Team Leaders
The cornerstone of Penan & Scott, P.C.’s success in providing professional services emanates from our commitment to the entrepreneurial approach to business.
TEAM LEADERS
Daniel Burnett, CPA-CGMA
Senior Manager
Roles & Responsibilities: Specializing in financial statement audits and reviews, my team listens to, and provides for, client needs.
Favorite Food: Seafood and BBQ.
Favorite Hobbies: Family, Sports and Woodworking.
Why did you want to become an accountant? The opportunity presented itself, I took it, and I have never looked back!
John Grant, CPA
Senior Manager
Roles & Responsibilities: My team is responsible for Audit, Reviews, Compilations, and Tax engagements to clients that provide contracts services to government agencies.
Favorite Food: Spicy foods of many varieties.
Favorite Hobbies: Sports, music, movies, and travel.
Why did you want to become an accountant? At a professor’s persistence, I pursued the field and it became my favorite in college. I appreciate the role accountants play in society and finding solutions for clients further enhances my liking for the field.
Kyung Kim, CPA
Senior Manager
Roles & Responsibilities: My team provides mainly tax services to clients. We work with clients to help them understand their tax situation and assist them in resolving any issues with the IRS and/or state revenue agents.
Favorite Food: Spicy food
Favorite Hobbies: Reading and watching Korean drama
Why did you want to become an accountant? In school, I found English difficult since it was my second language and Math was the only subject, I was able to understand.
Chelsea Leatherwood, CPA
Senior Manager
Roles & Responsibilities: My team mainly provides tax services to individuals, businesses, trusts, estates, and not-for-profit organizations. The main tax services we provide are tax return preparation, tax planning and projections, consulting, and working with the IRS and state taxing authorities to help resolve notices, audits, and other issues.
Favorite Food: Tacos
Favorite Hobbies: Spending time with my family, travelling, snowboarding, hiking, horseback riding, and reading.
Why did you want to become an accountant? I love working with numbers. I also like how there is always something new or more to learn in accounting and tax.
Neil Markowitz, CPA
Senior Manager
Roles & Responsibilities: I work closely with clients in a variety of industries- Real Estate, Restaurants, Professional Service Groups, and other closely held businesses. Tax compliance and planning are the largest portion of my work, but I also enjoy consulting on the day-to-day financial decisions that challenge all individuals and businesses.
Favorite Food: I like to cook new things with my family. However, it doesn’t get much better than a lazy Sunday with pancakes and bacon!
Favorite Hobbies: NBA/MLB social media, cashing in frequent flyer miles, listening to too many podcasts, and downtime with the family.
Why did you want to become an accountant? I love figuring out puzzles and tracking progress! I started scoring baseball games as a kid and the passion for statistics and organization has made me very happy with accounting!
Ranjana Ramachandran, CPA
Senior Manager
Roles and Responsibilities: My team specializes in the preparation of business, individual, trusts, and estate income tax returns, as well as planning and financial consulting. We have diverse clients including real estate professionals, retail businesses, professional service firms, and self-employed individuals. We understand our client’s needs and provide the best service to them. In addition, I work with our management team to mentor new employees.
Favorite food: Fish, seafood, and grilled food.
Favorite hobbies: Love to Travel and explore nature, Spend time with the Family, Interior designing, and sports.
Why did you want to become an accountant: I love to work with numbers! My childhood dream was to become an accountant.
Stephen Thompson, CPA
Senior Manager
Roles & Responsibilities: My team is responsible for writing the firm’s Quality Control Manual and guiding the firm through “peer review” every three years. We also establish the accounting and operational policies summarized in the firm’s accounting manual.
Favorite Food: Italian food, lobster, steak and most definitely pizza are my favorite foods!
Favorite Hobbies: Football, Baseball, Basketball, Reading, Hiking, Bowling, and Spending Time Near The Ocean.
Why did you want to become an accountant? I started college in engineering because I was very proficient in math. After the first semester, I knew engineering was not for me. I switched to business, and accounting was the logical choice.
MANAGERS
Kate Budnick, CPA
Manager
Roles & Responsibilities: Taxes!
Favorite Food: Tacos and G&Ts
Favorite Hobbies: Tap dancing and animal rescue.
Why did you want to become an accountant? I had a varied college career and happened to be in accounting when my father told me to wrap it up. I liked it and was doing well so it worked out.
Brian Hellman, CPA
Manager
Roles & Responsibilities: Tax planning and compliance for business, individual and trust clients as well as training new staff members.
Favorite Food: Old Bay Wings
Favorite Hobbies: Playing golf and spending time with my nieces
Why did you want to become an accountant? Math was always my strongest subject in school, so I enrolled in an accounting class in high school and never looked back
Anne Inman, CPA
Manager
Roles & Responsibilities: Key roles are tax preparation, tax planning, and preparing financial statements. I collaborate with individuals, small businesses, professional services groups, and real estate clients. This involves identifying tax credits and deductions and developing tax strategies to optimize savings. I provide guidance on property acquisitions, dispositions, like kind exchanges and help with analyzing the tax consequences.
Favorite Food: Mediterranean cuisine, salmon, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, apple pie
Favorite Hobbies: Walking on the beach listening to the sound of waves crashing against the shore and the feel of sand between my toes, yoga, hiking and being out in nature, baseball, boating, traveling, gardening.
Why did you want to become an accountant? I have always been drawn to mathematics and logic. I find joy in unraveling complex equations and analyzing data to uncover meaningful insights. As an accountant, I can help individuals and businesses make informed decisions about their finances.
Ali Shamsa, CPA/MBA/MAFM
Manager
Roles & Responsibilities: I provide tax services to the owners, investors and developers of multi-family and commercial rental properties.
Favorite Food: I’m passionate about exploring international dishes and cuisines from around the world. I have a deep appreciation for the rich and diverse flavors of Persian cuisine
Favorite Hobbies: I love traveling and exploring new places, as it gives me the opportunity to experience different cultures firsthand. I enjoy attending international festivals, where I can immerse myself in diverse traditions, music, and, of course, food. Cooking with family is another hobby I cherish.
Why did you want to become an accountant? After gaining diverse experience in mining and construction engineering, as well as academic research in business administration and finance, I realized that developing strong analytical thinking and problem-solving skills is my primary focus. I chose accounting because it is the language of business, allowing me to apply these skills in a meaningful way. I am dedicated to advancing my expertise in accounting and tax specialization, as I recognize that proper tax planning and accounting are essential steps in managing a successful business and satisfying investors.
Jia Jia Wang, CPA
Manager
Roles & Responsibilities: My team specializes in providing comprehensive tax preparation, tax planning and accounting services tailored to both businesses and individuals across diverse industries. We assist our clients in maintaining financial organization, ensuring tax compliance and fostering continuous growth.
Favorite Food: Chinese food
Favorite Hobbies: Music, movie, meditation
Why did you want to become an accountant? Accounting skills are universally recognized. It offers a stable career.