Our Staff
Our firm is structured to provide a personalized touch to each engagement allowing us to establish long lasting professional relationships built on expertise and trust. You can expect our professionals to keep your needs in mind as we work together to achieve your goals. We continue to carefully add members to our staff and place high value on qualities such as academic achievement, enthusiasm for helping others, strong communication skills and commitment to our team and goals. The low turnover at our firm reflects our commitment to investing in our people so they can be fully committed to our clients. Our team continues to improve through continuing education and training and our size and structure enable our staff to provide our clients with the knowledge and support they expect from our firm.
Dawn Mcgruder, CPA
As President of The McGruder Group, Dawn McGruder manages the overall strategic planning and direction of the firm. Dawn is committed to providing the tax and accounting services her clients are looking for. She finds it especially rewarding to help her small business clients’ dreams become reality by providing the essential financial services, education, and expertise they need to succeed. She is proud of the friendly, supportive culture she has built at the firm.
Dawn graduated from the University of Richmond in Virginia with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. She is a licensed CPA in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and a member of the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants. She is currently serving as the Greater DC Chapter President of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). Dawn is also involved in local associations as the Finance Chair of the Northern Virginia Food Rescue organization and as a board member of the Old Town Fairfax Business Association. She is active in her community and is a frequent guest speaker on various tax and accounting topics.
Dawn loves to travel, exploring the history and culture of new places. She enjoys spending time in the Outer Banks and visiting the vineyards of Virginia. She is a big fan of DC sports teams and has been married to her husband, Rich, for over 40 years. A proud mother of three children, she also has four young grandchildren.
Richard McGruder
Richard McGruder is the Senior Manager at The McGruder Group. Since joining the firm in 2006, Richard has been involved in many aspects of client services in an array of industries. Richard specializes in working with business owners and entrepreneurs in the areas of financial statement preparation and business advisory services. He loves the ability to work regularly with clients throughout the year, developing a deeper relationship that allows for excellence in advice and services.
Richard graduated from Elon University in North Carolina in 2005 with Bachelor of Science degrees in both Accounting and Finance. Prior to joining TMG, Richard worked for Capital Source at their headquarters office in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Richard and his wife Victoria are the proud parents of 2 boys. He enjoys spending time with his family, supporting his favorite sports teams and finding time to golf.
Lauren Ritzert McMinn, CPA
Lauren Ritzert McMinn joined The McGruder Group in 2013 and is currently the Tax Services Manager. Lauren is a Certified Public Accountant and works with individual, business and non-profit clients in the areas of tax preparation and planning. Lauren also represents clients before all federal and state tax agencies. With over 15 years’ experience advising clients, Lauren particularly enjoys helping clients with tax planning by utilizing available mechanisms to save them time and money.
Lauren graduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and a Master of Science in Accounting. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (VSCPA).
Lauren loves to travel when she can. She and her husband, Jake, have two children. A native of Fairfax, she enjoys baking and spending time with her extended family.
Amanda McGruder Franceschi
Amanda Franceschi is a Controller responsible for the day-to-day financial administration of The McGruder Group. She also supports the accounting team, managing nonprofit clients and assisting with accounting and financial statement preparation.
Amanda graduated from Christopher Newport University in Virginia in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. After working with USI Insurance and Financial Services in Norfolk, Virginia, she joined The McGruder Group in 2010.
Amanda enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and family in the area, in the mountains or at the beach. She and her husband, Ben, enjoy visiting the various wineries the DMV has to offer and are the busy parents of two toddlers.
Brooke Paul, CPA
Brooke Paul joined The McGruder Group in 2013 and became a Certified Public Accountant in 2016. Her primary role at TMG is supporting clients in the area of tax preparation and planning. Brooke also represents clients before all federal and state tax agencies. She particularly enjoys working with individuals and business clients in tax return preparation and loves that her range of experiences enhances her work with each new client.
Brooke graduated from Lynchburg College in Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude in Accounting. While at Lynchburg, Brooke was the starting setter on the Women’s Volleyball team for all four seasons, helping them advance to the conference tournament finals twice; the best finish for Women’s Volleyball in Lynchburg College history.
A native of Mathews, Virginia, Brooke has acclimated to Northern Virginia and appreciates all that the metro area has to offer. She finds time to travel, play in local sports leagues, visit family and spend time with her husband, Jeremy and their dog, Blanton.
NATHAN BANKS, CPA
Nathan Banks is the Accounting Services Manager and assists business clients in the areas of accounting and financial reporting helping them reach their long-term goals. Nathan enjoys working with a wide variety of business clients, including government contractors.
Nathan earned a Bachelor of Science degree cum laude in Accounting from George Mason University in 2017 and became a Certified Public Accountant in 2019. Nathan has been working in the accounting field since 2009 and joined The McGruder Group in 2014.
Nathan and his wife, Anna, have two beautiful children. When he is not spending time with his family, Nathan enjoys following his favorite sports teams, playing tennis and golfing.
Zachary Sekel
Zach is an accounting associate at The McGruder Group and assists with small business clients providing accounting and financial statement support. Zach loves numbers and finds working with clients with such a friendly team to be truly rewarding.
Zach graduated from James Madison University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in May 2017.
Zach lives in Great Falls and he enjoys playing basketball, watching sports and spending time with friends.
Danielle Spencer, CPA
Danielle Spencer first joined The McGruder Group as an accounting team member and made the transition to the tax team in 2023. Danielle is eager to learn and ready to assist clients in achieving their maximum financial success.
Danielle earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting in May 2021 from Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina. She graduated Magna Cum Laude and was honored as the Outstanding Undergraduate Accounting Major for the class of 2021. Having already passed the CPA Exam in 2023, Danielle’s CPA license became active upon her graduation from Western Governors University with a Masters of Science in Accounting in April 2024.
Danielle was born in Manassas, Virginia but moved to South Carolina when she was six years old. Upon graduating college, she decided to return to the DMV area to be closer to family and begin her career. In her free time, Danielle enjoys collecting makeup and cheering for the Washington Nationals.
Ashleigh Scarborough
Ashleigh Scarborough joined The McGruder Group in June 2023 as our newest Accounting Associate and TMG is fortunate to have her. She assists the TMG team providing accounting and financial statement support to our small business clients. Ashleigh enjoys building relationships with small businesses in the community and looks forward to expanding those connections at TMG.
Ashleigh is in the final months of pursuing her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting at George Mason University with an anticipated 2024 graduation.
Ashleigh was born and raised in Manassas, Virginia. In her free time, she enjoys being active, spending time with family and friends, reading and watching her favorite sports teams.