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Meet Our Experts
At Your Service
Our Executive Team
Donald K. Murphy, CPA, FCPA, CFE, CGFM, CGMA
CEO and Managing Associate
Mr. Murphy is the CEO and managing associate of the firm. He holds multiple accounting and fraud-related certifications. He brings over thirty years of experience in non-profit and higher education, having served in top finance roles at several institutions. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of South Carolina and an active member of various professional organizations.
Keith X. Terrell, CPA, CRFAC, FCPA, CGMA
Vice President, COO and Senior Associate
Mr. Terrell is a CPA and COO of the firm with more than thirty-five years of experience in audit and accounting services. His work focuses on higher education institutions and he is responsible for engagement quality assurance. He is a cum laude graduate of Alabama A&M University and an active member of several professional associations.
Shelia Brown, CSFAA
Vice President and Senior Associate
Mrs. Brown is vice president and senior associate for student financial aid services with experience in both large and small colleges. She is also CEO of Strategic Financial Aid Management. She has served as financial aid director at several HBCUs and works closely with the US Department of Education. She is a Fayetteville State University graduate and is active in student aid organizations.
Dane Alexander, JD, CPA
Vice President and Senior Associate
Mr. Alexander is a vice president and senior associate with deep expertise in corporate and individual taxation, and pension plans, along with internal and external auditing, especially in the public and nonprofit sectors. He has held leadership roles at Alabama A&M University, the City of Atlanta, and Capital City Bank, and previously worked at both Big 4 and local accounting firms. He holds a JD and is an active member of the AICPA and GSCPA.
Jennifer C. Moore, MS, CPA, CFE, CITP, CGMA
Vice President and Senior Associate
Ms. Moore is a CPA and fraud examiner with a Master’s in Public Accountancy, specializing in data analysis and audit innovation. She has held various public and academic accounting roles and authored professional publications. Ms. Moore is an active member of the AICPA, GSCPA, and ACFE, and serves on nonprofit boards.
Jerry L. Hanes, Jr., MAcc, CIA
Associate Vice President and Senior Associate
Mr. Hanes is an associate vice president and senior associate who leads the firm’s advisory practice. He has more than fifteen years of strategic experience in corporate and Big 4 advisory roles. He has held numerous consulting roles at a variety of colleges, universities and related foundations, offering operational guidance to presidents and boards of trustees. Mr. Hanes has played a key role in helping several institutions maintain their accreditation or achieve candidate status for the first time. He earned his bachelor's and master’s degrees from North Carolina State University and serves on NABA’s Atlanta advisory board.
Dedicated Professionals
Our Associates Team
LaToya Washington, MBA, M.Acc
Director and Senior Associate
Ms. Washington is an audit and tax specialist with dual master’s degrees from Mercer University. She has worked with both Big 4 and local firms, focusing on nonprofit and international tax. Her passion for nonprofit work stems from her experience in church finance roles. She is an AICPA and GSCPA member.
Yvonne Shanks
Director and Senior Associate
Ms. Shanks has over twenty years of experience in accounting and auditing our firm’s higher education and nonprofit clients. She has assisted with indirect cost proposal policies and procedures manual preparation. Ms. Shanks has served as controller and as lead auditor. She also has conducted training in student financial aid. She is an active member of her church and a member of the Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary. Ms. Shanks is an alumna of Xavier University of Louisiana.
Sonja M. Walker, MBA
Director and Senior Associate
Ms. Walker is a student financial aid expert with over fifteen years of experience in consulting and institutional leadership. She provides auditing, reconciliation, and other financial aid services to higher education clients. Ms. Walker earned her MBA from American Intercontinental University and has served on boards of GASFAA and SASFAA.
G. Paul Foster II, MPA , RFI
Senior Associate
Mr. Foster has served as an accountant for over a decade. He has extensive experience in single audits, HUD audits, Form 990 preparation and filing, federal compliance testing, analytical reviews, trial balance testing and internal control testing, and conducting audit interviews. Mr. Foster earned bachelor of science in accounting and bachelor of business administration in business management degrees from Oakwood University and a master of public administration degree with a concentration in nonprofit management and leadership from Capella University. A CPA candidate, he is a member of the AICPA and a member of the American Board of Forensic Accounting.
Anitra Lester, MBA
Senior Associate
Ms. Lester is a graduate of Savannah State University and has an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management. She has a wealth of professional experience that spans over twenty years in audit and accounting. Ms. Lester serves our firm with distinction on higher education, government, and nonprofit financial audit engagements. She also performs compliance and employee benefit plan audits, assists clients with audit preparation, and provides general accounting consulting.
