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Our Team

Our People
Make the Difference

Building lifelong partnerships through genuine connection.

Partners

J. Chris Hollifield, CPA
Managing Partner

Clay Pilgrim, CPA, CFE, CFF
Government and Non-Profit Partner

Nick Bruner, CPA, CFE, CVA
Assurance Partner

Gail Iverson, CPA
Tax Partner

Samuel Latimer, CPA, CFE
Government and Non-Profit Partner

H. Richard “Rick” Lee, Jr., CPA
Tax Partner

W. Barclay Rushton
Founding Partner

Tax

Jon Carroll, CPA
Senior Tax Manager

Christina Page, CPA
Tax Manager

Jennifer Pazdzior, EA
Tax Manager

Bhuvana Rajagopalan, CPA
Tax Supervisor

Carla Pineda
Tax Supervisor

Todd Mershon, CPA
Tax Supervisor

Assurance

Denille Biddy, CPA, CFE, CCIFP
Assurance Manager

Jesse Tipton, CPA
Assurance Supervisor

Francisco Gonzalez, CPA
Assurance Supervisor

Government & Non-Profits 

Justin Burruss
Government and Non-Profit Manager

Will Merritt, CPA
Government and Non-Profit Manager

William Harris, CPA
Government and Non-Profit Manager

Julie George, CPA
Director of Quality Management

John Webber, CPA
Government and Non-Profit Supervisor

Client Accounting Services

Erin Pitts, CPA
CAS Accounting Manager

Angela Metcalf
CAS Business Manager

Susan Welborn, CPA
Accounting Supervisor

Wealth Management

Elisabeth Baldwin, CWS, CDFA
Director of Financial Services

Kathryn Barnett
Financial Advisor

Administration

Cindy Campbell, CPA
Chief Operating Officer

Frankie Capparelli, PHR, HRM
Director of People Strategy and Brand

Paige Patton
Administrative Manager

Noah Evans
Operations Specialist

Close
J. Chris Hollifield, CPA

chollifield@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • Northeast Georgia Health Systems Audit Committee
  • Georgia Mountains YMCA – Board of Directors and Finance Committee
  • Trinity United Methodist Church – Finance Committee
  • CPAmerica  - Board of Directors
  • Georgia Society of CPA’s – member
  • American Institute of CPA’s – member
  • Government Finance Officers Association – member
  • Georgia Government Finance Officers Association – member

Niches: Government, Nonprofit, Churches and Religious Organizations. Single Audit, Yellowbook

Value: Integrity

Clay Pilgrim

cpilgrim@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

    • Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants - Treasurer, Board of Directors
    • United Way of White County -  Committee Member
    • American Institute of Certified Public Accountants - Member
    • Association of Certified Fraud Examiners - Member
    • Government Finance Officers Association - Member
    • Georgia Government Finance Officers Association - Member

Niches: Nonprofits

Value: Excellence

Nick Bruner, CPA, CFE, CVA

nbruner@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • Georgia Society of CPAs
  • Georgia Chapter – National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA)
  • Georgia Chapter – Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
  • Gainesville First United Methodist Church
  • Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce
  • Kiwanis Club of Gainesville and Gainesville Kiwanis Hope Foundation
  • Gainesville Ducks Unlimited

Niches: Construction, Manufacturing, International Businesses, Valuations

Value: Community

Gail Iverson, CPA

giverson@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • Georgia Society of CPA’s
  • AICPA
  • Meals on Wheels
  • Community Council on Aging (Treasurer)

Niches: Medical Tax Planning

Value: Integrity

Sam Latimer, CPA, CFE

slatimer@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • Gainesville Jaycees
  • AICPA State and Local Government Expert Panel

Niches: State and Local Governments, Nonprofits, Teaching CPE courses on various topics such as fraud, internal controls, single audits

Value: Passion

Rick Lee, CPA

rlee@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • AICPA Member
  • GCPA Member

Niches: Tax Compliance, Tax Planning, Business Strategies and Consulting, Fiduciary Tax, Estate and Trust Planning

Value: Passion

 

Jon Carroll, CPA

jcarroll@wwwrushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • Volunteer with local nonprofits in community

Niches: Income Tax Consulting, Compliance, and Planning for Individuals, S Corporations, C Corporations and Partnerships; State and Local Income Tax Nexus, Planning, and Compliance; U.S. Inbound and Outbound International Income Tax Consulting and Compliance.

Value: Family

Christina Page, CPA

cpage@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • Northeast Chapter of the GSCPA – Board and President

Niches: S-Corps, Partnerships, Financial Statements, Individual Tax Returns, General Consulting, and Tax Planning.

