Dannible & McKee, LLP Announces the Promotion of 18 Professionals

SYRACUSE, NY – July 25, 2024 – Dannible & McKee, LLP, a certified public accounting and consulting firm, is pleased to announce the promotion of 18 professional staff members.

“The commitment to excellence from these 18 professionals is well demonstrated, and we congratulate them on their achievements,” said Christopher Didio, CPA, CFE, managing partner of Dannible & McKee, LLP. “We celebrate these talented individuals who show a continued commitment to their profession.”

Anthony J. Cerchia, CPA, has been promoted to tax senior manager. Cerchia joined the firm in 2017 and is responsible for providing tax planning and compliance services, in addition to ownership transition analysis to a variety of clients. He specializes in the automotive, healthcare and manufacturing industries. Cerchia graduated from the State University of New York at Oneonta with a Bachelor of Science in professional accounting in 2016. He is a certified public accountant in New York and Florida and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA) and the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce. He resides in Dunedin, Florida, and works at the Tampa office.

Sean R. Conners, CPA, has been promoted to tax senior manager. Conners started with Dannible & McKee in 2016 as an intern in the tax department and was hired as a full-time staff member in 2017. He is responsible for the preparation and review of personal and corporate tax returns, individual and corporate tax planning and multi-state taxation. Conners earned his bachelor’s degree and Master of Business Administration in accounting from Le Moyne College in 2016. He is a certified public accountant in New York and a member of the NYSSCPA and the AICPA. Conners resides in Cicero, New York, and works at the Syracuse office.

Angela Janack, CPA, has been promoted to audit senior manager. Janack joined the firm in 2014 and provides audit and consulting services to a variety of clients with a concentration in nonprofit accounting. She graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York at Oswego where she concurrently earned a bachelor’s degree with a dual major in accounting and business administration, a minor in economics, and a Master of Business Administration in accounting. Janack is a certified public accountant in New York and is a member of the AICPA and the NYSSCPA. She serves as the treasurer of the Syracuse Chapter of the NYSSCPA and the secretary of the Accounting & Financial Women’s Alliance. She is a member of Beta Alpha Psi, the International Honor Organization for Financial Information Students and Professionals, and volunteers with the Syracuse Women for Good. Janack resides in Syracuse, NY, and works at the Syracuse office.

Anthony Pokrentowski, CPA, has been promoted to tax senior manager. Pokrentowski joined the firm in 2018 after graduating from the College of Saint Rose with a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in accounting. He is responsible for the preparation and review of individual, trust, partnership, S corporation and C corporation tax returns, as well as tax closings and year-end tax planning for clients. He specializes in manufacturing and professional service industries, multi-state entities and high-net-worth individuals. He is a certified public accountant in New York and a member of the NYSSCPA and the AICPA. Pokrentowski resides in Clay, New York, and works at the Syracuse office.

Abby K. Sweers, CPA, has been promoted to tax senior manager. Sweers joined the firm in 2019 after interning for two years. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a Master of Business Administration from Le Moyne College in 2018. She is responsible for the preparation and review of various individual and corporate tax engagements, including tax planning and compliance. Sweers specializes in the construction and manufacturing industries, multi-state entities and high-net-worth individuals. She is a certified public accountant in New York and a member of the AICPA and the NYSSCPA. She resides in Rochester, New York, and works in Rochester and at the Syracuse office.

Alexis M. Layo has been promoted to tax director. She joined the firm in 2013 and oversees various individual and corporate tax engagements, including tax closings, tax planning, and compliance. Layo specializes in the architectural/engineering and healthcare industries, along with high-net-worth individuals, and she is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor. She graduated from Niagara University with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting in 2011 and from Le Moyne College with a Master of Business Administration in 2012. She resides in Clay, New York, and works at the Syracuse office.

Frank Merkel has been promoted to director of IT. Merkel has been with the firm since 2008 and is responsible for managing the IT department and is directly responsible for maintaining software updates and running programs to ensure the security of the firm’s network. He earned his Associate of Applied Science in computer science from California State University, an Associate of Occupational Science in computer management from Community College of the Air Force and is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. Merkel served in the United States Air Force and is an Air Force Sergeant's Association member. He resides in Constantia, New York, and works at the Syracuse office.

Christine N. Petrone, CPB, has been promoted to accounting & advisory services director. Petrone joined the firm in 2016 and is responsible for overseeing multiple client accounts and managing staff in the department. Her services include maintaining the general ledger, preparing budgets and accrual basis financial statements in accordance with GAAP and maintaining accounting controls by preparing and recommending policies and procedures. She specializes in nonprofits and municipalities. Petrone is also a certified public bookkeeper and a QuickBooks ProAdvisor. She graduated from Cazenovia College in 2013 with a Bachelor of Professional Studies in business management and holds a certificate in management and supervision. She is president of the Central New York Chapter of the Accounting & Financial Women’s Alliance. Petrone resides in Cazenovia, New York, and works at the Syracuse office.

John Archambeault, CPA, has been promoted to audit manager. Archambeault joined the firm in 2020 as a full-time employee after working as an intern the year prior. He plans and manages multiple engagement teams through the completion of audits, reviews, compilations and other attest services. Archambeault received his associate degree in business administration from Onondaga Community College in 2018 and subsequently earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting in 2019 and a Master of Business Administration in accounting in 2020 from the State University of New York at Oswego. He is a certified public accountant in New York and a member of the NYSSCPA. Archambeault resides in Baldwinsville, New York, and works at the Syracuse office.

