Leadership

Trusted expertise for long-term success.
Our dedicated team of experts are prized for their experience, longevity and financial acumen. Our clients know us as management consultants who understand the financial ramifications of their business decisions. And they trust us as forward-thinking advisors who are dedicated to their long-term success.

We realize that our success relies on our ability to help our clients be as profitable as possible. We do this by taking a more personal approach to financial management, immersing ourselves in our clients’ business through trust and honest, strategic and straightforward advice.

A broad range of accounting experience

Seven partners ensure the accounting services expertise offered by Shannon & Associates. Together, we offer a wealth of experience that ranges from manufacturing and distribution to financial institutions; consulting and international tax to accounting and software.

Richard Lackey, CPA, CFA
rlackey@shannon-cpas.com

Is the firm’s managing partner and has been with Shannon & Associates for 25 years. Dick has steadily built a reputation on his ability to recognize client needs and to be innovative in devising solutions. A steady dedication to his work has established him as a trustworthy asset for any client. Along the way, he has become an authority in an astonishing variety of fields, including:

• Corporate acquisitions
• Individual and corporate taxes
• Reorganizations and liquidations
• Estate and personal financial planning
• Compensation and retirement plans
• Business succession and transition planning
• International taxation of foreign-owned US companies

Dick is licensed in Washington as both a CPA and a Certified Financial Planner (CFP).

Lane Strickland, CPA, CVA
lstrickland@shannon-cpas.com

Lane is a partner and joined Shannon & Associates in 1997. Before joining our team, Lane owned and operated his own accounting firm. His more than 25 years in the public accounting arena have instructed him in the subtleties of the practice; the attention Lane pays to every finest detail has made him a valuable presence at Shannon & Associates. He has gained primary expertise in the areas of:

• Business valuations
• Estates
• Trusts
• Individual income tax
• Partnership and corporation income tax work

In 1996, Lane received the AICPA Certificate of Educational Achievement. Lane is licensed CPA in the state of Washington . He is also a licensed Certified Valuation Accountant, and his work in the business valuation field has been distinguished.

Julie Courtney, CPA
jcourtney@shannon-cpas.com

A partner and Director of Accounting & Auditing with Shannon & Associates, Julie’s primary fields of expertise include financial and retirement plan audits–both for privately held business and for nonprofit agencies. However, she is also an authority in the arenas of financial reporting, computerized accounting systems, and the advising of closely held businesses. She has considerable experience in a broad range of industries:

• Building and construction
• Manufacturing
• Nonprofits
• Wholesale distributors
• Retail
• Real estate development
• Quality and technical review on all audits and full disclosure financial statements

Her areas of expertise include:

• Internal control risk assessment and analysis
• Financial statement reviews and compilations
• Employee Benefit Plan Audits

As a Certified QuickBooks Pro Advisor, Julie also provides consultation on initial setup, as well as the review of ongoing activities and the establishment of accounting policies. Julie is a licensed CPA in the state of Washington.

Julia Atwood, SPHR
jatwood@shannon-cpas.com

Julia is a partner and the firm’s administrator. She joined Shannon & Associates in 1991. In her position as the firm administrator, she is responsible for the day to day operations, human resources, recruiting, staffing and scheduling, client relations, internal communication and policy development, business development and new technology implementation and training. Julia also manages the financial software applications department. Her areas of expertise include assisting businesses with selection, implementation, training and customization of ERP systems. She works closely with clients on system implementation and training as well as developing internal procedures around IT and finance, focusing on business process improvement, workflow and controls. Julia is the current president of the Washington Chapter of the Association for Accounting Administration. Julia is a (SPHR) Senior Professional of Human Resources and is a non a non-licensed CPA firm owner.

She has a broad range of expertise implementing accounting, manufacturing and distribution software:

• Accounting software implementation and training
• Accounting software needs analysis and internal procedures reviews
• Sage Mas90/Mas200 software certification
• Dynamics SL (formerly known as Solomon)

Roger Jones, CPA
rjones@shannon-cpas.com

Roger is the partner and director of the credit union audit and consulting practice for Shannon & Associates. Prior to joining Shannon & Associates, Roger was the Director in charge of the Seattle, Washington office of the National Credit Union Economic Unit of McGladrey & Pullen, LLP. He is a financial expert and has extensive experience with ALM modeling systems, business lending, and strategic planning. Roger spent the first 14 years of his career with two major accounting firms (Moss Adams LLP and Coopers & Lybrand) where he provided auditing, accounting, and consulting services primarily to financial institutions and also to public and private companies. He has extensive experience in assisting clients with the implementation of FASB and regulatory accounting pronouncements applicable to the credit union industry.

Roger’s areas of expertise include:

• HUD audits
• Financial Institution financial reporting and regulatory reporting
• Financial institutions consulting, including mergers, and strategic planning
• Outsourced internal auditing
• Board of Directors and volunteer education programs

Immediately prior to returning to Seattle in 2005, Roger served as a consultant to the credit union industry and as Chief Financial Officer of a $1 billion bank holding company where he also acquired and managed subsidiary mortgage banking, appraisal, credit reporting, and escrow operations. Roger is a frequent presenter at CUES round table meetings and was a speaker at the 2009 and 2011 WCUL annual convention. Roger is a licensed CPA in the state of Washington.

Sherri Owzarski, CPA , CEA
sowzarski@shannon-cpas.com

As a partner of our firm, Sherri has acquired significant experience serving clients in a wide range of industries. These include her work with a major bank in the field of corporate banking and cash management, audit management with public accounting firms, and her work as a CEA in governmental and nonprofit accounting and auditing. The breadth in her areas of expertise is extensive:

• Accounting and auditing professional standards
• Financial reporting and disclosures
• Accounting systems and internal controls
• Government and nonprofit auditing and reporting
• Employee benefits, including retirement plans
• A-133 single audits

Sherri performs peer reviews of other certified public accounting firms. In addition to her credentials as a CEA, she is a licensed CPA in the State of Washington.

Andrew Raymond
araymond@shannon-cpas.com

Andy Raymond has combined his credit union audit and consulting practice with Shannon & Associates effective July 1, 2009. Formerly a founding partner in the firm of Clark Raymond & Company, Andy has been serving credit unions throughout Washington for over 30 years and is an icon in the Washington Credit Union community.

His primary responsibilities are to direct the planning and supervision of the firm’s most complex credit union audit clients and to ensure the client experience meets our firm’s highest service standards. His responsibilities also include internal control risk assessment, financial statement quality reviews, and regulatory compliance assessment. Andy also assists with firm quality control procedures pertaining to credit union audit and consulting engagements. His clients are exclusively credit unions.

Andy’s credit union experience dates back to the late 1970′s and early 1980′s and includes audits of credit unions ranging in size of up to $600 million in total assets. Andy started his career as an auditor in the Seattle office of Coopers & Lybrand where he worked for 10 years before joining a local firm, Neimi, Holland & Scott, where he became a partner from 1978 to 1986. Andy started his own firm, Clark Raymond & Company, in 1987 where he has continued to serve the credit union industry up to the time of his joining Shannon & Associates, LLP. Andy has been a speaker at credit union industry events and is a vocal spokesperson for the benefit of his clients. Andy is known for his high-level of personalized, hands on, client focused service.

Andy graduated from Sacramento State College with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and obtained an M.B.A. from the University of Washington. Andy is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants, and has been a member of the governing board of a nonprofit organization in varying capacities for many years.

Shannon & Associates is committed to your success.