Archives: Teams

Scott joined Cornwell Jackson in 2001 and was admitted to the partnership four years later. Currently, he serves as a partner in the audit practice and is leading the rapid growth and expansion of the firm’s business services practice, including outsourced accounting, bookkeeping, and payroll services.

His unique background has made him an expert in working with companies in the healthcare, real estate, auto and transportation, technology, service, construction, retail, and manufacturing and distribution industries.

Inspired by his parents’ success and passion for their careers, Scott is driven to make a difference. He enjoys building close relationships with his clients, bringing a high level of personal service and attention to every customer. Scott brings a true passion for learning to Cornwell Jackson and is motivated by the constant pursuit of knowledge and discipline necessary to be an effective accounting services provider.

Growing up in Oklahoma, a hotbed of the sport of wrestling, his first dream was to wrestle in the Olympics.  Well on his way after winning state, national and international titles in high school, things took a twist during college.

After signing a Big 8 letter of intent to wrestle at Oklahoma State University (which is where Scott’s parents went to school and who he cheered for growing up as a kid), he surprised everybody and transferred to Oklahoma University the week before school started freshman year.  Before signing with Oklahoma State, Scott received scholarship offers from some prestigious colleges such as West Point, Stanford, Northwestern, and Cornell.

After college at OU, Scott began his career in 1992 as a staff accountant with The Williams Companies. Prior to joining Cornwell Jackson, Scott worked in the private sector as a corporate controller for ComSpace Corporation and has spent time with Ernst & Young, LLP as an audit manager and Deloitte & Touche, LLP as an audit senior. The leadership development learned in the Big 4 helped him develop a great team at Cornwell Jackson and it has been an amazing ride to help our firm develop a strategy and execute our plan to grow and help clients grow their businesses.  As a firm, we define success as helping our clients achieve success.

I feel most lucky that I graduated with an accounting degree from OU and am blessed to have been married for over fifteen years and have two great kids.  We have a lab named Marley, 2 Pekinese named Beau and Sammy, a bird named Lucky, and a Chinchilla named Labron.

Things to Know About Scott:

• Upon graduation, Scott moved to Vail, Colorado with some fraternity brothers.  He told his parents it was a great opportunity to study for the CPA exam.  Instead, he ended up skiing 75 days and working.  Luckily, after moving back home to get a real job, he passed the CPA exam on the first try.
• Scott is not only an OU Alumni. He is also an OU football season ticket holder and tries to attend as many games as possible with his friends and family. One of his favorite things to do is cheer on the OU Sooners.
• At the Bates’ house, there is a 100’ zip line in the backyard that the kids (and sometimes the parents) can’t get enough of.
• While running in his last marathon, Scott broke his leg and still managed to finish the race!

Prior to joining Cornwell Jackson, Gary worked with Arthur Andersen & Company, serving in the audit and tax services department as a member of the oil and gas industry team. Gary’s extensive experience in public accounting, paired with his passion for helping business owners improve their companies, makes him an invaluable asset to his clients.

Gary grew up in Richardson, Texas, and currently resides in Prosper with his family. Both of his parents were educators, heavily influencing his lifelong commitment to learning. In his spare time, Gary enjoys golfing anywhere and anytime, fishing, volunteering and working with a Christian ministry that targets inner-city spiritual and economic development.

Things to Know About Gary:

• If golf is a window on life, then life continues to be a mystery to Gary. After years of practice, lessons, and golf equipment, his game has improved significantly. But golf is about the journey anyways, right?
• He has explored every type of fishing available in Texas, from gulf fishing to trotlines. Although one of the most memorable catches is a Sailfish in Costa Rica that took over 30 minutes to reel in.
• Having two kids that attended Baylor has made Gary a huge Baylor Bears fan. So much so that during the birth of his first grandchild, he had the Baylor vs. OU game on in the waiting room!

As a Partner in Cornwell Jackson’s Audit and Attest Service Group, Mike specializes in providing a variety of services to privately-held middle market businesses, with a focus in the construction, real estate, manufacturing, distribution, professional services and technology industries. In addition to providing financial audit service to middle-market privately held companies, he oversees the firm’s ERISA practice which includes the audits of approximately 75 employee benefit plans. Mike’s in-depth understanding of emerging middle market companies and the industries in which they operate allows him to provide outstanding audit and consulting services to the clients he serves.

