Your Team
We are Here for You
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!
The Executive Team
Rachel G. Young, CPA, CGMA MAcc
CEO & Managing Shareholder
Kolbe: 8-7-2-3
Rachel is the Queen of governmental & nonprofit auditing, financial reporting regulation, and governance. She is a proven strategic planning advisor. Her free time is family time - there's nothing better than a day with her husband, Josh, & their 2 children, Edy & Silas.
Diane Anderson
COO & Director of Client Development
Kolbe: 9-6-3-2
Diane is here to get you rocking & rolling with the right team members to start reaching your goals. (Not-so) hidden talent? She's a banking & capital expert. Speaking of rock & roll... she and her husband love going to concerts & traveling to Napa and/or Lake Tahoe.
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. Erann and her husband live in Foley with their son and nephew. Together they all enjoy boating, fishing, and anything on the water.
Of Counsel
Xavier Hartmann, III, CPA
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
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
Consultant
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!
Our Team
Javier Ahumada, MBA
Accountant I
KOLBE: 8-3-4-4
Javier graduated from the University of Mobile. After working three years in New York, he returned to Alabama and joined our team. As part of Avizo, Javier assists with tax, assurance, and client accounting services. He enjoys playing tennis, outdoor activities, and hanging out with his family in his free time.
Nancy Bell
Firm Administrator
Guess who's back? Back again? It's Nancy! 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 22+ 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. 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 and not for profit organizations. She loves cats, pickles, going to the beach, & watching Crimson Tide football.
Kirsten Robertson 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.
Amanda Green
Customer Service Specialist
Kolbe: 6-6-4-4
18 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.
Lucia Guajardo
Marketing and Operations Coordinator
KOLBE:3-8-3-6
Lucia is a graduate of the University of Mobile and joined our team in November 2023 after working in New York for three years. Lucia handles marketing tasks and assists our CAS department with various projects. She resides in Fairhope, Alabama, with her husband, Javier. In her free time, Lucia enjoys spending time with her family, and engaging in outdoor activities.
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. Harper currently resides in Fairhope with his wife. When he is not at work he enjoys spending time with his family, fishing, boating, and playing golf. He is committed to ensuring that the audit engagements are completed effectively and efficiently.
Elizabeth Hope
Supervisor
KOLBE:4-6-3-7
Fairhope native, Auburn University alum (War Eagle!), and public accountant with over 6 years of experience. She went from Dallas, TX, to Park City, UT, before moving back home. Elizabeth is passionate about water activities like scuba diving, sailing, and kayaking.
Josh Jensen, CPA
Manager
Kolbe: 8-5-3-3
A remote employee working in Mississippi since 2007, Josh perfected the WFH model long ago. His expertise serves business clients with a primary focus in the construction industry. Josh enjoys traveling, Saints football, golfing & being with his family.
Ellie LaPorte
Accountant II
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Our Interns
Olivia Counselman
Audit & Tax Intern
KOLBE: 8-7-3-3
Graduating in December, Olivia is entering the accounting field with two years of administrative assistant experience. A lifelong resident of Spanish Fort, Alabama, she enjoys staying organized through cleaning, car detailing, and puzzles. She also loves visiting Disney World, going 2-4 times a year.
Jon Byrd
Admin Intern
KOLBE: 7-6-3-3
Jon joins our team as an admin intern. He has always liked math, so having great professors at the University of Mobile and enjoying the very first accounting class he took put him on the trajectory to begin his career in accounting. He will graduate in 2026 with his undergrad and masters. In his free time, he golfs on the UM team, plays video games, or hangs out with his friends.
Josh Harris
Tax Intern
KOLBE: 8-5-2-6
Josh joins our team with 7 months of experience in governmental accounting. A student at the University of Mobile, he will graduate in May 2025 with a Master in business admin and a bachelors in accounting. In his free time, he enjoys taking random trips with his friends.
Aleah Kennedy
Tax Intern
KOLBE: 6-8-2-5
As someone who has always loved numbers and paying attention to details, Aleah will graduate from the University of Mobile in May 2025 with a Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in Accounting. When not studying or learning accounting with us, she loves going deep sea fishing, working out, and spending time with family and friends.
Michael McCrary
Tax Intern
KOLBE: 7-8-3-3
Michael is joining us for his THIRD tax season as an intern! After taking Accounting 241 as a dual-enrollment class in high school he knew accounting was the career for him. He'll graduate in 2026 from the University of Mobile, and outside of school and work, he enjoys hanging out with friends, going to ministry events at school/church, and playing pickleball, basketball, and tennis.
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