Our Team
All key professional staff members are licensed to practice in the State of New York. All staff members have taken the proper amount of continuing education classes primarily in the area of governmental accounting and auditing as required by Government Auditing Standards, the New York State Education Department and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Some of these classes include Governmental Auditing and Accounting updates, the School District Accounting update, and the Single Audit OMB A-133 update. Members of our firm have also been speakers at these seminars. All our professional staff members are reviewed on an annual basis. We have had a very low turnover rate over the years which translates into better service for our clients.The key members of our firm are active members of the following professional societies:
- New York State Society of CPA's (NYSSCPA)
- American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
- New York State, Suffolk County and Nassau County Associations of School Business Officials (ASBO)
- Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA)
- School District Internal Auditing Alliance (SDIAA)
- Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA)
Partners
Robert S. Abrams
Robert Abrams is the firm's managing partner. He is also the tax and senior partner and has met the requirements to do certified audits 40 years ago. Mr. Abrams has an extensive background in directing auditing and accounting services for governmental clients. In addition to his experience in directing audits, he has experience in other areas, such as fund balance projections, annual school district budget reviews, flexible spending plans and audits of rate based Pre-School Handicapped Programs. He is a graduate of Pace University.
Marianne E. Van Duyne, CPA
Ms. Van Duyne is an audit partner at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP. Ms. Van Duyne is a prior chairperson and current member of the NYSSCPA Public School Accounting Committee and NYSSCPA Government Accounting and Auditing Committee. She has recently been nominated to serve on the NYSSCPA Professional Ethics Committee. Participation on these committees keeps us very current on any changes in accounting and auditing standards affecting school districts. She is currently an Advisory Board member of the School District Internal Auditor Alliance (SDIAA). She has served as a Board of Directors trustee for St. Catherines Hospital in Smithtown. Ms. Van Duyne is an annual speaker at the New York State ASBO June Accounting and Auditing Workshops, New York State School Boards Association Annual Conference and the New York State School District Internal Auditors Conference. She was also recently appointed as a member of the Business Association Advisory Committee for New York State ASBO. She has also presented for the Nassau Suffolk School Boards Association, ASBO International School Business Affairs Institute. Her most recent presentations included Implementation of GASB 45, Implementation of SAS 112, Internal auditing in school districts, Internal Controls and Fraud in School Districts and Red Flags in Financial Statements. She is the recipient of the New York State ASBO Joan Colvin Starfish award for her article written in the ASBO Reporter titled "Is your District in Danger of Being a Victim of Fraud?". She has also written an article for NYSSBA On Board titled "Federal Stimulus Money Comes With Strings". Ms. Van Duyne appeared on WLIW "The Learning Curve" as a panelist discussing school district finances. She has also been featured in Newsday's Executive Suite, October 11, 2010 issue (See Exhibit III for Feature Articles). Ms. Van Duyne is a Certified Public Accountant with a Masters in Accounting from Hofstra University. She has earned her School Business Administration Certification from C.W. Post. She is also the recipient of the New York State Association of School Business Officials 2000-01 Distinguished Graduate of School Business Administration Award. She has three years auditing experience with Deloitte & Touche and nineteen years auditing experience with R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP. Ms. Van Duyne is a member of the AICPA and the NYSSCPA. Ms. Van Duyne specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits.
Alexandria Battaglia, CPA
Ms. Battaglia is an audit partner at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP. She has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from C.W. Post. She was the recipient of the School of Professional Accountancy College of Management's Faculty Award for Excellence in Accounting. She was recently named the Executive Woman of the Year for the Accounting Profession by the National Association of Professional Women. She presented for the Nassau Suffolk School Boards Association on internal controls in school districts and for New York State Association of School Business Officials on Basic School District Accounting. Her most recent presentations included Managing Fund Balance and Reserves. Ms. Battaglia is a member of the NYSSCPA Not-for-Profit and Government Accounting Committee and the GFOA Accounting, Auditing and Financial Reporting Committee. She is also a member of the NYSSCPA Public School Accounting Committee and is co-chair for the Public School Accounting Conference Committee. Prior to R.S. Abrams & Co. LLP, Ms. Battaglia worked for Advanced Health Care Resources as a staff accountant for four years. She has thirteen years auditing experience with R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP. Ms. Battaglia is a member of the AICPA and the NYSSCPA. Ms. Battaglia specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits.
Managers
Charles F. Scheid, CPA
Mr. Scheid is an audit manager 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 Management from Dowling College. He also has earned a School Business Administration Certificate from the New York State Education Department. Mr. Scheid has presented for the New York State Association of School Business Officials on Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced School District Accounting. In addition to his six years of service at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP, he has seven years of experience as an internal auditor and seven years of experience in not-for-profit and governmental external audits. Mr. Scheid is also the Chairperson of the firm's Single Audit Committee. Mr. Scheid is a member of the AICPA and the NYSSCPA Not-For-Profit Organizations Committee. Mr. Scheid currently specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits.
Kristen Feldman, CPA
Ms. Feldman is an audit manager 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 six 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. She is also a Board member of the School District Internal Auditor Alliance (SDIAA). Ms. Feldman specializes in school district, not-for-profit and state and local government audits.
Daniel Ruckdeschel, CPA
Mr. Ruckdeschel is an audit manager at R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Loyola College in Maryland. He has four years of audit experience with R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP, in addition to 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.
Katherine Klein, CPA
Ms. Klein is an audit manager 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. She has five years of audit experience with R.S. Abrams & Co., LLP. 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.