Chapter Leadership
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
B’nai Sawyer currently serves as the President of the NABA Metropolitan DC Chapter. She first joined NABA as a student member and continued her participation by joining the professional chapter in 2003. She has served on the Metro DC Chapter’s Executive Board for several years as the 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President and Directors for Corporate Partnership and Student Member Services. For her commitment and dedication to the NABA – Metro DC Chapter, Ms. Sawyer was awarded the 2010 Outstanding Board Member Award. Her role as President will include leading the chapter to increase membership, enhance the professional development meetings, and to work with the students to have them successfully transition into corporate America.
Ms. Sawyer is currently a Manager in the Internal Audit department with Discovery Communications, Inc. Prior to joining Discovery, B’nai spent over 4 years with KPMG LLP.
Ms. Sawyer obtained a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Maryland. She is also a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Virginia.
Tanya Davis is the Immediate President of the NABA Metropolitan Washington DC Chapter. She first joined NABA in 1997 and has previously served as Director of Programming and 2nd Vice President for the chapter. Ms. Davis also participates in NABA at a regional level where she currently serves on Eastern Region Student Membership Services Team, along with the Scholarship and Hospitality Committees. For her commitment and dedication to the NABA – Metro DC Chapter, Ms. Davis was awarded the 2009 Outstanding Board Member Award.
Ms. Davis formerly worked at Marriott International, Inc. as an Assistant Tax Manager where her primary responsibilities were to accurately file federal, partnership, state, and international tax returns. She also was responsible for preparing and reviewing various analyses and reconciliations for the internal and external financial reporting of income taxes in accordance with FAS 109 and other GAAP pronouncements. She has previously worked at KPMG, LLP in the federal tax practice.
Ms. Davis attended Daemen College in Amherst, NY where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting and minored in Marketing. She also attended Long Island University where she obtained her Masters of Science in Taxation. She recently completed a graduate certificate program in Leadership and Management at University of Maryland University College.
James Hodge is the 1st Vice President of NABA’s Metropolitan Washington, DC Chapter. He also participates in NABA at a regional level where he currently serves as the Eastern Region Scholarship Committee Chairperson. He first joined NABA in 2005 and co-founded the Metropolitan Dayton Chapter in Ohio. Mr. Hodge has previously served as 2nd Vice President, Director of Student Member Services and a liaison for the University of Maryland College Park for the Metropolitan Washington DC chapter. For his commitment and dedication to the NABA Metro DC Chapter, Mr. Hodge was awarded the 2011 Outstanding Board Member Award. As 1st Vice President, his responsibilities include overseeing the activities of the Student Member Services and Membership committees as well as providing input into the decisions of the Executive Board.
Mr. Hodge is currently an Auditor-in-Charge at the Department of Treasury Office of Inspector General (OIG). Treasury OIG is responsible for keeping both the Secretary and the Congress fully and currently informed about the problems and deficiencies relating to the administration of department programs and operations and the necessity for corrective action. Before joining the federal government, Mr. Hodge worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers in their Washington Federal Practice.
Mr. Hodge obtained a Bachelor’s of Science and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Dayton. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM).
Michelle Nicholson is the 2nd Vice President of NABA’s Metropolitan Washington DC Chapter. She joined NABA in 2002 and has served on the Executive Board for 3 years. Mrs. Nicholson has previously served as Director of Membership. She has dedicated her services to the Evening with NABA Committee as well as other committee’s with in NABA. As 2nd Vice President, her responsibilities include overseeing the Program and Professional Membership committees as well as providing input into the decisions of the Executive Board.
Mrs. Nicholson is currently a Project Accounting Manager at Marriott International, a leading hospitality company located in Bethesda, Maryland. Her current role consists of managing and reviewing the budgeting and forecasting for the Marriott Edition Brand. Michelle has over 15 years of accounting experience in different roles and capacities. In addition, Michelle worked for KPMG for 5 years in various roles from senior and management positions.
Mrs. Nicholson obtained her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Maryland, College Park and Master of Science in Accounting from University of Maryland University College.
