Lana retired from a long career full of accounting and finance for 35 years for a Colorado Springs defense contractor, and at one time was actually the boss of one of our CPAs (hint: she loves cats too)! She doesn’t let that go to her head though and continues to work for WCG as a Tax Senior preparing corporate and personal tax returns on Tina’s team (Pod A).

Lana’s passions in life include rescuing cats in her sanctuary (Yes, Tina and Jason were hustled into taking a massive cat named Mocha), remodeling her 70-year old home, swimming and spending time with her daughter and granddaughter.

Jerrod Aud received his Master’s in Business Administration with an accounting concentration from the Keller Graduate School of Management. He has a range of experience in the finance world, from accounting to tax preparation to personal banker. Jerrod is currently pursuing his CPA license.

To Jerrod, the best thing about working at WCG (formerly Watson CPA Group) is the team atmosphere! He also enjoys the firm’s commitment to success. He is a staff accountant on Pod C, assisting with tax return preparation, tax planning and payroll.

Jerrod and his wife live deep in the Pike National Forest of the Rocky Mountains. When he’s not sitting behind a 10-key and desk lamp he enjoys snowboarding, hunting, fishing and hiking in the woods with his dogs.

Tina Watson became a Certified Public Accountant in 2003. Tina has both a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Business Administration and consults with a variety of small businesses including Defense Contractors.

Tina takes pride in helping her client understand how the numbers come together. She believes that the extra time spent with a client illustrating the mathematical nuances helps everyone better understand their business. Tina also provides financial planning and basic retirement strategies as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). Tina manages Pod A.

As a mother of three and avid tennis player (4.5 baby!), Tina still finds time to enjoy traveling, exercise and the occasional moment of downtime (which is like a unicorn).

Areas of Expertise

• Small business consulting
• International business structures, filings
• Complex individual tax matters
• Mark to market, day trader
• Cryptocurrency

Emily grew up in Arizona and has been in Colorado for over 12 years now. She has a love of numbers and was drawn to the tax preparation a few years ago. She is currently working on her Master’s of Science in Accounting.

Outside of the office you’ll probably find her at home with her amazing girlfriend (fiancee soon perhaps?), watching a documentary or reading a good book.

Sally began her tax career in 1988 with Ernst and Young (never heard of them, are they big?) in Nashville and became a CPA licensed in Tennessee in 1989. For 10 years, she followed her Air Force husband all over the world and was a full-time mother of two and a volunteer at various Air Force tax assistance offices. She has lived in Belgium and Germany and has deep experience with expat and military residency issues. Sally joined WCG (formerly Watson CPA Group) in early 2014 and became a licensed CPA in Colorado. In August of 2018 Sally accepted a Partnership, and heads up Pod C.

In her spare time, she enjoys camping, tailgating at Air Force football games, and spending time with her two teenagers and husband.

Areas of Expertise

• Small business consulting and tax planning
• Expat or ex-patriate taxes
• Military tax issues and residency
• Financial and retirement planning

Cherri has lived in the Colorado Springs Area all her life. She graduated from Widefield High School just a short time ago (ha!). While in school she focused on Business / Administrative Assistant and started working at Exchange National Bank part time while in High School. Again, just a few years ago.

Cherri is a jack of all trades, having worked previously in banking, as a real estate agent, and has even owned her own hair salon! The most important job she feels she has ever had was tutoring children with reading disabilities such as Dyslexia/ADD/ADHD. Cherri has been in the accounting world for over 10 years. There is never a dull moment.

Away from the office, Cherri enjoys traveling with her husband Alan and an occasional round of golf. She enjoys hiking, reading, and working in her flower gardens. She loves to call her son and ask if the grandkids can come over and play. She will always tell you how proud she is of her daughter who is in the US Navy.

Melody joined our team after attending the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs career networking night and has worked as a seasonal tax preparer on Michelle’s team (Pod B) for the last three years. Melody is always willing to help out, including assisting with payroll and helping the admin team when needed. She has since graduated from UCCS with a Bachelor of Accounting and is on the CPA track. She loves the variety of projects working at a CPA firm provides, as well as the opportunity to learn something new every time she comes to work!

Melody is a Colorado native and newlywed (congrats!). In her time away from the office, you can find Melody reading a book, watching a movie, or enjoying a motorcycle ride with her husband.

Roberta has been doing taxes and accounting for as long as she can remember. She was raised by a CPA and joined the business her senior year of high school. Roberta went on to earn her Registered Tax Return Preparer license followed by her Enrolled Agent license from the IRS while running a full service accounting business! She is excited to be joining WCG (formerly Watson CPA Group), and looks forward to the new opportunities this will bring.

Roberta has been married to her high school sweetheart for 22 years!  They have 2 beautiful daughters, 2 amazing sons, 1 hard-working son-in-law, and 1 adorable grand-daughter.  Roberta enjoys hiking, traveling, camping, riding her horses, and cuddling with her cats.

Areas of Expertise:

• Contract Accounting
• QuickBooks Certified
• Tax Planning
• Self-employed Tax Returns

Santiago Norte has been preparing tax returns for over nine years, and doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon! He has even worked overseas in Germany, preparing tax returns for the military and expatriate populations, which has helped develop his passion for unique tax situations.

Santiago received a Masters of Arts in Education from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, TN. He is an Enrolled Agent with the IRS. He is a Tax Senior for WCG (formerly Watson CPA Group), and enjoys helping clients understand their tax returns and crunching the numbers.

Santiago is originally from Argentina and is fluent in Spanish. He married an American girl, and now they have two kids and a dog. He loves soccer, traveling and playing the stock market!