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Sitkoff/O'Neil is...
Barry Sitkoff | Matt O'Neil | Gabrielle Sabatella | Claire Patterson | Margaret Kulak | Debbie Hakansson | Star Litt-Blackman | Adrienne Casey | Leah Freitas | Nancy Herrera | Shawna McLaughlin | Stephanie Hager | Lisa Conlan | Jamie Gonzales
BARRY SITKOFF, CPA
SHAREHOLDER
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Barry Sitkoff is a graduate of the University of Southern California and has been a practicing CPA since 1966. Before moving to Lake Tahoe in 1980, he was a partner in a large CPA firm in Los Angeles from 1968 until 1979. Barry has over 30 years of public accounting experience and continuing education. His specialty has always been working with the owners of small and medium sized businesses and professionals in all facets of accounting and tax services. Barry has extensive experience in business management, financing, purchase and sales negotiations, tax planning, personal financial planning, working through financial troubles and business restructuring, business valuation and forensic accounting. He is also a qualified expert witness and has been a state court receiver and represented bankruptcy trustees.
Barry and his wife, Terrie, have two children and live in Homewood, California, on the west shore of Lake Tahoe.
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MATT O'NEIL, CPA
SHAREHOLDER
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Matt O’Neil is a shareholder in Sitkoff/O’Neil Accountancy Corporation where he practices in the areas of income taxation, estate taxation, tax planning, financial statement preparation, financial planning, accounting and testimony as an expert witness. Matt has acquired extensive practical financial experience with numerous types of small businesses from 1976 to present.
Matt was born and raised in Sacramento, California. After graduating from Jesuit High School in 1972, he attended the University of California at Berkeley and graduated in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an accounting emphasis.
Matt received his Masters in Business Administration in Federal Income Taxation from Golden Gate University in 1980. He obtained a CPA certificate in 1980, a Certified Financial Planner certificate in 1986, and an Estate Planning Certificate from the California CPA Education Foundation in 1998. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Matt worked in the audit and tax department of Coopers & Lybrand from 1976 to 1979, and managed the tax department of McClintock Accountancy Corporation from 1980 to 1985. He was self-employed as a CPA in 1986 and has been a partner in Sitkoff/O’Neil Accountancy Corporation since 1987.
Matt married Gabriela in 1985, and they have four children, Stephanie, Lauren, and Alexandra and Peter. He has been active in youth soccer for many years, including coaching and administration of various youth soccer programs. Matt enjoys backpacking, boating and skiing.
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GABRIELLE SABATELLA, CPA
SHAREHOLDER
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Gabrielle (Gab) joined Sitkoff/O’Neil as a C.P.A. in January of 2008. She graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder earning a bachelors degree in accounting with an emphasis in taxation as well as a masters’ degree in taxation.
Later, Gab moved back to the Los Angeles area and worked for Arthur Anderson for two and a half years until their dissolution. She spent the next six years at Deloitte & Touche where she eventually became a senior manager in the tax department.
Gab and her family moved to Truckee in September 2007 to take advantage of the wonderful outdoor life that the Tahoe area has to offer.
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CLAIRE PATTERSON, CPA
ACCOUNTING MANAGER
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A graduate of the University of California at Davis and a Certified Public Accountant, Claire has been with Sitkoff / O'Neil Accountancy Corporation since its formation in 1987. She brings twenty years of accounting and tax experience to her work with family office clients, construction contractors, and non-profit organizations.
The combination of working with people and solving problems is what Claire enjoys the most about accounting. She claims that she has never met an account that she couldn’t reconcile, given all of the information.
Claire has lived in Truckee since 1984. When she is not working or spending time with her two teenagers, she likes to travel, whether it is a weekend trip to the Pacific Northwest or a mission trip to Ghana, West Africa. An avid contra dancer, Claire tries to find a dance to attend wherever her travels take her. She also enjoys a variety of outdoor sports, including canoeing, hiking, and snowshoeing.
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MARGARET KULAK
ACCOUNTING AND TAX MANAGER
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Margaret, her husband and two kids moved to Truckee in the winter of 1993. After growing up in Arizona this was quite a change. Margaret has always enjoyed math and excelled in it during her time at Northern Arizona University.
Margaret joined Sitkoff/O'Neil in January of 1995 and specializes in business property tax, payroll, sales tax, QuickBooks consulting, tax preparation, tax planning, trusts and estates.
Living in the Sierras has allowed Margaret and her family the opportunity to enjoy the awesome scenery and wide outdoors. They spend time hiking, four wheeling, wake-boarding, snow-boarding, snow-shoeing and skiing. They also enjoy traveling and spend one month a year visiting a different state in our country.
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DEBBIE HAKANSSON
STAFF ACCOUNTANT, TAX PREPARER
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Debbie joined Sitkoff/O'Neil in 1987, after graduating from UCSB with a BA in economics. Her experience includes individual, small business accounting and income tax preparation.
Debbie has lived in the Tahoe/Truckee area for 25 years. She enjoys downhill and cross-country skiing, mountain and road biking. Debbie is married and has a teenage daughter.
