Who We Are at
Griffin & Furman, LLC
Stephen Griffin, Managing Partner, began his career in public accounting in 1992. In his early years, he and Robert Furman, now a partner in the firm, worked at a certified public accounting firm in New Orleans, Louisiana. In September of 2000, after his son received an autism diagnosis, Mr. Griffin began his practice.
Not long after the firm was founded, Mr. Griffin and a contract employee discovered fraud at a Credit Union in New Orleans. The Board of Directors at the Credit Union was obligated to fire the Credit Union’s entire accounting department. The Credit Union took advantage of Mr. Griffin’s expertise and requested that he staff the new department—and thus began the firm of Griffin & Company. LLC.
Mr. Furman joined as a partner in 2001 and the firm evolved into Griffin & Furman, LLC.
Dedicated Certified Public Accounting Team
The firm’s dedication to its clients was evident following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Days after the hurricane struck New Orleans, the Board President of that same Credit Union in New Orleans called Mr. Griffin and Mr. Furman and asked them to return to the city and obtain a backup tape from the Credit Union. Management had evacuated with the wrong backup tape. And so they did. Mr. Griffin and Mr. Furman entered New Orleans via boat with an armed escort to reach the Credit Union.
That same dedication to their clients remains today, demonstrated by the partners and staff of the firm. Please allow us the opportunity to exceed your expectations.
Questions? Contact our team of experts today.
Our team includes certified public accountants for Credit Unions, small businesses, nonprofits, and state retirement systems and tax accountants for businesses and individuals.
Meet The Team
Stephen M. Griffin
CPA, Managing PartnerMr. Griffin is the founding member of the firm. He began his career in public accounting upon graduating from the University of New Orleans in 1992. His emphasis is on Credit Unions, state retirement systems, accounting, individual & business taxation, and a variety of attest services. Mr. Griffin is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Society of Louisiana CPAs where he has served on their financial institution committee. He also recently served on the Finance and Capital Campaign Committees for Raphael Village in New Orleans. Mr. Griffin enjoyed coaching high school basketball for many years and the girls’ team he coached at Christ Episcopal High School in Covington won a state championship in 2018. He was selected by City Business as one of their 2018 Money Makers.
Robert J. Furman
CPA, PartnerMr. Furman has been a partner in the firm since 2001. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Alabama in 1991. Since that time, Mr. Furman has accumulated diversified experience in accounting, auditing, and tax matters in a variety of industries including construction, healthcare, non-profits, governmental entities, and Credit Unions. He oversees all of the firm’s opinion audit engagements. Mr. Furman is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Society of Louisiana CPAs. While he spends much of his spare time keeping up with the activities of his eight children, he does find time to volunteer his time and talents to several school organizations and the Mandeville Soccer Club of which he has been treasurer since 2007.
Jessica S. Benjamin
Director of Tax and AccountingMrs. Benjamin received her accounting degree from Spring Hill College in 2006. After working for a public accounting firm in her hometown of Mobile, Alabama for two years, she relocated to the Northshore area and joined Griffin and Furman, LLC. As Director of Tax and Accounting, Mrs. Benjamin oversees our individual and small business clients. She enjoys the daily interaction with those clients and loves getting to know them on a personal level.
Racheal D. Alvey
Director of Credit Union and State Retirement ServicesMrs. Alvey began her career in banking upon graduating from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2009. She served as Manager for several years, during which she had direct oversight of our attest and accounting services. Racheal loves to work on-site with our clients whenever possible. She especially enjoys using her Excel knowledge to help streamline monthly and quarterly services, including Call Report preparations and data entry. Recently, she has helped various Credit Unions with prepaid setup, accrual posting, and updating their Fixed Asset listing.
Michael R. Choate
CPA, Director of Baton Rouge ServicesMr. Choate obtained his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from LSU in 1980 and his Master of Business Administration from LSU in 1989. In 1981, he passed all four parts of the CPA exam, placing him in the top 10% of U.S. candidates. Michael was named one of Baton Rouge’s top “40 Under 40” by the 1995 Baton Rouge Business Report. Michael is licensed by the State of Louisiana to sell life and health insurance. He is also a registered representative and holds a Series 6 license. His professional organizations include the Louisiana Society of CPAs, the AICPA, the Baton Rouge and St. Tammany West Chambers of Commerce, the Baton Rouge Better Business Bureau, and the EBR Lions Club (past President). Michael was born in New Orleans and has lived in Baton Rouge for over 50 years. His hobbies include LSU sports, golf, travel, and spending time with family and friends. He and his wife Laura, a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Tenured Full Professor at LSU, are members of Grace Life Church. Michael and Laura have a son, Benjamin, and a daughter, Abigail.
Leslie R. Gainey
Manager of Tax and AccountingMrs. Gainey began her career in accounting in 1988 after graduating from Delgado in New Orleans. After working in various industries over the years and acquiring unique work experiences by wearing many different hats, she found her home with Griffin and Furman in 2016.
Angela M. Warden
Manager of Credit Union ComplianceMrs. Warden is part of the Auditing Staff for the firm. She graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2014 and began her career in the Credit Union world in 2015. She quickly moved through the operational positions of a Credit Union and secured a role in Operational and Branch Management. Mrs. Warden works remotely for the firm, where she enjoys performing the behind-the-scenes preparation on most of our Credit Union attest engagements. She also heads the majority of our Credit Union Compliance engagements. She enjoys assisting Credit Unions with the convenience of performing their audits remotely with less interference in their daily operations.