Value: Excellence

Jennifer Pazdzior, EA

jpazdzior@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • Gateway Domestic Violence Center (Board Member)

Niches: Individual Taxation and Tax Planning

Value: Improvement

Bhuvana Rajagopalan, CPA

brajagopalan@wwwrushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • GSCPA

Niches: Estate and Trust Planning, Filing forms 1041, 706, and 709

Value: Integrity

Carla Pineda

cpineda@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • GSCPA

Niches: S-Corps, Partnerships, Individual Returns, Co-op, and International Tax

Value: Passion

Todd Mershon, CPA

tmershon@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • Rotary Club of Hall County, Past President, Past Treasurer, Current Sargeant at Arms
  • Good Shepherd Church Elder
  • Georgia Society of CPAs, Alabama Society of CPAs, Minnesota Society of CPAs

 

Niches: Trust & Estates, S-Corps, Partnerships

Value: Excellence

Denille Biddy, CPA, CPE, CCIFP

dbiddy@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • GSCPA (Leadership Council Member)
  • NAWIC (Membership Committee and Golf Tournament Committee)
  • Rotary of Savannah
  • Construction Financial Management Association Member
  • CPAmerica (Conference Planning Committee)

Niches: Construction

Value: Improvement

Jesse Tipton, CPA

jtipton@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • United Way – Finance Committee Member
  • Gainesville Jaycees
  • Gainesville Gold Club
  • GSCPA

Niches: Employee Benefit Plans

Value: Family

Francisco Gonzalez

Fgonzalez@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • Georgia Mountain Food Bank - Treasurer

Niches: Construction Industries

Value: Improvement

Justin Burruss

jburruss@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • Georgia Society of CPAs
  • Georgia Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
  • Mount Vernon Elementary Watch DOGS
  • Gainesville Jaycees
  • Upward Sports.

Niches: Government and Nonprofits

Value: Family

Will Merritt, CPA

wmerritt@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • GSCPA
  • Sisu (Board Member)

Niches: Government, Nonprofits, Single Audits

Value: Integrity

William Harris, CPA

wharris@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • GSCPA (Leadership Council and Nominating Committee)

Niches: Government and Nonprofit Auditing, Single Audits

Value: Improvement

Julie George, CPA

jgeorge@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • Annual Teacher/Presenter at the GGFOA Conference
  • Annual Teacher/Presenter at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government Public Finance Leadership Academy
  • Optimist Club of West Georgia
  • Member, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
  • Member, Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants
  • Member, Georgia Government Finance Officers’ Association

Niches: Quality Management, Government, Nonproft

Value: Integrity

John Webber

Jwebber@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • Treasurer for Northeast Georgia Society of CPAs

Niches: Government & Nonprofits

Value: Improvement

Erin Pitts, CPA

epitts@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • Alicats Performing Arts Inc – Treasurer of the Non-Profit Board

Niches: Medical, Client Accounting Services

Value: Improvement

Angela Metcalf

ametcalf@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • Volunteer with local non-profits in community

Niches: Nonprofit Financial Management, Client Accounting Services

Value: Excellence

Susan Welborn, CPA

Swelborn@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • The Georgia Society of CPAs

Niches: Large Cleanup Projects, Complex Entity Structures

Value: Passion

Elisabeth Baldwin, CWS, CDFA

ebaldwin@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • Good News Clinics Board of Directors
  • Pay it Forward Board Member
  • Member of First Baptist Church

Niches: Wealth Management

Value: Passion

Kathryn Barnett

kbarnett@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • Volunteer locally in community

Niches: Wealth Management

Value: Excellence

Cindy Campbell, CPA

ccampbell@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • Hall-Dawson CASA – Treasurer
  • Finance Committee Chair; University of North Georgia Mike Cottrell College of Business Advisory Board
  • Trinity UMC Staff Parish Relations Committee
  • Georgia Society of CPAs
  • CPAmerica
  • Georgia Government Finance Officers Association

Niches: Firm Administration, Accounting, Budgeting, Operations, Process Management

Value: Improvement

Frankie Capparelli, PHR, HRM

fcapparelli@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • SHRM Foothills
  • Leadership Hall County
  • Path United - Gainesville (Committee)
  • CPAmerica - HR Roundtable Committee

Niches: People Strategy and Culture, Leadership Development and Advisory, Compensation Strategy, Hiring, Marketing and Branding

Value: Family

Paige Patton

Ppatton@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • Host Family for International Exchange Students

Niches: Internal Accounting, Payroll, Payables, Internal Workflows

Value: Family

Noah Evans

nevans@rushton.cpa

Organizations:

  • United Way of Hall County - Treasurer

Niches: Software, Excel, IT

Value: Improvement