Tiffany L. Ford is the Treasurer of NABA’s Metropolitan Washington, DC Chapter. She joined NABA in 2007 and volunteered and served on various boards such as EWNABA, Holiday Party and ERSC. She also was the Student Liaison for Bowie State University from 2008-2009. As the Treasurer, her responsibilities include preparing monthly financial statements, running ad hoc reports, preparing the tax returns (990) as well as assisting with the general operations of the organization.
Ms. Ford is currently a Senior Accountant in the Accounting Operations group at Intelsat Corporation. She specializes in intercompany accounting and analysis.
Ms. Ford received her Bachelor of Science in Finance from Hampton University. She is also received her MBA from University of Maryland University College.
Coretta Dangerfield has been a professional member of the NABA Metropolitan Washington, DC Chapter since 2007 and is serving her second year on the Executive Board as Secretary. As a dedicated member of the NABA Metro DC Chapter she has actively participated on several committees; in 2010, Coretta was awarded the Frank K. Ross Outstanding Member Award.
Coretta received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting with honors from Strayer University. She also obtained her Master of Business Administration in Management. Coretta currently works as a Senior Accountant for Marriott International in Bethesda, MD. In her role, Coretta is responsible for various intercompany processes.
COMMITTEE DIRECTORS
Erica James is the Co-Director of Membership for the NABA Metropolitan Washington DC Chapter. She joined NABA in 2005 as a student member. She has volunteered for the Evening with NABA Committee as well as other committee’s within NABA. As Co-Director of Membership her role includes but is not limited to serving the members and their interests as it relates to aspiring leaders, professional engagement and professionals that are looking to connect and reshape in the Accounting and Business industry.
Ms. James is currently a Senior Accountant at May & Barnhard, PC located in Bethesda, Maryland. May & Barnhard is a certified public accounting and financial consulting firm dedicated to providing full service financial planning, tax, audit and other accounting services. The company is designed to meet the needs of individuals, closely-held businesses and not-for-profit organizations. Prior to joining May & Barnhard, Erica worked as a senior accountant at Standard Solar and an auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Private Company Services practice.
Ms. James obtained her Bachelor of Science in Accounting with a Spanish minor from Washington University in St. Louis. She is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
Andrea Smith is the Co-Director of Membership and Co-Chairperson for the Financial Literacy and Education Committee for the NABA Metropolitan Washington, DC Chapter. Ms. Smith has held several positions in the NABA since initially joining as a student member in 2003. At Howard University she served as Chapter Vice-President (2004-2005), President (2005-2006), and as Graduate Advisor (2006-2007). During 2007-2010, she served as Co-Director of Student Member Services for the Metro DC Chapter. Since 2010 Andrea has been the Co-Chairperson for NABA’s Financial Literacy and Education initiatives.
Currently, Ms. Smith is an Auditor for the United States Federal Government. Her primary responsibility is to provide members of the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives audit reports of failed banks that provided a material loss to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act as amended by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act as a result of the Great Recession.
Ms. Smith is a graduate of Howard University where she earned a Bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration in Accounting. She was a recipient of the 2011 NABA National Community Service Leader Award, 2009 Frank K. Ross Outstanding Member Award, NABA’s 2006 Distinguished Collegian Award, NABA National Scholarship Program Recipient in 2005 & 2006, and NABA Metro DC Scholarship Program in 2004-2006.
Jamal D. Burise is the Director of Corporate Partnership of NABA’s Metropolitan Washington, DC Chapter. He first joined NABA in 1996 as a student at Western Michigan University and has been a professional member for the past nine years upon graduation. Prior to being in his current role, he served as the Student Liaison for the Bowie State University Student Chapter for two years. Mr. Burise also serves on the Eastern Region Student Conference Corporate Committee. Currently as Director of Corporate Partnership, his responsibilities are to assist and facilitate new, current, and potential corporate partners.
Mr. Burise is currently a Senior Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP and has nine years of private, commercial, and federal experience. Within the past six years, Mr. Burise worked within the Internal Audit Service practice for two years and is currently within his fourth year with the Washington Federal Practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mr. Burise currently performs financial, risk, audit remediation, and project management services, in addition to audit readiness. He spent three years at Lakeland Regional Health System as an auditor by assisting the Chief Financial Officer to perform internal audits for the hospital.
