News About You
The Network - April 2013
Maria Acosta is a CFO of 1199 SEIU Benefit and Pension Funds (the Funds). “The Funds” is one of the largest benefit and pension funds serving the healthcare employers and workers of New York State.
Ron Arling Effective January 14, 2013 Ron Arling has accepted the CFO position at Nidec Minster Corporation (formerly Minster Machine). His former employer was NewPage Corporation located in Miamisburg, OH where he served as Controller and Chief Accounting Officer. Prior to NewPage, Mr. Arling held positions at CareSource Management Group, Reynolds and Reynolds, NCR and Deloitte & Touche LLP. Mr. Arling is married to his wife Jackie and they have six children.
Kenneth (Ken) Barna recently joined Allstate Benefits as the Compliance Manager. Ken earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting degree at the University of Florida as an Anderson Scholar and his Master of Business Administration degree at the University of Tampa with Honors Distinction. He is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner.
Walter “Scott” Berger: Scott first visited Colorado on a consulting project in 1984 and made the move to Colorado permanently in 1990.
Scott now serves as Finance Director for Grand County, Colorado and enjoys attending the alumni events in Denver whenever possible.
Scott’s two children, Bradley and Sarah are proud “Buffs” having both graduated from the University of Colorado – Boulder. Brad earned an art major and enjoys racing single speed mountain bikes. Sarah earned her bioscience degree and wants to teach high school science and chemistry.
Thomas Bonney, : Managing Director of CMF Associates, leading provider of financial, operational, and human capital solutions to private equity, middle-market, and small cap public companies was honored in March 2013 as an Outstanding Director by the Philadelphia Business Journal and premium sponsors Chase, Dechert LLP, Ernst & Young LLP and the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors.
Bonney was recognized for his work on the LEBLON board, where he has played a key role in growing the business from an idea to an international brand.
“Tom has proven to be an invaluable asset to me as CEO and to the company – we would likely be in a very different financial and operational position if it were not for his forward-thinking, insight and intelligent decision-making at critical junctures of our growth. We are lucky to have him on our board,” said Steve Luttmann, CEO of LEBLON."
Bonney accepted his award along with nine other Philadelphia-area honorees at the March 14 event at the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia.
Jerol (Jerry) Brown was elected President of the CalCPA California Central Coast Chapter serving over 500 professional members. The Chapter provides local professional educational and networking opportunities and works closely mentoring accounting students from CalPoly State University in San Luis Obispo, CA. In January, Jerry joined 270 other California CPAs for CalCPA Day at The Capitol in Sacramento where CPAs teamed up to meet with all their state legislators to brief them on the usefulness of a trusted CPA and current business and tax issues that CPAs are dealing with.
Mike Burton has teamed with two business partners to buy distressed land on the coast of North Carolina. Their first two developments will be town and garden homes in Atlantic Beach, NC and waterfront town homes with deep water boat slips in Morehead City, NC.
Robert A. Campbell: Has joined the Board of Trustees of Clarkson University, Potsdam NY, from which he graduated with a BBA in Accounting in 1961. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Northern New York, Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university, offering 50 rigorous programs of study in Engineering, Arts & Sciences and Business. He will serve on the Academic Affairs and Audit Committees.
He began his career with Touche Ross. Over the years he has held professional and leadership roles in Montreal, Rochester NY, Tokyo, Milwaukee, Dallas, Wilton and Hong Kong. He became a partner and retired after an eight year term as Regional Managing Partner and CEO of the Asia Pacific region. He has served on the US Board, the DTT Global Executive, as Global Leader of DTT's Japanese Service Group and on the Boards of numerous National Practices.
Linda Carmona started her own administrative consultant business – Office Muse - which allows her to do the administrative work she loves without being tied to one location as it's, virtual. Linda credits Ed Heys, Atlanta/Birmingham Managing Partner with help securing her first Office Muse client!
