LIGHTHEART SANDERS - Key Persons
Amanda Bodin is a Staff Accountant that has been with LSA since 2004. She spends her days doing bookkeeping and taxes and enjoys the feeling of completing projects. Amanda has an Associates's Degree from Holmes Community College and a Master's Degree from Mississippi State University. She's held several family jobs before joining LSA, including a secretary for her mother's real estate company, a carhop for her parent's drive-thru restaurant "Hoppers", and helped manage her family agritainment company at their farm.
On a personal note, Amanda's values include reliability, determination, fairness, faith, and family. She has two children, Aiden and Alyx, and they are her world.
Andrew Bodin, CPA is a Tax Preparer that has been with LSA since 2009. He enjoys completing tax returns and helping clients discover new deductions and ways to save money. He received his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees from Jackson State University and is a former Quickbooks Pro Advisor.
On a personal note, Andrew believes in being honest and treating people fairly. He's married and has two beautiful children that he loves spending time with. He also likes playing golf, watching sports, and playing games.
Ben Sanders, Compliance Manager, has been with LSA since 2019. He primarily oversees the compliance audits for Title IV schools to ensure clients stay compliant with the rules and regulations set forth by the Department of Education. Ben has a Bachelor's Degree from Utah Valley University and has experience in both the tax and audit departments but has been solely focused on audit for the last ten years. He's a people person thanks to his previous career in hospitality and his favorite part of the job is interacting with clients. "Hard work is very important to me. Being productive and enjoying what you do will make work fun, enjoyable, and rewarding."
On a personal note, Ben believes in always puts family first. He is the middle child and has six siblings. He also has six kids of his own, three girls and three boys.
Brooke Bunio has been with LSA since 2019 and is an SFA Compliance Auditor. She reviews student files and other documents from small colleges all over the country to ensure that each client is in compliance. She loves talking with clients and genuinely feels that many are making a big difference in their communities by teaching students life-changing skills that will help them find successful careers. Brooke has a Master's of Education and was a high school teacher before she started working at LSA.
Candy Liu, CPA, is a Staff Auditor who joined the LSA team in 2013. Her work involves audit preparation and review, of which she especially enjoys reviewing financial statements, generating audit reports, and providing financial recommendations to clients to ensure compliance with applicable financial requirements. Candy obtained her Master's in Business Administration with a focus in accounting and is a CPA. What helps her excel in her career are being patient, well-organized, hard-working, a good listener, and the ability to easily understand financial reports.
On a personal note, the health and happiness of Candy's family are her priority. She also believes in lifelong learning to keep up with the rapidly changing world. She has been with her husband Floyd since 2009 and together they have two children, a daughter, Silvia, and a son, Cellini.
Catherine Halter is a bookkeeper with LSA and has been with the company since 2019. She started in accounting right out of college and enjoys the variety of her job. Her favorite aspect of her job is the checks and balances of bookkeeping.
On a personal note, Catherine moved to Mississippi from Ohio in 2019 to be closer to her grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Business Accounting Team
Christine is a member of the business accounting team. She enjoys helping clients with all aspects of their business. She processes payrolls, inputs financial data into QuickBooks, pays bills and sales taxes, and prepares management reports. She loves putting the bookkeeping puzzle together so that business owners can focus on what makes them successful.
Chris lives in Madison with her husband and three dogs and enjoys reading, gardening, and serving as Treasurer on the board of her Homeowners Association.
Cynthia (Cindy) Crittenton has been with LSA since February 2020 as a compliance auditor and primarily ensures that clients are disbursing Title IV funds correctly. Her favorite part of the job is meeting with clients and feeling like she is helping them succeed. Cindy has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State University, Channel Islands, and has over ten years of experience as a compliance auditor. Cindy believes in teaching others what I have learned and helping clients to improve and grow and that everyone should be rewarded for good work.
