Meet the Team

Douglas C. Smith, CPA, CVA

dsmith@axiomcpas.com Doug has had over twenty years experience in corporate and public accounting in the areas of audit, financial statement preparation, tax planning and preparation (business, personal, estates & trusts), management consulting, business valuations and litigation support. Doug has rendered professional services for many valuation and litigation purposes including the areas of mergers and acquisitions, estate and gift taxes, marital dissolution, receiverships, forensic accounting and other litigation support. Doug has acted as a court appointed expert in marital dissolutions and receiverships and has testified in arbitrations, mediations, depositions and trial. Additionally, Doug has consulted with dozens of companies regarding business valuation issues. Doug is a graduate of Bentley University with a BS degree in accountancy. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the New Jersey Society of CPAs (NJSCPA). Doug is also qualified as a team captain in the AICPA’s Peer Review program and is frequently called upon to opine on the system of quality control of other CPA firms. In January 1997, Doug was awarded the designation of Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) from the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA). NACVA is the only nationally recognized business appraisal organization that requires its members to also be Certified Public Accountants. Certification is awarded only after obtaining extensive training and testing on issues such as valuation theory and effective litigation support. Once certification is awarded there are strict continuing education guidelines and required participation in quality enhancement programs. Doug is active in the community and is a member and past president of the Princeton Corridor Rotary Club and its related Foundation and is currently Treasurer of its Foundation. He is also a NJBiz Leaders in Finance recipient.

Melinda D’Antuono, CPA, MBA

mdantuono@axiomcpas.com Melinda has had over twenty years experience in corporate and public accounting in the areas of audit, financial statement preparation, tax planning and preparation (business, personal, estates & trusts), management consulting, business valuations and financial forecasting and transition planning. Prior to her career at Axiom CPAs, she maintained similar responsibilities at KPMG LLP and a local CPA firm. Melinda has experience in a wide variety of industries including manufacturing, wholesale distribution, retail, technology, construction, software development and a wide variety of service industries. Melinda is also an entrepreneur, having owned and operated several businesses, in addition to Axiom CPAs. Melinda has founded a distribution company, as well as a direct sales company and a financial consulting firm, which provided strategic advisory services to start-up companies. This experience gives her further insights into the needs of small to mid-sized enterprises. Melinda earned her Masters in Business Administration from Columbia University in 2000 with a focus on finance and entrepreneurial studies and her Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from The State University of New York at Albany in 1994, graduating summa cum laude. In 1997, she became a CPA in the State of New York. and in 2010 she became a CPA in the State of New Jersey. Melinda is a member of the New Jersey Society of CPAs (NJSCPA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Melinda is an active member of The Freckled Strawberry, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering financial independence in women. She is also an active member of The Alternative Board of Central New Jersey, where she sits on an advisory board with other like-minded business owners to offer advice and expertise.

Robyn Darlow, CPA

rdarlow@axiomcpas.com As a dedicated and detail-oriented accounting professional, Robyn has been meeting the accounting needs of small to medium sized business as well as individuals for over fifteen years. She has experience in both corporate and public accounting in the areas of audit, financial statement preparation, tax planning and preparation (business, personal, estates & trusts), management consulting and forecasting. Prior to her career at Axiom CPAs, she first worked at a local CPA firm for 10 years before migrating to the private accounting environment assisting startups and businesses across the United States in a controller capacity. Robyn’s accounting and tax experience has included a wide variety of industries including manufacturing, wholesale distribution, retail & e-commerce, technology, construction, software development, and professional services. Robyn earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from The College of New Jersey in 2003 and her Masters of Accountancy at Rider University in 2005. In 2008, she became a CPA, certified in New Jersey, and is a member of the New Jersey Society of CPAs (NJSCPA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Robyn is also an Intuit QuickBooks Pro Advisor.

Christopher Thompson

cthompson@AxcelerateCFOs.com Chris has over twenty years of experience in accounting and finance in the areas of financial statement preparation (private and public companies), tax planning and preparation (management companies, investment funds and service companies), budgeting and forecasting, management consulting, process improvement, private investment valuations and investor relations. Prior to joining AXcelerate, Chris served as CFO within the KJohnson Enterprises family of companies, overseeing the accounting and finance functions of a large-scale health club, multiple construction entities and a property management company. Other experience leading up to Chris’s time with KJohnson Enterprises includes serving as Controller and Director of Finance with ProQuest Investments, a healthcare venture capital fund manager, as well as several roles within NUI Corporation, the publicly traded parent company of multiple public utilities and energy brokerage companies. In addition to his corporate experience, Chris also owns a small business financial consulting firm which provides accounting and operational guidance to start-up, family-owned service companies and educational non-profit companies. He has also formed and serves as Executive Director of a non-profit focused on using youth sports as a conduit to teach healthy lifestyles, develop strong character and share his faith. Chris earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Stockton University (formerly Richard Stockton College of NJ), where he also competed in NCAA baseball, served as a team captain and was awarded the team’s Most Valuable Pitcher designation. He calls on his experience in team sports often and prides himself on his servant-minded leadership approach learned from some outstanding coaches and teammates. Chris is actively involved in his community. He is currently on the East Amwell Township School Board of Education where he is Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee. Additionally, he coaches high school baseball and football; serves as chaplain for the Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees AA) with Baseball Chapel; and holds the position of Sports Leadership Director (Central NJ) with Athletes in Action. Previously, he held roles as President and Treasurer of two local youth sports organizations and Overseeing Elder and Chairman of Trustees for multiple churches.