Mr. Burise obtained his Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Accounting from Western Michigan University. He was served on numerous community service organizational boards such as the Harbor Habitat for Humanity Family Selection Committee, United Federal Credit Union Supervisory Committee, 2005 Habitat for Humanity Jimmy Carter Work Project Events Committee Co-Chair, and the United Way Southwest Michigan Allocation Committee. Mr. Burise is currently a mentor with the Capital Partners for Education in Washington, DC.
Nikki Akinyeye is the Co-Director of Student Member Services of NABA’s Metropolitan Washington, DC Chapter. She first joined NABA in 2003 as a member of the Howard University student chapter, where she subsequently served in the positions of Membership Chair and Historian. Before becoming a Director of Student Member Services, Ms. Akinyeye served for three years as a student chapter liaison for Howard University, a role in which she served as a professional chapter resource for student officers. As a Director of Student Member Services, her responsibilities include acting as liaison with colleges and universities in the interest of NABA, developing programs to meet the needs of student members, and monitoring performance of student chapters, among other things.
Ms. Akinyeye is currently a senior accountant for The DMP Group, a Certified Public Accounting and Management Consulting firm which services include solutions for individuals, private sector entities, federal government, local government and non-profit organizations. Prior to joining the DMP Group, Ms. Akinyeye worked as an auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers in their Washington Metro office, working primarily with higher education and non-profit organizations.
Ms. Akinyeye obtained a Bachelor’s of Business Administration and a Master’s of Business Administration from Howard University. She is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
James McClelland, Jr. is the Co-Director of Student Member Services of NABA’s Metropolitan, DC Chapter. He first joined NABA in 2002 as a member of the North Carolina A&T SU chapter (ALOBEAEM), where he eventually served as Mr. ALOBEAEM – in charge of the freshman members, President, and Senior Advisor. He joined the Professional Chapter in 2007 and has been a member ever since. As Co-Director of Student Member Services, his responsibilities include acting as liaison between colleges and universities in the interest of NABA, developing programs to meet the needs of student members, and monitoring performance of student chapters, and furthering the success of the student chapters and its members.
Mr. McClelland currently works as an Internal Auditor for Fannie Mae in Washington, DC. Prior to joining Fannie Mae, he worked as a senior associate with KPMG.
Mr. McClelland has a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from North Carolina A&T SU and a Master’s Degree from Michigan State University. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
Victor Carraway is the Co-Director of Programming of NABA’s Metropolitan Washington, DC Chapter. He first joined NABA in 1998 as a member of the North Carolina A&T University student chapter. As Co-Director of Programming, his responsibilities include planning and coordinating technical sessions for the memberships, establishing partnerships with volunteer organizations, and facilitating the planning and execution of the NABA Scholarship and Awards Banquet.
Mr. Carraway is currently a Senior Associate within KPMG’s Federal Advisory practice where he assist federal agencies in managing financial, informational, and operational risk as well as providing performance improvement recommendations to improve agencies efficiency. Prior to joining KPMG Mr. Carraway worked at Freddie Mac’s Making Home Affordable Division.
Mr. Carraway obtained a Bachelor’s of Science in Accounting from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. He is also a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).
Barry Pearson is Co-Director of Programming and Co-Chairperson for the Financial Literacy and Education Committee for the NABA Metropolitan Washington, DC chapter. He began his membership with NABA in 2003 as a student member at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University eventually serving as Chapter President in 2005. After completion of his undergraduate studies, Barry became a professional member of the Atlanta Chapter of NABA in 2006 and served as Chair of Financial Literacy in 2009-2010. As Co-Director of Programming, his responsibilities include planning and coordinating technical sessions for the membership, establishing partnerships with volunteer organizations, and facilitating the planning and execution of the NABA Scholarship and Awards Banquet.
Currently, Barry is a Senior Accountant with LaSalle Hotel Properties in Bethesda, MD. Prior to joining LaSalle, Barry spent four years in the Assurance practice at Ernst & Young.
Barry obtained his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and his Master of Science in Accounting from the University of Virginia. He was recognized as a NABA Distinguished Collegian at the 2006 National Convention. Barry has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant since 2009.
