People & firms on the move: KPMG names Houston office managing principal

August 21, 2020 9:26 AM

SobelCo appoints first COO; Plante Moran adds 25 partners; and more CPA news.

ALABAMA

Warren Averett, Birmingham, was recognized by Construction Executive in the Top 50 Construction Accounting Firms list, ranked No. 21.

CONNECTICUT

Robert Scott was reappointed chair and Alan Skelton as vice chair of the Governmental Accounting Standards Advisory Council by the board of trustees of the Financial Accounting Foundation, Norwalk.

MICHIGAN

Plante Moran, Southfield, added 25 new partners: Bryan Hughes in the Southfield East office; Ted Morgan in Southfield West; Lindy Beldyga and Dave Pesci in Flint; GianFranco DelBene and Emily Murphy in Ann Arbor; Jamie Essenmacher and Michael Scheetz in East Lansing; Jean Hackstock in Macomb; David Kristick and Jacqueline Venier in Detroit; Jodi Rothenthaler in Grand Rapids; Laurice Saba in Auburn Hills; Alicia Sturtevant and Christopher Walski in Traverse City; Bryan Howe and Elizabeth Maldin in downtown Denver; Kevin DeAutremont in Denver Tech Center; Mike Abramo in Columbus, Ohio; Aki Mitsunaga and Chris Vojack in Schaumburg, Illinois; Scott Phillips in Cleveland; Mike Riffel and Michelle St. Ours in Chicago; and Ashley Schade in Toledo, Ohio.

MISSOURI

Garret Layman

BKD, Springfield, was one of four companies honored with Quantum Workplace’s annual Employee Voice Award, recognized in the Change Navigator category for making significant improvements to its performance management programs.

NEW JERSEY

Andrew Kucinski

DOMINIC COSTANZO

Carolyn D’Anna was hired as the first chief operating officer at SobelCo, Livingston.

Andrew Kucinski (pictured), principal at Nisivoccia, Mt. Arlington, earned the Certified Fraud Examiner credential.

NEW YORK

Amy Joyce

Amy Joyce (pictured) was hired as a partner in the high net worth individual tax practice and Ada Clapp was hired as a senior principal, at Berdon, New York.

KPMG, New York, introduced enhancements to its caregiver benefits and new resources, including increased backup care uses; expanded access to discounted tutoring, academic support and homework assistance; an expanded network of child care centers; and an innovative collective and customizable learning experience for school-age children.

Deloitte, New York, released a mid-cycle global cost and enterprise transformation survey, “Save-to-Thrive: Enterprise transformation and performance improvement strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic,” which found businesses are currently shifting their cost management strategies to invest in key capabilities and technologies to navigate and win in a post-COVID-19 environment.

OHIO

The Ohio Society of CPAs, Columbus, released a research study surveying more than 900 CPAs from 18 states about the impacts COVID-19 has had on the business community and other sectors.

PENNSYLVANIA

Lauren Fenner

Lauren Fenner, manager at Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz, Camp Hill, will be honored by the 2020 Women of Impact: Celebrating Women in STEM Awards Program in the Woman to Watch category by the Whitaker Center, recognizing women younger than 40 who have achieved significant accomplishments and success in science, technology, engineering and math.

RHODE ISLAND

Melissa Travis, Rhode Island Society of CPAs/RI Business Forum president, was recognized as one of PBN’s 25 Leaders & Achievers in 2020, recognized for their notable success and strong leadership.

SOUTH SUDAN

Ajo & Co. Advocates, Juba, entered a collaboration agreement with Andersen Global to become a member firm of the international association.

TEXAS

Julie Luecht

Julie Luecht (pictured) was named office managing principal of the Houston office at KPMG, succeeding Tandra Jackson, who is transitioning into the role of vice chair of growth and strategy.

Matt Martina was hired as managing director of international tax services and Todd Sutherland as director of the research and development tax credit practice at UHY, Houston.

Miranda Broussard, human resource compliance associate, and Joni Lui, talent acquisition associate at Whitley Penn, Fort Worth, have acquired the Employing Abilities @ Work and Veteran’s at Work certifications through the SHRM Foundation.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Marc Berger, director of the New York regional office, was named deputy director of the division of enforcement at the Securities and Exchange Commission and Diana Stoltzfus was appointed deputy chief accountant (professional practice group) in the agency's Office of the Chief Accountant. Additionally, Caroline Crenshaw and Hester Peirce were sworn into office as SEC commissioners.