MS Accounting Advisory Board
Purpose
To provide strategic thought leadership and community connections to the UW Bothell MS Accounting Program, working collaboratively with Program leadership and faculty.
Overview
The MS Accounting Advisory Board (MSAB) comprises professionals from a variety of backgrounds who share a commitment to the University of Washington, the Bothell campus, the MS Accounting Program, its faculty, staff and students. The MSAB invests its time, energy and resources on a pro bono basis for the betterment of the Program and its stakeholders. The Campus, School and Program value and recognize these multifaceted contributions.
Objectives
The board will focus on three primary areas to achieve its purpose:
- Act as ambassadors on the Program’s behalf in building external relationships,
- Assist the Program in achieving its mission of providing a quality education through contributions in areas such as internships, classroom connections, faculty research and business exposure, and
- Assist in fund-raising activities to benefit the Program.
Board Chair
Chris McKee
Global Corporate Controller
FujiFilm SonoSite Inc.
is the Global Corporate Controller for FujiFilm SonoSite, responsible for corporate financial operations of FujiFilm SonoSite and its subsidiaries. Chris has over 20 years of experience in finance and accounting, focused primarily in the Healthcare industry, including medical device manufacturing, software, and research.
Chris is the outgoing chair of the UW Bothell Accounting Advisory Board and is deeply appreciative of the opportunity to stay engaged with the fantastic students and faculty. He holds an MBA from the University of Washington Bothell, a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Central Washington University and a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts from Western Washington University.
He is a licensed CPA in the state of Washington.
Chair-Elect
Ade’ Ariwoola
Finance Director
City of Federal Way
Mr. Ade’ Ariwoola, MBA, CGFM is a talented and visionary leader with a reputation for integrity and ability to influence results. He currently acts as the Finance Director, City of Federal Way, Federal Way, Washington. As the chief financial officer of the city, he currently manages an annual budget of over $200 million. He previously served as the Finance Director, City of Ellensburg, Ellensburg, WA and Financial Services Manager, Kitsap County, Port Orchard, WA. Mr. Ariwoola achieved an MBA from Gonzaga University and obtained a Bachelors of Arts in Business Administration with a major in Accounting from Washington State University, Pullman, WA. He is deeply involved in various educational, professional and civic bodies and is the current President of the Washington Finance Officers Association.
Past Chair
Howard Snow
Director, Finance and Accounting Systems
McKinstry
Mr. Snow is an established leader with over twenty years of Accounting and IT experience in private industry. Currently, he works with McKinstry, an innovative Design Build/Energy Services contractor in Seattle where he directs the ongoing support, customization and strategic road map of the company’s Enterprise Resource Planning systems. Howard enjoys creating solutions, enabling the business towards better project performance and providing access to critical data for making strategic business decisions. His educational background includes an undergraduate degree in Accounting from the Foster School of Business and a MS in Accounting from the University of Washington Bothell School of Business. Howard is a proud veteran of the US Army having served in Louisiana, Germany and Kuwait. In his free time, he enjoys spending time in Central and Eastern Washington with his wife and has an avid interest in boating, camping and finding great wine.
Board Members
Rohit Amberker
Finance Director
Microsoft
Rohit serves as a Finance Director at Microsoft Inc. He is a finance professional with experience in technology, advertising, consulting and energy and utilities industries. He is a CPA, Certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Chartered Accountant, Information Systems Auditor and Certified Global Management Accountant. He is a student of ceramic arts for the past 6 years and loves making pots.
Susan Liu
Principal
Hongxin Wealth & Tax Planning Group
Yajuan Liu (Susan) is the principal of Hongxin Wealth & Tax Planning Group. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the Washington Society of CPAs. As the founder of Hongxin, she has rich professional knowledge and experience in international tax planning and tax compliance services to U.S. citizens, green card holders, and Chinese investors.
She received both Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Economics from prestigious Nankai University, which is consistently ranked as one of the 10 best universities in China. Before starting her own firm in 2015, she worked for eight years as a financial analyst at Microsoft and then another two years at Merrill Lynch as financial advisor to high net worth clients.
Yajuan is well known and active in the Puget Sound area Chinese community. She was a board member and treasurer of the Northeast China Association, is a frequent public speaker at seminars, and hosts “Yajuan Talks About Taxation” on Chinese Radio Seattle. In 2016, she received special recognition for her outstanding service to the Chinese community.
She is a frequent guest expert on Phoenix Television, a worldwide satellite broadcasting network to Chinese speaking communities.
Yajuan is often invited to Beijing, Shanghai, and other major cities to give lectures to local investors and companies on tax consulting and planning.
She is also a member of University of Washington – Bothell’s Accounting Advisory Board. The board provides strategic thought leadership and community connections to the school’s accounting program, leaders, and faculty.
Elizabeth Masnari
Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center
Elizabeth is currently the Director of Internal Audit at the Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center, whose mission is the elimination of cancer and related diseases as causes of human suffering and death. Prior to joining Fred Hutch in May 2018, Elizabeth served for nine years as the Senior Director of Internal Audit for Providence St. Joseph Health, the third largest Catholic Health Care Organization in the United States. In that role, she oversaw an internal audit team responsible for providing financial, operations, compliance and IT audit and controls advisory services across seven Western states. With over 35 years of audit and risk management experience, Elizabeth started her career in public accounting before moving into the private sector. Elizabeth has held audit and risk management positions at Bank of America (formally Seafirst Bank), McKesson and Washington Mutual. She received her undergraduate degree in Accounting from the University of Washington and an MBA degree from Washington State University. She is a Certified Public Accountant and is currently serving her third three-year term on the Washington State Board of Accountancy. Elizabeth has also served on the Board of the Washington Society of CPAs and on the Board of the Arc of King County. She lives in Bellevue with her husband Jeff and son Nathan.
Scott Schumacher
Associate Dean
University of Washington School of Law
Professor Scott Schumacher is the Associate Dean at the UW School of Law. He is the Director of the Graduate Program in Taxation and also the Director of the Law School’s Federal Tax Clinic. He teaches courses in taxation and White Collar Crime. Prior to joining the UW law school faculty full-time 2001, he was an attorney with Chicoine & Hallett, P.S., in Seattle, where his practice focused on civil and criminal tax controversy and litigation. He also served as a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice Tax Division and an attorney-advisor to the Hon. Arthur L. Nims, III, Chief Judge of the U.S. Tax Court. He is admitted to the bars in Washington state, the U.S. Supreme Court and numerous federal courts.