Jonathan Cary recently finished his tenure as a Consulting Campus Recruiter in Houston. He made the transition from Deloitte in November 2012 with the plan to take some time off and prepare for graduate school. However, he was approached by a local nonprofit organization regarding a newly created Director position that would be responsible for implementing healthcare services in charter schools throughout Houston. The role would be his to shape, he would build the team, and it would be his responsibility to make this new program successful. The charter school system has a network of approximately 20 schools in the Gulf Coast region and over 100 throughout the country.
Through Jonathan’s experiences in Consulting, working with some of the most thorough and intelligent individuals in the field, he was able to accept this position with no hesitation. It was almost scary when similar to a reflex he started creating a project plan, outlining a deliverable schedule, and drafted a “strategic rollout plan” in his first week on the job. Every day so far has been amazing and Jonathan says he owes it to his training at the firm. “I am proud to be a Deloitte Alumnus!”
Mick Constantinou, Employee Benefits Advisor with Connelly, Carlisle, Fields & Nichols, will be a keynote speaker at SourceMedia’s Benefits Mania conference in Las Vegas in July. The topic is Health Care Reform and the Benefits Renewal Process.
George Daggett, formerly a tax senior manager in private client services of the Milwaukee office, lives and works in Denver, Colorado. He is a financial professional with AXA Advisors, the distribution arm for AXA Equitable, after Jackson National closed its life insurance sales operation in 2012. George works with his clients to address the life needs of living too long and dying too soon, as well as designing plans for wealth transfer between generations, all with sensitivity toward tax efficiency.
George and his wife, Wendy, have four daughters, two sons-in-law, and four grandchildren. All but the youngest daughter live in Denver too. George is also a member of the board of directors for the Friends of Dinosaur Ridge. Dinosaur Ridge is part of the Golden-Morrison national natural landmark and contains many fossils of various dinosaur periods. George, in fact, discovered a dinosaur track site dating to 100 million years ago and has received recognition for that discovery.
Shannon Dills writes to us about a recent travel experience. “I was recently laid-off from my role as Senior Graphic Designer of MWH Constructors here in Colorado. Though it was a tough decision to leave a season of powder days, I decided that this would be the perfect opportunity for me to set out on a journey. My previous Deloitte coworkers must have been shocked, because they know me as the girl who would rather take a kayak across the ocean versus an airplane!
My new year began making a loop of Argentina and Uruguay, my favorites included the southern-most point of South America in Ushuaia, where the sun didn't set until 11pm, and Mendoza, where the Malbecs were a great solution to 100 degree temps. From there I headed to India, where I met up with another former Deloitte colleague. We have been virtual coworkers and friends for a few years, so meeting each other face to face felt like meeting up with a lifelong friend. After a few stops in India, I explored the backpacker route through Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The people, the food, the scenery, the stories, and the fellow travelers were more incredible than I could imagine.
What really hit home with me was how perfect strangers treated me and everyone else like family. I was constantly reminded of what is truly important in this world and will continue to challenge myself to live each day more simply and purposefully. I encourage everyone to travel at even the slightest opportunity!”
Brian Earnshaw: was recently promoted to Vice President and Corporate Controller for Harron Communications, L.P. (dba MetroCast Communications). In this role, Mr. Earnshaw is responsible for the company's accounting operations, internal and external financial reporting, subscriber reporting, and the coordination of financial audits. He is also responsible for ensuring compliance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), and developing, reviewing and documenting accounting and financial controls and procedures.
James Fabiaschi, PWCA, CPA, CRIS, RPLU, CIC: Both of my daughters were born when I worked for Deloitte. When my youngest Mara was about to be born, I was staying in North Adams, MA for an audit. When I got the call one morning that my wife was in labor, the E accountant (do you still do the alphabet thing?) heard the news and came flying out of his room with a towel on and the door slammed behind him. I said, I’m sorry but I have a two hour drive to the hospital and I want to be there to see my child born (laughing). I had the decency to tell the front desk to send up a key! My oldest daughter Eve was married last July and Mara is getting married in September.
Recently I earned my Certified Workers Compensation Advisor license which there are only about a dozen of us in Connecticut, most from my company the Litchfield Insurance Group. Our company is the leader in Performance Based Insurance (PBI) in the Connecticut marketplace. I personally put the first member company in a group insurance captive in 1996 and have helped this captive grow to be the largest and most successful in the country saving its members millions in premiums.
