Twelve Enter Partner Development Program

July 20, 2011

CHICAGO, IL –  Accounting and advisory firm Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP (Baker Tilly) has named thirteen new Partners. Also announced is the addition of twelve entering their Partner Development Program.

Thirteen New Partners
Angela Achenbach specializes in serving the construction and real estate industries. She is a member of the Wisconsin and American Institutes of Certified Public Accountants, the Associated General Contractors of Greater Milwaukee, the Construction Financial Management Association, and the Affordable Housing Association of CPAs. Angie earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin—Whitewater. She is a member of the firm’s Construction/Real Estate team and resides in Milwaukee.

Todd Bernhardt is a member of the firm’s Retail Services team and specializes in auditing and financial reporting for mid-market companies. Todd is a member of the American and Wisconsin Institutes of Certified Public Accountants, the Wisconsin Grocers Association, the National Association of Convenience stores, the Wisconsin Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association and the Rosenberry Society of the United Way. He holds an IFRS certification and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin—Whitewater where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting. Todd resides in the firm’s Madison office.

Frank Nardi resides in the firm’s Chicago office and is a member of the Construction/Real Estate industry team. He received a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from St. John’s University, and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from S.U.N.Y. College at Old Westbury. Frank’s professional memberships include the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Illinois CPA Society, the International Council of Shopping Centers, and the Affordable Housing Association of Certified Public Accountants.

Joshua Meinen specializes in serving manufacturers and distributors, including expertise with life science/emerging technology companies. He is a member of the American and Wisconsin Institutes of Certified Public Accountants, Financial Executives International, the Wisconsin Innovation Network, and BioForward. Josh earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from the University of Wisconsin–LaCrosse. He is a member of the firm’s Manufacturing and Distribution team and is located in the Madison office.

Peter Pearce is a member of the firm’s consulting practice and specializes in enterprise business system implementations. Peter focuses his work in the manufacturing industry with specific emphasis on the automotive, commercial, and defense sectors. Currently, Peter is a leader in the Plex Online Software-as-a-Service practice. Peter earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Computer Information Systems from Western Michigan University. He is located in the Detroit Office.

Brian Quandt specializes in strategic tax planning and transaction services, client relationship management, and business/tax consulting. He works closely with clients in the manufacturing, professional services, and hospitality industries. Brian holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and a Masters of Accountancy in Tax from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a member of the American and Wisconsin Institutes of Certified Public Accountants.

David Johnson is a member of the Firm’s Assurance Operations team where he assists Firm leadership in creating and administering effective quality assurance practices. Prior to joining the Firm’s Assurance Operations team, David served privately-held businesses in the manufacturing and distribution industries. David graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Marketing. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and resides in the Madison Office.

Jason Page provides attest services to privately-held manufacturing and commercial clients as well as SEC reporting entities. In addition, Jason has specific experience related to International Financial Reporting Standards. His professional memberships include the American and Wisconsin Institutes of Certified Public Accountants. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting.

James Smolinski, a member of the firm’s Assurance Operations team, assists firm leadership in creating and administering effective quality assurance practices. He is a member of the Wisconsin and American Institutes of Certified Public Accountants. Jim graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting. Jim resides in the Madison Office.

Sean Sant has significant experience in tax compliance and consulting with a concentration in serving privately-held companies and their business owners. Sean’s professional memberships include the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants. Sean is a distinguished graduate of the University of Michigan-Dearborn with degrees in Professional Accounting, Information Systems and Managerial Economics. He attended Walsh College where he earned a Master of Science in Taxation. Sean is a member of the firm’s Construction Real Estate Team in the Detroit office.

Kevin Schalk has been serving financial institutions since 2000 with significant emphasis on mortgage banking. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Business Administration from Carroll College. Kevin is a member of the American and Wisconsin Institutes of Certified Public Accountants and the Financial Managers Society – Wisconsin Chapter. Kevin resides in the Milwaukee office.

