LEGAL & FINANCE
LARGE ACCOUNTING FIRMS, RANKED BY NUMBER OF CPAS
Top 10 DELOITTE 2901 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, 85012 // 602-234-5100 // deloitte.com NO. OF LOCATIONS 1 NO. OF CPAS 117 AZ EMPLOYEES 360 PRINCIPAL Jonas McCormick, managing principal HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN Sheryl Hildebrand, enterprise risk services practice and marketplace practice leader EY 2 N. Central Ave., Suite 2300, Phoenix, 85004 // 602-322-3000 // ey.com NO. OF LOCATIONS 1 NO. OF CPAS 107 AZ EMPLOYEES 275 PRINCIPAL Ron Butler, Arizona managing partner HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN Debbi Fitzgerald, partner CLIFTONLARSONALLEN, LLP 20 E. Thomas Road, Suite 2300, Phoenix, 85012 // 602-266-2248 // claconnect.com NO. OF LOCATIONS 3 NO. OF CPAS 75 AZ EMPLOYEES 171 PRINCIPAL Chad Kunze, managing principal of office, Phoenix; Jay Buck, managing principal of office, Tucson HIGHESTRANKING WOMAN Anita Baker, managing principal of industry, employee benefits
LETTING OTHERS GROW
ZANDRA O’KEEFE MANAGING DIRECTOR BY GEORGANN YARA
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With more than two decades experience in the industry, CBIZ tax department Managing Director Zandra O’Keefe admits she didn’t take the most direct road to her professional calling. “I went at it the hard way,” O’Keefe says, laughing. By the time she graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Arizona State University, O’Keefe had been working full time for CBIZ Inc., which she joined in 1992. Prior to this, a series of education and career moves included community college biology classes and jobs in a variety of fields. But shying away from hard work has never been in the Phoenix native’s blood. Her father, a rancher who hails from a family of ranchers, helped instill a solid work ethic. And for her college-educated dad, whose first language was Spanish, earning a degree was non-negotiable. O’Keefe’s professional ascent prepped her to face challenges ranging from grueling seven-day work weeks during tax season to the occasional sexism she faced in the male-dominated finance field. She talks about men even shaking her hand differently. “Once, there was a lawyer,” O’Keefe says. “He had this limp handshake, as if to say, ‘Here’s this little girl. We’re not going to take her seriously.’” The patience O’Keefe tapped into while pursing her career came in handy. She quickly learned that sometimes it’s best when clients think
every decision is their idea. “You really have to demonstrate your knowledge out of the gate pretty fast,” she says. “You have to get your point across but say, ‘You might want to consider this.…’ Or ‘If you go this route, this could happen….’ We try not to tell people what do to.” However, these encounters have become less frequent. And O’Keefe credits CBIZ with advocating for women in business with initiatives and programming geared toward networking and mentoring. This includes the CBIZ Women’s Advantage task force, on which O’Keefe serves. “We need to have diversity in these board rooms,” O’Keefe says. “It’s the only thing that keeps us moving forward.” O’Keefe has been married to her husband Glenn for 30 years. Their daughter Sarah is an attorney. In addition to mentoring other women, O’Keefe donates time to charitable efforts including Southwest Human Development. She is also a believer of teamwork and asking for help. These components, she says, have been vital to her success—and, she hopes, to that of others. “It’s about learning how to rely on my team to get things done,” O’Keefe says. “Without a team, you’re really not going to be able to do bigger things. Sometimes women have a hard time letting go. But if you just let go and let someone else grow, they can lift everybody else.”
HENRY & HORNE, LLP 2055 E. Warner Road, Suite 101, Tempe, 85284 // 480-839-4900 // hhcpa. com NO. OF LOCATIONS 3 NO. OF CPAS 67 AZ EMPLOYEES 143 PRINCIPALS Chuck Goodmiller, co-managing partner; Chuck Inderieden, co-managing partner HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN Christine Brueser, partner, director of audit and accounting RSM US LLP 501 N. 44th St., Suite 300, Phoenix, 85008 // 602-636-6000 // rsmus.com NO. OF LOCATIONS 1 NO. OF CPAS 61 AZ EMPLOYEES 142 PRINCIPAL Terry Schwartz, office managing partner HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN Carrie Pavano, assurance leader KPMG LLP 60 E. Rio Salado Parkway, Suite 800, Tempe, 85281 // 480-459-3500 // kpmg.com/us NO. OF LOCATIONS 2 NO. OF CPAS 60 AZ EMPLOYEES 200 PRINCIPAL AND HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN Lisa Daniels, office managing partner PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS 1850 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, 85004 // 602-364-8000 // pwc.com NO. OF LOCATIONS 1 NO. OF CPAS 55 AZ EMPLOYEES 185 PRINCIPAL Richard Kalenka, Phoenix managing partner HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN Monique Connor, partner EIDE BAILLY LLP 1850 N. Central Ave., Suite 400, Phoenix, 85004 // 480-264-5844 // eidebailly. com NO. OF LOCATIONS 1 NO. OF CPAS 40 AZ EMPLOYEES 70 PRINCIPAL Andrew Spillum, chief practice officer HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN LeAnn Rudolph, audit partner CBIZ MHM, LLC 3101 N. Central Ave., Suite 300, Phoenix, 85012 // 602-264-6835 // www.cbiz.com NO. OF LOCATIONS 1 NO. OF CPAS 35 AZ EMPLOYEES 93 PRINCIPAL Carlos Wagner, executive managing director; Chuck McLane, lead managing director - operations HIGHEST-RANKING WOMAN Zandra O’Keefe, managing director MOSS ADAMS LLP 8800 E. Raintree Drive, Suite 210, Scottsdale, 85260 // 480-444-3424 // mossadams.com NO. OF LOCATIONS 1 NO. OF CPAS 34 AZ EMPLOYEES 42 PRINCIPAL Mark Weber, partner-in-charge HIGHEST-RANKING WOMEN Lupita Martinez, senior manager; Laura Ward, senior manager
WHO’S WHO IN BUSINESS // 2016
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