Adrien Fairchild left Deloitte Tax last October to be a stay at home mom to her daughter (born in June 2012). Adrien’s husband, whom she met in Hyderabad, India while they were both working for Deloitte Tax, continues to work at Deloitte, but transferred to Consulting in September 2011. He is coming up on his 8th year with the company.
The adjustment from experienced Manager at a Big 4 to stay at home mom was a bit challenging the first few weeks. Now, there is nothing more important to Adrien than being at home with her little girl. Adrien is part of the Personal Pursuits program, and stays in touch with Deloitte through that, the alumni network, and continuing friendships with Deloitte employees across the globe in all functions. Adrien notes, “Deloitte was full of opportunities while I was employed there, and continues to shine as one of the best companies to "no longer" work for because of its fantastic alumni programs.”
Jim Ferris is often referred to as ‘the jazz man of supply chain management.’ Jim is currently Director of the Global Forecasting Solution Practice at SAS in Cary, NC. He has been at SAS for 11 years, but his passion is jazz.
Jim plays sax and flute and has been performing in various bands across multiple genres (R&B, Top 40, Rock) for 35 years. Beginning in 1988, he ventured into his true love - jazz, where he fronted his own jazz group. For ten years, he led the Jim Ferris Quartet in Rochester, New York. In recent years, the Jim Ferris Trio has become a popular mainstay of the Raleigh, NC jazz scene. In December 2012, his group was featured in an article in the Raleigh News and Observer: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/12/13/2541024/local-jazz-band-just-wants-to.html#storylink=cpy
If you are in Raleigh, catch the Jim Ferris Trio at C GRACE, the Irregardless Café, Travinia, Doherty’s, Solas or Brasa. You can check out his band and his schedule at: http://www.jimferristrio.com/ or http://www.reverbnation.com/jimferrisquartet
Mechel Gallaway: After Mechel Gallaway’s career in accounting, beginning with Touche Ross in the early to mid-80’s and then small to mid-sized construction and property management field ended, she decided to return to school. At present she is a student of the Ageless Wisdom Seminary/University in Scottsdale, AZ. In August 2011, she obtained a B.A. in Holistic Healing. At present, Mechel is working on her thesis for a M.A. in Mental/Spiritual Counseling while she is enrolled in and studying for her Ph.D. in Spirituality in Health and Education. Ageless Wisdom is inclusive of all peoples and religious backgrounds. If you have an interest in becoming a student of the Ageless Wisdom Teachings please reach out to Mechel on AlumNet to obtain more information.
Vic Gallese recently had the opportunity to assist a friend get his company ready for an IPO. Most of the work was basic blocking and tackling to a Deloitte alum roles and responsibilities, standards, best practices, etc. The effort went well and his friend's company was extremely grateful. The biggest takeaway for him was when the team started to discuss the number of "up-and-coming" companies that are in a similar situation. While we hear about our "stagnant economy" on the news, there are, in fact, a great number of companies in the mid-market who are looking to become more professionally run, since many of the execs are former fortune 100 members and know what good looks like!
Vic also enjoyed a two week visit to his brother-in-law’s in Grand Cayman. With his semi-retirement and considerably more free time, he decided to make the journey. It was magical. The weeks in the Caymans, allowed Vic to really get a feel for the flow of the islands, the cultural norms and other details I have never gotten in my usual five day whirlwind vacations. Remaining on the journey…
Diane Garnick: On Valentine's Day NYC alumni and CEO of Clear Alternatives Diane Garnick launched a new fund focused on behavioral economics. Behavioral Beta, the flagship US core equity fund, is open to accredited investors and represents a culmination of the best in breed thinking for the behavioral sciences. Not only is Clear Alternatives on its way to quickly becoming one of the premier asset management firms, it is also entirely owned and operated by women, most of whom are also mothers.
Nelson Gibbs took a position as Vice President - Senior IT Audit Manager with Union Bank on February 25, 2013, and is based in the Los Angeles area. Formerly, he was a Senior Manager in AERS.
