Our Team

John Benjamin joined SD Mayer as the Director of Business Development after 30 years of entrepreneurship, real estate development, accounting and management consulting experience. He has worked within the fields of finance, real estate development and hospitality services. His specialties include fundraising, team development, and strategy consulting. His work at SD Mayer focuses on the relationship management of all client engagements as he leads the expansion and growth initiatives for the firm.

Prior to SD Mayer, John served as the Director of Project Development for Golden Gate Global, and also served in CEO and CFO/Controller roles for other companies.

Steve Mayer is the Founder and Managing Partner of SD Mayer & Associates, an accounting, consulting, and wealth management firm located in San Francisco.

Prior to SD Mayer, he was the CEO of a large regional accounting firm, Burr Pilger Mayer (BPM). Steve has also been involved in several other businesses including a number of restaurants, co-founder of Presidio Bank, and an owner of Books Inc., a bookstore chain.

On a professional basis, Steve’s accounting, consulting, and wealth management career gives him the ability to work with his clients on accounting, tax, M&A, business advisory and strategic planning.

Steve has been very active in the community and over the last 40 years has served on more than 15 non-profit boards including the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Bay Area Council, and Riordan High School, to name a few.

He has recently published three books, and lives in San Mateo with his wife of 27 years and their three children.

When he turned 60, he did an Ironman just to make sure he was still in shape.

Wyatt has been with the firm since 2018, and was promoted to COO after one year with the firm. He has worked in operations and project management for previous five years. He oversees virtually all of the internal operations within the firm, including IT, HR, Billing and Project Management. Wyatt is also involved in many of our consulting projects related to data analysis and reporting.

Coming to the firm with an engineering background, Wyatt is able to provide a completely different perspective to the firm when it comes to analyzing data and providing reporting that has allowed the firm to realize productivity and enhance revenues. We’re told that he can also engineer spacecraft and missiles.

Osbaldo has been with the firm since 2021, working as an Audit Associate. He has worked in various accounting roles, in accounts payable, by implementing accounting procedures, and compiling capital expenditures.  Osbaldo has worked in accounting and finance in a variety of accounting roles.

Osbaldo earned an Associates degree in Business Administration from Diablo Valley College, followed up by a Bachelors degree in Business Administration, Finance from San Jose State University. He is currently working on his MBA.

Rajat joined the firm in early 2022, working remotely from India.  His 5 years of accounting experience includes working for Deloitte in India for 3.5 years, and Ernst & Young in financial due diligence for 1 year.  At Deloitte, he has done Statutory Audit work per PCAOB standards and clients in the real estate and energy & oil industries.  He has experience being part of the PCAOB inspection as an auditee and participated in preparation for the inspection clearance. He also handled audit of the renewable energy sector, healthcare, and telecommunications industries.  His internship was at Vijay Gupta & Jain, which is well recognized  in India for statutory audits since 1963.

Rajat has a Bachelor of Commerce from Kurukshetra University, and belongs to the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

Avery started with the firm in 2023 and works in the audit department.

Kelly has been with the firm since 2018, working in the audit practice. She came to us through an internship through CalPoly and her commitment and experience lead her to be hired full-time. Kelly has internship experience at both Moss Levy & Hartzheim LLP and Deloitte. She is skilled in analyzing financial statements, performing financial report audits and collaborating with our small audit team.

Kelly has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Cal Poly SLO.

Steve Mayer is the Founder and Managing Partner of SD Mayer & Associates, an accounting, consulting, and wealth management firm located in San Francisco.

Prior to SD Mayer, he was the CEO of a large regional accounting firm, Burr Pilger Mayer (BPM). Steve has also been involved in several other businesses including a number of restaurants, co-founder of Presidio Bank, and an owner of Books Inc., a bookstore chain.

On a professional basis, Steve’s accounting, consulting, and wealth management career gives him the ability to work with his clients on accounting, tax, M&A, business advisory and strategic planning.

Steve has been very active in the community and over the last 40 years has served on more than 15 non-profit boards including the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Bay Area Council, and Riordan High School, to name a few.

He has recently published three books, and lives in San Mateo with his wife of 27 years and their three children.

When he turned 60, he did an Ironman just to make sure he was still in shape.

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.

Juelle has worked in our Audit practice since 2023.  Her experience includes one year of tax experience working primarily on individual tax returns, and two years of audit experience, mostly on construction audits with experience in Employee Benefit Plans.

