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.

Eva Koziel is part of Cray Kaiser’s Client Accounting Advisory Services (CAAS) team, where she has played an important role in shaping and growing the department. What fuels Eva is the opportunity to partner closely with clients, helping them feel confident in understanding and managing their financial operations. Whether she’s offering outsourced controller support, streamlining accounting processes, or simply talking through a question with a client, Eva leads with education, trust, and genuine partnership at the core of every relationship. To support CK’s operations, she specializes in business development and client onboarding.

Over the years, Eva has contributed to several initiatives designed to support clients when they needed it most. She spearheaded the development and implementation of CK’s PPP reporting templates which are ranked #1 nationally and has advised clients on Employee Retention Credit (ERC) eligibility and filings, helping them claim nearly $20 million in credits. For Eva, these accomplishments are less about numbers and more about being able to show up for clients in moments that truly matter. 

Before joining CK in 2016, Eva spent three years in public accounting with a focus on tax, followed by 15 years in the private sector as both a controller and a business owner for her family-owned business. Those years of rolling up her sleeves and working inside a business, one very similar to those CK serves, gave her a firsthand understanding of the pressures, questions, and decisions her clients navigate every day. It’s experience she leans on often and one of the reasons she’s able to connect with clients on such a practical, relatable level.

Eva also believes that staying connected to the many industries CK serves is essential to truly understanding clients’ day-to-day challenges. She and the CAAS team actively look for opportunities to engage with associations and organizations across various sectors so they can continue learning, listening, and offering support that’s grounded in real-world context.

At her core, Eva enjoys working with clients as a partner and advisor who helps solve problems, celebrate wins, and provide clarity when things feel complicated. Her hope is to empower every client with the tools and knowledge they need to feel successful not just in their accounting, but in running and growing their business.

Eva earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from DePaul University.

Community: Memberships: CAAS Accelerator Round Table, The Big “I”

Kayla Daniels is an Assurance Manager at Cray Kaiser, where she specializes in leading and managing audits for employee benefits plans (EBPs) and supports financial statement audits for a variety of closely-held businesses and organizations. From planning and risk assessment to fieldwork and final reporting, she’s involved in every step of the audit process. That means collaborating closely with clients, recordkeepers, and custodians to gather documents, assess internal controls, and review plan activity like contributions, distributions, and asset transfers.

Kayla’s work doesn’t stop at numbers and compliance. Beyond that, she’s passionate about mentoring new team members, offering hands-on guidance, reviewing their work, and helping them grow in their role. She also pitches in on the client side, helping maintain strong relationships and supporting new audit proposals and onboarding. Working across a wide variety of engagements helps her stay sharp and bring a fresh perspective to each one.

Before joining the CK team in 2021, Kayla spent time in public accounting serving clients in healthcare, manufacturing, distribution, and the nonprofit space. She also worked in private industry as both an internal auditor and senior accountant, where she helped evaluate and strengthen internal controls. The mix of experience gave her a strong foundation in technical accounting and client service.
Kayla earned her bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Cedarville University in 2016 and became a licensed CPA in 2017.

Community: Member, Illinois CPA Society Women’s Committee

As a Tax Manager at Cray Kaiser, Dhruv Panchal brings something rare to the table. He’s able to bring a big-picture perspective to every client’s engagement because of his knowledge of tax and assurance. While many professionals choose one specialty, Dhruv’s experience spans both worlds, giving him the ability to see the whole playing field, spot exactly what clients need, and understand where the biggest impact can be made.

On the corporate side, Dhruv works extensively with S corporations and partnerships. For individuals, his work centers on overall tax planning. And when a complicated or unique project comes along? Dhruv is ready for the challenge, always focused on making problem-solving easy, frustration-free, and educational. For him, the value provided goes beyond the numbers. It’s all about helping clients understand the “why” behind the work and the impact of each decision.

Dhruv joined Cray Kaiser in 2017 as a senior in both tax and assurance before narrowing his focus to tax. His career began at a small CPA firm where he honed a wide range of skills across assurance and tax, followed by a role at a regional firm specializing in auto dealership assurance services. This dual expertise has given him a rare ability to see situations from multiple angles, which benefits both his clients and his team. Dhruv earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Illinois Chicago and is a licensed CPA.