Kurt Schroeder leads the Growth Strategies consulting practice within consulting. With over 25 years of experience, he has a diverse industry background including agricultural, manufacturing, financial services, medical device, insurance and consumer packaged goods. Known for his outstanding organizational and consulting skills, Kurt has a thorough knowledge of market research, planning, segmentation, demand generation, opportunity management, and account management processes. Kurt holds a Six Sigma Black Belt and is a graduate of Concordia University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Computer Science.

Christopher VanStraten specializes in providing comprehensive services to the health care industry with an emphasis on dental and physician practices, and is the Wisconsin Firm Leader for Baker Tilly’s health care practice. Chris also provides comprehensive financial and tax services to commercial services clients focused on professional services and retail industries. Chris’ professional memberships include the Wisconsin and American Institutes of Certified Public Accountants, the Academy of Dental CPAs, the Medical Group Management Association, and the National CPA Health Care Advisors Association. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. Chris is located in the Appleton Office.

Twelve enter Partner Development Program
Christina Berger, JD, is located in the Milwaukee office and specializes in assisting clients with strategic tax services. Her primary practice areas include multi-state corporate income and franchise taxation, sales and use taxation, research tax credit studies, and federal audit defense. She has specific expertise in the area of international credit and incentive opportunities, and also participates in federal and state dispute resolution services including audit defense, appeal representation, ruling requests, and tax delinquency settlements. Christina is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and the American Bar Association. She is a Cum Laude graduate of Babson College where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She earned a Juris Doctor from Marquette University Law School, and holds a Masters Certificate in State and Local Taxation from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Cindy Bratel specializes in project management for clients in the manufacturing and distribution industries as a member of the firm’s Consulting Practice. Her expertise provides clients with a comprehensive approach to selecting and implementing ERP systems, establishing operational efficiencies, planning and implementing customized process improvement techniques, and applying strategic sourcing solutions. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Computer Systems and a Masters in Business Administration in Management. Cindy resides in the firm’s Milwaukee Office. She is a member of the Association for Operations Management, the Institute for Supply Management, and Professional Dimensions, a Milwaukee area women’s networking group.

Jodi Dobson, CPA, is a member of the firm’s Energy and Utilities team in the Madison Office where she specializes in serving municipal utilities, joint action agencies, and transit organizations. Her areas of expertise include performing financial audits, agreed-upon procedure reviews, and fraud investigations as well as preparing rate studies, cost of service studies, rate designs, and financial forecasts. Her work with governmental units includes interpreting and implementing Governmental Accounting Standards. Jodi is an active member of a number of industry and professional associations including Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Waterworks Association, Wisconsin Rural Water Association, and the American and Wisconsin Iinstitutes of Certified Public Accountants. Jodi is a published author of articles on utility regulation and accounting issues, and she served as a contributing author to the APPA Advance Accounting Manual. She is often called upon to speak on internal controls, fraud prevention, budgeting and other industry topics at both the local and national level. Jodi is a graduate of Carthage College where she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and International Business.
Sue Hong, CFA, MBA, is part of the firm’s Energy and Utilities team in the Milwaukee Office. Sue specializes in providing business process and performance management reviews and financial analyses for utilities. She has management consulting experience in the areas of compliance, financial and cost analysis, restructuring, and change management. Sue holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. She is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Seoul National University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, and also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance, Economics, and Econometrics from the University of Chicago.

Christopher Jeffrey, CPA, is a member of the firm’s Risk Advisory Services group, Chris specializes in business risk management, internal audit and compliance. He has specific expertise in complex global organizations, and serves clients in a number of industries including manufacturing, distribution, consumer packaged goods, real estate, not-for-profit, and higher education. His areas of focus include assessing enterprise-wide risks and compliance risks, establishment of internal audit functions, internal audit plans and internal control plans. He has significant experience managing large, complex engagements including international internal audit. Chris earned a Bachelor of Accounting from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He is a published author of articles related to internal audit, internal controls, and compliance, and is often a requested speaker at conferences related to these topics. His memberships include the Institute of Internal Auditors, the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is located in the Minneapolis Office.