Juelle graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from UC Berkeley, Haas School of Business.

Fadi has over 20 years of auditing and assurance experience, working at firms like Marcum LLP, Lindquist LLP, KPMG and Deloitte. His audit experience includes financial statement audits and reviews, examinations, single audits, and agreed-upon procedures. He has served includes private companies, nonprofits, government entities, and employee benefit plans. Industries include biotech, financial services, manufacturing and services, nonprofits (public charities, healthcare clinics, foundations, unions and associations), defined benefit plans, defined contributions plans, health and welfare plans, government units, and public agencies

Fadi has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Al Albayt University in Jordan.  He also has an active CPA license.

In his free time, Fadi spends time with his wife and four sons, camping and playing soccer.  Weekends include long hikes up Mount Diablo, enjoying the amazing views of the Bay area and San Francisco.  Fadi enjoys using his drone to take photos of the beautiful natural surroundings.

Elias has over 25 years of auditing and assurance experience, and became a certified public accountant in 2002. His audit experience includes nonprofit organizations, private businesses, broker-dealers and public companies. He is well-versed in all aspects of accounting, auditing and finance. Elias has been with SD Mayer since the inception of the firm in 2012.

Elias has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting & Finance from Cal State East Bay.

Bhonie has been with the firm since 2015, and is currently working in both the tax and audit departments. He helps the teams with engagement letters, mailing tax planners, pre-populating tax returns and with all other administrative tasks.

Tina started with the firm in 2021 after working as a bookkeeper for a San Francisco-based company for three years. At that company Tina, compiled analytical reports, assisted the controller with monthly close, and reconciled and entered daily/weekly sales. At SD Mayer, she will be working in our audit and assurance department.

Tina has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Accounting from UC Santa Barbara, has participated in the Professional Preparation Program for Accounting at UCSB Extension, and has attended The London School of Economics and Political Science, City College of San Francisco.

Greg has been working in the marketing and communications field for over 25 years.  He started with SD Mayer in 2017, as the first and only marketing staff member, creating the department from the ground up.  Greg quickly began the process of rebranding the firm, creating a new website, marketing collateral and publishing two of Steve’s long-time projects, his books—5 Buckets, 4 Shovels, a Beach and a Map, and The Toughest Guy I Ever Knew and Other Short Stories.

Prior to SD Mayer, Greg worked for another accounting firm (Armanino), an accounting membership organization (CalCPA), and an investment firm (Franklin Templeton Investments), in various roles in their marketing/communications and web development departments. He also ran his own print and web development business for over 20 years.

Brian has worked at SD Mayer since 2014 as the firm’s Controller, also working in the Outsourced Accounting department as an outsourced Controller, as well as supervising the team. Overall, Brian has worked in Finance for nearly 20 years, including as the Finance Manager at another company.

Brian holds both a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting/Business Management, as well as a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Accounting & Finance.

Helen has over 30 years of tax experience starting at PWC, and including Franklin Templeton Investments, Sensiba San Filippo and Brown Adams. She is the leader of the firm’s tax practice, meaning she’s responsible for hiring, strategic planning, production and billing, training and she serves on the leadership team, transition team and runs weekly department meetings.

Helen graduated with a bachelors degree in International Relations from Stanford University.

Michael has worked in accounting and finance for over 15 years, including Novogradac & Company, Wells Fargo and Vocker Kristofferson and Co, which was acquired by SD Mayer in 2022.  He works with individuals, partnerships, corporations, high wealth individuals and families, and nonprofits.  He works with real estate, stock options, estate tax, small businesses and trusts.

Michael received a Bachelors degree in Economics with an Accounting emphasis from University of California, Santa Barbara, and earned a Masters degree in Taxation from Golden Gate University.

Steve Mayer is the Founder and Managing Partner of SD Mayer & Associates, an accounting, consulting, and wealth management firm located in San Francisco.

Prior to SD Mayer, he was the CEO of a large regional accounting firm, Burr Pilger Mayer (BPM). Steve has also been involved in several other businesses including a number of restaurants, co-founder of Presidio Bank, and an owner of Books Inc., a bookstore chain.

On a professional basis, Steve’s accounting, consulting, and wealth management career gives him the ability to work with his clients on accounting, tax, M&A, business advisory and strategic planning.