Mike joined the firm in October of 2004 after completing his undergraduate degree at Texas Tech University.  Now an Audit Partner, he is a testament to the firm’s culture of personal and professional development. The firm’s culture has instilled a passion in Mike to ensure that each team member is provided with the mentorship, training, and development opportunities to fulfill their personal and professional development goals.  During his younger years, Mike was highly involved in team sports. This childhood experience taught him that great teams can accomplish great things.  As the Partner-in-Charge of campus recruiting and professional development, Mike’s purpose is to foster the firm’s culture and ensure that our clients have the best teammate in Cornwell Jackson to assist them with their professional service needs.

Mike is deeply rooted in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.  He grew up in Colleyville, Texas and currently resides in Prosper, Texas with his wife and son.  Mike hails from a long line of accountants and knew from an early age he had inherited the family gene, a fact one might not be excited of as a seventeen-year-old. Now several years into his career, however, Mike finds his chosen career path extremely fulfilling. It has offered him the opportunity to meet and serve numerous professionals, colleagues and business owners. Outside of the office Mike is an avid outdoorsman. His hunting and fishing adventures have taken him all over North and South America. The only thing that rivals his passion for the outdoors is his love of Red Raider Football and spending time with family and friends.

Greg joined the firm in 2021 with more than 25 years of public accounting experience working with clients in a wide array of industries that includes, but is not limited to, oil and gas, real estate, manufacturing, insurance, professional services, estate and gift, not-for-profit and investment companies, and high net worth individuals assisting them with both federal and state corporate, partnership, fiduciary, tax-exempt and individual tax returns, as well as representation of clients before the IRS.

In 2010, Will began his professional career with Cornwell Jackson as an audit associate and has been a force to be reckoned with. Through hard work and dedication, Will was promoted to manager in 2015. Will’s primary disciplines include both non-public financial statement audits and full- and limited-scope employee benefit plan audits. He has extensive experience working with clients in a variety of industries, including construction, manufacturing, distribution, professional services, and automotive. Will also oversees the firm’s information technology and security, audit internship program, and is responsible for the development of CJ’s best practices for key workpapers, audit quality, and risk-based audit approach. In addition, Will is an integral component of the firm’s in-house training and recruiting program.

Will received his undergraduate degree from Baylor University in accounting with a concentration in accounting information systems and his master’s in accounting from the University of Tampa. Will brings a special brand of enthusiasm and excellence to every engagement and his commitment to clients stretches far beyond just the audit. He has a passion for technology and is a self-described geek. Will has also made it his mission to make CJ the best place to work in public accounting.

When Will isn’t blazing trails in his many practice areas at CJ, he devotes his time to his wife Kayla and their toddler Oliver. Will and his family enjoy spending time at the beach and hiking, camping, and most things outdoors. Will is also active with his church and his Dallas neighborhood of Lake Highlands.

Things to Know About Will:

• Will has made it a tradition to give his son a hand-crafted birthday gift each year. He has tried his best to channel the skills of his grandfather, a real man’s man and his namesake, to help improve his handiness around the house and to earn points with his wife Kayla.
• While most parents swear the photos they take of their children and pets are the cutest, Will’s amateur photography skills put the photos of OshKosh models and canine wall calendars to shame.
• While one might think the accountant of the family would be the chair of the Acomb Budget & Finance Committee, it is in fact Kayla, a dietitian, who is the sole voting member. Will’s voting rights were revoked after a long string of Amazon purchases put their son’s college fund at risk.
• Will makes a mean Berry Bourbon Bramble.

Dawn began her career as a Staff Accountant at American Pioneer Savings and Loan in Orlando, FL where she was tasked with collecting over $10mm in outstanding P&I.  While the company’s external auditors wanted to write off the balance, within a year Dawn had collected every dollar owed. After two years of hard work, she was promoted to Financial Reporting Manager where she compiled and rolled twenty-six subsidiaries for preparation of the 10Q and 10K.

