Email Lesley

Lesley is a lifelong accountant and financial professional with four degrees in various aspects of business and accounting. She is the founder of Verity Group, and she strives to help every client run their business more efficiently by enabling them to better understand their financial situations. On a day-to-day basis, Lesley provides knowledge and support to her team members and oversees general operations. She enjoys meeting new business owners and entrepreneurs during the course of her work. In her free time, you can find Lesley camping, working with the sheep and spending time with family and friends.

Education:
Masters of Business Administration – University of Wyoming
Bachelor of Science, Accounting – University of Wyoming
Bachelor of Science, Agriculture Business – University of Wyoming
Associate of Science, Agriculture – Laramie County Community College

Certifications and Licensures:
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)

Emily graduated from the University of Wyoming with a major in agriculture business and a minor in animal science. Her daily work involves handling tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll, as well as fielding a wide array of financial questions from clients. Emily prides herself on treating every client’s business as if it were her own and enjoys learning about their goals, including how they run their companies. Her favorite thing about working at Verity is the personal relationships she’s formed with clients over the years. Outside of work, Emily is passionate about animals and the environment, and even had a previous career as a veterinary technician before transitioning into accounting.

Education:
Bachelor of Science, Agriculture Business – University of Wyoming

Joanne has over 30 years of experience in accounting with various CPAs. She got into the field early in her working career, after finding that she had an affinity for financial work. Her favorite part of working in accounting is the meaningful relationships and interactions she has with clients, where she’s been praised for her ability to handle numerous accounts efficiently and accurately. Currently, Joanne is a full-charge bookkeeper, including producing monthly financial statements, handling accounts payable, payroll, bank accounts, and general journal transactions. Outside of the office, Joanne enjoys a good book, and spending time with her family, including her grandchildren.

Education:
Bachelor of Science, Sociology – University of Wyoming

While she’s worked in many different organizations and offices, Kristen has always been drawn to the world of bookkeeping. She’s taken on positions as administrative secretary, office manager, event planner and scheduler, bookkeeper, and even a fair and rodeo coordinator! Kristen’s favorite part about working in accounting is seeing the numbers balance properly when handling a client’s finances. She currently handles bookkeeping, daily accounting tasks, and monthly reports for a number of clients. When she’s not at work, Kristen enjoys spending time with her family and riding horses.

Education:
Associate of Science, Pre-Professional Sciences – Northwest College Wyoming
Bachelor of Science, Liberal Studies, Business and Communications – Montana State University Billings

As a bookkeeper with more than six years of experience in accounting, Shayna handles financial reporting and provides expertise in regulatory compliance for our clients. Shayna’s path to accounting was an indirect one. In college, while waiting for her student teaching to begin, she took a temporary job as a secretary and found that she enjoyed numbers and problem-solving. From there, she began her career in accounting as a bookkeeper, working with as many as 27 clients to help them prepare their taxes. Shayna’s background in education makes her a patient and effective instructor, and she loves helping our customers better understand their financial situations. Outside of work, Shayna enjoys taking long walks in nature and spending time with her family.

Education:
Associate of Education, Elementary Education – Northern Wyoming Community College District

Certifications and Licensures:
Certified QuickBooks Desktop
Certified QuickBooks Online
Certified QuickBooks Payroll

Michaela, known to her friends and family as “Sheila,” has a unique career path that makes her particularly well-suited to accounting work. She began her working experience as a software engineer and spent nearly 10 years developing and creating software projects before transitioning into teaching. After 13 years in the field of education, including a number of years as a math teacher, we were lucky to have Sheila join the team. Her diverse background makes her an excellent instructor for any financial questions fielded by our clients. Sheila currently lives with her family in Buffalo, Wyoming.

Education:
Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering – University of Lowell
Master of Science, Computer Science – Rivier College
Teacher’s Certificate in Secondary Education, Mathematics – Franklin Pierce College

Cassie attended both the University of Wyoming and Northern Wyoming Community College, with a focus on accounting. Her passion for numbers and finance led her to Verity, where she assists clients with everything from data entry to QuickBooks accounting and filing. Cassie is also an expert at communication and time management. When she’s not at work, she helps out at the local extension office for the University of Wyoming as an office assistant.

