wellesley in Massachusetts, majoring in economics and international relations.

During the early 1990s, Phelan worked for Price Waterhouse doing international taxation and later Coopers & Lybrand. Her final stop in public accounting was 1997 when she joined WithumSmith+Brown in New Jersey as a tax manager. Phelan always knew she would become a CPA. "I love working in public accounting with clients. There are always questions and issues to resolve, so there's constant learning."

In 2001, she became Withum's first female partner; in 2005, she became its first female director; and in 2011, she was named the practice director for international services. She's been dubbed one of the "50 Best Women in Business" by New Jersey Business magazine and received a Woman of the Year Award by Garden State Woman magazine. "I have a passion to help other women succeed," notes Phelan.

Phelan serves on the national board of the Learning Ally, a group that works with dyslexic and visually impaired people. She was also on the board of the Princeton YWCA, which bestowed her its Tribute to Women Award in 2002.

For fun, Phelan fancies knitting. "I learning knitting years ago as an exchange student in Norway," she recalls. But it's one activity that really takes her breath away: ballet. While Phelan danced as a youngster, her passion was reignited when her husband John won a charity bid for a walk-on role in The Nutcracker with the American Reparatory Ballet in Princeton. Now in their fifth year as members of the cast, the Phelans get so much enjoyment from their participation. "It's amazing to be able to share the stage with these dedicated artists whose movements are so beautiful and fluid. It's really a wonderful way to express oneself without speech," says Phelan. Each year, the theater company performs The Nutcracker from approximately Thanksgiving to Christmas for about 10,000 people all across New Jersey.

"Ballet is so different from accounting. I guess it's a right brain/left-brain thing," comments Phelan. "I've had partners from WS+B see the show with their kids, come backstage and say, 'I had no idea you did this!'"

A CPA Who Paid the Price for Sandy

My background really comes in handy when I'm working with FEMA or the Army Corps of Engineers on a needs assessment.

Imagine being the director of revenue and finance for a metropolitan area that just took a massive hit from the "storm of the century," seeing nothing but devastation all around, and then having to figure a way to pay for both the cleanup and safeguards should another disaster strike. That's exactly where Michael P. Stinson, CPA, found himself in November 2012 after Superstorm Sandy ravaged the Northeast.

Because accounting "came easy" to Stinson, he majored in it at Drexel University. After graduating in 1984 with a B.S. in accounting from Drexel, Stinson worked for more than two decades in health care. But when Atlantic City was looking for a director of revenue and finance, he couldn't resist making the jump to governmental accounting. "I like this niche because it's something new every day," comments Stinson. "AC has an annual budget of $250 million, and it's dominated by one industry, gaming, which represents $130 million in property taxes to Atlantic City."

In his downtime, if you really need to find him, Stinson will most likely be at the beach because "it's just so peaceful there." But the Jersey Shore was not the place to be the last week of October 2012 as Superstorm Sandy walloped the tri-state area. "I remember in the immediate aftermath how quiet it was and all of the debris around," recalls Stinson. "We've been through storms and floods in South Jersey before, but nothing like this."

"I only had to replace my roof, so I was one of the lucky ones," says Stinson. "Many of my friends and neighbors weren't so lucky." Stinson, though, didn't have the luxury of just having to worry about himself. He had to figure out a way to pay for both municipal damages from the storm as well as projects to help mitigate damages from future storms. "These costs came to more than $100 million — just for Atlantic City," he exclaims. "This includes elevating roadways, beach replenishment, updating flood pumps and much more."

"Because of the magnitude of this disaster, we really need to create a plan for long-term financing. Some of it will be through borrowing, insurance and the government," Stinson comments.

Stinson credits his CPA background with being able to make contacts, articulate needs and obtain resources. So, what's the state of the city? "Some projects are moving forward quickly; others have a long way to go," says Stinson. "But I'll echo what Governor Christie says: ‘We're Jersey strong.'"

My mom was always committed to the value of an education. Although dad died when I was 13, my mom continued her commitment, as a single mom, providing her four children with a quality education by sending us to a parochial school — initially by working as a seamstress in unfavorable work environments.

Unfortunately, my mom was injured in a car accident while I was in high school. So upon my graduation it was necessary for me to work to supplement our family income. I worked a graveyard shift from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. at the U.S. Post Office. It was the highest paying salary I could find. Then by happenstance I ran into a former high school teacher at the local grocery store. He asked me what college I was attending. I explained my circumstances and he said, "Robert we need to change that."

An altruistic teacher, he offered to mentor me and assist in the selection of colleges and applications for scholarships. Thereafter, I would check the mail EVERY DAY. What seemed like an eternity passed, and then one day a letter from Rutgers University — an acceptance and a scholarship! I can still feel the overwhelming emotion of the moment. A tipping point in my life without which I would not be here today. Simply stated, my success was founded on an inspiring teacher who took the time to mentor me and on the dollars from the scholarship that allowed me a path to a quality higher education.

Today as a scholarship donor my contribution is in time — mentoring others and in dollars — providing funding for scholarship programs. And our family proudly continues my mom’s commitment to education. My brother Peter, established the Traphagen Family Scholarship — a pathway for others to succeed. I am pleased to share that the Bergen Community College recently honored our mother by naming the lobby in West Hall the "Christine R. Traphagen Family Lobby." A dream come true for a proud but humble woman.

I share my experiences with others to motivate their involvement. My greatest satisfaction lies in seeing others become successful. I believe education, success and quality of life go hand in hand.

Reaching the Summit of His Profession

When I got to the summit of Mt. Everest, the Sherpa guides put a Buddhist prayer ribbon around my neck. It brought tears to my eyes and the fatigue just disappeared.