Joshua T. Jasewicz, CPA, CVA, has been promoted to tax manager. Jasewicz joined the firm’s tax department in 2019 after interning for two years. He has experience in providing income tax planning and compliance services to clients in the architectural, engineering, professional services, retail and manufacturing industries. In his role, he provides individual, partnership and corporate tax planning and compliance services, multi-state income tax compliance services and federal and state income tax credit utilization studies. He has overseen business valuation studies for estate and gift taxation reporting, litigation, shareholder dispute resolution, internal ownership transition and external merger and acquisition purposes. He earned his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in accounting in 2019 and a Bachelor of Science in accounting in 2017 from the State University of New York at Oswego. Jasewicz is a certified public accountant in New York, a Certified Valuation Analyst with the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts, and is a member of the AICPA, NYSSCPA and NACVA. He resides in Jordan, New York, and works at the Syracuse office.

Jill M. Charsky has been promoted to marketing supervisor. Charsky joined the firm’s marketing department in 2021 and is responsible for email, newsletter and automated marketing and manages the firm’s customer relationship management (CRM) system. She is also responsible for managing Dannible & McKee’s industry conferences, community and networking events, niche committees within the firm and maintaining relationships with industry-related associations. Charsky earned her Bachelor of Science in journalism from the State University of New York at Brockport. She serves as a CenterState CEO Chamber Ambassador, is an executive committee member of the Central New York Community Foundation Women’s Fund Leadership Council, a committee member of Eye Got This and a member of Central New York Sales and Marketing Executives. Charsky resides in Clay, New York, and works at the Syracuse office.

Nathan Apker has been promoted to audit senior accountant. Apker joined the firm full-time in 2021 after working as an intern in the audit department for two years. Apker graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in accounting and finance from St. Bonaventure University in 2020, as well as his Master of Business Administration in professional accountancy in 2021. He is responsible for performing audits, reviews and compilation services, and the proofing of client financial statements/reports in preparation for issuance. Apker resides in Liverpool, New York, and works at the Syracuse office.

Luke Bennett, CPA, has been promoted to tax senior accountant. Bennett joined the firm full-time in 2022 after working as an intern in the tax department for two years. He is responsible for personal and corporate income tax preparation, tax planning and tax closings. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University of Albany and a Master of Business Administration in public accounting from the State University of New York at Oswego. Bennett is a certified public accountant in New York and a member of the AICPA and the NYSSCPA. He resides in Syracuse, New York, and works at the Syracuse office.

Sandra Faulkner has been promoted to accounting & advisory services senior. Faulkner joined the firm in 2020 and is responsible for completing monthly bookkeeping, tracking fixed assets, handling foreign currency transactions, preparing financial statements and assisting clients with questions related to bookkeeping and QuickBooks. She is a QuickBooks Online Certified ProAdvisor and earned Bookkeeping and Accounting certifications from the National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers (NACPB). She graduated from Bryant & Stratton College with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting, summa cum laude, and her Bachelor of Business Administration in general management, summa cum laude. She is a member of NACPB and resides and works in Streetsboro, Ohio.

Zachary Firestone, CPA, has been promoted to tax senior accountant. Firestone joined the firm in 2023 as a tax staff accountant after completing a brief internship with the department. He is responsible for personal and corporate income tax preparation, tax planning and tax closings. He earned his Bachelor of Science in accounting from Arizona State University in the same year. Firestone is a certified public accountant in New York. He resides in Syracuse, New York, and works at the Syracuse office.

Justin Heller, CPA, has been promoted to tax senior accountant. Heller joined the firm full-time in 2022 after interning in the tax department the year prior. He is responsible for corporate returns for s-corps, c-corps, nonprofits and partnerships, in addition to assisting with individual returns. He graduated cum laude from State University of New York at Oneonta with his bachelor’s in professional accounting. Heller is a certified public accountant in New York and a member of the AICPA, the NYSSCPA and the Schenectady Chamber’s Business Referral Group. He resides in Altamont, New York, and works at the Schenectady office.

Joseph Morgan has been promoted to tax senior accountant. Morgan joined the firm full-time in 2022 after working as an intern in the tax department for two years. He is responsible for personal and corporate income tax preparation, tax planning and tax closings. He specializes in manufacturing, automotive, real estate professionals and professional services industries. He graduated with his Bachelor of Arts in Accounting cum laude and his Master of Business Administration in business analytics cum laude from Le Moyne College. Morgan resides in Syracuse, New York, and works at the Syracuse office.

Zachary O’Neill has been promoted to audit senior accountant. O’Neill joined the firm full-time in 2021 and is responsible for performing audits, reviews and compilation services, and proofing client financial statements/reports in preparation for issuance. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Rochester Institute of Technology. O’Neill resides in North Syracuse, New York, and works at the Syracuse office.

About Dannible & McKee, LLP

Established as a partnership in 1978, Dannible & McKee, LLP is committed to providing the highest level of professional services in the areas of audit, tax, accounting and financial management consulting to clients nationwide. The firm focuses on major industry lines and specializes in multi-state taxation review, business valuation, litigation support and fraud prevention and detection. With offices in Syracuse, Auburn, Binghamton and Schenectady, New York, and Tampa, Florida, the firm employs over 120 professional and support personnel, including 23 partners. Dannible & McKee was the first CPA firm in the region to join the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) and is a member of Geneva Group International (GGI), an international network of independent professional firms committed to providing clients with access to expanded resources and professional expertise in the international marketplace. For more information, visit www.dmcpas.com.

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