Our Team
Trusted advisors who listen, collaborate, and put your financial goals first
Firm Profile
Call it philosophy, vision, or just the way we are: we serve each of our clients to the utmost of our ability, we treat our colleagues with respect, and we proudly support the communities in which we live.
Click around and get to know us a little better!
Executive Team
Rachel G. Young, CPA, CGMA MAcc
CEO & Managing Shareholder
Kolbe: 8-7-2-3
Rachel has deep expertise in assurance, strategy, and business consulting with specialized focus in governmental and nonprofit auditing, financial reporting regulation, and governance. A leader in Strategic Planning, if your project involves aligning goals, timelines, or big-picture vision, she’ll help you develop a sound plan. When she’s not helping businesses make smart decisions, you can find her outside with her family, serving in her church community, or cheering on the Atlanta Braves.
Diane Anderson
COO & Director of Client Development
Kolbe: 9-6-3-2
Diane supports you during onboarding to ensure our services align with your goals. With a background of 25 years in banking, from teller to Bank President, she leads our bank-related consulting services, such as FDIC Placement Service, a unique offering she developed after recognizing a gap in solutions available to nonprofit clients. Outside of work, Diane loves playing golf with her husband, Dan, and her ladies’ golf group. She also enjoys attending live music venues and weekly dinners with friends.
Erann Thompson
Principal & Director of Advisory Services
Kolbe: 8-7-2-3
Erann works side-by-side with business owners to find the right combination of accounting cloud applications to develop efficiencies & profitability for your business. She is the firm’s go-to resource for accounting questions and while her technical expertise runs deep, her true passion lies in consulting with business owners to help them better understand and manage their financial operations. And yes - she prepares taxes, too. Outside the office, Erann, her husband Justin, and their son Alex can be found on the water - either boating or enjoying the beach. She is a devoted Christmas enthusiast, a proud Atlanta Braves owner and fan, and a loyal Alabama football supporter.
Of Counsel
Xavier Hartmann, III, CPA
Of Counsel
A founder of the firm, Xavier paved the way for us to be here to serve you today. Now he occasionally offers consulting & litigation services, but mostly prefers to spend his time in New Orleans eating good food and watching great sports.
Sally Wagner, CPA
of counsel
A relationship expert and accounting whiz, Sally knows her way around a tax return & still occasionally shows off her skills while training staff. She loves meeting up with friends for dinner, working out at the YMCA, and traveling to see her niece in Texas.
Earl Blackmon, CPA, CGMA
of counsel
A successful LSS Greenbelt consultant, and 35+ as an accounting consultant to boot! Earl specializes in healthcare, retail & real estate industries. He enjoys camping with his wife, Lisa, visiting with his grandchildren, & watching sports - Go Jags! & Chop On!
The Team
Javier Ahumada, MBA
Accountant II
KOLBE: 8-3-4-4
Javier assists with tax, assurance, and client accounting services. He graduated from the University of Mobile and after working in New York for three years, he returned to Alabama and joined our team. He enjoys playing tennis, outdoor activities, and hanging out with his family in his free time.
Nancy Bell
Firm Administrator
After a few decades hiatus to work for the government, Nancy has returned to take over our HR and Firm Administrator duties. Besides making sure we get paid and coordinating with all our vendors, Nancy also loves K-Pop, her family, and making the most delicious smelling lunches our kitchen has ever produced.
Heather Brackin
Client Advisory Coordinator
Kolbe: 6-8-2-3
Working from Birmingham, Heather assists with a huge range of tasks from arranging client meetings, to coordinating big projects, and tracking our many internal initiatives. Some of her favorite things are: her husband, their kitties, and growing orchids.
Crissy Bonifay
Payroll Supervisor
Kolbe: 7-7-3-3
Crissy has been with our firm for 25+ years. She's developed an expertise in payroll and now offers those services and advice to clients. A Mardi Gras enthusiast, Crissy is one of the original founders of the Mystics of the Bay Krewe. She also loves reading, watching The Walking Dead and Supernatural, and hanging out with her family.
Taylor Clinkenbeard, CPA
Manager
Kolbe: 6-7-2-6
Taylor has a unique aptitude for identifying trends in numbers. Maybe that's why she's so great at training clients who want to understand cloud software and implement tax strategies. Some of her favorite activities include going to the beach, being outside, & Netflix binging.
Carly Corte, MAcc
Supervisor
Kolbe: 7-8-2-3
Carly excels at performing internal control analysis, audits, compilations and reviews for small companies, government agencies, 401k’s, condos, and not for profit organizations. She loves cats, pickles, going to the beach, & watching Crimson Tide football.