Andrew Katz is located in the DC Office where he provides tax, accounting, and business advisory services to real estate developers and institutional real estate owners. He has extensive experience advising private equity real estate investment funds. His work with real estate developers includes tax planning related to federal and state tax incentives, conversion of real estate appreciation from ordinary income to capital gains, and troubled debt structuring. Andrew is a frequent lecturer on partnership tax planning matters. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, and earned a Master of Science in Taxation from the Kogod School of Business at American University. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants, and the District of Columbia Building Industry Association.

Peter McElwain, CPA, is a member of the DC Tax and Assurance Group specializing in serving the financial statement assurance and business advisory needs of clients across a broad range of industries including manufacturing, financial services, private equity, real estate, and hospitality. He has extensive experience serving US Securities and Exchange Commission, multi-national and multi-location clients, as well as in matters pertaining to internal controls, corporate governance, SOX, GAAS, US GAAP, and IRFS. He provides considerable international and US technical accounting guidance to senior client personnel, including advising companies on mergers and acquisitions, international operations, consolidations, impairment, income tax, leasing, and fair value accounting. Peter is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce and holds a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and a Masters of Science in Accounting.

Michael Patti, CPA, work as a member of the firm’s Consulting Practice is focused on the consumer products, utilities, manufacturing, and public sector industries. He has specific experience analyzing, designing and implementing financial systems and business intelligence systems for clients. Mike is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He is a member of the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants and is located in the Chicago Office.

Susheel Saini, CPA, specializes in the manufacturing and distribution and financial institutions industries. He services clients that are privately held and publicly traded. His experience includes year-end financial statement audits and internal control audits for multi-billion dollar organizations. His work with clients includes managing complex audit engagements, assisting with the selection, implementation, and training of accounting software, evaluating and strengthening internal control structure and systems, and merger/acquisition due diligence work. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants. Susheel graduated from the University of Michigan-Dearborn with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting. He resides in the Detroit Office.

Mark Strong is a member of the firm’s International Tax Practice in the DC Office and is an Enrolled Agent and a UK Chartered Tax Advisor. He focuses on international tax issues including inbound and outbound corporations and partnerships along with expatriates and inpatriates. His blend of US and foreign tax expertise brings a unique tax perspective to his work with clients. Mark has extensive experience working with multi-country businesses, and advises companies on business set-up and structuring in the US. He is a member of the British American Business Association and the Northern Virginia Society of Enrolled Agents. Mark earned a Master of Arts in Ancient History and German from the University of St. Andrews and University of Bonn. He is currently enrolled at American University where he is completing his Masters of Tax.

Christopher Tait uses his knowledge and expertise to help clients leverage technology to solve critical business issues, manage risk, and improve business performance. He is located in the Milwaukee Office, and as a member of the Consulting Practice, his work with clients includes technology risk consulting, business intelligence, and IT operations and management. He is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors and the Information Systems Audit and Control Association. Chris is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and a Certified Financial Services Auditor (CFSA). A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration.

Todd Wilkerson leads the Customer Management Group for the firm’s Consulting Practice. His experience includes working with small, medium, and large companies to provide strategic assessment of IT solution portfolios. Todd’s area of focus is the development of Cloud Computing opportunity assessments with specific experience in the CRM/PRM space including Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions vs. traditional on-premise solutions. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and is currently located in the Chicago Office.

About Baker Tilly
With staff totaling more than 1,350, Baker Tilly provides a wide range of accounting, tax, assurance, and consulting services. Ranked as the 16th largest* firm in the country, Baker Tilly serves clients from offices in Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, New York, Washington D.C., and throughout Wisconsin.
The company is the exclusive Baker Tilly-branded firm in the US, which reflects its commitment to meet the ever-changing global needs of its clients.

Baker Tilly International is the world's 8th largest worldwide network made up of 150 high quality, independent accounting and business advisory firms in 120 countries, with more than 25,000 professionals. The combined worldwide revenue of independent member firms exceeds $3 billion.

*According to the 2011 Accounting Today “Top 100 Firms."

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