Leaders
David D. Aughtry
DAVID D. AUGHTRY (B.A., The Citadel, 1975; M., Acc., University of South Carolina, 1978; J.D., University of South Carolina, 1978; LL.M., Taxation, Emory University, 1982). David opened the Atlanta Office of Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Aughtry in 1986. He practices in the area of civil tax controversy. David has tried or argued over 100 federal tax cases across the Tax Court, various District Courts, the Court of Federal Claims, eight U.S. Courts of Appeal, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
David taught tax controversy as an Adjunct Professor at Emory University School of Law (1987- 93, 1997-98, 2003), and served as an instructor for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, "Litigating before the United States Tax Court" program (1993-2000, 2018). In his prior life, he served as the Trial Attorney and Tax Shelter Coordinator for the Office of Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service (1978-82). He is a Fellow in the International Society of Barristers and in the American College of Tax Counsel. David served as president (2010) and Chair (2011) of the Southern Federal Tax Institutes.
Beyond recognition for his tax controversy work by Chambers U.S.A., and the Legal 500 U.S. Tax Controversy, and Best Lawyers in America, David received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fulton County Daily Report in 2019 and Best Lawyers named him Lawyer of the Year (Tax Litigation) in 2020.
Matt Cotter
Matt is the Director of Relationship Management at Addicus, where he uses nearly a decade and a half of Big 4 accounting experience to serve clients. He specializes in providing tailored solutions to both grow clients' wealth and plan for the future, while navigating complex financial and tax issues. His expertise is bolstered by 14 years of experience with PwC providing tax services to a broad variety of clients, from large multinational public companies to privately and closely held businesses.
At Addicus, Matt's primary role involves nurturing and managing client relationships, as well as leading the development of new and unique investment opportunities. He is committed to understanding each client's unique needs and providing tailored solutions to help them navigate the often complex world of finance and taxation. His ability to translate complex tax matters into understandable terms, coupled with his strategic approach to client relationships, ensures that Addicus clients receive the highest quality of service and advice to meet their goals.
Jan M. Craig
Jan Craig serves as the Associate Commissioner for Income and Property Taxes for the Mississippi Department of Revenue in Jackson. She has held this position since 2011. As the Associate Commissioner, Ms. Craig oversees the Income Taxes which include Individual Income Tax, Corporate Income and Franchise Tax, Withholding, Miscellaneous Taxes, the Customer Service area for the Department, and the Property Tax area which includes the Motor Vehicle Registration and Title. Ms. Craig has been with the Department for 22 years and has served in the Income Tax Bureau and Miscellaneous Tax Bureau. Ms. Craig holds an MBA from Delta State University and a Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of Mississippi. She is also a CPA.
Brandon Dixon
Brandon is a co-founder of Trust Point Capital Partners, LLC, a family office consulting firm serving ultra-high net worth individuals and their advisors.
Gray G. Edmondson
Gray Edmondson, J.D., LL.M., is a partner in the firm Edmondson Sage Allen, PLLC, in Oxford, Mississippi, and practices in partnership, corporate, and individual tax planning; business transactions; tax controversy; estate and wealth transfer planning; probate; estate and trust litigation; asset protection; and charitable planning. Mr. Edmondson has conducted, authored, and directed numerous seminars for professional, academic, and civic groups on taxation, business planning, asset protection and estate planning. He is a member of the Mississippi State Bar Association, Past President of the Mississippi Bar Estates and Trusts Section, and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Tax Court, the U.S. Federal District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi, and all Mississippi Courts. Mr. Edmondson earned his B.A., cum laude, and his B.P.A., cum laude, at the University of Mississippi; his J.D., cum laude, at the University of Mississippi School of Law; and his LL.M. at the New York University School of Law.