Steve has been very active in the community and over the last 40 years has served on more than 15 non-profit boards including the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Bay Area Council, and Riordan High School, to name a few.

He has recently published three books, and lives in San Mateo with his wife of 27 years and their three children.

When he turned 60, he did an Ironman just to make sure he was still in shape.

Noel has worked in the accounting field for over 40 years, beginning with Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC) in San Francisco. After leaving Coopers & Lybrand, Noel went on to start his own firm, joining Tony Pohl and Mike Berg to form Pohl, McNabola Berg & Co. In 2006, he merged his firm with Helin, Donovan, Trubee & Wilkinson of Austin, TX to form PMB Helin Donovan (PMBHD), which grew to 150 employees and 22 partners. In 2016, Noel left PMBHD to join SD Mayer, joining Steve Mayer whom he’d worked with at Coopers & Lybrand, completing the full circle.

At SD Mayer, Noel serves as the partner-in-charge of the tax department, working mainly with high net-worth individuals and their pass-through entities, S-Corps, LLCs and trusts. He has significant experience with ex-pat taxpayers and non-resident aliens helping then navigate the difficult tax rules relating to their affairs.

He is a member of the San Francisco Estate Planning Committee and the AICPA.

In the past, he has served as chair of the San Francisco Nonprofit Committee, San Francisco chapter for CalCPA.

Wyatt has been with the firm since 2018, and was promoted to COO after one year with the firm. He has worked in operations and project management for previous five years. He oversees virtually all of the internal operations within the firm, including IT, HR, Billing and Project Management. Wyatt is also involved in many of our consulting projects related to data analysis and reporting.

Coming to the firm with an engineering background, Wyatt is able to provide a completely different perspective to the firm when it comes to analyzing data and providing reporting that has allowed the firm to realize productivity and enhance revenues. We’re told that he can also engineer spacecraft and missiles.

Dan has over 30 years of finance, operations, accounting and wealth management experience in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is an engaging leader possessing a winning blend of financial leadership, wealth management, financial strategy and communications acumen. Dan is a natural when it comes to building genuine connections with people at all levels in order to drive financial strategies and plans, with the goal of helping clients achieve their financial hopes, goals and dreams.

Prior to SD Mayer, Dan worked with KPMG, Nokia, New York Life Insurance Company and Eagle Strategies in roles related to accounting, finance and wealth management.

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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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Elias has over 25 years of auditing and assurance experience, and became a certified public accountant in 2002. His audit experience includes nonprofit organizations, private businesses, broker-dealers and public companies. He is well-versed in all aspects of accounting, auditing and finance. Elias has been with SD Mayer since the inception of the firm in 2012.

Elias has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting & Finance from Cal State East Bay.

Greg has been working in the marketing and communications field for over 25 years.  He started with SD Mayer in 2017, as the first and only marketing staff member, creating the department from the ground up.  Greg quickly began the process of rebranding the firm, creating a new website, marketing collateral and publishing two of Steve’s long-time projects, his books—5 Buckets, 4 Shovels, a Beach and a Map, and The Toughest Guy I Ever Knew and Other Short Stories.

Prior to SD Mayer, Greg worked for another accounting firm (Armanino), an accounting membership organization (CalCPA), and an investment firm (Franklin Templeton Investments), in various roles in their marketing/communications and web development departments. He also ran his own print and web development business for over 20 years.

John Benjamin joined SD Mayer as the Director of Business Development after 30 years of entrepreneurship, real estate development, accounting and management consulting experience. He has worked within the fields of finance, real estate development and hospitality services. His specialties include fundraising, team development, and strategy consulting. His work at SD Mayer focuses on the relationship management of all client engagements as he leads the expansion and growth initiatives for the firm.

Prior to SD Mayer, John served as the Director of Project Development for Golden Gate Global, and also served in CEO and CFO/Controller roles for other companies.

When you call us or come in our offices at SD Mayer, Stephanie will likely be the first to greet you. She sits at the front desk and is not only responsible for routing all of the incoming calls, but also helping out on the administrative end with mailings, ordering supplies and getting our days started with a fresh pot of coffee and some snacks.

Gail has been with the firm since the inception, and has been Steve’s assistant since August 1994. She serves as the firm administrator, is responsible for managing the administrative team, handles a variety of tasks for partners and staff, and honestly, keeps us all in check.  If you need to talk to Steve, you’ll likely have to go through Gail.