Education:
Bachelor of Science, Accounting – University of Wyoming

Email Tim

With nearly 40 years in accounting, Tim has expertise in profit margins, managing payroll costs and benefits, insurance cost management and retirement planning. A typical day for Tim often involves providing financial advice to his clients and team members. He enjoys the interpersonal nature of the accounting business, and the way he’s able to talk with and develop meaningful relationships with each client. Tim founded Swedean & Co. (now a part of Verity Group) after seeing how clients were treated in a number of other firms. Wanting to make a difference, he opened his own firm nearly 30 years ago and focuses on friendly, personal service. Outside of work, Tim enjoys giving back to the community via volunteer work and spending time with his wife, Lisa, their two daughters, sons-in-law and five grandchildren.

Education:
Bachelor of Science, Accounting – University of South Dakota

Certifications and Licensures:
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)

Email Kasey

Kasey brings more than six years of experience in accounting, having worked at several prominent accounting firms throughout Iowa. Her day-to-day work involves payroll processing, corporate and individual tax filings, and general ledger work, as well as assuring compliance with payroll laws and regulations. Kasey is very skilled in human resources work, and, as a natural people person, she enjoys onboarding new employees at the firm. A native of Onawa, Iowa, Kasey helps bring these new recruits up to speed by sharing her accounting knowledge and providing them with valuable on-the-job training.

Education:
Account Specialist – Western Iowa Technical Community College

Certifications and Licensures:
Bookkeeping Certificate – Western Iowa Technical Community College
Payroll Clerk Certificate – Western Iowa Technical Community College
Tax Preparation Certificate – Western Iowa Technical Community College

As the former owner and operator of several businesses, Rhonda knows what it takes to manage the finances of a growing company. Around the office, you can find her assisting with payroll processing, reception, insurance audits, and general ledger work. Rhonda enjoys the variety of working in accounting, where each day is different, and she gets to meet lots of new people in the course of her work. One of her favorite things about her work is forming relationships with clients, and she loves running into them outside the office. Rhonda is passionate about taking care of each client, because she believes that many firms fail to treat their customers the way they should. Outside of work, you can find Rhonda spending time with her husband Larry, their 5 children and their 3 grandchildren.

Certifications and Licensures:
Sales and Marketing Certificate – Western Iowa Technical Community College

Diane is a payroll professional with more than six years of experience in accounting. She has knowledge in retirement plans, insurance premiums and payroll taxes, and she is a valuable asset to our clients. Diane handles approximately 40 payrolls and assists with monthly bookkeeping and financial reporting for several companies. Outside of her financial duties, she is a fill-in receptionist and assists with filing, faxing, copying, troubleshooting, and other computer issues. In her previous career, Diane worked as an emergency dispatcher throughout Iowa and Texas for more than 17 years, so she’s good in a crisis.

Education:
Woodbury County Emergency Management – Western Iowa Technical Community College

Lisa attended the University of South Dakota where she majored in accounting. As a financial expert with more than 30 years of accounting experience, you can find Lisa assisting in the areas of project management, general ledger work, journal entries, payroll processing, process documentation and more. Lisa also has a background in information technology, having worked as a hardware lead and an IT analyst for a number of companies. She’s passionate about improving organizational processes, mentoring, and team building. Outside of work, Lisa loves to spend time with her husband, Tim, their two daughters, sons-in-law and five grandchildren.

Education:
Bachelor of Science, Accounting – University of South Dakota

Certifications and Licensures:
WMProvia Training Certificate
Accuplus Training Certificate
Business Communications Certificate

Hailing from Sioux City, Brooke graduated from Iowa State University with a major in apparel merchandising, design and production. She has used that valuable experience to truly understand our business clients’ needs from the perspective of an owner. In addition, Brooke has more than nine years of experience in the banking industry, where she worked for Security National Bank. On a day-to-day basis, you can find her assisting clients with retirement planning, tax filing, payroll processing, and loan documentation. Brooke believes in the importance of balance and is passionate about helping our clients remove the stress of their finances, so they can focus on enjoying their personal lives. Outside of work, you can find Brooke spending time with her husband and son as they cheer on their favorite team, the Iowa State Cyclones.

Education:
Bachelor of Science, Apparel Merchandising, Design and Production, - Iowa State University

Kristi has worked in payroll processing since 2011 and is highly skilled in multi-state and international payroll, calculating garnishments and more. She’s familiar with most major payroll software, including Ceridian, ADP and UltiPro. At tax time, Kristi is a calm, cool head under pressure, helping our clients quickly and correctly file their taxes to get the maximum refund they’ve earned. Kristi is a native of Sioux City, Iowa. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering for nonprofits, including the Alzheimer's Association and the animal welfare organization, Retrieve a Golden of the Midwest.

Education:
Bachelor of Science, Administration – Minnesota State University

Certifications and Licensures:
Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) – American Payroll Association