Amanda Green
Customer Service Specialist
Kolbe: 6-6-4-4
22 years ago, Amanda started right in the middle of a tax season and decided to stick around. That was lucky for us! She makes sure your problems are resolved while providing support to our team. She enjoys spending time with her son, Wesley, & volunteering with the Fairhope Fire Explorer Post 5058 program.
Harper Haygood
Senior Auditor
KOLBE:8-6-2-4
Harper brings a wealth of knowledge as an auditor and is a proud graduate of Troy University. He is committed to ensuring that the audit engagements are completed effectively and efficiently. Harper currently resides in Fairhope with his wife and when he is not at work, he enjoys spending time with his family, fishing, boating, and playing golf.
Elizabeth Hope
Supervisor
KOLBE:4-6-3-7
A Fairhope native, Auburn University alum (War Eagle!), and public accountant with over 6 years of experience, Elizabeth supports our Tax Department. She went from Dallas, Texas to Park City, Utah before moving back home. Elizabeth is passionate about water activities like scuba diving, sailing, and kayaking.
Tiana Ivey
CAS Supervisor
Backed by 15 years of client accounting and Controller experience, Tiana provides accurate financial reporting, consistent support, and practical solutions to help clients manage their business finances with confidence. She is QBO/Intuit Certified with extensive QuickBooks Online experience and also offers support in Xero, Bill.com, and other accounting systems. For fun, she enjoys outdoor activities - fishing, hunting, gardening, or traveling and camping. Tiana is also a baseball fan and roots for the Red Sox!
Josh Jensen, CPA
Manager
Kolbe: 8-5-3-3
A remote employee working in Mississippi since 2007, Josh perfected the work-from-home model long before it became the norm. He has been with Avizo since starting his career 20 years ago and in that time, he has developed a deep expertise in business taxation, specializing in the construction industry, as well as individual income tax and consulting. Josh’s free time is for snow skiing, travelling (especially to National Parks), and spending time with family, wife, Ashely and their children, Drew & Ally.
Heather Kelly
Executive Assistant
Heather spent 20 years managing nonprofit budgets and has joined our team to use her skills to supports our executive team by managing schedules, coordinating meetings, handling correspondence, and ensuring smooth day-to-day operations. She is particularly skilled in project management and software integration to help our clients streamline their operations and improve efficiency. In her free time, Heather enjoys traveling and spending time outdoors with her husband.
Ellie LaPorte
Senior Accountant
Kolbe: 7-8-4-2
A graduate from the University of South Alabama, Ellie joined Avizo after completing a spring internship in 2022. She is now part of our team developing expertise in our tax, assurance, and client accounting services. As a Kolbe Consultant, Ellie helps teams understand their natural talents to drive performance and success.
Karen McKinney
Manager
Kolbe: 8-6-3-3
With 30+ years of accounting experience, Karen's expertise lies in navigating complex business compliance and planning for healthcare, retail, and construction entities. She loves being a grandma, spending time with family, and celebrating Mardi Gras.
Kirsten Owens, CPA
Manager
Kolbe: 9-5-3-2
As an auditor, throughout the year Kirsten meets with clients to assist with their annual audit and address any concerns they have. As a mentor, every year Kirsten assists our interns with their technical and interpersonal training. She likes to boat, fish and hunt. When not outside, you’ll find her hanging out at home with her husband and their 2 dogs and 1 cat.
Shelby Pate
Customer Service Specialist
Kolbe: 5-7-7-2
A true relationship-builder, Shelby adores the clients she works with. She takes time to get to know you and make sure you’re taken care of every time you come to visit. She is also a lover of exotic birds and is a volunteer board member for both CACC vet tech advisory board and for the South Alabama’s Cage Bird Society.
Kim Pendley
Supervisor
Kolbe: 8-8-2-3
If you’re a business owner and your books are a mess – Kim can fix it. She has 25+ years of experience in nonprofit & governmental accounting and financial reporting as well as individual taxation (specifically LLCs or rental property). She enjoys spending time with her family and her dog, Cocoa and is a big fan of Nebraska Huskers football. Actually, she loves to watch most sports – including football, basketball, baseball, and WWE.
Marian Pekelder, CPA
Manager
Kolbe: 8-3-6-2
Business owners can rely on Marian for answering questions with practical, well-researched advice. Around the firm, everyone knows she can whip up a response to an IRS notice in her sleep. Outside of work, you’ll often find her working in her yard, camping with friends, or tending to her horses, cats, and dogs.
Jill Rector
Director of Billing
Kolbe: 7-4-4-3
Dedicated to continuous improvement, Jill is always listening to client and employee feedback to make our billing process as efficient as possible. As a remote employee she resides in Destin, Florida with her husband and grandson. Jill has a lot of fun remodeling furniture, watching Alabama football, and going to church.
Chris VanArsdale
Manager
Kari Wolfe
Creative Content Director
Membership & Associations
