Providing Strategic Guidance to the Accounting Area
Accounting Advisory Council members represent a variety of accounting firms, corporations, and government entities.
To increase the community's participation in the development of future accounting professionals, the accounting area in the School of Business at George Mason University maintains a strong tradition of building partnerships through the Accounting Advisory Council. The council's mission is to advise and assist the accounting area so graduates are prepared to be successful contributors to an increasingly global accounting profession, and to ensure the School's undergraduate and masters programs to the needs of the accounting profession.
Council Chair
Assurance Partner, Ernst & Young LLP
Michelle Montes is the East RHC Assurance Leader at EY with over 27 years of experience in public accounting and as an Assurance partner, also serves a variety of industries, currently focusing on real estate, hospitality, private equity and consumer products.
Past Council Chair
Principal, CliftonLarsonAllen LLP
Chair, Accounting Advisory CouncilA.J. is a principal with CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP and joined in 2007.
Council Members
Partner, Grossberg Company LLP
Samim Ardeishar is a partner with more than 27 years of experience providing audit, accounting, tax and business consulting services to clients of various sizes across a broad range of industries including real estate, not for profit, and professional services.Tax Managing Director, Deloitte Tax LLP
Nazanin Azarian is a managing director in the Global Employer Services (GES) group at Deloitte in McLean, Virginia. Ms. Azarian is responsible for managing many clients with expatriate and inpatriate assignees.Executive Director, Greater Washington Society of CPAs
Karie Beddell is the executive director at the Greater Washington Society of CPAs.Partner, Audit Services, Grant Thornton, LLP
Andrew Clements is a Partner in Grant Thornton’s Mid-Atlantic audit practice.Partner, BDO USA LLP
Matthew Cromwell is a partner with BDO’s Assurance Division with extensive experience working with large non-profit organizations, with a specialized focused on international operations, multiple complex revenue streams and large endowment portfolios.Managing Principal, Thompson, Greenspon & Co., PC
Chip Helme is the managing principal of Thompson Greenspon and has been with the firm since 1986.Citrin Cooperman & Company LLP
Jenny Herrera is a partner at Citrin Cooperman & Company LLP's D.C. Metro office.Director, Government Accountability Office
Asif Khan is a Director at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in the Financial Management and Assurance team.Director, Financial Management and Assurance, KPMG
Hakeem Khawaja is a Director of Financial Management and Assurance at KMPG.Tax Manager, Baker Tilly
Shabinaaz Mahdi is a tax manager at Baker Tilly. She has over 8 years of experience providing tax and advisory services primarily to law firms in the professional services industry as well as REITs and other commercial businesses.
School of Business Members
Associate Professor Emeritus of Accounting
Phillip Buchanan joined the George Mason University faculty in 1981 after spending 8 years at Penn State University and 2 years in the New York office of Arthur Andersen & Co. He retired from George Mason in 2013.Area Chair, Accounting
Additional Roles: Associate Professor, AccountingLong Chen is an associate professor and accounting area chair in the School of Business at George Mason University. She conducts empirical archival research on issues concerning financial reporting, auditing, corporate governance, and international accounting.Senior Director of Development
Kendra Greenwaters is the Senior Director of Development at George Mason University's School of Business.Dean, George Mason University School of Business
Additional Roles: Professor, Information Systems and Operations ManagementSchool of Business Dean Ajay Vinzé is a Fulbright Senior Specialist and global citizen, having lived, worked or traveled through more than 70 countries over the past three decades. He is credited with a number of innovations in the eLearning space and has innovated with experiential learning, micro-credentialing, and stackable certificates. Dr. Vinzé maintains an active research agenda, with work ranging from artificial intelligence applications for business problems to emergency preparedness and response.Assistant Dean, Office of Career Services
Pronouns: She/HerKerry Willigan is the Assistant Dean, Career Services in the School of Business at George Mason University.
Firms, Corporations, and Government Entities Represented on the Accounting Advisory Council:
- Andersen
- Aprio LLP
- Baker Tilly
- BDO USA LLP
- Burdette, Smith and Bish LLC
- Citron Cooperman & Company LLP
- CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP
- CohnReznick
- Deloitte Tax LLP
- Forvis
- Ernst & Young LLP
- Grant Thornton, LLP
- Greater Washington Society of CPAs
- Government Accountability Office
- Grossberg Company LLP
- Kearney & Company, PC
- KPMG, LLP
- Miller Consulting Group, LLC
- PBMares
- PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
- RSM US LLP
- Rubino & Company
- Thompson, Greenspon & Co., PC