Paul McGuinness, CPA

Mr. McGuinness is a senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP.  He has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from SUNY Old Westbury.  He has prior governmental audit experience with Sheehan and Company.  He has ten years auditing experience with R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP.  Mr. McGuinness is the Chairperson of the firms Internal Claims Audit Committee.  Mr. McGuinness specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits.

Daniel Ruckdeschel, CPA

Mr. Ruckdeschel is a senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP.  He has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Loyola College in Maryland.  He joined R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP with prior external audit experience with not-for-profit organizations.  Mr. Ruckdeschel is the Chairperson of the firms Accounting and Auditing Standards Committee.  He is also a member of the NYSSCPA. Mr. Ruckdeschel specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits.

 

Kristen Feldman, CPA

Ms. Feldman is a senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP.  She has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Dowling College and graduated Summa Cum Laude.  Ms. Feldman has five years of audit experience with R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP.  In addition to providing external audits to school districts, Ms. Feldman also provides internal auditing services to school districts.  Ms. Feldman is a member of the AICPA and the NYSSCPA.  Ms. Feldman specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits.

 

William Cotes, CPA

Mr. Cotes is a senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP.  He has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Dowling College. Prior to joining R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP, Mr. Cotes had over seven years of public accounting experience with not-for-profit audits and tax planning for businesses.  Mr. Cotes is the Chairperson of the firms Reviews, Compilations, and Small Client Engagements Committee.  Mr. Cotes is a member of the AICPA and the NYSSCPA.  Mr. Cotes specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits.

 

Emily J. McDonald, CPA

Ms. McDonald is a senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP. She has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Dowling College. She has extensive experience in the areas of not-for-profit auditing, personal and corporate management, as well as tax preparation. Ms. McDonald is the Chairperson of the firms State and Local Governments Committee.  Ms. McDonald is a member of the AICPA and the NYSSCPA.  Ms. McDonald specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits.

 

Mario Mejia, CPA

Mr. Mejia is a senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP.  He has a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Accounting from Hofstra University.  He joined R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP with over three years experience in not-for-profit, commercial and governmental external and internal audits including work experience from Coughlin, Foundotos, Cullen and Danowski, LLP.  Mr. Mejia has also acted as Controller for many prestigious not-for-profit organizations.  Mr. Mejia is the Chairperson of the firms School District Auditing Committee.  Mr. Mejia is a member of the NYSSCPA.  Mr. Mejia specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits.

 

Katherine Klein, CPA

Ms. Klein is a senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP.  She has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from C.W. Post and graduated Summa Cum Laude.  She was the recipient of the School of Professional Accountancy College of Management’s Faculty Award for Excellence in Accounting as well as the Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP Award in Accounting.  Ms. Klein has recently earned her Masters in Taxation from C.W. Post.  Ms. Klein is a member of the AICPA and the NYSSCPA.  Ms. Klein specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits.

 

David L. Grant, BA

Mr. Grant is a senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP.  He has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Baruch College the City University of New York.  He previously worked for Marcum & Kliegman LLP where he was assigned to various audits. He has three years of audit experience with R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP.  In addition to auditing school districts, Mr. Grant also provides internal auditing services as well as claims auditing services. He is currently pursuing his Certified Public Accountant license.  Mr. Grant specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits.

 

Lisa Thomas-Hart, BBA

Ms. Hart is a senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP.  She has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Hofstra University.  She has four years of audit experience in the areas of large clients in real estate, labor unions, employee benefit plans and corporations of a large, medium and small nature.  Ms. Hart has three years of audit experience with school districts.  Ms. Hart also has tax experience with individual, corporate and partnership tax preparation, payroll tax return preparation, all facets of maintaining a company’s books, financial statement preparation and a strong financial and procedural background in the banking sector.  She is currently pursuing her Certified Public Accountant license.  Ms. Hart is a member of the AICPA and the NYSSCPA.  Ms. Hart specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits.

 

Denise Gillis, BBA, MBA

Ms. Gillis is a senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Management from University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a Master of Business Administration in Accounting from Hofstra University. Prior to joining R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP, she had three years audit experience from KPMG, LLP. She specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits. Ms. Gillis is currently pursuing her Certified Public Accountant license.

