Member of Russell Bedford International, a global network of independent professional service firms.
Member of Russell Bedford International, a global network of independent professional service firms.
Facts. Figures. Calculators. People. People? For Jason Hofferica, accounting has always been about more than finances and bottom lines. From the start, Jason chose accounting to help make a difference in people’s lives. He double majored in accounting and finance at Millikin University because he believed that knowledge of both would provide him with a more global view of his clients’ financial worlds.
Jason balances the dive into the details with a big picture view of his clients’ businesses, which makes Cray Kaiser a perfect match for him. At Cray Kaiser, Jason has the opportunity to work with his clients on a wide variety of accounting areas including audit, tax and finance. And if Jason doesn’t know the answer to a question, you better believe he will find out. One of his favorite things about Cray Kaiser is that all he has to do is walk down the hall to find just the expert he’s looking for.
Jason sees the hard work his clients put into their businesses, which is why his goal is to help take the pressure off of them. He strives to be so well versed on his clients’ financial pictures that his clients depend on him as their trusted advisor. He’s there for his clients not just during specific engagements but also throughout the year for any needs, including tax planning and understanding the impact of various business decisions on accounting. Because for Jason, it’s about more than facts and figures. It’s about people.
Community:
Jason belongs to both the AICPA (the American Institute of CPAs), the ICPAS (Illinois CPA Society) and NACVA (the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts). He also serves on the board of the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago.
The home front: Jason and his wife Jennefer have three daughters: Samantha, Reychel and Olivia. He also has a grandson, Parker and a granddaughter, Leah.
Hobby: Jason’s golfing time went by the wayside when Olivia was born, but he is excited about taking her to the golf course with him when she’s ready to swing the nine iron.
Favorite getaway: Jason and his wife have friends that love to travel and invite them along on getaways to amazing places (seriously – they should have a travel blog!). He’s also no stranger to Wisconsin Dells, a family favorite.
Guilty pleasure: Coffee. The darker the better.
Favorite exercise: Jason has discovered the ultimate exercise program: being a dad and grandfather. Between various activities, park visits and general running around, Jason has little need for a gym membership these days.
Eva Koziel joined Cray Kaiser in 2016. As part of CK’s Accounting Services team, Eva has played an integral role in helping develop this department for the firm. Eva’s consulting and advising offer businesses a range of support – from acting as an outsourced controller, taking the lead on creating and implementing templates for PPP that were ranked #1 nationally, advising and assisting clients with ERC eligibility, and claiming ERC credits which total close to $20 million to date, to implementing accounting, bookkeeping, and training services for clients with the support of a growing accounting services staff.
Eva works closely with clients to review, advise and implement processes to help them manage their accounting needs. Her goal is to provide them with the financial information they need to succeed. To support the operations of the firm, Eva specializes in business development and client onboarding.
Prior to joining the CK team, Eva worked for three years in public accounting with a focus on tax accounting. She then spent 15 years in the private sector as a controller and business owner for her family-owned business. Her hands-on experience working in a business that is core to CK’s competency gives her incredible insight into what her clients experience day-to-day. This is what fuels Eva’s passion for her job. She loves the daily interactions with clients and working with them as a partner and advisor to solve problems and foster growth. She hopes to empower them with the tools and information they need to succeed not just in accounting, but with their businesses overall.
Eva earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from DePaul University.
Natalie McHugh brings over 25 years of experience to her role as Principal at Cray Kaiser. Working directly with CK’s diverse client roster on full-service tax planning, compliance, and consulting, Natalie enjoys nothing more than assisting with business and flow-through taxes to personal and estate, gift and trust taxes.
Natalie found accounting a bit by accident when needing to declare a major prior to her freshman year at DePaul University. She soon found accounting to be her passion during her first internship when her love of numbers and people meshed in those very first assignments. Realizing accounting is not about figures but about individuals is something Natalie carries with her to this day and can be felt in every interaction she has with a colleague or client.
Ask Natalie about her best days at Cray Kaiser and a common trend emerges: Education. Whether she is tackling a new tax legislation and challenging herself in the process, or she is explaining complex tax options to a client, Natalie excels as both student and teacher. She’d better–as a mother of two, learning is as important at home as it is at work.
Natalie earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Accountancy from DePaul University where she graduated with honors.
Community: Member, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and Illinois CPA Society; DuPage Estate Planning Council; Volunteer at Two Holy Martyrs Parish
Favorite exercise: I love group exercise classes. During tax season I gather a group of colleagues and we work out together in the building gym.
Tax season survival strategy: See above! A great Spotify list and banter with the tax team keeps me sane.
Travel style: Plane! I always have to have a trip planned post tax season to keep me motivated. I also am a faux travel agent – I love to help friends, family and colleagues find great deals on vacations.
Hobbies: Reading and listening to audiobooks on my commute, baseball games (Go Cubs!) and attending my daughter’s softball games, marathon shopping trips with my daughters, and game nights with family and friends!
Favorite getaway: I love the Riviera Maya in Mexico. We take an annual extended family trip to the area near Thanksgiving, which I plan. I love the sun, the music, the ocean and the people.
Favorite sports team: The Cubs! My grandma was a lifelong fan, and we are fans because of her. Our family, including grandma who is 97, was featured on WGN and on national television during the Cubs 2016 World Series run. We watched every post-season game together in her Cubs decorated apartment.
Dan Swanson, Manager at Cray Kaiser, has accounting in his blood. In the Swanson family, you’re either a teacher or an accountant. And lucky for us, he chose accounting. Growing up surrounded by CPAs, he learned that accounting is about more than numbers and money. It’s about listening. Dan values listening closely to his clients so he can absorb as much as possible about their needs, goals and history. He combines this with detailed research to create a universal view of his clients’ businesses, making him the go-to guy for questions.
