Meet the Newest 2021 ASCPA Board Members

MEET THE NEWEST 2021 ASCPA BOARD MEMBERS

Each year, members of the Nominating Committee select individuals nominated by their peers from across the state and various segments of the CPA profession to join the ASCPA Board of Directors. We are excited to work with the newest incoming board members to gain their insights on how to make the Society stronger and stay relevant for our members.

James Moody, CPA joined Dent Moses in 2006 and became partner in 2014. James works with clients to provide accounting, audit, business consulting and tax services for privately held businesses in many industries, including wholesale distribution, professional service firms and not-for-profit organizations. James also provides consulting and tax services for high net worth individuals and shareholders of privately held businesses. James is a graduate of Samford University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 2006 and Master of Accountancy in 2007. He is currently President-Elect of the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants (ASCPA) and has served as the past president of the Birmingham Chapter. of the ASCPA. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). He serves on the Accounting Advisory Board of the Brock School of Business at Samford University and was honored as the 2014 Distinguished Accounting Alumnus of the Brock School of Business. James enjoys staying connected with the accounting programs at local universities where he participates in career development and awards events and has been a guest speaker for several accounting courses and seminars over the years. A native of Moody, Alabama, James still calls this town home with his wife Leslie and daughters, Lily, Leah, and Lexi. He serves as a deacon and chairman of the finance committee at Cedar Grove Baptist Church in Leeds and volunteers as the treasurer of its Child Development Center. In his free time, James enjoys mountain biking, hiking, spelunking, and spending time with his family.

Jon Heath, CPA is the director of professional services and director of SEC services in Carr, Riggs, & Ingram’s corporate office in Enterprise. He brings more than 20 years of accounting, auditing, and consulting experience— including audit services to large, multi-national companies and smaller SEC registrants in a variety of industries, including utilities and telecommunications. He is responsible for his firm’s quality control (and the associated professional education) initiatives, including initial public offerings (IPOs), secondary public offerings, SOX implementation, periodic filings reviews, and regulatory accounting issues. Jon experience includes serving as partner on dozens of employee benefit plan audit engagements – including both defined benefit and defined contribution plans. He has authored and presented various courses in internal controls for various accounting firms and the Alabama Society of CPAs while also serving as an instructor for both CRI’s CPE Week and The CRI Leadership Academy. He also currently serves as the AICPA Council Representative for the ASCPA Board of Directors.

Matthew Hilburn, CPA, CFE is an accountant for Crowne Health Care in Monroeville and worked for six-years for a large Alabama public accounting firm as a Tax and Audit & Assurance Services Manager. He has years of experience related to staff recruitment and retention, young professional development, improvement of public accounting firm efficiencies, business development strategies, IT initiatives and testing, and focused initiatives to improve staff and client experiences. Matthew received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Master of Business Administration in Accounting from Troy University. He is also a member of the AICPA and Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Kendra James, CPAs’ background encompasses a wide range of experience, including audits of government and nonprofit organizations to serving at the Director of Accounting with a nation-wide media company. She began her career as a tax accountant but currently serves as the Director of Accounting at The Health Care Authority of Baptist Health located Montgomery, AL. Kendra obtained her Bachelor and Master of Science in Accounting degrees at the University of Central Florida in Orlando in 2001 and 2002, respectively. She has previously volunteered with the Alabama Society of CPAs as a CPA Ambassador and participated in the Society’s Leadership program. She currently resides in Prattville, AL with her wonderful husband and 3 wonderful children.

Amanda Barksdale, CPA is a Senior Lecturer for the University of North Alabama’s Accounting Department in Florence. She also serves as the University of North Alabama’s Beta Alpha Psi Chapter Faculty Advisor, Accounting Department Recruiting and Placement Coordinator, Accounting Scholars Chapter Faculty Advisor, College of Business Data and Report Committee Chair, College of Business Scholarship Committee Chair, and previously served as the Accounting Department Academic Advisor. After she earned her Bachelor of Science Business Administration and Master of Accountancy degrees from Auburn University, she spent nine years in public accounting specializing in multiple audit and tax engagements. She previously served on the ASCPA’s Young CPA Cabinet, is currently a member of the ASCPA’s North Alabama Chapter Advisory Board and is the Muscle Shoals Chapter Vice President of Administration for the Institute of Management Accountants. In the community, Amanda serves as the Rotary Club of Russellville, Scholarship Committee Member, Meals on Wheels Community Volunteer, Junior League of the Shoals Grant Writer, Russellville First Baptist Church Sunday School Teacher, and Russellville First Baptist Church, Finance Committee Member.

Michael Kassouf, CPA is a Director in the Business Services Group at Kassouf & Co, P.C. He specializes in financial reporting, tax planning and compliance and business advisory services to clients in real estate development, healthcare, retail, restaurants, construction, wholesale distribution, and professional services. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Alabama and a Master of Professional Accounting degree from The University of Texas at Austin. Michael is a Certified Public Accountant. He is a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, The Alabama Society of CPAs, The Birmingham Chapter of the Alabama Society of CPAs, and The Monday Morning Quarterback Club. He is also on the Children’s of Alabama Committee of the Future and the Community Foundation Leadership Forum.