On a personal note, the most important to Cindy is her family. "Family is important to me, equal rights are important to me, supporting my daughter and daughter-in-law are important to me."
Job Titles:
- Shareholder and Audit Partner
Jared Sanders, CPA, is a Shareholder and Audit Partner that has been with the firm since the year 2000. He oversees all aspects of the audit department, including leading SFA audits, managing client relationships, presenting financial information to schools, and marketing and industry outreach. His favorite part of his job is seeing clients succeed in their businesses and making a difference in their lives. Jared graduated from Boise State University in 2000 and has been with LSA since! He has served on various boards and committees and is an industry speaker on topics relating to beauty school financials and student financial aid compliance. His greatest career accomplishment is "not messing up bad enough that my son decided accounting would be a good career for him as well."
On a personal note, family is the most important aspect of Jared's life. He believes in loving your career while also making time for family and things you enjoy. He values kindness and honesty. He has six children and one grandchild.
Jesse Shields, CPA, is a staff accountant that has been with LSA since 2013. He prepares tax returns for both individual and business clients and helps answer any tax questions that clients may have. His favorite part of the job is working with and learning about businesses from all different industries. Jesse received a bachelor's degree in accounting from Mississippi College and his CPA license in 2019. Jesse believes in being a hard worker and following through on your word. "My word is my bond, and that has helped me build trust with our clients."
On a personal note, the most important things in life to Jesse are his family and his faith. He's been happily married to his wife Carlie since 2013 and they currently have two children, a boy, and a girl.
Kay Wong has been a financial auditor on the LSA team since 2013. He prepares and reviews preparations for financial audits and other attestation engagements. Kay graduated from Mississippi College in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. He enjoys his work because gets to be part of the business success of his clients and can provide meaningful information to them, not just numbers.
On a personal note, Kay enjoys spending time with his "adorable wife" who brightens his day and contributing to his community.
Kevin Lightheart, CPA, is the President and Shareholder in charge of the Tax Department. He's been with the company since 1997 and, in addition to his over 25 years experience in the field, has a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Accounting with a Tax emphasis. His favorite part of the job is developing business and personal relationships with clients and making preparing and paying taxes a little less ‘taxing'.
On a personal note, Kevin believes that each client deserves to be treated with the same respect and attention no matter how big or small. He believes in conducting business with honesty and Integrity.
Lily Zhou started with LSA in 2015 and is a Staff Auditor. Her day includes conducting financial audits, which entails reviewing financial documents and ensuring that the financial statements comply with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). She also prepares financial audit reports. She enjoys being able to use the accounting knowledge and skills she learned throughout the audit process and working with different clients. Lily graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Millsaps College and a Master's Degree in Accounting and Finance from Mississippi College. She's started at LSA as an intern in the accounting and bookkeeping department and moved to the auditing department in 2019.
On a personal note, Lily firmly believes that "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men". Colossians 3:23. Faith is a big part of her life and she is the worship leader in her church.
Lynn Dean has been with the LSA team since 2017 as the Office Manager. She enjoys working with all areas of the firm, especially interacting with clients and staff in the tax, audit, and business accounting departments. She is a Board member of the Madison County Chamber of Commerce and a part of Leadership Madison County. Lynn also helps to coordinate the Firm's annual Open House fundraiser for charity.
Sharon Moulder has been with LSA since 2010 and manages the Accounting Department. In addition to managing staff and reviewing work, she trains new employees, prepares new client proposals, and attends networking events to promote the company. Her favorite part of her job is meeting with new clients and setting them up for success, especially if they are a new business. Sharon has been working with CPA Firms for 38 years, starting as a receptionist and working her way up. She feels fortunate to work for a company that shares her values and always strives to make her clients happy they chose to work with LSA.
On a personal note, Sharon believes in treating others the way you want to be treated. Her values in life are family, God, and work. She lives in an old house in the country with her husband. They have three grown children, ten grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, and spending time with the family is very important to her.