Lizeth Castro-Frias

Lizeth recently graduated from the University of California, Davis with a degree in Economics.  She interned with us for the 2021 tax season and is now employed, as of 2022, with our firm as a tax associate in our Menlo Park office.

Sara recently graduated from the University of California, Davis with a degree in Economics.  She interned with us for the 2021 tax season and, as of 2022, is now employed with our firm as a tax associate in the Menlo Park office.

Thérèse has been with SD Mayer for nearly 10 years and has over 25 years of financial service industry experience. For the wealth management team, they’ll all agree that without Thérèse, they’d be lost. She helps them prepare for and assist with client meetings, helps create and maintain financial plans, processes all applications for investments and insurance, completes underwriting for insurance clients, policy service, distributes quarterly reports, arranges for IRA clients annual Required Minimum Distribution, manages our Irrevocable Trust clients administration – banking, Crummey Letters, gift requests and insurance premium payments.

Her second home is in Kenya, where she runs a nonprofit, Sabore’s Well, where they have built a school and installed two wells.

SECURITIES AND ADVISORY DISCLOSURE:

Securities offered through Valmark Securities, Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC. Fee based planning offered through SDM Advisors, LLC. Third party money management offered through Valmark Advisers, Inc a SEC registered investment advisor. 130 Springside Drive, Suite 300, Akron, Ohio 44333-2431. 1-800-765-5201. SDM Advisors, LLC is a separate entity from Valmark Securities Inc. and Valmark Advisers, Inc. 

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Claire has worked in public and private accounting for nearly a decade, working for firms like Brown Adams Agbayani LLP and Frank Kang Accountany, CPA. She joined SD Mayer in 2019 with our tax practice and works on a variety of projects.

Claire comes to us from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, and a Master’s Degree from Golden Gate University.

Julie has been with the firm since 2013 and has been in public accounting for 26 years, licensed for 23 years. She specializes in nonprofits, and is multi-talented, working in our outsourced accounting, tax and audit departments. She is one of a handful of people that works out of our Menlo Park office full-time.

Prior to SD Mayer, she worked with Steve at his prior firm, BPM, and then also worked with our partner, Joanne, at their prior firm, Brown Adams. She has a Bachelors degree from San Jose State University.

Chell has worked in accounting since 2013. He came to SD Mayer as an intern to our tax department and did such a great job that we hired him. He is now a tax associate in our Menlo Park office, learning the ropes from our tax partner, Joanne. So far so good.

Chell has a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from San Jose State University, and also has a Master of Science in Accountancy from San Jose State University.

As a partner at SDMayer, Joanne provides tax and accounting services to individuals and small businesses. Joanne focuses on tailoring services to be responsive to her client’s needs. “Our firm does more than prepare tax returns, we solve problems for our clients.”

Joanne has extensive individual tax knowledge. Specializations include general tax planning, strategic stock option planning, and community property allocations due to marital dissolutions.

Her tax and accounting experience with small businesses, includes corporation, partnerships, LLCs and sole proprietors. In addition to providing tax services to businesses, Joanne provides specialized consultation relating to stock option analysis, evaluation, and strategy, Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) planning, selecting the right Business entity, and sale of assets vs. stock analysis for business acquisitions and sales. Types of small businesses that we work with span a variety of industries; including manufacturing, construction, software, consulting, and medical services.

Joanne earned a Bachelor of Science in Business with an Accounting concentration, with honors, from San Jose State University. Current memberships include; Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Palo Alto Bar Association, and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Joanne enjoys spending time with her family, which includes 5 cats and 2 dog. She is a very passionate animal lover and keeps her license as a Veterinary Technician active. When she is not working, Joanne is often found helping out her 89 year old parents in Nevada, hanging out with her daughters, being a Grandma, volunteering at animal rescue sites, visiting family in Florida and an occasional visit to Disneyland.