LBMC, a top 40 advisory and business consulting firm in the nation, is proud to announce the addition of five shareholders to align with the firm’s continued focus on serving clients in the advisory, cyber risk, data insights, healthcare and high net wealth space. The new shareholders are comprised of four team members promoted within LBMC and one new to the LBMC family.

Growth and Strategic Initiatives Lead to Promotions, Additions within Firm’s Primary Service Lines

Robyn Barton, Shareholder, Risk Services, leads LBMC’s HITRUST service line, one of the firm’s fastest growing services. Barton has played a key role in establishing LBMC as one of the nation’s leading providers of HITRUST assessment and consulting services. She serves on the HITRUST Assessor Council and is a regular speaker at HITRUST conferences and events around the U.S. She has more than 19 years of experience as an information security professional and assessor, 12 of which are at LBMC. Barton is also a leader in new hire and service line training for LBMC. A graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, Barton holds certifications in CISA, CRISC, CISM, QSA, CCSFP, CHQP and CDPSE.

Melissa Cothran, Shareholder, Wealth Advisors, leads LBMC’s Family Office Practice. Cothran joined LBMC in 1999 and has continually built and maintained longstanding, multigenerational client relationships during her tenure with the firm. She has more than 24 years of diversified tax experience and specializes in large and complex income tax returns for individuals, trusts, and estates, as well as tax planning and individual tax consulting. She also works closely with LBMC’s litigation department consulting on high net wealth family law and divorce cases involving taxation issues and asset division. As a leader, Cothran plays an instrumental role in coaching, mentoring and developing her team. Cothran holds her bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky and her CPA and PFS.

Laura McGregor, Shareholder, Audit, is a leader within LBMC’s Healthcare Audit practice. Since joining LBMC in 2009, McGregor has been a core contributor to the growth of LBMC’s healthcare practice. She leads healthcare audit training for LBMC and is actively involved in recruiting, mentoring, training, and managing teams. McGregor’s audit and due diligence expertise includes for-profit and not-for-profit hospitals, behavioral health providers, continuing care retirement communities, independent and assisted living facilities, nursing homes, pharmacies, home health and hospice care companies. McGregor holds her MBA from Tennessee Technological University and is CPA. She a member of Leadership Health Care and the Nashville Healthcare Council.

Van Steel, Shareholder, Risk Services, leads LBMC’s cybersecurity consulting service line and has established LBMC as a national expert in the field of cyber risk assessments. Steel has been instrumental in growing the practice through recruiting, retention, coaching and mentoring. He joined LBMC in 2018 and has more than 20 years of experience in IT advisory/assurance and cybersecurity consulting. Steel has served clients across many industries, including three of the largest financial institutions in the world and a U.S. healthcare governing body. Steel is a thought leader and frequent speaker in the cybersecurity and IT assurance space. He holds his bachelor’s degree from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and CISA, CISSP, and CCSFP designations.

Jon Hilton joins LBMC as Practice Leader of the firm’s Data Insights division. Hilton has more than 15 years of leadership experience including senior data leader, data strategist, and data scientist helping organizations leverage data to achieve their business goals and objectives. Hilton has extensive expertise working with organizations on digital strategy, executing on roadmaps, and bridging business and data conversations with senior executives and organizational leaders. He is an honors graduate of West Point – United States Military Academy and holds a Master of Information and Data Science from the University of California, Berkeley. His skills include Machine Learning, AI, Deep Learning, Python, Data Strategy, Data Governance, Data Engineering, and Data Visualization. Hilton served as an Officer and Leader in the U.S. Army, where he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Army Commendation Medal.

“On behalf of LBMC, I am honored to welcome these outstanding leaders as our newest shareholders,” said Jeff Drummonds, CEO of LBMC. “These five leaders personify our mission – to help our clients and colleagues be successful while continuously moving forward and striving to be better. By demonstrating exemplary service and expertise to clients, developing their teams through meaningful relationships, improving processes through innovation, and driving smart growth, they represent the future of LBMC.”

About LBMC

LBMC is a top 40 accounting and business consulting firm that provides complex, unique advisory and compliance solutions to over 10,000 clients across the nation. The firm’s broad range of services includes tax, audit & assurance, transaction advisory, cyber risk services, litigation & valuation, healthcare consulting, data insights, growth and innovation, staffing and HR outsourcing, technology solutions, financial outsourcing and procurement, and high net wealth planning and management for family offices and individuals. Primary industries include healthcare, technology, manufacturing, private equity, real estate and construction, professional services, and not-for-profit. LBMC is a top 3 firm in Nashville and a Pacesetter for Growth as well as a Top 5 Regional Accounting firm on Accounting Today’s 2022 Top 100 Firms list, and a 2022 Forbes Top Tax and Accounting Firm. Proud to be a Certified Great Place to Work for two years in a row, LBMC has more than 750 team members with offices in Chattanooga, Nashville (Brentwood), and Knoxville, TN and Charlotte, NC.