 

Stephen M. Cerruto, BBA

Mr. Cerruto is a senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP. He has a Bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting from Dowling College and is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society, as well as the AICPA.  Mr. Cerruto specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits.

 

Lauren Mudd, B.S.

Ms. Mudd is a senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Binghamton University with a double major in Philosophy, and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Dowling College where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. Ms. Mudd joined R. S. Abrams & Co., LLP with eight years of experience in software development from Computer Associates International, Inc. During her time at Computer Associates she worked extensively with ARCserve backup and restore solutions, and assisted with the implementation of the Company's disaster recovery strategy. Ms. Mudd is currently pursuing her Certified Public Accountant license. Ms. Mudd is the chairperson of the firms Informational Technology Committee and is responsible for evaluating the computer controls at our school districts as well as utilizing data-mining techniques in our auditing procedures. Ms. Mudd is a member of the NYSSCPA.  Ms. Mudd specializes in school districts, not-for-profit and state and local government audits.

 

Bernadette Jean, BBA

Ms. Jean is a senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Briarcliffe College and a Bachelor of Art in Psychology/Human Services from Mount Saint Mary College. Prior to joining R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP, she had two years audit experience from KPMG, LLP where she worked in the Not-for-Profit and Healthcare Practice.  Currently, she specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits. Ms. Jean is currently pursuing her Certified Public Accountant license.

 

Peter V. Azzara, BBA

Mr. Azzara is a senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Hofstra University. Prior to joining R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP, Peter had two years experience with Marcum & Kliegman LLP, servicing clients in various industries including healthcare, insurance and financial as well as SAS 70 audits. Prior to Marcum & Kliegman LLP, Peter had three years experience with Schultheis & Panettieri LLP, specializing in audits of Unions and Employee Benefit Plans. Mr. Azzara is currently pursuing his Certified Public Accountant license.

 

Bradley Russo, BBA

 MBA Mr. Russo is a senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Hofstra University and a Master of Business Administration in Finance also from Hofstra University. Mr. Russo has several years experience in corporation, benefit plan and commercial audits and is also skilled in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits. He is currently pursuing his Certified Public Accountant license.  

 

Kristen Hahn, BBA

Ms. Hahn is a senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Hofstra University.  Prior to joining R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP, she had three years audit experience from Marcum, LLP.  Currently, she specializes in school district and state and local government audits. Ms. Hahn is currently pursuing her Certified Public Accountant license.

 

Jeremy Woods, BS

Mr. Woods is a semi-senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP.  He has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Briarcliffe College and graduated Cum Laude.  Mr. Woods is currently pursuing his Certified Public Accountant license.  Mr. Woods specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits.

 

Sonja A. Messina, BS

Ms. Messina is a semi-senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP. She has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from C.W. Post. She is currently pursuing her Certified Public Accountant license. Ms. Messina is a member of the NYSSCPA.  Ms. Messina specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits.

 

Robert Shadler, BBA

Mr. Shadler is a semi-senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Accounting from Dowling College. His previous work experience included auditing school districts with the firm Coughlin, Foundotos, Cullen & Danowski, LLP. Mr. Shadler is currently pursuing his Certified Public Accountant license. Mr. Shadler currently specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits.

 

James Pugliese, B.S.

Mr. Pugliese is a semi-senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co. LLP. He has Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Queens College of the City University of New York. He previously worked for a period of three years for the Wyandanch Union Free School District as their Internal Auditor. Prior to that he was a Senior Auditor with the New York State Comptroller’s Office from which he retired after working more than 26 years. He was part of the Comptroller’s audit team that was involved in the audit of the Roslyn School District.  Mr. Pugliese currently specializes in internal audits for school districts.

 

Anthony Sartor. B.S

Mr. Sartor is a semi-senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP. He has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Racanelli School of Business at Dowling College. He is a member of the AICPA and the NYSSCPA. Mr. Sartor specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits.  Mr. Sartor is currently pursuing his Certified Public Accountant license. 

 

Chelsea Jacobus, B.S.

Ms. Jacobus is a semi-senior auditor at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP.  She has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from SUNY Old Westbury.  She is currently pursuing her Certified Public Accountant license.  Ms. Jacobus is part of the firm’s Tax Committee and specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits.