Professionals on the Move is a round-up of recent hiring, promotion, and staffing announcements from around the accounting and tax profession.
Eli Ariav Named Chief Financial Officer at Wacker Chemical Corporation
Eli Ariav has been named the new Chief Financial Officer at Wacker Chemical Corporation USA, effective June 1, 2025. With 18 years of international experience, Ariav brings a distinguished background in strategy, financial planning and analysis, and business planning in life sciences, semiconductors, industrials, and consumer products. Most recently, Ariav held several executive leadership roles at Festo Corporation. At this global industrial automation leader, he served as vice president of strategy and planning and later as general manager of the semiconductor segment.
Ariav is known for his analytical depth, collaborative leadership style, and ability to drive measurable outcomes in complex organizations. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University.
Schneider Downs Announces New Members to Ownership Group
Schneider Downs & Co. (Schneider Downs), one of the 60 largest certified public accounting and business advisory firms in the United States, recently announced the addition of new shareholders to its ownership group. The firm also announces the addition of one new partner to its affiliate, Schneider Downs Wealth Management Advisors, LP.
The new promotions reach across several areas of the firm’s service offerings, including the firm’s tax, audit and consulting practices, as well as the growing wealth management practice.
Included among those promoted to Shareholder at Schneider Downs are:
Maggie Havelka, JD, MBA joined Schneider Downs in 2013 and focuses on estate, succession planning and individual taxation for business owners, executives and high net-worth individuals. She received her B.A. from the University of Findlay, and her M.B.A. and J.D. from West Virginia University. She is a member of the American and Pennsylvania Bar Associations.
Patrick Hickman, CPA, joined the firm in 2023 following a decade in public accounting with other firms. His areas of tax expertise include partnerships, including allocations, tax planning and structuring. His experience spans a variety of industries and includes private equity. He graduated with a B.S.B.A in Accounting from West Virginia University, and is a member of the American and Pennsylvania Institutes of Certified Public Accountants.
Logan Kowcheck, CPA joined Schneider Downs in 2011 in the firm’s audit practice group. He has experience serving clients in a variety of industries including energy and natural resources, real estate, manufacturing and retail. Logan leads the Firm’s Energy and Natural Resources Services Industry Group. He graduated with a B.A. in Accounting from Bethany College and holds a Master of Professional Accountancy from West Virginia University.
Mike Marasco, MBA, joined the Schneider Downs Business Advisory Group in 2020 following 20 years of experience in business administration, finance, and accounting. Mike provides his administrative, planning, analytic and accounting expertise to clients looking for a strategic partner, or those looking to outsource any or all of their accounting and finance functions. He holds a B.S. and M.B.A. from Duquesne University.
Janelle Merlo, CPA, CFP® joined Schneider Downs in 2023, bringing 20 years of public accounting experience, providing a wide variety of tax and consulting services to a broad range of clients. Janelle has extensive experience working with closely held businesses and their owners in the construction and manufacturing industries. She holds a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Pittsburgh and is a member of the American and Pennsylvania Institutes of Certified Public Accountants and the Construction Financial Management Association.
Greg Daily, AIF® joined the firm in 2021, following over 20 years in the finance industry providing personal and institutional financial services. He helps individuals, families, and organizations in achieving their financial goals through developing, overseeing, and ultimately maintaining their wealth and investment management strategies. Gregg received his Applied Science degree from Western School of Health and Business.
Matthew Becker Ratified as Next CEO of BDO USA, Succeeding Wayne Berson in 2026
BDO USA, one of the nation’s leading accounting and advisory firms, recently announced that Matthew K. Becker, national managing principal of tax, has been ratified by a principal-wide vote to serve as the firm’s next Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2026. He will succeed long-standing CEO Wayne Berson, who will retire effective June 30, 2026, leaving a legacy of growth, innovation, and purpose-centered leadership.
As national managing principal of tax, Becker leads the strategy and operations of BDO USA’s tax practice, which has more than doubled in size since 2019. He joined BDO in 2002, became a tax partner in 2005, and assumed the role of national managing principal in 2019. He has held a series of progressive leadership positions throughout his career, including five years as chair of BDO USA’s Board of Directors, where he oversaw the firm’s governance and strategic direction. As a longstanding member of the executive leadership team, he has been a pivotal voice in the most consequential decisions impacting the firm’s future, from the establishment of BDO’s employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) to key expansions and strategic partnerships.
