Dannible & McKee, LLP recently announced the promotion of the following professional staff members.

SAMUEL M. LYON has been elevated to tax senior manager. He joined as an intern in 2013 and as a full-time staff accountant in 2015 in the firm’s tax department. Lyon is responsible for overseeing tax engagements for a variety of Dannible’s clients and focuses on architecture and engineering, professional services, multi-state corporations, and high-net-worth individuals. He is also involved in the firm’s business valuation and succession planning services. Lyon, a certified public accountant (CPA) in New York state, graduated from Le Moyne College in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA degree in 2015.

ANTHONY J. CERCHIA has been promoted to tax manager. He joined the firm in 2017 in the tax department. He is responsible for serving a variety of clients with compliance, as well as tax planning and ownership-transition analysis. Cerchia focuses on the automotive, construction, architecture, health care, and manufacturing industries. A CPA, he graduated from SUNY Oneonta with a bachelor’s degree in professional accounting in 2016.

SEAN R. CONNERS has also been promoted to tax manager at Dannible & McKee. He started with the accounting firm in 2016 as an intern in its tax department and was hired as a full-time staff member in 2017. Conners was promoted to tax senior in 2019, where he is responsible for the preparation and review of personal and corporate tax returns, individual and corporate tax planning, and multi-state taxation. Conners earned his bachelor’s degree and MBA in accounting from Le Moyne College in 2016. He is a CPA in New York state.

KAITLYN L. MARIANO has been elevated to tax manager. She joined Dannible & McKee in 2012 as a staff tax accountant and was promoted to senior tax accountant in 2015. Mariano graduated from Le Moyne College with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA in 2012. Mariano, a CPA, is responsible for working on various tax engagements, specifically within the construction and manufacturing industries, with a large focus on multi-state taxation.

​ANTHONY POKRENTOWSKI has also been promoted to tax manager at Dannible & McKee. He joined the firm in 2018 after graduating from the College of Saint Rose with a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in accounting. Pokrentowski is responsible for the preparation and review of individual, trust, partnership, S corporation, and C corporation tax returns, as well as tax closings and year-end tax planning for clients. He specializes in manufacturing and the professional service industries, as well as multi-state entities and high-net-worth individuals. He is a CPA in New York state.

Pinckney Hugo Group, a full-service marketing-communications firm, has hired MIRANDA HAGEN, of Skaneateles, as a junior art director. Hagen has a master’s degree in graphic design from the Florence Institute of Design International in Italy and a bachelor’s degree in visual communication design from Nazareth College.

AMY FULLER was recently appointed the new executive director of the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce. She had been serving as acting director of the chamber since September 2021, assisting in the day-to-day management of the organization. Fuller started her career at the Cayuga County Chamber in June 2006 as finance coordinator. She later took on the role of chamber manager, responsible for all aspects of the chamber’s programming including membership, member benefits, and events. In addition, she strengthened existing member benefits and developed new member benefits. “I am excited and grateful to have been given this new title and continue to lead the Chamber of Commerce into the future,” Fuller said in a chamber release. “It’s a great time to be a part of this organization because of the activities happening in the City of Auburn and throughout Cayuga County. I look forward to continue to support the Chamber’s mission and the value it provides to the community.” Fuller is a member of the board of directors for both the Auburn Downtown Business Improvement District and Auburn YMCA.

JOE GROSS was recently named the new director of Syracuse Jewish Family Service (SJFS). He will lead the 130-year-old human-service agency, which is an affiliate of Menorah Park of Central New York. As the agency’s executive director, Gross will be responsible for the agency’s overall administration including staff development, financials, and reporting. The director works closely with the board of directors, the CEO of Menorah Park, and the community to develop and implement programs that realize the agency’s mission and vision, as well as secure its professional and community identity as a go-to expert in issues of individual and family wellbeing and complex later-life issues. Gross, who holds a master’s degree in public administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree from Earlham College in Indiana, was most recently the associate executive director of AccessCNY. Gross has worked as a consultant to Senior Whole Health of Syracuse and Albany, has served on the Long Term Care Council of Onondaga County, and was just re-elected to the Jamesville-Dewitt school board as chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Policy Committee, as well as serving on an ad hoc outreach committee with Town of DeWitt representatives. SJFS says it helps individuals and families in the Jewish and general communities of Central New York maximize their self-determination, realize their potential, and live with dignity. The agency implements programs that seek to preserve and strengthen individual and family well-being.

The Friends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo has hired GINA RAPASADI, of Clay, as director of philanthropy. She is responsible for cultivating and strengthening relationships with key stakeholders to build effective strategies and sustainable revenue for major gifts in support of the zoo’s mission and strategic plan. Originally from Canastota, Rapasadi attended Plattsburgh University for event planning. Two years into her degree, however, the major was changed to hotel restaurant tourism management. She adapted to the change and while she garnered a unique set of skills, she knew hotel and restaurant management was not her passion. After college, Rapasadi began working at the Rescue Mission Alliance of Syracuse, where she spent 17 years. She started her career in that nonprofit’s development department — steadily working her way up, taking over events and volunteer services. While incredibly passionate about her work with the Rescue Mission, she knew it was time to start the next chapter in her life. As a zoo member, Rapasadi and her son have been frequent zoo visitors for years.