JAMES KEPKE, CPA
Director
Jim is actively involved with construction contractor clients in accounting, auditing, and tax consulting. He frequently consults and assists in developing solutions to a variety of business management and succession matters.
He has served on the board of directors for the Associated Builders and Contractors and the Construction Craft Training Center. He is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants and active with construction-industry trade associations including Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA), Surety Association of Northern California (SANC), United Contractors (UCON), Associated General Contractors of California (AGC), Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. (ABC), and The Beavers.
Jim graduated from California State University, Hayward with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accounting.
DENISE CAPIE, CPA
Director
Denise specializes in the taxation of individuals, partnerships, estates and trusts. She graduated with honors from Golden Gate University earning a Master of Science in Taxation and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with Accounting option from California State University, Hayward.
Denise has over 20 years of professional experience in accounting and taxation services. She has worked in public accounting and governmental sectors. Denise is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Denise grew up and currently resides in Danville. She is active with various professional organizations and community activities including serving on the board of a local nonprofit.
MICHAEL HUHN, CPA, CFF
Principal
Mike is involved in all aspects of construction accounting throughout California and other western states. In addition to providing accounting, tax, and consulting services for contractors, Mike is often engaged by owners, subcontractors and sureties and their legal counsel to assist with contract dispute resolution matters. He frequently consults with surety and fidelity companies on bond claims, assisting in the evaluation of potential losses and possible means of recovery, and has performed contract cost audits, home office overhead evaluations, lost profits analysis, and delay damage calculations.
In 2008, the AICPA accredited him as Certified in Financial Forensics, a designation that further complements his experience with construction litigation and as an economic damages expert witness.
He became a Certified Fraud Specialist in 2004 and has participated in the California Department of Insurance fraud detection efforts by providing Special Investigative Unit anti-fraud training.
He has participated in the American Bar Association’s Fidelity and Surety Law Committee Education Program, lectured in many construction accounting training programs sponsored by the University of California Construction Engineering Program, and has addressed the Surety Association of Northern California and the Surety Claims Association of California.
Additional auditing and accounting experience includes work with home builders, title insurance, restaurant, and equipment financing companies.
His early audit experiences with Touche Ross and Company and as a regional controller for a Westinghouse subsidiary have also contributed to his impressive résumé.
Mike graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accounting – Magna Cum Laude.
ELIZABETH ANDERSON, CPA
Assurance Manager
Elizabeth is an assurance manager in Danville who manages some of the firm’s attest engagements in both Northern and Southern California. She specializes in audit and attest services but also assists with individual and corporate income tax preparation. Her experience includes working with both large and small organizations in a variety of industries including construction, real estate, nonprofit, employment benefit accounts, winery, franchise entities, and other business service entities.
Elizabeth grew up in the Napa Valley and has over 20 years of professional experience in financial services. She joined JHS in 2018 after working in both public accounting and governmental sectors, performing attest services and other financial management services.
Elizabeth graduated from Sonoma State University earning a Bachelor of Science in Business with a concentration in Accounting.
Elizabeth is an active member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and California Society of Certified Public Accountants. She is also active in community activities and serves on local nonprofit boards.
LAURA BERGMAN, CPA
Senior Tax Manager
Laura is a senior tax manager in the Danville office who currently manages tax compliance, planning, and research for individuals, corporations, partnerships, trusts and estates and limited liability companies. She specializes in the taxation of closely-held companies, estates, and trusts and assists corporations with multi-state filings. Laura also represents clients involved with Internal Revenue Service and Franchise Tax Board examinations.
Her prior experience includes managing tax work for several large publicly-held clients while working in a Southern California office of Deloitte & Touche. She began her career in the Northwest with a local CPA firm where she gained a wide range of experience in income tax preparation, research, business valuations, and tax planning.
Laura graduated with honors from Central Washington University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business and Accounting.
Laura is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society Certified Public Accountants. She is active with various professional organizations and community activities.
JAYANTHI BHANDARKAR, CPA
Assurance Manager
As an assurance manager in Danville, Jayanthi manages many of the firm’s audit engagements in both Northern and Southern California. She is a key member of the JHS accounting and audit committee and has developed extensive experience with audits and reviews of construction, nonprofit organizations, employee training and benefits funds, and 401k pension funds. She also manages and oversees agreed-upon procedure engagements for the payroll reviews of non-profit training trust and benefit trust funds.
Her prior experience was in the banking industry as a branch operations manager. In that capacity, she supervised and trained tellers and new accounts representatives and was responsible for all branch operations including human resource matters and marketing.
Jayanthi obtained a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Accounting from California State University, Hayward and graduated with honors – magna cum laude. Her prior education included a Bachelor of Arts in both Economics and History from the University of Mysore in India.
Jayanthi is a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Certified Global Management Accountant (CGMA), and California Society of Certified Public Accountants (Cal CPA). In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, reading, and traveling.
DEANNA FERGUSON, CPA
Tax & Assurance Manager
As a tax and assurance manager in the Danville office, Deanna oversees financial statement reviews and tax preparation for many of the firm’s construction and service-industry clients. She also enjoys assisting clients with income tax planning matters.
Her prior experience was with a CPA firm in Fremont where she developed her financial statement and taxation skills. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Brigham Young University.
Deanna is a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants.
JANET A. HOFFMAN, CPA
Senior Tax Manager
Janet is a senior tax manager in the Danville office who possesses a broad range of taxation experience and favors working with partnerships, S corporations, and their related individuals. Her many contributions to the firm include her ability to work on a family of related clients, such as real estate entities, family businesses, trusts, and family tax planning.