Brian D. Jackson, CPA, MAcc
Senior Associate
Mr. Jackson is a senior associate with experience in auditing, financial compliance, and internal controls for higher education and nonprofit clients. Prior to joining WPG, he held internal audit and compliance roles supporting multi-entity audit planning, SEC reporting, and financial operations across international teams in both the private and public sectors. He holds a master of accountancy and a BBA in accounting from Georgia Southern University and is a member of the AICPA, NABA, and the Institute of Internal Auditors.
Sheri Jefferson, MS
Associate
Ms. Jefferson is a financial aid professional who has over twenty years of experience in higher education administration. Prior to joining WPG, Ms. Jefferson served as a financial aid director and as an associate vice president for student affairs. She holds a master of science degree in management and a bachelor of science degree in accounting. With broad knowledge of popular systems such as Jenzabar EX, PowerCAMPUS, EdConnect, EDExpress, Populi, Banner, Datatel and PowerFAIDS she has successfully streamlined financial aid processes, improved administrative procedures, and helped institutions eliminate compliance issues and audit findings.
Melanie D. Johnson, MS
Associate
Ms. Johnson has over twenty years of experience in student financial aid services. She has served in a number of important roles, such as default manager, financial aid counselor and Perkins liquidation coordinator. Ms. Johnson has also served as director and interim director of student financial aid. She works with a variety of financial aid software including PowerFAIDS, CampusVue, Datatel, CAMS, Banner and Jenzabar (CX). Ms. Johnson holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from LeMoyne-Owen College and a master's degree in human resources from Central Michigan University.
Pragnya Mishra
Associate
Ms. Mishra is an auditing professional with over twelve years of professional experience in risk aversion strategies, controls testing and financial processes for multiple global clients. She has experience in statutory and internal audits for banking and insurance clients. During her role as an internal auditor, Ms. Mishra has helped optimize multiple processes and strengthen internal controls. She holds a bachelors degree with double majors in accounting and auditing. At WPG she is responsible for coordinating and managing audits of higher education, governmental, business, and nonprofit clients. She is currently pursuing her CIA.
Natasha M. Thomas, MBA, MAFM
Associate
Ms. Thomas is a dedicated professional with over fifteen years of experience in accounting, taxation, and financial management. Prior to joining our firm, she worked with Fortune 500 companies as a staff accountant and payroll tax manager. At WPG, she is an auditor and consultant. She also prepares corporate, nonprofit and employee benefit plan tax returns. Ms. Thomas earned master of business administration and master of accounting and financial management degrees from Keller Graduate School of Management and a bachelor's degree in business and marketing from Clayton State University. She is a member of AICPA, GSCPA, NABA and NBMBAA.
Justin Spates
Associate
Mr. Spates began working with our firm as an intern while he was a student of Business Administration at Georgia State University. He is a member of the AICPA and the GSCPA. A valued member of our team, he has worked on a variety of projects including data analytics, audits, and social media management.
Malik Dillard
Associate
Mr. Dillard is an accomplished professional with over ten years experience in the accounting industry. Prior to joining WPG, Mr. Dillard gained crucial experience during his time with the BIG4. He is a CPA candidate who earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Florida Gulf Coast University. Malik enjoys sports and spending time with his family.
Office Management
Our Administrative Team
Cynthia Wheeler, CPA
Senior Associate and Business Manager
Ms. Wheeler is a certified public accountant and higher education specialist. Prior to joining our firm, she served as business manager for The Children’s School, controller for Morris Brown College, and accounting manager for Atlanta Area Technical College. Ms. Wheeler has also served as an accountant for Ivan Allen Company and as a financial analyst for Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education. She has worked directly with enterprise management software including SCT Banner and Datatel Colleague. Ms. Wheeler holds a cum laude degree in accounting from Dillard University and has done graduate studies at the University of Georgia.
Trecye F. Coleman
Office Manager
Ms. Coleman’s passion for serving people makes her an asset to our higher education clients, to whom she provides on-site services—often working directly with students and parents. She performs student financial aid compliance audits, on-site processing services and reconciliations. She has over ten years’ experience in student financial aid and customer service. Prior to joining our firm, Ms. Coleman held many positions, such as processor, counselor, and consultant. She is currently enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts degree program and does volunteer missionary work through her church.
Ashley Nelson
Billing Specialist
Ms. Nelson is a seasoned accountant with over a decade of experience in full-cycle accounting. She holds a master of science in accounting with a concentration in governmental accounting and began her career in the nonprofit sector. Throughout her career, Ashley has partnered with business owners to streamline operations, increase profitability, and implement reporting systems that support informed decision-making. As the billing specialist for WPG, she plays a key role in ensuring client engagements meet compliance standards. Ashley is a CPA candidate.