Pros on the Move – July 2022

• Brandon Attaway helps lead the Irvine Tax Department and supports the Manufacturing, Distribution and Logistics, and Professional Services niches.
• Lonnie Bloom is the Co-Team Leader of the Technology and Emerging Services Growth Team’s E-Commerce sector in the New York City office.
• Jessica Cicero is a Team Leader of Broker-Dealer Services based in New York City.
• Colleen Fay is a Tax Partner based in the Whippany office, supporting Financial Services and Private Equity industries, including SPACs.
• Joe Fede is an Audit Partner in the New York City office, specializing in Broker-Dealers, Financial Services and SPACs.
• Marina Gentile is a Partner in the New York City office and is the Lead of Global Transfer Pricing.
• Ashleigh Hall is a Partner in the Washington, D.C. office and a member of the Multiemployer Benefit Plans and Labor Unions teams.
• Andrew Hills is a member of the Irvine Tax Leadership Team and supports Tax Planning, Mergers and Acquisitions and High-Net-Worth Individuals services.
• Nicole Liebman is a Partner in the New York City office and serves as General Counsel for Withum.
• Brian McIntyre is a Partner in the Princeton office and is the Market Leader of Corporate Valuation and SBA Loan Valuations.
• Sara Palovick is a Tax Partner in the East Brunswick office with expertise in the Real Estate Industry.
• Disha Patel is an Audit Partner based in the Whippany office, supporting the Financial Services industry.
• Melissa Roth is based in the Whippany office and leads the AdTech and Digital Media Services practice.
• Lenny Smith is a Woburn-based Partner of the Life Science Tax Practice.
• Kristen Stinson is a New York City Tax Partner supporting the Private Client Services and Family Offices Practices.
• Matt Walsh is a Partner in the Princeton office, leader of the Firm’s COVID-19 Financial Assistance Services and supports Professional Services and Manufacturing Distribution and Logistics teams.

Armanino Welcomes New Partner Matt Baldwin to Denver Office, Expands Real Estate Footprint in the Mile High City

Armanino LLP, one of the 20 largest accounting and business consulting firms in the U.S., today announced it welcomed tax partner Matt Baldwin effective immediately and expanded its office lease in Denver, more than doubling in size. The moves respond to the firm’s rapid growth in the Mile High City region, as staff has jumped from about a dozen in 2019 to nearly 100 today.

Baldwin joins the firm after stints at EKS&H and most recently at CliftonLarsonAllen. Having served clients in public accounting since 2009, he specializes in corporate and private equity tax. He also brings extensive experience in transactional tax issues, M&A transactions and ASC 740 income tax provisions. Baldwin is a Colorado CPA and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from New Mexico State University.

Hogan Lovells continues to grow Corporate & Finance capabilities in New York with tax lawyer Jessica Millett

Global law firm Hogan Lovells recently announced the arrival of tax lawyer Jessica Millett as a partner in the firm’s Corporate & Finance practice group in New York. She is the sixth Corporate & Finance partner to join Hogan Lovells’ New York office this year. Millett joins from Duval & Stachenfeld, a boutique law firm, where she served as chair of that firm’s tax practice.

Millett focuses her practice on U.S. tax issues that arise in complex real estate transactions, notably real estate private equity investments, Qualified Opportunity Fund structures, and cross-border investments. She regularly advises clients on tax structuring and documentation for real estate acquisitions, joint ventures, restructurings and refinancing arrangements, including inbound and outbound investments, and structures involving REITs.

Her practice also includes representing sponsors and managers of, and institutional investors in, private investment funds including real estate, distressed debt, and hedge funds, and advising on tax-efficient structures for cross-border securities offerings (debt and equity) and private equity transactions. Millett has experience advising financial institutions on a variety of tax and compliance issues including U.S. withholding and information reporting rules, and tax treaty planning and is currently the chair of the Subcommittee for Foreign Investors of the ABA Tax Section Real Estate Committee.

Millett earned her law degree from Duke University School of Law and her B.A. from Johns Hopkins. Following graduation from Johns Hopkins, she spent two years in the Peace Corps as an education volunteer in Burkina Faso, West Africa.

LBMC Names Five New Shareholders; Growth and Strategic Initiatives Lead to Promotions within Firm’s Primary Service Lines

LBMC, a top 40 advisory and business consulting firm in the nation, is proud to announce the addition of five shareholders to align with the firm’s continued focus on serving clients in the advisory, cyber risk, data insights, healthcare and high net wealth space. The new shareholders are comprised of four team members promoted within LBMC and one new to the LBMC family.