Her prior experience includes tax planning research, consulting, and tax compliance with small businesses and partnerships while working in the Oakland and San Francisco offices of Price Waterhouse. She also spent two years in the firm’s London office gaining international experience while planning and preparing income tax returns for expatriate clients.
Janet graduated from the University of California at Davis with a degree in Mathematical Economics and went on to obtain her Masters of Business Administration with an Accounting specialization from the University of California at Berkeley.
ADRIAN MENDOZA-PEREZ, CPA
Assurance Manager
Adrian is an assurance manager in Danville who manages some of the firm’s attest engagements in both Northern and Southern California. He specializes in audit and attest services but also assists with individual and corporate income tax preparation. His experience includes working with both large and small organizations in a variety of industries including construction, real estate, nonprofit, and employment benefit accounts.
Adrian graduated from Saint Mary’s College of California, earning a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.
Adrian is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and California Society of Certified Public Accountants.
BOB SCHLARB, CPA
Senior Tax Manager
Bob is a senior tax manager in the Danville office who provides valuable experience and skills to his clients in many areas involving tax and accounting. His current work includes taxation of privately-held entities, succession planning, operations consulting, and purchase and sale transactions. He is also highly experienced with audits, tax research, and commercial real estate transactions.
Prior to joining JHS, he worked with Price Waterhouse and spent some time as a senior tax manager in the firm’s San Jose office servicing several high technology clients. He was also a senior staff in their Tokyo office where, in addition to expatriate income taxes, he also gained experience with tax planning and compliance of domestic entities.
Bob is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants. He graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting.
Jennifer Shreve, CPA
Tax Manager
Jennifer is a tax manager in the Danville office who joined JHS in August of 2019 after working for several local CPA firms, a medical device manufacturing company, and a large international CPA firm. Her broad experience provides valuable insight when working with small business and owners in a variety of industries. Her experience in both the public and private accounting fields provides a service that is well-rounded from bookkeeping to tax to business solutions.
Jennifer is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants. She graduated from California Polytechnical State University at San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a concentration in Accounting.
While currently volunteering for a local food pantry, she enjoys skiing, gardening, cooking, reading, and traveling.
David Faux, CPA
Tax & Assurance Supervisor
David is a tax and assurance supervisor at JHS in Danville and works on a variety of services including audit and reviews as well as income taxes for corporations, partnerships, and individuals. He has worked in public accounting with JHS for the past six years and is a licensed CPA. He specializes in construction-industry accounting.
David graduated from California State University, Chico with a Bachelor of Science in Business with a concentration in Accounting.
Zola Galbadrakh
Senior Tax Advisor
Zola received both her Bachelor's and Master's degree in Accounting from Saint Mary's College of California. As a senior tax advisor, her focus is on tax preparation and tax planning for businesses and individuals. In her free time, she enjoys reading books and listening to music.
Katie Agee, CPA
Staff Accountant
Katie is a staff accountant in Danville and currently works on both tax and attest engagements, aspiring to make audit and attest services her focus. Her experience includes working mostly with small clients in a variety of industries including construction, real estate, non-profit, medical, legal, and other business service entities.
Katie grew up in the Bay Area and has over 17 years of accounting experience. She began her career working as a bookkeeper before getting into public accounting. She joined JHS in 2021 after working 5 years in public accounting.
Katie graduated from California State University, Hayward earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting in 2003 and became a licensed Certified Public Accountant in 2021.
Katie is an active member of California Society of Certified Public Accountants. In her personal time, she enjoys participating in community outreach, swimming, reading, and spending time with her friends.
Stefano Herrera
Staff Accountant
Stefano is a tax advisor in Danville who assists in tax preparation and attest services. His experience includes working with organizations in various industries, most of which are construction and real estate. Stefano is from Concord, California, and has 3 years of experience in financial services. He joined JHS in 2020 after graduating from Saint Mary's College with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.
Karen Courtney
Office Manager
Karen has worked at JHS since 2011 and has over 35 years of professional experience as an administrative assistant after completing her secretarial certification at two business colleges. Karen enjoys multi-tasking, the high energy that comes with working at a CPA firm, and providing dependable support to not only the employees at JHS but also to JHS' clients. When not working, she enjoys reading, crafts, going to beach, and spending time with family and friends.
Hannah Bagley
Office Manager
Hannah has been a part of the JHS admin team since 2020. She graduated from UC Davis with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Human Development. She has over 10 years of experience in administration and customer service, working in a variety of fields. Hannah is a born and raised Californian. In her spare time, Hannah likes to spend time listening to audiobooks, watching tv and movies, and spending time with her friends, family, and dog.
Sarah McKinley-Ranganathan
Office Manager
Sarah has been with JHS since 2007, having brought over a decade of administration experience with her. Through the years, she has enjoyed the close-knit environment that the company provides, the opportunity to grow her skill set, and the challenges of the ever-evolving accounting world. While focusing on billing, accounts payable, tax return assembly, client customer service and even a bit of property management, Sarah appreciates the support of her professional "family," as they provide outstanding service to their clients. Outside of work, Sarah loves enjoying all that the Bay Area has to offer with her husband and two boys. You can most likely find her baking in the kitchen or on the golf course watching her boys play and compete in tournaments.
Angela Hilderbrandt
Administrative Assistant
Angela took over as the smile that greets you coming in the door in September 2022. Born and raised in Georgia, Angela and her husband drove across the country to make the Bay Area their new home. Angela has 7 years of administrative experience, and especially enjoys customer service and getting to know the clients! In her free time, she likes overlanding, playing pinball, and hiking with their Plott Hound, Oakley.