Firm Biographies

George S. Willie, CPA, CGFM
MANAGING PARTNER

George Willie has been a practicing CPA for over 30 years, during which time he has focused on serving clients in the fields of higher education, not-for-profit, governmental, healthcare and gaming.

Mr. Willie's professional affiliations include membership on the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), AICPA's Benevolent Fund and the AICPA Accounting Research Association, Inc. He also serves on the U.S. Government Accountability Office's Advisory Council on Government Auditing Standards, American University's Kogod Advisory Council and Howard University School of Business' Board of Visitors. He has been an at-large member of the AICPA's Council and has served on various AICPA committees, including its Board of Examiners overseeing CPA examinations, Minority Initiatives (chairman), Nominations, PCPS Executive and the Group of 100. In addition, he is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the University of the District of Columbia and the Board of Governors of the Greater Washington Society of CPAs.

For a number of years, Mr. Willie has been named as one of the ”Top 100 Most Influential Practitioners” by CPA Magazine, and Accounting Today previously gave him a similar recognition. More recently, Mr. Willie received the 2006 Distinguished Alumni Award in the field of Business and Community Service from Howard University, and received the Special Vision 21 award by the Howard University School Business at its 35th anniversary celebration. Mr. Willie has also testified before various regulatory and legislative bodies on many significant accounting and auditing issues, and has been a frequent speaker at numerous forums on the challenges affecting the accounting profession.

Mr. Willie is licensed to practice public accounting in the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A former assistant professor of accounting at Howard University and the University of the District of Columbia, Mr. Willie holds a B.B.A. (magna cum laude) in accounting from Howard University and an M.B.A. in finance from American University. Back to top

Norman Graves, CPA, CGFM
PARTNER

Norman Graves has been a general practitioner partner with Bert Smith & Co. since 1994, and has been a member of the firm since 1982. During his tenure, he has been engaged in tax preparation in all areas, having led audits of both commercial and not-for-profit organizations and conducted regulatory reviews for federal, state and local government clients.

As an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Mr. Graves has served on that organization's Executive Committee of Employee Benefit Audit Quality Center. He is also a member of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA), and has served as presenter of several technical sessions at NABA's national convention and as treasurer of NABA's Division of Firms.

A graduate of St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville, Virginia, Mr. Graves is a CPA as well as a Certified Government Financial Manager. Back to top

Dorothy T. Proctor, CPA
PARTNER

Dorothy Proctor has more than 15 years experience in conducting financial and compliance audits and reviews for not-for-profit entities and for federal, state and local governments. She has also has significant experience in the field of health care, and has served as a consultant to the District of Columbia on issues related to Medicaid reimbursement.

Ms. Proctor has directed audits for numerous benefit, retirement and pension plans, including those administered by the D.C. Retirement Board, the Washington Convention Center, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission and the Washington Gas Light Company's longshore and harbor workers compensation. Her audit work for D.C. government agencies includes D.C. Public Schools, the Department of Employment Services and the Department of Human Services.

In the areas of financial management and grants management, Ms. Proctor has worked on local bond issues in the state of Oregon and on cost analysis and pricing review for the Federal Highway Administration, among others. She holds a B.S. in accounting from Ferris State University, and is a member of AICPA, the District of Columbia Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Healthcare Financial Management Association. Back to top

Leon Walker, CPA
PARTNER

Leon Walker has more than 25 years of experience in providing accounting, auditing, management consulting and financial management services for public and private entities. He has directed numerous projects for federal, state and local governments, including diligence reviews, business valuations, technical assistance, management studies and the auditing of pension and retirement plans.

Mr. Walker's audit work for the federal government has included the Small Business Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services and Labor. In addition, he has directed financial and compliance audits for the National Science Foundation, the Maryland National Parks and Planning Commission, and numerous D.C. government agencies. He also served for two years on the Property Tax Appeals Board of Prince George's County, MD.

A graduate of Virginia State University with a B.S. in accounting, Mr. Walker has earned more than 120 hours of continuing professional education. He is a member of the Institute of Business Appraisers, AICPA, District of Columbia Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Government Finance Officers Association. Back to top

Abdool Akhran, CPA
PARTNER

Abdool Akhran has conducted financial and compliance audits for more than 17 years, including significant work for local governments, non-profit organizations, commercial entities and federal regulatory agencies.

Mr. Akhran has served as engagement partner and manager for services provided to a variety of the region's not-for-profit organizations. In addition, he has served as engagement partner on several high profile projects on behalf of the District of Columbia Government, including the Medicaid contract with the Department of Health, a performance and procurement review for the D.C. Public School System and others. He has also performed audits for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Resolution Trust Corporation.

For more than three years, Mr. Akhran was the audit manager for the financial and compliance audits of the Maryland Affordable Housing Trust. He has also performed audits of the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development and the D.C. Department of Public and Assisted Housing. In addition, he was engagement partner on the management consulting service project at D.C. General Hospital.

Mr. Akhran is a graduate of the University of the District of Columbia with a B.B.A. in accounting, and has completed more than 100 CPE hours in governmental auditing and accounting within the past two years, including 24 CPE focusing on not-for-profit and governmental topics. He is a member of AICPA, the Association of Government Accountants, the Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the District of Columbia Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Back to top

Daniel Costello, CPA, JD
PARTNER

Dan Costello is a partner at Bert Smith & Co. with over 18 years of experience in financial management consulting, business process reengineering, financial system implementation, auditing and internal control and SOX reviews.

Mr. Costello's professional affiliations and accomplishments include participation as an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Government Finance Officers Association, the District of Columbia Bar and the American Bar Association.

Licensed as a CPA in the State of Virginia, Mr. Costello received his undergraduate degree in business administration and accounting from Kansas State University and a J.D. degree from the University of Kansas. Back to top