Alona joined the firm in late-2022, serving as the Office Manager for our San Mateo location.  Her prior experience includes working as the administrative assistant for a property management company in San Francisco for three years.  She also worked as a bookkeeper for Teaspoon Franchising Company for a year, responsible for AR/AP, payroll, bank reconciliation and generating financial reports.  Alona has four years of experience as an office manager as another accounting firm.

Alona’s education includes courses in computer education in the Philippines.

Steve Mayer is the Founder and Managing Partner of SD Mayer & Associates, an accounting, consulting, and wealth management firm located in San Francisco.

Prior to SD Mayer, he was the CEO of a large regional accounting firm, Burr Pilger Mayer (BPM). Steve has also been involved in several other businesses including a number of restaurants, co-founder of Presidio Bank, and an owner of Books Inc., a bookstore chain.

On a professional basis, Steve’s accounting, consulting, and wealth management career gives him the ability to work with his clients on accounting, tax, M&A, business advisory and strategic planning.

Steve has been very active in the community and over the last 40 years has served on more than 15 non-profit boards including the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Bay Area Council, and Riordan High School, to name a few.

He has recently published three books, and lives in San Mateo with his wife of 27 years and their three children.

When he turned 60, he did an Ironman just to make sure he was still in shape.

Rowena has been with SD Mayer since 2013, and has worked with Steve since 2007 at his prior firm. As the client systems administrator, Rowena’s role is mainly focused on onboarding and client engagements, including drafting contracts, onboarding clients and handling firm wide billings.

Prior to SD Mayer, Rowena worked at BPM as an administrative assistant and at the Chalhoub Group as a marketing coordinator.

Wyatt has been with the firm since 2018, and was promoted to COO after one year with the firm. He has worked in operations and project management for previous five years. He oversees virtually all of the internal operations within the firm, including IT, HR, Billing and Project Management. Wyatt is also involved in many of our consulting projects related to data analysis and reporting.

Coming to the firm with an engineering background, Wyatt is able to provide a completely different perspective to the firm when it comes to analyzing data and providing reporting that has allowed the firm to realize productivity and enhance revenues. We’re told that he can also engineer spacecraft and missiles.

Raghav came to SD Mayer through an internship with USF’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation program. When the internship ended during the summer of 2019, he showed an interest in remaining with the firm working at a project coordinator and also helping out with the outsourced accounting practice. Raghav helps with balance sheets, financial statements and bill pay/payroll.

Raghav has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Communications and a Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Isabel started working in the firms’ outsourced accounting practice in 2023.  Her experience includes working as a staff accountant at Hardypaw, and three years in payroll and accounts payable at HealthyPets, Inc.  In her free time she studies and spends time her cats, friends and family.

Isabel is studying accounting and business management from De Anza College.

Rob joined our team in late-2022 as an Outsourced Accounting Manager.  He is well versed in providing accounting leadership and direction, and proficient in U.S. GAAP and FASB rules and standards.  Rob has worked as a Controller and consultant in a real estate environment over the last ten years, and in the restaurant industry prior to that. He prepares monthly cash flows and budgets, monthly/quarterly/annual financial statements, and reconciliations of GL accounts. 

Rob has a degree in Accounting and Business Management.

Tom has over 25 years of experience working in finance and accounting, as a Senior Accountant and an Accounting Manager and controller.  His experience includes general ledger accounts, cash management, accounts payable/receivable, inventory control, reconciliations, and reporting.  Tom recently joined our firm after the last three years in the printing industry. He also has accounting experience in Property Management, Mortgage Banking, and the Health Insurance industries.

Tom has also spent about 10 years in retail marketing/merchandising.

Tom received his associates degree in accounting of Sierra College, and has also attended University of Phoenix.

Meixiao has worked in tax and accounting since 2014. She started as a tax preparer for San Francisco State University, assisting tax filers with intake forms, and helping filers maximize refunds and minimize payments. She worked for Asian, Inc. for over a year, handling AP, AR and payroll, prepared 1099’s, recorded payments and prepared for deposits, posted journal entries and ran reports and financial statements. For nearly 6 years, Meixiao worked for LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, first as an AP/AR Coordinator and then as a General Ledger Accountant.

Meixiao graduated from City College of San Francisco with an AA Degree in Accounting, and from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.