Retiring CEO Berson has served as CEO of BDO USA since 2012, overseeing a strategy that increased the firm’s annual revenue from $618M to approximately $3 billion. Berson credits this growth to a strategic focus on people, purpose, and culture, which guided each strategic business decision. Under Berson’s leadership, the firm completed more than 70 expansions, welcoming teams and organizations that shared BDO’s values. This deliberate, people-first approach ensured that most of BDO’s growth remained organic, underscoring the effectiveness of the firm’s strategy.
Berson is a member of the BDO USA Board of Directors and serves as chair of the Global Board of Directors for BDO International, Ltd. He will continue to serve on both boards until his retirement.
BDO USA’s Board of Directors unanimously nominated Becker as BDO’s next CEO, and he was subsequently ratified by a principal-wide vote after a six-week vetting process which saw Berson and Becker meet with BDO principals across the country. Becker will assume the role following a year-long transition period during which he and Berson will work closely to ensure a seamless transition of responsibilities.
Brown Plus Announces Team Member Promotions, Effective July 1, 2025
Leading accounting and advisory firm, Brown Plus, recently announced the following team member promotions, effective July 1, 2025:
Amanda Moats, CPA, was promoted to Audit Manager. Amanda has over six years of experience providing accounting and auditing services to auto dealerships, as well as other for-profit businesses. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance from Pennsylvania State University. Amanda is based in the Brown Plus office in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.
Trinity Benedict, MAcc, was promoted to Tax Senior Associate. She began as an intern with Brown Plus and has three years of experience in public accounting. Trinity received her Bachelor of Science degree from York College of Pennsylvania, where she majored in Accounting and minored in Business Analytics. She is located at the Brown Plus office in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Megan Duffy has been promoted to Tax Senior Associate. She began her career at Brown Plus as an intern and has three years of experience in public accounting. Megan earned her Associate of Science degree in Business Administration from Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) and her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, with a Minor in Management Information Systems, from Penn State Harrisburg. She is based in the Brown Plus office in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Foley Expands Tax Capabilities with Addition of Partner David Morris in Salt Lake City
Foley & Lardner LLP recently announced that David Morris has joined the firm’s Salt Lake City office as a partner in its Taxation Practice Group. Morris comes to Foley from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where he counseled private equity sponsors and corporate clients on a broad range of complex transactional tax matters.
Morris brings over a decade of experience advising on domestic and cross-border tax issues involving mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, recapitalizations, debt and equity financings, and internal restructurings.
Morris also regularly counsels investment funds, portfolio companies, and emerging growth businesses on transaction-specific issues and structural tax planning. He has advised clients across diverse industries, including software, financial services, energy, and manufacturing.
Avalara Names New Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Information Officer
Avalara, Inc., a leader in modern tax compliance automation, recently announced the appointments of Adrianna Burrows as EVP, Chief Marketing Officer, and Shahan Parshad as SVP, Chief Information Officer. These leadership additions further strengthen Avalara’s executive team as the company accelerates global growth and meets rising demand for its AI-powered tax and compliance platform.
As CMO, Burrows will lead efforts to elevate Avalara’s global brand, expand market awareness, and drive demand for the company’s industry-leading compliance solutions. She joins Avalara’s executive leadership team, reporting to Ross Tennenbaum, President of Avalara.
Burrows brings more than two decades of experience leading marketing strategy at high-growth technology companies. Most recently, she served as head of global marketing at Shopify, where she helped position the company as the world’s leading e-commerce platform. Her prior leadership roles include CMO at PayScale, Cornerstone OnDemand, and Stack Overflow. At Microsoft, she served as General Manager of Windows Global Marketing, where she led the global launch of Windows 10.
As CIO, Parshad will oversee Avalara’s global IT, business systems, and data infrastructure. He will report to Danny Fields, EVP, Chief Technology Officer, and collaborate with engineering and executive leaders to scale Avalara’s systems securely and efficiently while enabling innovation companywide.
Parshad is a seasoned technology executive with deep expertise in scaling enterprise systems in high-growth environments. He most recently served as CIO at Airtable, where he modernized internal platforms to support the company’s product and enterprise expansion. Before that, he spent over four years at Confluent, where he built and led the Business Technology and Data organization across the U.S., U.K., and India, contributing to the company’s 10x growth and supporting its successful IPO in 2021.
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