2017 Year-end promotions, new hires, new designations, and more!
STAFF PROMOTIONS
J
ustin McGraw was recently promoted to Manager. He joined CDS in 2014 as a Staff Accountant. Prior to CDS, he worked in auditing for over two years. He graduated from University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND with a Bachelor of Accountancy degree. Justin received his CPA certification from the Minnesota State Board of Accountancy in 2014. In 2015, Justin was promoted to Senior Accountant. His focus areas are governmental, non-profit, and retirement plan auditing. Justin is a member of the AICPA, the MNCPA, and the Litchfield VFW Post 2818. He is on the Board of Directors for the Litchfield Chamber of Commerce.
Carolyn Halverson was recently promoted to Senior Accountant. She joined CDS in 2015 as a Staff Accountant. Carolyn was a tax season intern for CDS in 2015. She graduated from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, MN with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. In 2017, she received her QuickBooks ProAdvisor certification. Her focus areas are tax preparation, sales and use tax, and bookkeeping. Carolyn is a member of Minnesota Association of Public Accountants (MAPA) and of the Willmar Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce’s neXt organization.
NEW HIRES
Andrea Glesne joined as an Administrative Assistant/Receptionist in our Willmar office. Prior to CDS, she worked in client service for over six years. Andrea graduated from Ridgewater College in Willmar, MN with an Associate of Arts degree.
Sierra Stephens joined CDS as a Payroll Specialist in our Willmar office. Prior to CDS, she worked in client service for over eleven years. Sierra will be graduating in December 2017 from Minnesota State Community and Technical College in Detroit Lakes, MN with a Payroll Specialist Diploma. Her focus area is payroll. Sierra is a member of the Willmar Jaycees.
NEW DESIGNATIONS
Kelly O’Farrell, CPA, CVA, has successfully completed the certification process with the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts™ (NACVA®) to earn the Certified Valuation Analyst® (CVA®) credential. The CVA credential is granted only to qualified individuals with considerable professional experience in the field of business valuation.
Kelly joined Conway, Deuth & Schmiesing, PLLP (CDS) as a Manager in 2015. Prior to CDS, she worked in public accounting for fourteen years and commercial lending for three years. She graduated from Mount Marty College in Watertown, SD with a Bachelor of Science with a major in accounting. Kelly received her CPA certification from the South Dakota Board of Accountancy in 2002. Her focus areas are accounting and auditing for for-profit and non-profit entities as well as retirement plans, business consulting, business valuations, and tax planning and preparation. Industries she specializes in include: manufacturing, construction and petroleum. Kelly is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants (MNCPA), and the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA).
Brenda Parsley recently earned her Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation from the Minnesota State Board of Accountancy. She joined CDS in 2016 as a Staff Accountant. She was a summer intern at CDS in 2015. Brenda graduated from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minnesota with Bachelor of Science degrees in Accounting and Finance, with a Corporate Finance Concentration. Her focus area is governmental auditing. Brenda is a member of the Willmar Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce’s next organization.
Mitchell Erickson recently earned his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation from the Minnesota State Board of Accountancy. He joined CDS in 2016 as a Staff Accountant, after completing his tax season internship for CDS in 2016. Mitchell graduated from North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. His focus areas are tax preparation and bookkeeping. Mitchell is a member of the Willmar Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce’s neXt organization.
Brady Koehl recently earned his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation from the Minnesota State Board of Accountancy. He joined CDS as a Staff Accountant in 2016, after completing his tax season internship with CDS in 2016. Brady graduated from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, MN with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, with minors in Agribusiness Management and Economics. His focus areas are tax preparation, bookkeeping, and agribusiness. Brady is participating in the 2017-2018 Leadership Stevens County Program.
Sarah Nelson recently received her Online and Desktop QuickBooks ProAdvisor certifications. She joined CDS in 2017 as a Staff Accountant. She graduated from Bemidji State University in Bemidji, MN with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and a minor in Fraud Examination, with an emphasis in Accounting Information Systems. Sarah received her Online and Desktop QuickBooks ProAdvisor certifications in 2017. Her focus areas are tax preparation and QuickBooks.
Carolyn Halverson recently received her QuickBooks ProAdvisor certification. She joined CDS in 2015 as a Staff Accountant. Carolyn was a tax season intern for CDS in 2015. She graduated from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, MN with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. In 2017, she was promoted to Senior Accountant. Her focus areas are tax preparation, sales and use tax, and bookkeeping. Carolyn is a member of Minnesota Association of Public Accountants (MAPA) and of the Willmar Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce’s neXt organization.
AWARDED 2017 COMMUNITY BUILDER AWARD
The Willmar Area Community Foundation awarded CDS with the 2017 Community Builder Award for our community-minded dedication to giving back to the communities where we do business.
Maintaining a spirit of service and giving back to the community is a key component of our workplace culture and a cornerstone of our continued growth. In 2016 alone, the partners and staff gave more than 3,400 hours of their time in service to our communities. More than 100 organizations benefited. Some of the organizations impacted include: the Willmar Area Community Foundation, KCEO, United Way of West Central Minnesota and its Empower program, The Salvation Army, Safe Avenues, several community events and numerous other organizations.
Managing Partner, Brett Aamot, says, “Volunteerism and giving back to the community is a core value at CDS. It is humbling for CDS to be recognized. The credit goes to our staff for their extra efforts and engagement they have around our communities. The extent to which our staff gets involved is amazing.”
