Overview
Sarah is a Principal with CLA and has more than 24 years of combined experience in public accounting, higher education, and private industry. She has worked with a variety of clients including tax-exempt organizations, colleges and universities, state and local governments, for-profit entities, nonresident alien taxpayers, and many others. Sarah currently supports CLA’s National Exempt Tax Practice (NExT) nationwide as the Higher Education industry tax leader as well as the West Region NExT leader. Sarah has served as a consultant in her time in public accounting in addition to aiding organizations internally in a management capacity in both accounting and compliance roles.
Sarah provides a broad range of services to tax-exempt clients including, tax consulting; analysis and tax planning of unrelated business income activities; IRS Form 1023 Application for Recognition of Exemption; IRS Form 990 training for internal accounting staff; IRS and state agency notice resolution; consulting on withholding agent responsibilities for payments to nonresident aliens; foreign reporting compliance, general information reporting obligations; consulting on federal grantee obligations; and maintenance of exempt and public charity status.
Technical experience
- Analysis, planning, and reporting of unrelated business income
- IRS Form 990, 990-T and related state and foreign filings
- Representation during IRS and regulatory examinations
- State and local tax consulting
- Organizational structures
- Compensation and benefits
- Form 1023/1024 Application for Recognition of Exemption and group exemption maintenance
- Nonresident Alien tax compliance for withholding agents
- Vendor maintenance and W-9 / W-8BEN best practices assessments for information reporting compliance
- Consulting related to information reporting on Forms W-2, 1099, 1098-T/E, 1094/1095-B/C, 8300, and 1042/1042-S
Sarah has presented on tax topics related to exempt organizations, nonresident alien taxation and other tax topics for organizations and international students on college campuses including:
- National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO)
- Western Association of College and University Business Officers (WACUBO)
- Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)
- State Employees Leading Colorado (SELC)
- Oregon State University System, North Dakota State University System, Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants
- Accounting and Financial Women’s Alliance (AFWA)
- CLA Denver Government and Nonprofit Training Academy: Higher Education Webinar Series and a variety of webinars on various tax topics
- CLA National Association Conference
- National Business Officers Association Contributing writer
- Colorado Society of CPAs (COCPA)
- Florida Institute of CPAs (FICPA)
Education
Bachelor of Science, Accountancy, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona
In the community
Sarah is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants, the National Association of College and University Business Officers, the Western Association of College and Univeristy Business Officers and the National Business Officers Association.