Smith, Miller, & Buff Team

Douglas M. Smith | Consultant

CPA, MBA
Phone: 828-437-8060 extension 303

NC Certificate # 10995

Douglas M. Smith is the retiring managing partner of Smith Miller & Buff, CPA, PA. Mr. Smith has been responsible for the accounting and auditing divisions of the Company and continues to be involved in the tax and advisory services that are a major component of the CPA firm. Besides providing the traditional services of a CPA, Mr. Smith has worked with businesses and nonprofits in providing strategic planning including developing turnaround plans and bankruptcy guidance. He has performed due diligence reviews for business acquisitions, provided advisory services to business sellers and mediated business dissolutions. In 1981, Mr. Smith formed a partnership which later became Smith Miller & Buff. Today the accounting firm proudly serves clients throughout North Carolina and beyond.

Mr. Smith has been actively involved with various community and charitable activities. He currently serves as Chairman of the Morganton Recreation Foundation, Treasurer of the Burke County Library Foundation, and Treasurer of the Burke County Committee of 100. He also serves on advisory boards of Western Piedmont Community College and the City of Morganton. As Chairman of the Recreation Foundation, Mr. Smith supervised the selection, funding and building of the City’s indoor pool.

Mr. Smith received a BS in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and a MBA from Gardner-Webb University. He started his CPA career with Coopers & Lybrand in Charlotte, NC.

Mark K. Miller | Partner

CPA, PFS, CFP
Partner
Phone: 828-437-8060 extension 305

NC Certificate # 15012

Mark joined the firm in 1987 and became a partner in 1989. Before joining the firm, he was employed in the tax department of Deloitte & Touche International Accounting Firm. Since joining the firm, Mark has earned the Certified Financial Planner designation (CFP) and the Personal Financial Specialist designation (PFS) by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Mark provides tax planning and consultation for individuals and small businesses. His experience includes retirement and estate planning for individuals and families with closely held businesses.

Mark is a member of the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Financial Planning Association. He is involved with various charitable organizations including Grace Episcopal Church. Mark and his wife, Laurie, have two children, Grey and Emma. He enjoys golf, fishing, and reading.

Lisa P. Buff | Partner

CPA
Partner
Phone: 828-437-8060 extension 304
Fax: 828-437-8996

NC Certificate # 19979

A native of Drexel, Lisa is involved with various charitable organizations. She has served on such boards as Burke Charitable Properties, Options, Inc., Presbyterian Learning Center. She currently serves the boards of Blue Ridge HealthCare, Homes for Hearts, Inc. and Morganton Day School. Lisa enjoys biking, running and outdoor activities. She and husband Mark have three sons, Will, Ben and Sam

Thomas W. Suttles | Manager

CPA, CITP
IT Director & Tax Manager
Phone: 828-437-8060 extension 307

NC License # 12337

Tom joined the firm in 2003 after providing tax season assistance for a number of years. He is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill with a degree in mathematics and later received his accounting degree with high honors from Western Piedmont Community College. Tom holds the Certified Information Technology Professional credential from The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor. He previously worked as a tax specialist for Deloitte & Touche where he also served as an instructor in the firm's national tax education program. He has been a consultant to and CFO for manufacturing companies. Tom lives in Hudson, NC with his wife, Jo. Interests include grandchildren, travel, fishing, golf, real estate and personal computing.

Sheri D. Watts | Manager

CPA, CITP
Audit Manager
Phone: 828-437-8060 extension 306

NC Certificate # 22160

Sheri joined the Firm July 1997. She is responsible for attestation work such as audits, reviews and compilations. Originally from Jackson, MI, Sheri has lived in NC for over 20 years. She graduated from NC State University in 1991 with BA degrees in both Accounting and Business Management. In 1997 she received an AA degree in Microcomputer Systems Technology from Pitt Community College in Greenville, NC. Active in the Burke County community, Sheri has been involved with various community and charitable activities. She served as Treasurer for the Burke County Chapter of the American Red Cross. She and her husband, Michael, live in Valdese and have two children.

Donna C. Boyette | CPA

CPA - Senior
Phone: 828-437-8060 extension 322

NC Certificate # 25742

Donna joined the firm in December 2005. She is a 1993 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill with a BA in Economics and a 1996 graduate of East Carolina University with a MS in Accounting. Her past work experience includes working for the accounting firm Dixon Odom PLLC (now Dixon Hughes PLLC) in the Sanford, NC office and McDowell County Schools. She currently advises closely held businesses, individuals and local governments on a variety of tax and audit issues.