John F. Fletcher
John Fletcher, J.D., LL.M., is a Partner with Jones Walker, LLP, in the Tax & Estates Practice Group and practices from the Jackson, Mississippi office. With more than twenty years' experience in the legal, corporate, and accounting arenas, his practice focuses primarily on state tax matters, encompassing Mississippi, Louisiana and multi-state income, franchise, sales, use and local ad valorem taxes. Mr. Fletcher earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Delta State University, where he currently serves on the Alumni Association Board of Directors, and his Juris Doctor at The University of Mississippi School of Law. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) in Tennessee, is active with the Mississippi Economic Council and Mississippi Manufacturer's Association. He is also a member of the American Bar Association's State and Local Tax Subcommittee, the Institute for Professionals in Taxation ("IPT"), and the Council on State Taxation ("COST").
Delbert Hosemann
Charles Delbert Hosemann Jr., is the 33rd and current lieutenant governor of Mississippi, since January 2020. From 2008 to 2020, he served as the secretary of state of Mississippi. Hosemann was born in Vicksburg in western Mississippi. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1969 from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. In 1972, he earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law in Oxford, Mississippi. In 1973, he obtained specialization in Taxation at New York University. Hosemann currently lives in the capital city of Jackson, where he is a partner with Phelps Dunbar LLP.
Jan F. Lewis
As a tax member of BMSS Advisors and CPA's (formerly Haddox Reid Eubank Betts), Jan's responsibilities include income and estate tax planning, research, and compliance for individual and business clients. Her areas of practice include healthcare, oil & gas, construction, real estate, and high-net-worth individuals. An avid and well-respected speaker, she has taught continuing education classes throughout Mississippi and nationwide in the areas of income tax planning, business tax matters, and S corporation tax issues and has given presentations on financial literacy, current tax policy, and other tax issues to various groups across the state. Jan has also authored articles on tax matters for the Tax Adviser publication of the AICPA's Tax Division and has been interviewed by Fox Business News, NPR, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and the Detroit Free Press for her insight on various policy and practice matters affecting taxpayers.
Jan is active in the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA), previously serving as president of the Society, and as an officer of the Society's Central Chapter, as well as a trustee of the Mississippi Tax Institute. Jan is a member of the Long Range Planning Committee and the Young CPAs Liaison Committee.
She is also an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and has held many leadership roles within the AICPA throughout her career. She has served as the MSCPA's elected representative to the AICPA Council and on the AICPA Life Insurance and Disability Plans Committee. She was a member and chair of the AICPA's Tax Practice and Procedures Committee and is currently the immediate past chair of the AICPA's Tax Executive Committee (TEC), having previously served as a member, vice chair and chair of that committee. The TEC is the senior committee overseeing the work of all Tax Division committees and technical resource panels of the AICPA, and her work with that committee has been especially rewarding both personally and professionally.
In May of 2023, Jan began a three-year term as one of 26 members of the Board of Directors of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (the Association), and one of 18 members of the AICPA's Board, while also serving on the AICPA Governing Council. In her role as a board member of both the Association and the AICPA, Jan is a part of the executive committee that directs the strategic vision of both organizations. The AICPA is the national professional organization for all CPAs, with over 420,000 members in the U.S. and worldwide. The Association is the global voice of the accounting and finance professional, with over 650,000 members globally, and was founded by the AICPA and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). It is a distinct honor to be in this position of leadership in the profession.
Damien Martin
Damien Martin is a partner in the Private Tax practice within the Financial Services Organization at EY. He provides tax compliance, consulting, and planning services to high-net-worth individuals, families, and fiduciaries with a focus on serving private equity and hedge fund asset managers and family offices. Damien formerly hosted Simply Tax, a podcast dedicated to delivering practical and timely content to simplify tax challenges, and his opinions and commentary on important tax issues have been quoted by Tax Notes, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal and other sources.
Damien is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, where he currently serves on the Tax Practice Resiliency Task Force and the Tax Profession Strategic Advisory Group. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois and is a member of the Illinois CPA Society. Damien is a member of the Chicago Estate Planning Council where he serves on the Workshops Committee.
