Stories of Our Community

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 t