Blake C. Scott
Audit SeniorMr. Scott joined our auditing team in January 2021 after graduating from LSU with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. He specialized in Internal Auditing and recently achieved his MBA through the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Since starting at Griffin and Furman, Mr. Scott has enjoyed interacting with clients and looks forward to future work with clients.
Griffin A. Hakenjos
Audit SeniorMr. Hakenjos graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2019 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. Before joining Griffin & Furman, he gained three years of audit and accounting experience at a CPA firm in South Louisiana. Mr. Hakenjos enjoys working with and getting to know our audit clients.
Noah S. Griffin
Audit SeniorMr. Griffin graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. He received the prestigious Dean’s College of Business Award at graduation and was an All-Conference Academic member of the Loyola basketball team. Mr. Griffin’s previous work experiences include working with Northwestern Mutual.
Andrew J. Barré
Staff AuditorMr. Barré graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Bachelor of Science in Finance. After an internship with a local CPA firm, Mr. Barré joined our auditing team in January 2022, where he enjoys attest and audit engagements.
Gabrielle E. Rotolo
Staff AuditorMs. Rotolo graduated from Louisiana State University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a minor in Internal Auditing. She went on to earn a Master of Science in Accounting from Louisiana State University in 2022. While earning her degrees, Ms. Rotolo also worked for CPA, law, and professional advisory firms, establishing a broad foundation for her current role. She joined our team in January 2023, primarily focusing on attest and audit engagements.
R. Keith Griffin
Tax & AccountingMr. Griffin started his career in the quality control department for a start-up product manufacturer in Austin, Texas. He quickly worked his way up to Production Supervisor and Processing Lead and he brings those skills to our office in West Monroe: analyzing data, investigating issues, and identifying solutions. He brings unique perspectives and experiences to Griffin & Furman.
Chandler E. Hendrick
Tax & AccountingMs. Hendrick joined our team in 2018 as an intern while earning her degree in accounting at LSU. She achieved her goal and graduated from LSU with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a minor in Internal Auditing in May 2021. She went on to obtain her Master of Accountancy in 2022. She enjoys spending her free time with family and friends, shooting skeet, and eating the great food of south Louisiana. A native of Baton Rouge, she loves cheering on the LSU fighting tigers on Saturday nights in the fall.
Victoria L. Gainey
Tax & AccountingMs. Gainey joined Griffin & Furman in 2022 as a part-time employee on the tax and accounting team. She has a variety of experiences in different industries, which provides a valuable knowledge base when working on accounting for our small business clients. Ms. Gainey received her Associate’s Degree in Business Management from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in 2015. After working as a substitute teacher for the last year, she is now pursuing a degree in the Art of Teaching at William Carey University.
Hailee R. Fernandez
Tax & AccountingMs. Fernandez is a tax and accounting intern at Griffin & Furman currently working toward her Bachelor of Science in Accounting at Southeastern Louisiana University. Ms. Fernandez previously worked as an accounting intern in the corporate offices of a publicly traded company and is enjoying the application of her education at Griffin & Furman, exploring tax, accounting, and audit work.
Emily F. Moon
Tax & AccountingMs. Moon graduated from the University of Louisiana Monroe with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Management in 2007. After furthering her education, she graduated from Louisiana State University of Alexandria with a Bachelor of Accounting in 2022. She is currently studying for the CPA exam.
Amanda D. Boles
Tax & AccountingMrs. Boles graduated from the University of New Orleans with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance in 1986. In 1991, she attended pre-CPA courses at the University of New Orleans. She has accumulated over 20 years of experience in public accounting and tax while working for local CPA firms in New Orleans and Covington.
Sydney M. Griffin
Community Engagement and Marketing SpecialistMs. Griffin graduated from the University of Alabama in 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a minor in Creative Writing. Before joining Griffin & Furman, she gained two years of copywriting, brand strategy, and client relations experience at a marketing agency for salons, working with clients across the United States and Europe. She brings a keen insight into marketing and creative strategy and looks forward to working with the Griffin & Furman staff and clients.
Alicia M. Kelley
Office AdministratorMrs. Kelley has served in Griffin & Furman’s administrative department since 2010. In addition to handling any task from processing tax returns to answering phones, she enjoys interacting with Griffin & Furman’s clients. Mrs. Kelley is a native of Orange County, California and attended Loyola University of New Orleans on a vocal performance scholarship. She sang in the New Orleans Opera Chorus from 1990-2020 and currently enjoys singing at her church.
Abbigail T. Wallace
Administrative AssistantMs. Wallace is a native of Calhoun and is currently attending the University of Louisiana Monroe, majoring in Radiologic Technology. She enjoys the office atmosphere and assisting clients in our West Monroe office.
Leah G. Sacco
Administrative AssistantAfter attending Midwestern State University, Mrs. Sacco joined our administrative department in 2023 with a background in retail management, café management, and journalism. Originally from East Texas, she now resides in Baton Rouge with her husband and two dogs.