Jean Halle has spent the past two years saying “yes” to things she previously didn’t have time to do. After leaving her job as the CEO of Calvert Education Service, she’s been busy experiencing the joys of serving on public, private, and not-for-profit boards, advising on a few startups, and volunteering in the community and on a number of initiatives to help parochial education respond to the increasing demands. She is currently leading an initiative to bring a schedule of NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors) events to Baltimore. Feel free to connect with Jean via AlumNet to learn more!
Harold C. Klein, an alumnus of Haskins & Sells held comptroller and treasurer positions with two insurance companies. He then started his own CPA practice in February 1982. In November 2012, after 30 + years, he retired his practice. Thanks to Haskins & Sells and all the mentors along the way, it was a successful journey.
Chris Knoppe, a former Strategy and Operations Business Analyst out of the Cincinnati Consulting Office, was featured in the March/April issue of Personal Real Estate Investor Magazine. The magazine has been published for 10 years and is the leading real estate investment magazine for individuals nationwide. Chris lives in Columbus, OH and is the Director of Autumnwood Funding, an investment company that provides private funding for real estate investors nationwide. The magazine interviewed Chris to learn more about the real estate market in Columbus and quoted him throughout the five page article.
John C. Malone worked as an auditor for Touche Ross. After attempts at various mid-level positions for three other companies, he started his own firm in 1982. As the sole proprietor CPA, he began operating in the niche of ‘small public company auditing’ in 1996 and when Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 appeared, had about 20 penny stock audit clients. Last year, on his 30th anniversary of starting his own practice, he had six partners, 60 total staff and net revenue of $11 million. His vision was to change the way accounting and auditing was done for small public companies. As the largest provider of such today, he thinks he and his team have accomplished that.
Audits of small public companies requires combining the listening and leadership skills of a small firm with the expertise normally found only in the largest firms. Today’s modern software and communications capabilities make auditing more efficient and more sophisticated than it ever has been. As one of only nine firms in the world requiring annual PCAOB inspections due to our high public company audit volume, our expertise is world-class.
John still remembers his training at Touche – the teamwork, the analytical skills, the required professional skepticism – that made his accomplishments all the more possible. Thank you, Deloitte!
Susan Matthews: Susan's daughter, Taylor, at age 11, was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. The shock of diagnosis soon gave way to the horrible reality that treatments for her disease were modestly successful, at best, and that precious little funding for pediatric cancers or philanthropy were available. Taylor took this on as a challenge and created tay-bandz as a 501 C 3 non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness and funding pediatric cancer research. This charity was born of courage, strength and determination of a child facing tremendous challenges and striving to give others the gift of LIFE.
In Taylor’s short years she taught us that anything was possible. She lived life to the fullest in and out of treatment always smiling and ready for the next adventure. She taught us that life was worth living, despite very difficult circumstances. Taylor had cancer but Taylor was not a cancer kid. She never stopped living, exploring, learning, laughing or making all of us laugh.
Taylor bravely fought her illness for five years, without a complaint, but rather with a strong compassion for helping others. In February 2008, at age 16, Taylor lost her battle but the fight continues. Taylor had a dream. She dreamt that ordinary people could make a difference. She dreamed that “someday no child would have to face cancer.” tay-bandz has now raised in excess of $1 million dollars and is funding research at Memorial Sloan Kettering, Columbia Presbyterian and The National Institute of Health. Please help us to continue the fight to make Taylor’s dreams, wishes, and hopes eternal. While we struggle each day to survive life without Taylor she is near and dear to our hearts. We can still hear her contagious laugh.
Taylor demonstrated the power of ONE. She always thought one person could make a difference. In addition to Susan's responsibilities at tay-bandz she is an advocate for children with cancer and teaches children the Power of One. She teaches children that they have the power to embrace whatever their passion is and that they should follow their dreams.
Sean Murphy is the CEO of 3N2, a company focused on the design, manufacturing and marketing of footwear and apparel for diamond (baseball and softball) sports. Through his visionary leadership, Sean has made a significant impact on the sporting goods industry in just five years. Today the company has four times the number of original employees, a robust external sales team and nearly 600 dealers nationwide including some of the largest national retailers. In 2012, 3N2 was the second best-selling softball shoe for Eastbay and the second best-selling overall shoe for Team Express. Check out the company’s website at my3n2.com to learn more about their exciting product line!