Damien holds a B.A. degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Science (Taxation) from Golden Gate University. He is an Illinois licensed Certified Public Accountant.
Samantha Moore
Samantha is a member of Butler Snow's Tax Group and focuses her practice on estate and trust planning, international tax and trust planning, estate administration, and taxation law.
Michael T. Skinner
Mike has over 20 years' experience providing IT and cybersecurity consulting services to organizations across multiple industries including financial institutions, medical providers, accounting firms, and small business.
Mike is a frequent speaker on cybersecurity and IT assurance topics to university students, industry organizations, and local, state, and national conferences. He has a passion for educating users on the importance of cybersecurity in their everyday life.
Mike earned his Bachelor of Accountancey and Master of Accountancy,
both with an emphasis in information systems, from the University of Mississippi. He is a Certified Public Accountant in Mississippi and Tennessee and a Certified Information Technology Professional. In 2016, Mike was recognized by the AICPA as one of the top technology assurance professionals under the age of 40.
David W. Stevens
David has over 30 years of tax experience providing state and local consulting to clients, CPA firms and Law firms. He practices exclusively in state and local tax matters. His focus is in income and franchise tax, sales and use tax, business incentives and state credits and advocacy/controversy matters. David has served a broad range of industries including manufacturing and distribution, telecommunications, healthcare, construction, energy and technology industries. David has worked for two international firms, regional firms and currently manages a private multi-state tax consulting practice in Mississippi. He is a former director of the Mississippi State Tax Commission's Sales Tax Division.
Bridgette Thomas
Bridgette Thomas currently serves as the Chief Counsel for the Mississippi Department of Revenue. As Chief Counsel, Bridgette oversees the Department's Legal Division, Bankruptcy Section, Review Board, and Office of Tax Policy. Prior to her position as Chief Counsel, she spent over 10 years as a senior attorney with the Department's Legal Division where she represented the Department as lead counsel in many of the state's corporate income and franchise tax cases.
Before joining the Department, Bridgette spent several years practicing law in both the private and public sectors in the areas of insurance defense and child support enforcement. Bridgette holds a Bachelor of Accountancy and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Mississippi State University and a J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law.
Jack VanDevender
Jack VanDevender, based in Jackson, Mississippi, is an accomplished professional with a degree in Accounting from Mississippi State University. He currently works at the Mississippi Development Authority, where he manages the Mississippi Flexible Tax Credit program. Jack's career in accounting has included roles such as an Audit Associate at Grant Thornton and an Audit and Assurance Intern at Deloitte. With a strong background in accounting, Jack is dedicated to his career in the field of economic development and progressing the State of Mississippi.
Sara Watson
Sara Watson is the director of the Mississippi Development Authority's Business Incentives Division. In this role, she is responsible for coordinating state-funded incentive programs for the agency and developing incentive packages for new and expanding industry in the state. Sara also leads the agency's efforts to provide technical assistance to companies, site selection consultants, and economic development professionals in the state regarding Mississippi's business incentives programs. Sara joined MDA in 2006, and joined the Financial Resources Division in 2011.
Robert D. Zischke
Rob is a state and local tax manager at HORNE where he focuses on multi-state tax issues. He specializes in tax incentive identification and compliance, conflict resolution, and other issues multistate companies may be facing. Rob joined the firm in 2018. Before joining HORNE, he was the Bureau Director of Corporate Income and Franchise Tax for the Mississippi Department of Revenue where he oversaw the overall administration of corporate taxes, including return processing, audits, incentive review and approval and appeals. He is past President of the Central Chapter for the Ms Society of CPAs, serves on the MSCPA Board of Govenors, and is co-chair of the Taxation Committee. Rob earned a Bachelor of Accountancy and a Master of Professional Accountancy from Mississippi State University. PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants, and Mississippi Manufacturers Association.