• Robyn Barton, Shareholder, Risk Services, leads LBMC’s HITRUST service line, one of the firm’s fastest growing services. Barton has played a key role in establishing LBMC as one of the nation’s leading providers of HITRUST assessment and consulting services. She serves on the HITRUST Assessor Council and is a regular speaker at HITRUST conferences and events around the U.S. A graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, Barton holds certifications in CISA, CRISC, CISM, QSA, CCSFP, CHQP and CDPSE.
• Melissa Cothran, Shareholder, Wealth Advisors, leads LBMC’s Family Office Practice. Cothran joined LBMC in 1999 and has continually built and maintained longstanding, multigenerational client relationships during her tenure with the firm. She has more than 24 years of diversified tax experience and specializes in large and complex income tax returns for individuals, trusts, and estates, as well as tax planning and individual tax consulting. Cothran holds her bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky and her CPA and PFS.
• Laura McGregor, Shareholder, Audit, is a leader within LBMC's Healthcare Audit practice. Since joining LBMC in 2009, McGregor has been a core contributor to the growth of LBMC’s healthcare practice. She leads healthcare audit training for LBMC and is actively involved in recruiting, mentoring, training, and managing teams. McGregor holds her MBA from Tennessee Technological University and is CPA. She a member of Leadership Health Care and the Nashville Healthcare Council.
• Van Steel, Shareholder, Risk Services, leads LBMC’s cybersecurity consulting service line and has established LBMC as a national expert in the field of cyber risk assessments. Steel has been instrumental in growing the practice through recruiting, retention, coaching and mentoring. He joined LBMC in 2018 and has more than 20 years of experience in IT advisory/assurance and cybersecurity consulting. Steel has served clients across many industries, including three of the largest financial institutions in the world and a U.S. healthcare governing body. He holds his bachelor’s degree from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and CISA, CISSP, and CCSFP designations.
• Jon Hilton joins LBMC as Practice Leader of the firm’s Data Insights division. Hilton has more than 20 years of experience as a senior data leader, data strategist, and data scientist helping organizations leverage data to achieve their business goals and objectives. He is an honors graduate of West Point – United States Military Academy and holds a Master of Information and Data Science from the University of California, Berkeley. His skills include Machine Learning, AI, Deep Learning, Python, Data Strategy, Data Governance, Data Engineering, and Data Visualization. Hilton served as an Officer and Leader in the U.S. Army, where he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Army Commendation Medal.

Organic Valley Announces Food and Beverage Executive as New Chief Financial Officer

Organic Valley, the country’s leading farmer-owned cooperative of small organic family farms, recently announced that Stephen Famolaro would be joining the cooperative as its new Chief Financial Officer. Famolaro is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant with more than 30 years’ financial experience. He holds a certificate in Production and Inventory Management.

Famolaro’s past roles include CFO of Naked Juice and Century Snacks. He also brings experience in dairy from his time at Dean Foods.

Organic Valley CEO Bob Kirchoff said the cooperative, which is also one of the world’s largest organic consumer brands, will benefit from Famolaro’s strategy and insight into its financial planning process.

Baldwin CPAs Announces New Managing Member

Baldwin CPAs has announced that Lisa DeVaughn Foley has been elected Managing Member effective January 1, 2023. Ms. Foley brings more than 30 years of accounting and tax experience to the role. Presently, she oversees the Elevate practice which provides outsourced CFO, compilation, cloud accounting, and client payroll services for a variety of industries including construction, healthcare, real estate, restaurants, retail, and professional services.

“We are excited about this new chapter in the 75-year history of our firm. We are fortunate to have a long-time partner step into this leadership position,” states G. Alan Long, CPA, CITP, CGMA who has been Managing Member since 2004. “Lisa has been an active member of both the accounting profession, as well as the local community. Over the years, she has played an integral role in the growth of Baldwin CPAs. Lisa will build upon the firm’s solid foundation with new energy and ideas.”

Lisa DeVaughn Foley joined Baldwin, Upchurch & Foley in 1993, and in 2004, the firm joined forces with the firm of Long & Fisher, creating Baldwin & Associates. Since that time, she has been instrumental in the development and growth of Baldwin CPAs. Ms. Foley has served as the past chair of the Kentucky CPA Society’s CPE Committee, as well as a member of the Kentucky CPA Society’s Leadership Council. Locally, she serves as chair of Eastern Kentucky University’s College of Business Advisory Council and is a member of the Banking Advisory Committee. Additionally, Ms. Foley serves on the Board of Directors of Citizens Guaranty Bank, is past president of Hospice Care Plus, and also served as a member of the St. Mark Catholic Church Finance Council.

FORVIS Names Becca Kiser as GASB Practice Fellow

Becca Kiser, audit manager at FORVIS, a leading national professional services firm, has been named to a two-year appointment in the Government Accounting Standard Board (GASB) Practice Fellow Program.

The GASB is an independent, private-sector organization that establishes accounting and financial reporting standards for U.S. state and local governments that follow Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Its work provides greater accountability and better-informed decision making through excellence in public-sector financial reporting. As a practice fellow, Kiser will have a distinctive opportunity to participate in the GASB’S national standard-setting process.