Donna is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants (NCACPA). Donna volunteers for several local non-profit organizations. She currently serves as the Treasurer for the United Way of Burke County, the Treasurer for the First Baptist Church of Marion and volunteers as a local adult leader with the Boy Scouts of America. She resides in Marion with her husband, Bob, and their two children.

Jane C. Moody | CPA

CPA - Senior
Phone: 828-437-8060 extension 312

NC Certificate # 28351

Jane has worked with the firm since 1998. She obtained her CPA certification in 1983 while working for Deloitte & Touche in Atlanta for two years, performing audits on a variety of entities. Prior to joining the firm, Jane also worked for two smaller CPA firms in Augusta, GA, performing audits and completing tax returns for small to medium-sized businesses. For over three years, Jane was controller for the regional sales office of a sports shoe company in Dallas, Texas. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia in 1981 with a BBA in Accounting. Jane is actively involved in community volunteer work. She has served on the Good Samaritan Clinic Board and currently serves on the board of the Western Piedmont Foundation. She has also served as chairman of the Finance and Preschool Committees at the First Baptist Church of Morganton.

Rosa M. Read | CPA

CPA - Senior
Phone: 828-437-8060 extension 319

NC Certificate # 14395

Rosa joined Smith Miller & Buff, CPA, PA after they purchased her practice in 1994. She performed a variety of accounting and tax services for her clients and continues her work by performing audits and helping individual and business clients achieve their financial goals. Prior to opening her practice, Rosa worked as the controller for Hanes Printables in Jefferson, NC.  She received her BS in Business Administration from East Carolina University in 1977 and received her CPA certification in 1983.  Rosa is a member of the the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants (NCACPA). She  has served on the board of several organizations in Burke County and is currently on the board for the Historic Burke Foundation.  Rosa has a son in graduate school studying Classical Guitar and a teenage daughter who will be attending the University of North Carolina at Asheville in the fall.

Kathy K. Mull

Office Manager
Phone: 828-437-8060 extension 310

Kathy joined SMB in 1995.  She assists with the IT administration team at SMB along with various other duties including accounts receivable, accounts payable and billing. 

Kathy was previously with Drexel Heritage, bringing with her a solid work ethic, a culture of outstanding client service and years of experience as a team player.

Brenda S. Benfield

Senior Accountant
Phone: 828-437-8060 extension 320

Brenda joined SMB in 1995.  She has over 25 years in the accounting profession.  Brenda serves a diverse role at the firm, working in business income tax, software consulting and individual income tax.

Brenda earned an Associate of Applied Science degree from Wytheville Community College.

Jeanne H. Whisnant

Senior Accountant
Phone: 828-437-8060 extension 317

Jeanne is part of our small business consulting and taxation team.  She joined SMB in 1997, bringing with her many years of retail accounting experience.  Jeanne works with an array of businesses - from manufacturers to medical practices. 

Jeanne earned Associate degrees from Western Piedmont Community College and Catawba Valley Community College in Data Processing and Accounting.  She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting at Gardner Webb University.

Ashley S. Ambrose

Staff Accountant
Phone: 828-437-8060 extension 316

Ashley is a graduate of Gardner Webb University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.  She also earned an Associate’s degree in Accounting from Western Piedmont Community College. 

Ashley joined SMB in 2008.  Ashley assists many of our small business clients with payroll and bookkeeping.  During tax season, she serves as a critical member of our individual tax team.

Donna S. Avery

Staff Accountant
Phone: 828-437-8060 extension 308

Donna joined the firm in 2005.  She attended the University of North Carolina - Asheville and holds an Associate of Business Administration degree from Western Piedmont Community College. 

 Donna works one on one with many clients in regard to their in house bookkeeping duties. Donna works predominately with our small businesses in bookkeeping, payroll and other tax reporting. 

L. Nicole Kinard 

Client Services
Phone: 828-437-8060 extension 314

Nicole joined the team of SMB in 2005.  After years of defining our vision of superior client service, Nicole joined our firm to complete this vision, bringing many years of customer service experience with her.  Nicole fills a diverse role, working one on one with clients in bookkeeping, payroll and in house scheduling. 

Nicole's expert knowledge of QuickBooks has made her the "go to" person in client training for this software.  Nicole holds an Associate in Accounting degree from Western Piedmont Community College.

D. Michelle Duckworth

Front Desk Coordinator
Phone: 828-437-8060 extension 301

Michelle is the voice and face of SMB.  As Front Desk Coordinator, she provides friendly and professional services to our clients.  Michelle joined Smith Miller & Buff, CPA, PA in 2007.