Russell S. Natherson, C.P.A. writes, “I started my career in Dayton, OH after graduating from Ohio State. Since moving to Sarasota, FL in 1974, I have continued to practice public accounting and in 1978, started my own firm. I still remember my early development with Haskins and Sells and from time to time, former members and colleagues from Dayton have visited us in Sarasota. Most recently, Bob Potter and his wife Helen came to stay a couple days with us and we were able to have a nice dinner with them at our home on Siesta Key. Our sons, who are now partners in our CPA firm in Sarasota, along with their wives and children, were able to join us for dinner and spend an enjoyable evening with Bob and Helen. Darlene and I have known the Potters for almost (50) years. Sherrill Hudson visits us regularly and has done so for many years. We owe Sherrill special thanks for always being available to us when we needed his counsel. Others who have visited us are Tim Finley, Bob Dugan, Everett Telljohann and Jack Cashdollar. Previously, Chuck and Patti Ballard were “winter snow birds” in Sarasota until they passed away. They visited us annually for over (35) years. Chuck Ballard was someone who I thought of as my mentor when I was with the firm. Our home is always open to Deloitte Alumni who we think of as our family of friends. Personally, we owe most of the success we have achieved in public accounting to many or the wonderful people we met and came to know personally while we were in Dayton.
I don’t really fly piston powered airplanes anymore but my log book still shows about 3,000 hours as pilot in command and I have earned an ATP (Airline Transport Pilot) rating. Before getting my ATP, I was a commercial, multi-engine pilot with instrument privileges. Darlene and I have flown all over this beautiful country and even flew a Beech V-Tail Bonanza to California. Darlene and our sons are all also licensed pilots. Please contact me anytime if you want to talk about the firm and share many wonderful experiences.“
Danny Palmer is a recruiter at Ann Taylor headquarters in New York City and also a stand-up comedian. He performs at clubs including Comic Strip Live, Broadway Comedy Club, New York Comedy Club, Greenwich Village Comedy Club, and Laughing Devil Comedy Club. “It’s been a great experience as I’ve learned to stay focused at work and also develop as a comedian!”
Joe Mulcahy, Tom Loban and Mark Paolillo The former Deloitte property tax services organization, which had been part of Thomson Reuters since 2007, was sold in December to Ryan, LLC -- a global tax services firm based in Dallas, TX. Joe Mulcahy, Tom Loban and Mark Paolillo, former Partners at Deloitte, were named to leadership positions at Ryan. Joe now leads Ryan's property tax practice, Tom leads the property tax practice's commercial real estate division, and Mark leads Ryan's abandoned and unclaimed property practice.
Joe, Tom and Mark, along with hundreds of other Deloitte alumni who stayed with the practice since its Deloitte days, have grown the property tax and unclaimed property practices to over $125M and more than 750 employees over the past five years. With this acquisition, Ryan is now the largest provider of property tax services and the second-largest provider of abandoned and unclaimed property services in North America.
George Papadopoulos, CPA/PFS, CFP is honored to be chosen as one of ''The Experts'' in Wall Street Journal's new live streaming blog ''The Experts:Wealth Management''. See the link to his web page: http://www.thefeeonlyplanner.com/MediaInterest
Carlos Pelaez just returned from working in Australia for 2.5 years in IT Advisory and is now back home in LA. Carlos accepted a Director position with Coalfire Systems Inc. His focus is now on ethical computer hacking, PCI compliance, and IT security.
Lowell Pethley and his wife Agnes recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary! Lowell was named Who's Who in America a few years ago and was selected Who's Who in the World in 2012.
Robert Rible, retired senior manager, has recently published a book, "Orthodoxy Made Simple," which attempts to explain the basics of the Greek Orthodox faith and liturgy to people who know next to nothing about the history of Israel and its prophets. It also is written for people who have a scientific understanding of the universe and the evolution of the human race, showing how such a faith is compatible with a scientific outlook. Mr. Rible, in addition to being a CPA, has a theological education and used to work part-time as a priest. He also continues his tax practice for a few special clients.
