Grant Thornton announces 91 new partners and managing directors

August 14, 2025 at 10:00 AM EDT

Grant Thornton, one of the largest brands in professional services, has admitted 51 new partners and 40 managing directors.

The majority of these appointments and promotions are effective August 1, 2025, with a select group having been promoted earlier in the year, effective March 2025.

Jim Peko, CEO of Grant Thornton Advisors LLC, expressed confidence in the firm’s new leaders, highlighting their alignment with the firm’s values and ambitions, as well as their unwavering commitment to quality and integrity. He emphasized their ability to deliver excellence for clients and play a key role in driving the firm’s continued growth.

“This is one of the most inspiring moments of the year — a time to celebrate the extraordinary talent and leadership that power Grant Thornton’s success,” said Peko. “These newly appointed leaders reflect the very best of who we are: bold thinkers, trusted advisors, and passionate champions of our people-first, performance-driven culture. Their energy, insight, and unwavering commitment to excellence will continue to shape the future of our firm. I’m incredibly proud to welcome them into these new roles — and excited for all that lies ahead.”

The following professionals have been named partners (*denotes promotions effective March 2025):

Name	Area	Market
Sameer Abdulsattar*	Advisory	New York City
Ryan Alexander*	Tax	Salt Lake City
Greg Armstrong	Audit	Philadelphia
Maggie Bafia	Tax	Chicago
Sydney Been	Audit	Wichita, Kan.
Hal Bellovin	Tax	Iselin, N.J.
Jay Bethard*	Tax	Arlington, Va.
Gregory Bittner	Audit	Charlotte, N.C.
Kelly Bugg*	Tax	Baltimore
Alfredo Castillo*	Tax	Los Angeles
Philip Christy*	Advisory	Houston
Jeff Cook*	Tax	Chicago
Robert Echevarria*	Advisory	New York City
Jason Eddy*	Audit	Boston
Stefanie Foisy*	Tax	Boston
Ronald Gothelf*	Advisory	Detroit, Mich.
Jill Grossman*	Tax	Long Island, N.Y.
Richard Gutierrez*	Tax	Orange County, Calif.
Paul Hagge*	Tax	Orlando, Fla.
Erik Horton*	Audit	Chicago
Lauren Jansen*	Tax	Chicago
Zehra Khan*	Audit	Tulsa, Okla.
Eileen Leyhane	Tax	Southfield, Mich.
Kelly Libhart*	Tax	Denver
Jesse Marino	Audit	Atlanta
Scott Maynard*	Tax	Orange County, Calif.
Sean McErlean	Advisory	Philadelphia
Kyle McGuire	Tax	Kansas City, Mo.
Luke McNair*	Audit	Jacksonville, Fla.
Michele Melchior*	Tax	Charlotte, N.C.
Cassie Melebeck*	Tax	Houston
Maxwell Mitchell	Advisory	Chicago
John Neely*	Tax	Atlanta
Luke Nestler*	Tax	Phoenix
Yasuhiro Nishikawa*	Audit	Los Angeles
Kevin O'Connell*	Advisory	Pittsburgh
David Pearce*	Tax	Bellevue, Wash.
Jodi Pellegrino*	Tax	Hartford, Conn.
Mike Pilch*	Advisory	New York City
Joe Ranzau*	Advisory	Austin, Texas
Stacie Richardson*	Tax	Charlotte, N.C.
Tony Roberts*	Audit	Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Michael Ryan*	Audit	Iselin, N.J.
Jaydip Sen*	Tax	Iselin, N.J.
Paige Shackleton	Audit	Houston
Samantha Sheldt	Audit	San Jose
Steve Srmag*	Tax	Cleveland
Barbara Stanton*	Tax	Dallas
Leslie Watson-Stracener	Advisory	Dallas
Mary Xu	Tax	Boston
Stephanie Zappulla	Audit	Boston

The following professionals have been named managing directors:

Name	Area	Market
Payton Agan	Audit	Orlando, Fla.
Jennifer Alzona	Audit	New York City
Albert Arazi	Tax	New York City
Jennifer Barnes	ICS	Hartford, Conn.
Aaron Beck	Advisory	Charlotte, N.C.
Gregory Biles	Advisory	Philadelphia
Kayla Bindert	Advisory	Denver
Joseph Bittner	Audit	Bellevue, Wash.
Caleb Cordonnier	Tax	Washington D.C.
Jason Davenport	Tax	Minneapolis
Orry Frye	Advisory	Charlotte, N.C.
Christopher Garman	Tax	Cleveland
Vikram Gupta	Advisory	Boston
Brad Hulbert	Advisory	Charlotte, N.C.
Stuart Jeffries	Tax	San Francisco
Zohaib Khan	Audit	Iselin, N.J.
Andrew Klint	Audit	Los Angeles
Kim Kneepkens	Audit	Appleton, Wis.
Margo Lee	Audit	Denver
Casey Lewis	Audit	Dallas
Timothy Lynch	Advisory	New York City
Ross McSwain	Advisory	Charlotte, N.C.
Gregory Pajon	Audit	Chicago
Nathan Palmer	Advisory	Atlanta
Yin Perez	Audit	Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Nick Perry	Tax	Atlanta
Deborah Rackley	Tax	Austin, Texas
Claire Revenig	Audit	Denver
Zarrar Said	Advisory	New York City
Thomas Salmon	Advisory	Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Alan Segall	Advisory	New York City
Brian Shellito	Advisory	Atlanta
Stacey Sun	Tax	New York City
Chris Teats	Advisory	Charlotte, N.C.
Paul Tropsa	Advisory	Los Angeles
Brenna Truesdale	Tax	Minneapolis
Garrett Van Houtteghem	Tax	Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Kira Warnock	Tax	Tampa, Fla.
Kelsey Wilson	Advisory	Bellevue, Wash.
Eileen Yuen	Tax	Boston

About Grant Thornton

Grant Thornton delivers professional services in the US through two specialized entities: Grant Thornton LLP, a licensed, certified public accounting (CPA) firm that provides audit and assurance services ― and Grant Thornton Advisors LLC (not a licensed CPA firm), which exclusively provides non-attest offerings, including tax and advisory services.

In January 2025, Grant Thornton Advisors LLC formed a multinational, multidisciplinary platform with Grant Thornton Ireland. The platform offers a premier advisory and tax practice, as well as independent audit practices. With almost 60 offices across three continents — including the U.S., Ireland, the UAE and other territories — the platform delivers a singular client experience that includes enhanced solutions and capabilities, backed by powerful technologies and a roster of approximately 13,500 quality-driven professionals enjoying exceptional career-growth opportunities and a distinctive cross-border culture.

Grant Thornton is part of the Grant Thornton International Limited network, which provides access to its member firms in more than 150 global markets.

Grant Thornton LLP, Grant Thornton Advisors LLC and their respective subsidiaries operate as an alternative practice structure (APS). The APS conforms with applicable laws, regulations and professional standards, including those from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

“Grant Thornton” refers to the brand under which the member firms in the Grant Thornton International Ltd (GTIL) network provide services to their clients and/or refers to one or more member firms. Grant Thornton LLP and Grant Thornton Advisors LLC serve as the U.S. member firms of the GTIL network. GTIL and its member firms are not a worldwide partnership and all member firms are separate legal entities. Member firms deliver all services; GTIL does not provide services to clients.