Lynchburg Office

Brown EdwardsOffice LocationsLynchburg Office

828 Main St.
Suite 1401
Lynchburg, VA 24504
Tel: (434) 948-9000
Fax: (434) 948-9029
Map & Directions

Brown Edwards has decades of experience guiding clients to their financial goals. Our Lynchburg accounting services help families and businesses manage their tax liabilities, ensure compliance, and make strategic decisions for their future.

We offer support to both individuals and companies. Our work includes personal tax and financial planning, assurance services, business tax services, and financial advisory and consulting.

Lynchburg area companies choose Brown Edwards because of our expertise in a variety of industrial categories. We work with financial institutions, not-for-profits, colleges and universities, and manufacturers, to name a few. The Lynchburg office has a team of associates with specific knowledge and experience in working with municipalities and construction companies.

With Brown Edwards, you gain access to a team of professionals who are dedicated to your goals. We are accomplished CPAs with active membership and leadership roles in professional organizations, including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants.

We also support our neighbors through our personal commitments. Brown Edwards team members are part of the Chamber of Commerce; the Mental Health Association of Central Virginia; institutions of higher education; the Lynchburg Estate Planning Council; and foundations for the arts and historical preservation.

Contact Us

Lynchburg, VAMeet our Team

  • Ryan A. McEntire, CPA
    Ryan A. McEntire, CPA
    Partner
  • Laura H. Sprouse, CPA
    Laura H. Sprouse, CPA
    Partner, COO
  • Norman D. Yoder, CPA
    Norman D. Yoder, CPA
    Partner
  • Susan G. Ackley, CPA, PFS
    Susan G. Ackley, CPA, PFS
    Director
  • Susan H. Chapman, CPA
    Susan H. Chapman, CPA
    Director
  • Russell Hicks, CPA, CCIFP
    Russell Hicks, CPA, CCIFP
    Director
  • Teresa C. O’Brien, CPA
    Teresa C. O’Brien, CPA
    Director
  • David Sheaffer, CPA, CCIFP
    David Sheaffer, CPA, CCIFP
    Director

Visit Our Lynchburg Officeor call us to learn more about our firm and our staff, and what we can do for you

Ryan A. McEntire, CPA
Partner
(434) 948-9000    
rmcentire@becpas.com
828 Main St., Suite 1401 • Lynchburg, VA 24504

Ryan is a partner in the tax department of the Lynchburg office of Brown Edwards.  He has over ten years of public accounting experience and three years of private industry.  Ryan’s experience includes a wide variety of tax services and consulting for both not-for-profit and for profit organizations.  He manages the tax portion of engagements in order to ensure proper compliance and continually reviews for changes needed to improve the organization’s overall tax positioning.

Ryan graduated with honors from the University of Redlands with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.  Ryan also had a double minor in Mathematics and Economics.  He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a member of the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants.  He is a graduate of the 32nd class of the Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce Leadership Lynchburg program and has joined the Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Council.  Virginia Business magazine recently recognized him a “Super CPA” in the area of corporate taxation.  Ryan is the treasurer for the Mental Health Association of Central Virginia and a board member (and chairman of the Finance Committee) of the Central Virginia Community College Foundation.

Laura H. Sprouse, CPA
Partner, COO
(434) 948-9000    
lsprouse@becpas.com
828 Main St., Suite 1401 • Lynchburg, VA 24504

Laura is the Firm’s COO and is based in the Lynchburg office.  Laura has 20 years of experience with a focus on accounting information system services to a wide range of industry niches including manufacturing, non-profit organizations, retailers, and various personal service related organizations.  She specialized in the selection and implementation of accounting information systems for both clients and the Firm.  In her role as COO, Laura provides leadership to the firm’s administrative teams including information technology, human resources, finance and business development.  Additionally, Laura works with various service lines to spearhead many of the Firm’s special projects.

She is a 1997 Ferrum College graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Finance and Decision Support Systems.  Laura is a member of the  American Institute of Certified Public Accountants,  Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants and also the CPA Firm Management Association.

Norman D. Yoder, CPA
Partner
Norman Yoder, CPA
(434) 948-9000    
nyoder@becpas.com
828 Main St., Suite 1401 • Lynchburg, VA 24504

Norman Yoder is an assurance partner in the Lynchburg office. Norman graduated summa cum laude from James Madison University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting in 1999. He graduated as the valedictorian of JMU’s College of Business, and received various awards for academic success. Norman began his career in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where he worked with a regional firm for six years following his graduation. He joined the Lynchburg office of Brown Edwards in 2005.

Norman’s areas of expertise include:

  • Local governments and related entities
  • Not-for-profit organizations
  • Financial institutions
  • Manufacturers
  • Retailers and wholesale distributors
  • CCRC and health care organizations
  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • Closely-held businesses
  • Registered investment advisors
  • US public companies subject to PCAOB standards

In addition to working with his own clients, Norman consults on technical audit and accounting issues on other engagements throughout the firm, and assists the firm’s peer review team with engagements where he has specific expertise. Norman is a member of the firm’s accounting and auditing committee, and has been recognized as a “Super CPA” in the Virginia Business magazine several times.