Brian has worked at SD Mayer since 2014 as the firm’s Controller, also working in the Outsourced Accounting department as an outsourced Controller, as well as supervising the team. Overall, Brian has worked in Finance for nearly 20 years, including as the Finance Manager at another company.

Brian holds both a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting/Business Management, as well as a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Accounting & Finance.

Anthony has been working with the firm since late-2022.  He has prior experience working in an accounting department doing bill of ladings and reconciliations.  He is currently assisting our outsourced accounting department.

Anthony has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Cal East Bay.

Carlos has been with the firm since 2018. Working with our outsourced accounting team, Carlos provides bookkeeping and bill pay support for his clients, which span all industries. He provides full-cycle accounting, financial statements, fixed asset schedule and recording of transactions in the G/L following GAAP principles. Carlos prepares Board presentations that communicate and support analytical findings.

Carlos graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in accounting.

Steve Mayer is the Founder and Managing Partner of SD Mayer & Associates, an accounting, consulting, and wealth management firm located in San Francisco.

Prior to SD Mayer, he was the CEO of a large regional accounting firm, Burr Pilger Mayer (BPM). Steve has also been involved in several other businesses including a number of restaurants, co-founder of Presidio Bank, and an owner of Books Inc., a bookstore chain.

On a professional basis, Steve’s accounting, consulting, and wealth management career gives him the ability to work with his clients on accounting, tax, M&A, business advisory and strategic planning.

Steve has been very active in the community and over the last 40 years has served on more than 15 non-profit boards including the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Bay Area Council, and Riordan High School, to name a few.

He has recently published three books, and lives in San Mateo with his wife of 27 years and their three children.

When he turned 60, he did an Ironman just to make sure he was still in shape.

Katie previously worked for Blend, LLC before joining us at SD Mayer.  Her accounting experience includes working with QBO, Bill.com and she has worked in e-commerce and with small businesses.

Katie is originally from California, but now calls North Carolina her home, where she works from her home office.  She loves exploring the coastal regions with her kids, and spends time with her son’s cub scouts activities and with her car-enthusiast daughter.

Patrick started with SD Mayer in 2020 and has nearly a decade of experience in a variety of industries providing budgetary projections, tracking sales, financial analysis, P&L ratios and expense reports.

Patrick graduated from Drew University and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and has lived in both New York and in Washington DC.

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.

Ken manages projects in our outsourced accounting practice, working with the firm since 2014. He is certified in Quickbooks and is often the first call when we need an implementation for a new client. He provides services like monthly closes, preparing journal entries, monthly accruals and reconciling to the general ledger. Prior to SD Mayer, Ken worked for about 15 years at other companies in accounting, AP/AR.

Ken has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from UC Davis.

Jennifer started with the firm in 2023, working in our Outsourced Accounting practice.  She previously worked for BLVD Residential, HMH Engineers, Ruth & Going, and ReSurge International, all in their accounting departments.  She has six years experience.

Jennifer graduated from San Francisco State University, with a Bachelor in Political Science.

Nick has been with the firm since 2022, working in the Outsourced Accounting practice as a consultant.  He provides bookkeeping and bill pay support for his clients, which span all industries.  He has over five years of experience in accounts payable/accounts receivable, month-end closeing, amoritization and depreciation schedules.

Nick majored in Finance and Economics at Sierra Nevada University.

Hien joined SD Mayer in early-2019, working in our Outsourced Accounting practice. He performs monthly bookkeeping, journal entries, bill pay and reconciliations. Hien has nearly 5 years of experience in accounting.

Hien has a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from San Jose State University.

Kara started with the firm in 2023, working in our Outsourced Accounting practice.  Her prior experience includes work in the manufacturing and construction industries, and in property management.

Kara has a Bachelor in Arts from UC Santa Cruz in United States and African History.

Michael works in our Outsourced Accounting practice as a consultant. He has worked in the investment management industry, working with firms like Bertram Capital and Polkinghorne & Sereno.  Michael joined the firm in March 2020.

Michael graduated from California State University – Stanislaus and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting.

Candice has worked with the firm since mid-2014, handing our internal accounts payable and accounts receivables, and reconciliations. She currently works offsite as a consultant to the firm. She joined the firm after working nearly 5 years working with Steve at his prior firm, BPM. She is currently working out of her Las Vegas home office.

