Who We Are at Griffin & Furman, LLC
Stephen Griffin and Robert Furman began their careers in public accounting in 1992 and 1991 respectively. In their early years, they worked together at a certified public accounting firm in New Orleans, Louisiana. In September of 2000, after his son was diagnosed as severely autistic, Mr. Griffin started his practice.
Not long after, he and a contract employee discovered fraud at a Credit Union in New Orleans. The Board of Directors at the Credit Union was forced to fire the Credit Union’s entire accounting department and asked Mr. Griffin to staff it for them. Thus began the firm of Griffin & Company, LLC.
Mr. Furman joined the firm as a partner in 2001 and the firm evolved into Griffin & Furman, LLC. The firm offers attest, accounting and tax services to credit unions, for-profit businesses, not-for-profit entities, government entities, and individuals.
Dedicated Certified Public Accountant 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.
Call Us for Tax and Accounting Services
Our team includes certified public accountants for credit unions, small businesses and nonprofits, 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 CPA’s and the Society of Louisiana CPA’s 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 accounting degree 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 US 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.
Linda M. Alford
Tax & Accounting SupervisorAfter graduating from Delta State University with a dree in Business Administration and Management, Mrs. Alford started her career as the broker/owner of her real estate agency, where she found her niche in commercial and HOA property management. After 14 years managing her agency, she served as CEO/Manager of a Mississippi credit union and spent over a decade overseeing the financial institution and the needs of its members. She has a strong background in QuickBooks and bookkeeping and brings a deep well of management and financial industry knowledge and experience to Griffin & Furman.
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 is continuing his education as he pursues 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
Staff AuditorNoah graduated from Loyola University – New Orleans with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance. Noah received the prestigious Dean’s College of Business Award at graduation and was an All-Conference Academic member of the Loyola basketball team. Noah’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 degree in Accounting and a Bachelor of Science degree 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.
R. Keith Griffin
Tax & AccountingMr. Griffin started his career in Austin, Texas, in the quality control department for a start-up product manufacturer. 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 Hendrick
Tax and AccountingMs. Hendrick joined our team in 2018 as an intern while earning her degree in accounting at LSU. Chandler achieved her goal and graduated from LSU in accounting in May 2021. Chandler also received a minor in Internal Auditing and obtained her Master of Accountancy in 2022.
Chandler 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.
Gabrielle Rotolo
Staff AuditorMs. Rotolo joined our team with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master of Science in Accounting from Louisiana State University. While earning her degrees, Ms. Rotolo also worked for CPA, law, and professional advisory firms, giving her a broad foundation. She joined our team in January 2023, primarily focusing on attest and audit engagements.
Victoria L. Gainey
Tax & AccountingMs. Gainey joined Griffin & Furman in 2022 part-time on the tax and accounting team. She has a variety of experiences working 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 pursuing a degree in the Art of Teaching at William Carey University.
Hailee 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 currently enjoying the application of her education at Griffin & Furman, exploring tax, accounting, and audit work.
Emily 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. In her spare time, she studies for the CPA exam while managing her small business My Sewing Shed, which offers alterations, custom and ready-to-sell embroidery and quilts, and more.
Amy James
Operations ManagerMrs. James joined Griffin & Furman with a deep background in managing teams and processes. Her management experiences in the local restaurant industry and an in-demand chemical lab have sharpened her skills for leading teams and developing efficient systems and procedures. Her strengths in implementing infrastructure and emphasizing team communication bring deep operational knowledge to the Griffin & Furman firm.
Alicia M. Kelley
Office AdministratorMrs. Kelley has served as Griffin & Furman’s Administrative Assistant 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 continues to enjoy singing as a Certified Cantor for the Archdiocese of New Orleans and has performed with the New Orleans Opera since 1990.
Melanie M. Sanders
Administrative AssistantMrs. Sanders is the Administrative Assistant in Griffin & Furman’s Baton Rouge office. She manages the office’s day-to-day activity, processes tax returns, answers phone calls, and gets to know our clients. For twenty years, Mrs. Sanders owned and operated her local businesses. She is a member of the Spanish Town Ladies Auxiliary, an organization promoting art and culture in Baton Rouge.
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.
Sydney Griffin
Community Engagement and Marketing SpecialistMs. Griffin graduated from the University of Alabama in 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and 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.
Mandeville
Baton Rouge
2915 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd. Suite B
Baton Rouge, LA 70816
(225) 292-7434 Phone
West Monroe
4900 Cypress St. #15
West Monroe, LA 71291
(318) 397-2472 Phone