After graduating from Carroll University with a degree in accounting, Dan started his career as a staff accountant at K-Five Construction. There, he learned to understand and appreciate the challenges the construction industry brings to financials. At Cray Kaiser, Dan continues to work with many clients in the construction industry in addition to serving clients in the manufacturing, waste collection, technology and wholesale industries. He appreciates the variety and challenge that public accounting offers because you never know what your day will bring or where your next conversation will take you.
After 10 years at Cray Kaiser, Dan still believes he found a firm whose mission, vision, and core values are perfectly aligned with his own. Beyond building close relationships with the owners of many family-owned and closely-held businesses, Dan is a leader in the assurance department. He frequently presents training sessions for staff on accounting and auditing standards, arming his teammates with the knowledge and confidence they need to better serve their clients. Having the accounting and assurance experience provides the foundation to the consulting and tax services he brings to each engagement. Overall, Dan appreciates the ability to see the whole picture and provide unique insights into how to best educate and empower clients with the financial know-how to lead their businesses into the future.
Community: Dan is a member of the Illinois CPA Society and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
Near & dear: Dan and his wife, Mary Catherine, have two sons, Benjamin and Zachariah.
Out of the office: If the sun is up, Dan is outside with his boys shooting hoops in the driveway, kicking a soccer ball around in the backyard or playing an extremely competitive game of whiffle ball.
Movie night: Dan’s favorite movies run the gamut from The Sandlot to The Shawshank Redemption.
Accounting advice: Don’t be afraid to ask questions and show up every day with a positive attitude. If you can do those two things, you will be alright.
Carl Thomas is a dedicated and experienced Manager at Cray Kaiser, where he leads financial statement audits and accounting/consulting service engagements for a diverse range of clients, including businesses and non-profits. His role encompasses being the account and relationship manager, ensuring he is the central point of contact between the clients and CK. Carl also plays a crucial role in developing and presenting internal continuing professional education (CPE) to the CK team, fostering an environment of continuous learning and professional development. With an estimated two hundred Uniform Guidance (Federal) audits under his belt, Carl has developed a unique and highly marketable skill set, particularly valuable to clients who incorporate federal funds into their operations.
Carl joined the CK team in the spring of 2024 after spending nearly five years at a large regional Chicago-based CPA firm. His career in public accounting spans about 15 years, during which he worked at two large national top-10 firms and one regional CPA firm.
Carl’s passion for his job lies in mentoring and training the next generation of CPAs. He takes great pride in guiding junior staff and helping them grow professionally. When it comes to clients, his goal is to leave them in a better position than when they started, a testament to his commitment to caring, one of CK’s core values.
Carl holds a bachelor’s degree in accountancy with honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is a licensed and registered CPA in Illinois.
Hobbies: Carl enjoys analog photography, specifically working with black and white 120 film and Polaroid.
Favorite city: Chicago! From the architecture and history to the cultural amenities and food, there’s always something interesting to discover in the Windy City!
Favorite getaway: When it’s time to get away for some downtime, Carl’s choice is Ponce Inlet, Florida, a beautiful beach town nestled on the Atlantic coast.
First job: Carl’s grandfather was an independent insurance agent and served as Carl’s first boss. Carl’s mother also worked for him, and one summer, they all worked together. While Carl’s mother focused on sales, quoting policies, and managing policy changes, Carl handled tasks like filing customer correspondence, preparing marketing mailings, and destroying outdated documents.
Favorite sports team: When basketball season rolls around, you can find Carl rooting for the Illinois Fighting Illini!
As a tax supervisor at Cray Kaiser, Maria Gordon has not only established herself as a leader in her field but has also become an invaluable asset to the firm’s roster of clients. With a keen understanding of the evolving tax laws and a passion for helping businesses thrive, Maria has played a pivotal role in ensuring that companies remain compliant and competitive in the face of ever-changing tax regulations.
Maria joined Cray Kaiser in 2017, drawn by the firm’s focus on closely held and family-owned businesses. With a focus on business taxation, she quickly became an integral part of the team, showcasing her expertise and dedication to her clients. Her role at Cray Kaiser has been multifaceted, ranging from preparing and reviewing business tax returns to providing insightful consultations on state nexus studies. Maria’s ability to unravel the complexities of tax laws and her astute strategic advice has earned her the respect of both her colleagues and clients.
One of Maria’s defining traits is her unwavering passion for ensuring her clients not only comply with state tax requirements but also take full advantage of all possible tax reduction strategies. Recognizing the shifting landscape of state and local taxation, she has made it her mission to stay abreast of the latest developments in tax laws. This dedication allows her to proactively identify opportunities for her clients to optimize their financial positions while adhering to the legal obligations imposed by various states.
Maria holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. She has held multiple positions within public accounting and in privately owned companies, always specializing in business tax. She is a member of the AICPA and the Illinois CPA Society.
Tax season survival strategy: Maria swears by waking up early and starting the day when the office is quiet. When times get tough, she leans on other team members to lend a hand or a listening ear. Also, coffee!
An unknown fact about Maria: She is a dual citizen of both the United States of America and Luxembourg.
Near and dear: Maria’s children – there’s not much she wouldn’t do for them. She also thrives on the love and support she receives from her mother and sisters.
Guardian angel: Maria’s dad is her guardian angel. She’s been told a time or two that she’s the calm during a storm and she can thank her dad for that quality.
Hobbies: Maria enjoys reading, traveling, and trail hiking. She is also a fan of all things Broadway!
Work/life motto: Every relationship is a perfect assignment. Maria believes people are brought into her life for a purpose and she’s always looking for an opportunity to learn from others.