Albert started with the firm in 2023, working in our Outsourced Accounting practice.  He previously worked for G.W. Williams Co. in their accounting department.  His experience includes AP/AR, general ledger, month-end reconciliation.  He has worked in the accounting industry since 2019.

He has a Bachelor Degree from University of California, Santa Cruz, in Business Management Economics, emphasis in Accounting.

Angelica has worked in public accounting for a decade. She primarily focuses on tax preparation for individuals, corporations, partnerships and nonprofits, as well as in tax project management. Prior to SD Mayer, she worked with one of our partners, Noel McNabola, at PMB Helin Donovan for roughly 3 years before it was acquired by SD Mayer in 2016.

Angelica attended school at San Francisco State University and has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.

Greg has been with SD Mayer since 2013, a few months after the firm was founded, and overall 20 years of accounting experience. His focus is on tax return preparation and reviews for corporations, partnerships, trusts and individuals. Greg earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from San Jose State University, and also has his CPA.

Seth joined the firm in 2022, with his prior 20-years of accounting experience. His industry experience includes real estate, wineries and breweries, law firms, medical groups, restaurants and retail.  His clients also include individuals and closely-held businesses.

Originally from the Central Valley, Seth moved to Wisconsin after college, received his CPA in that state, followed by his CPA license in California.  He eventually came to the Bay Area and worked for BPM, and Elsberg & Garrett, both in Walnut Creek, before settling with us at SD Mayer.  Along with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration, he is working finishing up his Master’s of Science in Taxation in August.

Outside of work, and studying for his Masters, Seth enjoys spending time outdoors, golfing, cooking, wine tasting and sampling his favorite micro-brews.

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.

Aaron has been with SD Mayer since 2022, due to an acquisition with his former firm, Vocker Kristofferson and Co. CPAs.  He has been working in the accounting industry since 2013, working on both tax and audit teams.  His tax focus has been on individual, partnerships, trusts, corporations and nonprofits; his audit experience focused on nonprofits and employee benefit plans.

Aaron received his Bachelors in Business Management in Economics from University of California, Santa Cruz.  He is a licensed CPA.

Dina joined the firm in 2021 and has been working in the tax and accounting industry since 2015. She started at Thomson Reuters on the corporate tax and accounting support end. During tax seasons, she provided support to accounting firms in resolving e-filing issues, and data entry inquires related to the income tax products. Her Bay Area experience includes working at Robert Half, Hing Accountancy Corp, and Marcum. She served as a tax associate at Marcum for over a year, working with high net-worth individuals, partnerships, corporations, gift, and trust tax returns, in addition to year-end tax planning.

Dina has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a Master’s Degree in Taxation.

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.

Joe joined the firm in 2022, joining us with experience from Young, Craig and Co LLP, Andersen and Seiler LLP.  He has experience working in private client services, and works on individual, estate and trust returns, along with tax planning for high net-worth clients in the Bay Area.

Joe graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in Finance and is currently studying for his CPA license. He’s excited to learn and grow his career at SD Mayer.

Outside of work, Joe spends time with his long-time girlfriend, Madie, and his senior Chihuahua, Slim.  He enjoys golf and tennis, and trying out all of the great restaurants within the City.

Helen has over 30 years of tax experience starting at PWC, and including Franklin Templeton Investments, Sensiba San Filippo and Brown Adams. She is the leader of the firm’s tax practice, meaning she’s responsible for hiring, strategic planning, production and billing, training and she serves on the leadership team, transition team and runs weekly department meetings.

Helen graduated with a bachelors degree in International Relations from Stanford University.

Frisye has been working in accounting since 2008, after graduating from college.  She’s spent time at Burr Pilger Mayer (BPM), TNT, Inc. Certified Public Accountants, and Armanino, working in various roles from Tax Associate and moving up to Tax Manager.  She works with us part-time, remotely as she also spends time raising her child.

Frisye graduated from De Anza College with an AA in Liberal Arts, and then graduated from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance.

Michael has worked in accounting and finance for over 15 years, including Novogradac & Company, Wells Fargo and Vocker Kristofferson and Co, which was acquired by SD Mayer in 2022.  He works with individuals, partnerships, corporations, high wealth individuals and families, and nonprofits.  He works with real estate, stock options, estate tax, small businesses and trusts.

Michael received a Bachelors degree in Economics with an Accounting emphasis from University of California, Santa Barbara, and earned a Masters degree in Taxation from Golden Gate University.