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STARR LITT-BLACKMAN, E.A.
STAFF ACCOUNTANT, TAX PREPARER
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Starr joined Sitkoff/O'Neil in October of 1992 and is currently licensed as an Enrolled Agent. Starr specializes in income tax preparation, tax planning, monthly and quarterly accounting, and meeting with clients on a regular basis. Her position at Sitkoff/O'Neil allows her flexibility to have a rewarding career as well as spend time with her family.
Starr is happily married to a music promoter and they are the proud parents of two beautiful children, Jahmeyel and Cydonah.
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ADRIENNE CASEY
STAFF ACCOUNTANT, BOOKKEEPER
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Adrienne Casey joined Sitkoff/O’Neil in October of 1999 just after moving to Lake Tahoe from Connecticut. She has been in accounting for over 30 years. Her experience includes QuickBooks consulting, payroll tax returns, sales tax returns, business property tax and general accounting.
She is a devoted horseback rider and snowboarder and she loves living in the Sierras. Her home in Lake Tahoe allows her to indulge her passion for gardening and home remodeling. Her husband, Franc, restores wooden boats. Together they have two grown daughters.
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LEAH FREITAS
STAFF ACCOUNTANT, TAX PREPARER
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Leah earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from St. Bonaventure University. After college and years of living in Western New York State, Leah decided to move to Lake Tahoe.
Joining the Sitkoff/O’Neil staff in 2003, accounting came very easy to Leah. She has always been routine oriented and loves to “go by the rules”. Her patience, attention to detail, desire to learn, commitment to the firm, and customer service skills have really helped Leah in practicing accounting.
Leah and her husband, Todd, have one daughter and live in Truckee, California. While not working, Leah spends as much time as possible with her family. She loves the outdoors, hiking, baking, being creative, and helping other people in any way she can. |
NANCY HERRERA, CPA
STAFF ACCOUNTANT, TAX PREPARER
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Nancy joined the Sitkoff/O'Neil team in October of 2005 as a staff accountant. As a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, Nancy assists clients in setting up new QuickBooks files and consults on existing files. She also works with clients preparing individual and corporate tax returns and performing monthly and quarterly accounting.
Nancy has Bachelor's degree in accounting and fifteen years of experience working with both small and large companies in Massachusetts and California. In addition to studying accounting, Nancy also earned a Masters degree in ESL Education and taught English as a Second Language for many years.
Nancy lives in Truckee with her husband and two children. She enjoys downhill and cross-country skiing, hiking and biking.
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SHAWNA MCLAUGHLIN, E.A.
STAFF ACCOUNTANT, TAX PREPARER
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Shawna came to Tahoe in the fall of 1998 with intent to stay for a winter and has been here ever since. She graduated from Humboldt State University with a degree in Philosophy, heavy in the math and science. After teaching high school math for a few years, she made the switch to the accounting field.
Shawna came on board with Sitkoff/O’Neil in October of 2006 after the sale of her independent practice. The expanded scope of work Sitkoff/O’Neil offers combined with the enriching interaction with her colleagues allows her to continually develop in her profession. She is currently an Enrolled Agent and plans to pursue her Masters degree in Accounting and Taxation during the next few years.
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STEPHANIE HAGER
STAFF ACCOUNTANT, TAX PREPARER
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Stephanie moved from Alaska to Tahoe City in 2004. After moving to Tahoe she finished her BA in Accounting through University of Phoenix. Stephanie is currently in the process of obtaining her Certified Financial Planner Certificate. She recently joined the Sitkoff/O’Neil staff in November 2009.
While not working, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her family traveling to sporting events, cooking with her son, and spending time in the outdoors.
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LISA CONLAN
OFFICE MANAGER
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Lisa has been a member of the Sitkoff/O’Neil team since November of 2005. In 2001, after moving from the Olympic Village of Lake Placid, NY, she ventured into the restaurant industry and established a breakfast and coffee café at the Village of Squaw Valley. She has since moved on into the accounting world and was hired as office manager at Sitkoff/O’Neil. Her responsibilities include billing, daily bookkeeping, assisting with computer support and managing the various needs of the staff and company.
Lisa’s passion for the outdoors brought her to Tahoe where she enjoyes x-country and downhill skiing as well as hiking and running. She has a bachelor degree in Biology with environmental emphasis and has always enjoyed the beauty and community of mountain towns.
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ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
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Jamie arrived in Tahoe in 2008 and began working at Sitkoff/O'Neil in September 2009. Coming from Alaska, she thought California winters would be a slam dunk, but now she knows better and drives around with a tow rope and shovel in the trunk for her commute between Truckee and Donner Summit.
Jamie has a BA in English and is trying to complete a thesis for her MFA, but finds herself playing frisbee golf and taking cake decorating classes and marveling at the view instead of communicating with her professors. She is happy to have found the folks at Sitkoff/O'Neil, though, who are an accomplished bunch and, perhaps more importantly, really nice people!
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