Shoe stores must love H. Jay Sexton, CPA, because he hasn't met a hiking trail he didn't like. His treks have taken him from the Appalachian Trail to Mount Everest.

It was during a Navy stint that Sexton cast off on the way to becoming an accountant, "I was the financial disbursement clerk on the destroyer U.S.S. Rich," says Sexton. "I liked it and found I was good at it." His Mediterranean tour of duty took him to Italy, France, Spain, Greece and Lebanon — occasionally playing hide and seek with Soviet submarines.

After leaving active service in 1959, Sexton enrolled in Rider University's accounting program. After graduating from Rider, Jay worked briefly in industry, but the call of public accounting beckoned, and in 1974 Sexton started a firm that eventually merged into WithumSmith+Brown.

For enjoyment, Sexton and his family have been hiking the Appalachian Trail since the 1970s. In fact, they built a retirement home in Pennsylvania to be closer to the trail. "I have 1,250 miles under my belt and hope to complete the whole trail before I leave this planet," says Sexton.

But it was a different type of hiking challenge — much colder and more vertical — proposed by his brother-in-law that stopped Sexton in his tracks, so to speak. "He knew a cultural anthropologist from Holland with knowledge of Nepal who also led excursions up Mount Everest," remarks Sexton.

"I wanted to give this trip a purpose," notes Sexton. "There is a young man in my church named Myles who suffers from histiocytosis, a rare disease affecting the nervous system. I decided to use this trip to raise awareness and money for this disease: 'Miles for Myles.' We would up raising more than $17,000."

After a 36-hour flight from New York to Kathmandu, the group of eight, along with a pair of Sherpa guides, began the ascent from the little village of Phalplu. "Despite being a very poor nation, the country is beautiful and the people are friendly," says Sexton.

After a 12-day trek, the expedition reached the 19,000-foot summit of Kala Patar. At age 72, Sexton was the oldest on the team. "It was 10 degrees and crystal clear with an amazing view from the roof of the world," recounts Sexton.

"Prior to the trip, my wife made a felt heart and cut it half," notes Sexton. "She gave half to Myles and I brought the other half with me. When I got to the summit, I took it out and it brought tears to my eyes."

2008 NJCPA College Scholarship Recipient

2008 was a big year for me. Not only did I begin as an intern with WithumSmith+Brown while I was attending Fairleigh Dickinson University, but I was also selected as an NJCPA scholarship recipient. Receiving this scholarship and being recognized among many high achievers was such an honor.

I grew up knowing that if I wanted something, I'd have to pay for it — whether it was a cell phone, a car or a college education. As we all know, college is expensive and it is extremely daunting when your family cannot alleviate some of the financial burden. Receiving the scholarship eased some of this pressure, and I am now paying off less student loans.

A life-defining moment occurred for me at my scholarship interview when I was asked, "What do you do in your spare time?" At that time, my days and nights were filled with studying for classes and working at WithumSmith+Brown. I did some charitable activities here and there, but being asked this question really opened my eyes and made me realize that I wanted to be more involved. I used this as my driving force to become a more active volunteer, and to recruit others as volunteers as well.

One of WithumSmith+Brown's underlying core values is giving back to the community. In this spirit, since joining the firm, I have coordinated and participated in many charitable activities, such as 5K charity runs; food and clothing drives; and various events hosted by the NJCPA, such as the Young CPAs Kickball Tournament, which benefits the Valerie Fund. I was honored when Withum recognized my efforts with the Withum Community Strength award in 2011. And it was all jump-started with that simple question asked at my NJCPA scholarship interview.

This CPA Gets a Kick Out of Coaching

Team chemistry is important, along with being a good leader and teacher. In soccer, as in accounting and life, you need to be an effective communicator and goal oriented.

Patrick M. Trombetta had a pretty typical childhood growing up in Woodbridge. He had the typical love/hate relationship with his brother and sister, and he immersed himself in sports such as soccer, baseball and wrestling.

While it probably didn't seem like it at the time, he made a life-changing decision in high school where he took his first accounting class. "It was an entry-level class that I really enjoyed," says Trombetta. "I'm an analytical guy who's always liked math. Later on, I decided to major in accounting at Seton Hall."

Trombetta graduated with a B.S. in accounting in 1984 and took a staff accounting position at MSPC, and it's where he's been ever since. "I became a partner 10 years ago, and my specialty is auditing employee benefit plans in the construction sector," notes Trombetta. "I prefer the public sector because you get to work with different companies on a greater variety of projects."

But it's that passion for sports — and coaching in particular — that's in Trombetta's blood. You would think Trombetta would have had his fill coaching his three children's sports teams while they were growing up. But no; in 2004 he answered a newspaper ad from the Princeton Day School looking for a soccer coach for middle school boys. "I wanted to gain more coaching experience so I could one day coach at the high school or college level," says Trombetta. He achieved this goal in 2007 by being promoted to varsity coach of the girls' soccer team. "Princeton Day School is small, but the staff and parents are very supportive and the kids are great," he adds.

In 2008, in just his second season as coach, Trombetta's team won the state prep championship, followed by another title in 2010. Trombetta"s crowning achievement came in 2013, however, when he helped win the school's first-ever county championship. "What makes this title special is that Mercer County soccer is very competitive, and we had to beat some large public school powerhouses," says Trombetta proudly.

In 2013, he was named soccer coach of the year in Mercer County. "There are 20 schools in Mercer County that voted, and it was very gratifying to receive this award from my peers," replies Trombetta. His coaching has also been recognized by The Star-Ledger, Trenton Times and the Princeton Packet.

"I'm really grateful to the partners at MSPC and especially to my family who afford me the time to coach and recognize that it's important to me," says the Cranbury resident.