When she and her husband moved to Pittsburgh, PA she began working at a regional department store, The Joseph Horne Company, whose flagship store was 7 stories of merchandise.  Dawn’s husband joked that she didn’t actually get a paycheck there as she spent so much money, however Dawn argues that with the executive discount, they’re practically giving it away. At Joseph Horne Company, she started out as a Senior Accountant preparing financial reports but was eventually promoted to Tax Reporting Manager.  After becoming a mom, she went to work for a local CPA where she managed the outsourced accounting practice.  Shortly after accepting this position, she was hired as the Controller for United Way agency where she gained her first experience in grant writing and non-profit accounting.  Dawn’s wealth of experience, diligence, and apt client service has served the firm abundantly in the short time she has been on the CJ team.

Over the years, her family has moved across the country,  to Florida then to North Carolina, back to Florida and finally to Dallas. During this time, I volunteered extensively at her children’s’ school.  She also served was the treasurer for the PTA, booster clubs and tennis teams.

Things to know about Dawn:

• She has 2 children, Tyler age 22 and Becca age 18, both of whom will be Oklahoma State University in the Fall
• Her husband is also an accountant, although he has been in cost accounting his whole career while Dawn has been in Financial accounting
• In a span of 6 years, her family moved 4 times to 4 different states
• When she began working, Lotus 1A was the only spreadsheet available

Hector began his career at Cornwell Jackson in 2014 as an audit intern and is now serving the team as Audit Senior. He has gained experience in multiple industries and his primary discipline includes non-public financial statement audits, full- and limited-scope employee benefit plan audits and not for profit and for profit Housing and Urban Development (HUD) audits.

Hector received his undergraduate degree inn accounting from Texas A&M University at Commerce. Hector’s drive and determination has propelled his career forward in a short time and everyone he meets learns quickly that he is a force to be reckoned with. In addition to serving as senior on the firm’s audit team, Hector is involved in university recruiting efforts and team events throughout the year, including organizing morale boosting events like lake days, paintball outings, and the CJ annual football pick’em for the a-team.

In addition to being an auditor, Hector enjoys playing and spectating sports, exercising, and spending time with his family.

Things to know about Hector:

• He is a Maverick and Cowboy superfan, and even started a CJ Team Pick ’em to get the team excited about football season each year.
• He has three chaweinees, which is a mix between chihuahua and dachshund.
• His brother enforces the law as a state trooper, so he has to walk the line.
• He loves the outdoors, and hopes to travel more once he’s made it to the top at CJ.

Beth joined the CJ team in March of 2013 after working for several years in the health care industry. As the sole marketer for the firm, she is responsible for all external facing materials, including the firm’s website and blog, and all client and prospect communication.  In addition to her role as Marketing Manager, she has become involved in multiple facets of the firm, including university recruiting, team event organization, and managing the firm’s charity golf tournament each fall – Wurst Golf Fest. In 2017, she accepted the invitation to serve as Co-Chair of the BKR Marketing Practice Group.

Beth holds an undergraduate degree from Texas Tech University in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing.  She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Design and Management, making the deans list several times along the way during her studies and even graduated Magna cum laude.

Things to know about Beth:

• She has a ten year old Puggle named Jazy.
• She loves to cook, and knows how to make a mean cheesecake.
• She recently got married, and met her husband at work!

Chase began his career with Cornwell Jackson in January of 2015 after graduating from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, and has quickly become a leader in his practice area.

In 2016, Chase was promoted to Audit Senior and has immersed himself in all things assurance, developing his expertise in the construction, manufacturing, and professional services industries. Chase brings an unprecedented level of excellence to every engagement and his commitment to clients stretches far beyond the all expectations. He stays involved with firm activities by participating in client events and team building activities throughout the year.

In his time away from work, Chase enjoys traveling to new cities, going to live shows, and playing golf when he can make it to the course.

Things to Know about Chase:

• Chase loves traveling to new places. Some of his favorites so far have been New Orleans and San Francisco.
• He has a twin sister named Lauren.
• He enjoys listening to new and live music, and has a bucket lists of bands that he wants to see live.
• He is a Maverick, Ranger and Cowboy superfan, and will even endure the heat to see the Rangers play during the summer months.