Karina Escalante

Karina Escalante is a Senior Accountant with over 14 years of experience serving the accounting needs of individuals and businesses. Eight of those years she worked at a CPA firm preparing tax returns and providing tax planning. She aims to add value to her client relationships through business consulting and accounting system and process consulting.

Karina discovered her skill and enjoyment of accounting at the age of sixteen, during her high school years as a dual enrolled student at AB-Tech community college. Soon after she started working as a bookkeeper and continued her pursuit and growth in accounting, receiving her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of North Carolina at Asheville and her Master of Accountancy from Western Carolina University.

Born and raised in Guatemala, Karina moved to the Asheville area with her family in 2005. She is a health and wellness enthusiast, an avid rock climber, and enjoys spending her leisure time reading and playing chess. Accompanied by her lazy cat and goofy dog, she aims to live a life that has a positive impact on her community and natural environment.

Serena Stuart

Serena Stuart is a Senior Accountant with over 10 years of experience in public and private accounting. Serena earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Auburn University. While in public accounting, Serena performed audits and prepared tax returns for a wide variety of clients. When Serena made the move to private accounting, she worked primarily in the healthcare industry as an Accounting Manager.

As a former middle school math teacher, Serena also brings over 10 years of education experience to our firm. She looks forward to using her experience in both accounting and education to assist our clients with their accounting needs.

Serena recently moved from Alabama and is excited to call Laurel Park home. Serena enjoys hiking, reading, and exploring Western North Carolina with family and friends. She has three grown daughters who live in Ohio, Charlotte, NC, and Auburn, AL.

Jada Brennan

Jada has over 20 years of bookkeeping experience with five years preparing income tax returns for individuals in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Having been a small business owner for many years, she understands the complexity and demands of operating a business and strives to help others with their bookkeeping needs.

Originally from the Philadelphia area, she also lived in upstate New York before moving to North Carolina. She has called Western North Carolina home for the past nine years. Jada enjoys traveling, gardening, hiking and camping in her spare time. She is passionate about animal welfare, volunteering with local rescue groups, and fostering cats and dogs.

Ashley Kinney is a Senior Accountant with over 14 years of experience in accounting and finance, serving individuals and businesses nationwide. Most of Ashley’s career she has worked in corporate accounting and managed a team of accountants. In the last three years, she has switched to consulting accounting for companies and individuals. Ashley graduated from Sacramento State University with her Accounting and Business degree. She has always been interested in the accounting field and helping companies achieve their goals. She enjoys the month end close and challenging herself to work through complex issues with her clients.

Ashley is from Sacramento, California, and has lived there her whole life. Ashley has four sisters and three nieces that all live in the Sacramento area, as well as many family members in the accounting world, including her father, sister, and uncle. Ashley has a young daughter named Mackenzie who takes up most of her and her husband’s time. They enjoy traveling as a family and seeing the world together.

Emma Bennett

Emma grew up in the Hendersonville area, attending Hendersonville High School. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, she graduated in 2015 with a master’s degree in public administration from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She has worked in a variety of administrative roles since, including as analyst, payroll specialist, and in this capacity as Office Administrator for Michelle Tracz, CPA, CFE, PLLC. Emma is dedicated to improving processes and outcomes, and interested in entrepreneurship and helping small businesses thrive. She is passionate about sustainability, traveling, and exploring the great outdoors in her free time.