Expertise when you need it
The skill sets possessed by our leadership team are complemented by highly qualified professional staff, including CPAs and accounting professionals with valuable Big Four and industry experience. These individuals were hand-selected because of their impressive core competencies and their ability to quickly assess client issues and implement solutions. By keeping a small team of highly effective staff, we can ensure that we continually provide exceptional consulting services to our clients with the goal of developing and maintaining long-standing client relationships.
As CPAs and financial experts, we are equipped with the skills and values needed to help our clients maintain fiscal responsibility and navigate through uncertain economic times. We stand ready to provide accounting and business advisory services that are tailored to our clients' needs. At OCS, professionalism is our standard, and compliance and integrity serve as our core values. Offering Staff flexibility to define the work schedule they need to be successful in their career and personal lives is a cornerstone principle of OCS. Our mission is to serve as trusted business advisors to our clients by providing exceptional service, which exceeds our clients' expectations, at a great value.
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We at O'Connor Consulting know that finding the right team to serve you is important to the success of your project. Let's talk through your needs, the scope of your objectives, and your budget to determine the best team of consultants to achieve your goals.
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Our Leadership
President
Kathy O'Connor, CPA, CGMA
Kathy, our President and Founder, created the firm in 1999 after serving as a senior manager in KPMG, LLP’s not-for-profit practice, where she found her passion for supporting not-for-profit organizations while developing her expertise in audit and outsourcing. Kathy’s goal in founding the firm was to create a unique firm focusing on supporting and solving the higher-level issues facing not-for-profits and forming long-term trusted advisor relationships with clients that promote on-going services and collaboration. Since the firm’s inception, Kathy has focused on building an incredibly skilled team that shares her passion for servicing the DC not-for- profit community. Her dedication to the not-for-profit industry spans over 30 years, serving not-for-profit organizations with revenues ranging from $1 million to $1.2 billion. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Villanova University and holds an active Certified Public Accountant license in the State of Maryland. Kathy has also served the community by serving on the Board and Audit committees for several not-for-profits, currently including the Greater Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants (GWSCPA) Board of Governors and Audit Committee Chair. In November 2014, Kathy received the AICPA Women to Watch - Experienced Leader Award from the GWSCPA and speaks at various local conferences on not-for-profit issues. When not leading OCS, Kathy enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, volunteering in youth sports, school drama productions, and a myriad of other activities of her children.
Email: kathy@oconnorcs.com
Vice President
Trina Gallaher, CPA, CGMA
Trina, our Vice President, joined OCS in 2008. Prior to joining OCS, Trina had devoted approximately 15 years serving both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. Trina possesses an expansive knowledge in accounting and finance, which she gained working as a senior manager at KPMG, LLP and from her experience as a director and officer in financial services organizations. Trina has performed a variety of projects for clients including internal control and process improvement initiatives, policy reviews, and technical research, as well as performing financial analysis and modeling for clients. Trina has also worked with clients’ Boards of Directors and senior management teams to enhance board reporting and provide financial literacy training and has spoken at industry conferences, such as the Greater Washington Society of CPAs’ Not-For-Profit Symposium and Virginia Society of CPAs’ KnowledgeNOW Conference. Trina earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Computer Information Systems from James Madison University and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Outside of OCS, Trina enjoys hiking and planning her family’s next great outdoor adventure.
Email: trina@oconnorcs.com
Principal
Kelly Metz
Kelly joined OCS in 2015 after spending over 20 years serving both not-for-profit and for-profit organizations in various leadership roles. While at OCS, she has served as interim CFO and Controller for several of our clients and has also served as the project manager for multiple accounting system implementations. In addition, Kelly has worked with multiple OCS clients to redesign their charts of accounts, document and improve policies and processes, and has conducted several reviews of clients’ financial and grants management operations, resulting in process improvement recommendations. She has significant experience with federal grants and the Uniform Guidance and has developed training programs for OCS staff and clients alike. She has assisted clients in preparing for first-time federal Single Audits as well as preparing and implementing corrective action plans to address audit findings. Kelly has presented at the Greater Washington Society of CPAs’ Not-For-Profit Symposium and has attained the AICPA’s Not-For-Profit Certificate I. A native of Western Pennsylvania, she has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Pittsburgh. She currently serves as the Treasurer of Friends of the Library Montgomery County and she is also a member of the Butler University Family Council. When she’s not working, you will find Kelly on long walks in the woods, searching for her next new favorite book, or inventorying her Irish whiskey collection. If it’s soccer or lacrosse season, she’ll be on the sidelines, cheering on her two favorite student athletes. Kelly lives in Montgomery County, MD with her husband, two teenage children, and a rescue dog named Rosie.
Email: kelly@oconnorcs.com
Principal
Colleen Smith, CPA
Colleen joined OCS in 2012; during her tenure, she has supported OCS clients in a variety of ways, including managing the financial operations for clients, facilitating month-end and year-end closes and managing financial statement audits. In addition, Colleen has conducted many reviews of clients’ financial operations and activities, with a focus on identifying risks and opportunities to mitigate those risk and to improve processes. Colleen has served as interim CFO for clients, and has also been the project manager on an accounting system implementation and has assisted clients in implementation of new accounting guidance. Prior to joining OCS, Colleen served as Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis for National Geographic Ventures, a subsidiary of the National Geographic Society. She was also Director of Financial Planning and Analysis in the Society CFO’s Office and worked for several years in the Controller’s Office. Prior to joining National Geographic, Colleen performed audits of not-for-profit organizations at KPMG. In recent years, Colleen has presented to key industry conferences, including the Greater Washington Society of CPAs’ Not-For-Profit Symposium and has attained the AICPA’s Not-for-Profit Certificates I and II. Colleen earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the Commonwealth of Virginia. She is on the Board of Directors for Arlington Babe Ruth Baseball and serves as the Treasurer of Peace Direct US. Colleen lives in Arlington with her husband, Brett, and her three children, Madeline, Finley, and Keegan.
Email: colleen@oconnorcs.com