Marianne co-founded her own firm in 1990, with eight years of experience at a large, local CPA firm.  In 2022, her firm, Vocker Kristofferson and Co. was acquired by SD Mayer.

Her experience has covered both the audit and tax areas for all of her client responsibility. Marianne holds a BS degree in business-economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Masters in taxation from Golden Gate University, San Francisco. Her community involvement in various organizations includes serving as a board member of the San Mateo-Foster City Community Education Foundation, the Highlands Recreation District, and Music at Kohl Mansion. Marianne previously served as treasurer of the Rotary Club of Burlingame and of the Congregational Church of San Mateo. Marianne currently serves on the State Committee of the Accounting Practices and Accounting Standards and previously served on the State Peer Review Committee for two terms.

Vicki joined the firm in 2022 and is working in the tax department.

WanJun has been with SD Mayer since 2022, due to an acquisition with her former firm, Vocker Kristofferson and Co. CPAs.  She has been working in the accounting industry since 2019, working on both tax and audit teams.  Her tax focus has been on individual, corporations and nonprofits; her audit experience includes auditing analytical procedures, engagement planning and testing, preparing financial statements, adjusting trial balances and creating Independent Auditor Reports.

WanJun earned her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from San Francisco State University in 2019.

Alona joined the firm in late-2022, serving as the Office Manager for our San Mateo location.  Her prior experience includes working as the administrative assistant for a property management company in San Francisco for three years.  She also worked as a bookkeeper for Teaspoon Franchising Company for a year, responsible for AR/AP, payroll, bank reconciliation and generating financial reports.  Alona has four years of experience as an office manager as another accounting firm.

Alona’s education includes courses in computer education in the Philippines.

Steve Mayer is the Founder and Managing Partner of SD Mayer & Associates, an accounting, consulting, and wealth management firm located in San Francisco.

Prior to SD Mayer, he was the CEO of a large regional accounting firm, Burr Pilger Mayer (BPM). Steve has also been involved in several other businesses including a number of restaurants, co-founder of Presidio Bank, and an owner of Books Inc., a bookstore chain.

On a professional basis, Steve’s accounting, consulting, and wealth management career gives him the ability to work with his clients on accounting, tax, M&A, business advisory and strategic planning.

Steve has been very active in the community and over the last 40 years has served on more than 15 non-profit boards including the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Bay Area Council, and Riordan High School, to name a few.

He has recently published three books, and lives in San Mateo with his wife of 27 years and their three children.

When he turned 60, he did an Ironman just to make sure he was still in shape.

Noel has worked in the accounting field for over 40 years, beginning with Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC) in San Francisco. After leaving Coopers & Lybrand, Noel went on to start his own firm, joining Tony Pohl and Mike Berg to form Pohl, McNabola Berg & Co. In 2006, he merged his firm with Helin, Donovan, Trubee & Wilkinson of Austin, TX to form PMB Helin Donovan (PMBHD), which grew to 150 employees and 22 partners. In 2016, Noel left PMBHD to join SD Mayer, joining Steve Mayer whom he’d worked with at Coopers & Lybrand, completing the full circle.

At SD Mayer, Noel serves as the partner-in-charge of the tax department, working mainly with high net-worth individuals and their pass-through entities, S-Corps, LLCs and trusts. He has significant experience with ex-pat taxpayers and non-resident aliens helping then navigate the difficult tax rules relating to their affairs.

He is a member of the San Francisco Estate Planning Committee and the AICPA.

In the past, he has served as chair of the San Francisco Nonprofit Committee, San Francisco chapter for CalCPA.

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.

Cyndel has worked with the firm since 2023, in our tax department.  She specializes in high-net-worth individuals, stock options, tax planning, passthrough entities and small businesses.  Prior experience includes ten year as the Senior Tax Manager at a San Mateo-based accounting firm.

Cyndel graduated from the University of the Phillipines with a Bachelors in Business Economics, and is an enrolled agent.

Ruiqi has over a decade of tax experience and has been with SD Mayer since 2019. She works with our San Leandro tax department focused on tax returns, S-corps, individuals, partnerships, non-profits, and trusts.  Ruiqi has worked with various other accounting firms like Squar Milner and Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co LLP.

Ruiqi earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Accounting from Brigham Young 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.

Bhonie has been with the firm since 2015, and is currently working in both the tax and audit departments. He helps the teams with engagement letters, m