Michael J. Rodenbaugh founded Boardwalk Financial Strategies LLC in the fall of 2012. A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Chartered Financial Analyst®, and Certified Public Accountant, Mike leverages his investing and financial planning expertise to help successful and busy professionals (including a few Deloitte folks) properly manage their assets, plan for the future, and make smart financial decisions. Prior to founding Boardwalk, Mike served executives and entrepreneurs in a similar capacity at a nationally recognized Chicago firm for six years and Deloitte & Touche Investment Advisors for three years. Mike moved to the Milwaukee area in 2011, where he lives with his wife Heidi and children Ava (2 ½) and Tyler (8 months).
Raymond R Romero As of August of 2012, Raymond R Romero has been attending the University of Southern California (USC) working towards an MBA with a focus on Finance. The coursework is very challenging, but he has learned a lot. Raymond has always enjoyed the rewarding experience of learning so obtaining an MBA fit perfectly into his business skills and will complement his experience.
When Raymond is done with his MBA at USC, he expects to use his new skills either in consulting or a new leadership role as a CFO. Going back to school at USC rooting for the Trojans has been awesome for Raymond. Fight On!
Michael F. Rosenblatt, CPA: has over 26 years of experience in executive search, consulting, and identifying, structuring, and consummating mergers and acquisitions of middle market and professional services companies. As Founder and President of The Quest Organization, he has managed assignments in the following industries: real estate, construction, consumer products, private equity funds, hedge funds, banking, broker dealers, entertainment, insurance, public accounting and retail.
Previously, he spent over seven years as a CPA with Deloitte LLP in public accounting and as a Senior Financial Executive of a publicly held service company. The Quest Organization, which has completed its 27th year of successful operation, is involved in: executive search, mergers and acquisitions, structuring of deals, business and human capital consulting, and contract assignments for Fortune 500 to small and medium-sized closely held businesses, and CPA firms. He participates on several committees of the NYSSCPA, including his current role as a member of the Board of Directors of The New York State Society of CPAs. Michael was the Chairman of the Industry Oversight Committee for the past three years and he was previously the Chairman of the Chief Financial Officers Committee of the NYSSCPA. He has also been the featured speaker on various issues related to human capital both from a hiring managers' perspective as well as from the candidate's perspective for Inc. Magazine, The Internal Auditors Association, FENG, The Deal, and the NYSSCPA's annual CFO Conference, and most recently was featured on radio stations 101.9FM and 710AM with Governor Patterson.
Pierre Roulier: formerly a Senior Manager at Deloitte has accepted the position of Customer Success Management Director at Salesforce.com. As a member of Salesforce.com’s Customers for Life team, he will be responsible for ensuring the business success of key enterprise customers. This will include working with Salesforce.com customers to build relationships, learn about their businesses, and drive value based on customers' self-defined goals. He will be responsible for driving customer adoption and success by providing governance advice, usage/adoption recommendations, risk identification and mitigation. Mr. Roulier has over 20 years of management consulting and enterprise software experience, and has a B.A. and M.B.A. from the University at Albany, State University of New York.
Ritu Thakuria moved to India two years back and it has been a tumultuous experience. Rita is currently living in a small town, Baroda in Gujarat. Very art friendly and industrially progressive. One can easily experience the mobile expat population. Small convenience shops carry almost all the western brands. One hurdle – it is a state that has alcohol prohibition hence no bars, no good restaurants, no drinking! No fun with friends, colleagues or just a fun night to enjoy. America taught Rita to learn and grow and most importantly that exploring oneself is the most enriching experience.
Lauren Vogt founded L&L Immigration Law, PLLC in Alexandria, VA with a former classmate from William & Mary Law School. Lauren has helped neglected children, individuals whose parents brought them to the U.S. at a young age, and victims of domestic violence to obtain immigration benefits. The law firm specializes in immigration court removal proceedings, family-based visas, and visas obtained through employment.