Susan G. Ackley, CPA, PFS
Director
Susan Ackley CPA
(434) 948-9000    
sackley@becpas.com
828 Main St., Suite 1401 • Lynchburg, VA 24504

Susan Ackley is a director of tax services in the Lynchburg office of Brown Edwards.  With more than twenty years of experience in public accounting, Susan has expertise in the areas of corporate and individual tax, estate and gift planning and non-profit tax planning.  She has worked closely with not-for-profit organizations on both compliance issues related to Forms 990 and 990T as well as issues related to planned giving.

Susan graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1974 with a B.A. in Math.  She also holds a M.S. in Accounting, with a concentration in Tax, from the University of Virginia.  Susan is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (with a PFS designation), where she is on the PFP and Tax subcommittees and the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants. She serves on the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation board. She is a board and finance committee member at Westminster Canterbury and is on the finance committee at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

Susan H. Chapman, CPA
Director
(434) 948-9000    
schapman@becpas.com
828 Main St., Suite 1401 • Lynchburg, VA, 24504

Susan is an audit director based in the Lynchburg office. She provides audit and assurance services to municipalities, governmental entities, privately owned businesses, manufacturers, and non-profits. She focuses much of her time on municipal and governmental entity auditing, specializing in compliance auditing for governmental and non-profit entities, including Auditor of Public Accounts of the Commonwealth of Virginia audit and reporting requirements and Single Audit Act requirements.

Susan graduated from Radford University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting in 2000 and a Master’s of Business Administration in 2002.

Susan completed Leadership Lynchburg, a nine-month program focusing on community and professional leadership and growth, in May 2010, and currently serves as a member of the board for the program. She also serves as a member of the board for the Central Virginia Foundation for Economic Education and Improvement.

Susan is a member of the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Virginia Government Finance Officers Association. In addition, she also serves as a reviewer for the Government Finance Officers Association’s Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Program.

Russell Hicks, CPA, CCIFP
Director
(434) 948-9000   
rhicks@becpas.com
828 Main St., Suite 1401 • Lynchburg, VA, 24504

Russell Hicks is a director in the Lynchburg office of Brown Edwards.  He has twenty-six years of experience in public accounting.  Russell works in a variety of areas, particularly in the areas of corporate and individual tax, estate and gift subjects, not-for-profit organizations and construction tax and accounting.

Russell graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1982 with a Bachelors of Business Administration.  He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Russell has been active in many community activities in Lynchburg, Bedford, and Altavista.  He is active in both community and personal projects relating to historical preservation and rehabilitation tax credits, and he frequently lectures on topics relating to Virginia historical antiques and artifacts.  He was a founding member of the Historic Sandusky Foundation, Inc. He currently serves as the treasurer of Lynchburg’s Old City Cemetery and as a member of boards of directors of the Campbell County Public Library and the Campbell County Public Library Foundation, Inc.

Teresa C. O’Brien, CPA
Director
(434) 948-9000
tobrien@becpas.com
828 Main St., Suite 1401 • Lynchburg, VA, 24504

Teresa is a Director in the Lynchburg office of Brown Edwards. She previously was with Cherry Bekaert Blue Ridge prior to that location’s merger with Brown, Edwards & Company, L.L.P. in 2019. With more than twenty years of experience in public accounting, she has extensive knowledge of tax compliance, consulting and planning for high net worth individuals, construction, pass-through entities & small businesses.

Teresa is a native of Central Virginia and a graduate of Lynchburg College (now University of Lynchburg) with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. She is a Certified Public Accountant in Virginia and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Lynchburg Estate Planning Council.

Teresa is active in the community and has served on and advised various boards and committees of organizations within her community.

David Sheaffer, CPA, CCIFP
Director
David Sheaffer CPA Brown Edwards web
(434) 948-9000
dsheaffer@becpas.com
828 Main St. Suite 1401 • Lynchburg, VA, 24504

David is a Director in the Lynchburg office of Brown Edwards. He has extensive experience in providing assurance, consulting, and taxation services specializing in the construction and private education industries.

During his career, David has served a wide range of entities in the construction industry, including; general contractors, heavy-highway contractors, trade contractors, and home builders. He has obtained the Certified Construction Industry Financial Professional (CCIFP) designation and has previously served on the internal audit committee and the question-writing task force of the Institute of Certified Construction Industry Financial Professionals (ICCIFP).

In addition, David serves private institutions of higher education and private k-12 schools and is a member of the National Association of College and University Business Officers.

At Brown Edwards, David assists with leading the internal training workshops for managers and associates working in the construction and education niches and serves on peer review and internal inspection teams.

In 2019, David was named a “Millennial on the Move” by Lynchburg Business Magazine.  He completed Leadership Lynchburg in 2017 and currently serves as a member of the Leadership Council.  Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors for Aspire Foundation.

David holds a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in finance from the University of Lynchburg.  He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA), the Associated General Contractors of Virginia, and the Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance.

Expertise and Experience

  • Not-for-Profit Accounting and Auditing
  • Not-for-Profit Taxation
  • Assurance and Compliance to Higher Education Institutions
  • Construction Contractors Accounting and Auditing
  • Closely-Held Businesses