Devin McKeon

Devin McKeon

Staff Accountant
Devin graduated from Rockhurst University in Kansas City Missouri with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting in 1998 and has been working in the public accounting industry ever since.  He has experience providing accounting, tax, payroll and auditing services for labor organizations, employee benefit providers, construction contractors and not-for-profit entities.  Devin joined the Novak Birks family in 2015 and is currently in the process of sitting for the CPA exam.
Rebecca Ronning

Rebecca Ronning

Staff Accountant
Becky joined the firm in December, 2015 with over 30 years of public accounting experience in the Shawnee area.  She has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Missouri, Kansas City.  She works with clients on both tax preparation and financial reporting.  In her spare time she volunteers with the finance committee of her church.  She also enjoys traveling to visit her children and grandchildren.
Matt Regan

Matt Regan

Staff Accountant
Matt recently joined the firm after working as an intern for us during the summers of 2016 and 2017. He graduated from University of Kansas in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. Matt then went on to complete his Masters in Accounting at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2018. He has worked on a variety of audits for not-for-profit, for-profit, and governmental organizations. Matt recently passed the final part of the CPA examination.
Sheila Bunch

Sheila Bunch

Sheila Bunch joined the firm in March 2005, after spending ten years as a corporate controller in the manufacturing sector. She works in the business financial reporting and new client consulting practice areas. Sheila began her education at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri, receiving her Bachelors of Science degree in Administrative Management in 1993. She continued her education at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri, receiving her MSA in 1998 and her MBA in 2002. She was employed by the University as an Adjunct Professor in Accounting from 1998 to 2001. Sheila is a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor and the firm's resource for QuickBooks and Peachtree Software issues and questions.
Jessica Palan

Jessica Palan

Office Manager
Jessica serves as our office manager and has been with the firm since April 2007. Her primary responsibilities include daily business functions, managing client billing, accounts receivables and payables, overseeing the firm's website, and general support to the firm’s partners and accounting staff. She is fully dedicated to excellent client service and facilitating the growth and success of the firm. Jessica has a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations and a minor in Marketing from the University of Central Missouri. She enjoys volunteering for a local middle school coaching 7-8th grade girls’ basketball. Her free time is spent with family, friends, and her dog, Otis.
Keith Novak

Keith Novak

Partner
Keith is the partner in charge of our firm's labor organizations and employee benefit plan clients. Keith uses the valuable knowledge gained from more than 20 years with Novak Birks P.C. to provide high quality services to numerous labor organizations and employee benefit plan clients. Keith has specialized in the audits of labor organizations and employee benefit plans and has assisted clients with navigating the regulatory maze and technical complexities of operating a qualified plan. Keith provides services to defined benefit and defined contribution pension and health and welfare plans, apprenticeship and training plans, and to all types of labor organizations and their employer association counterparts. Keith has a BS in accounting from Rockhurst University and an MBA from Baker University. He is a member of the AICPA, Kansas Society of CPAs, Missouri Society of CPAs, IFEP, and the AICPA Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center.
William B. Schmidt

William B. Schmidt

CPA
William B. "Bill" Schmidt received his CPA license in 1969 and has spent more than 40 years serving the Kansas City, Kansas and surrounding metropolitan area. After serving as partner at more than one firm in the KCK area, he joined Novak Birks P.C. in January 2012. He is licensed to practice in both Kansas and Missouri and has extensive tax return preparation experience, as well as extensive audit experience, especially in the governmental and not-for-profit areas. He graduated from Rockhurst University with a BSBA degree in Accounting and is a member of AICPA, the Kansas Society of CPAs, and the Missouri Society of CPAs. Bill is a former president of the Metro Chapter of Kansas CPAs and has actively served in a number of non-profit organizations, including the board of directors and former chairman of the Family Conservancy, member and former president of the Kiwanis Club of Kansas City, Kansas, board of directors of the Wyandotte County Chapter of the American Red Cross, council member of the Salvation Army Advisory Council, and board of directors of Children's Campus of Kansas City.
Rick Swearengin

Rick Swearengin

CPA
Rick joined the firm in 2012. He has over 20 years of experience in various accounting and audit roles, and 15 years of experience in public accounting and auditing, where he focused on not-for-profit and employee benefit plan areas. While in the private sector, Rick worked with Yellow Corporation and Zurich/Universal Underwriters Insurance Company in Corporate Finance, Internal Audit, and Corporate Accounting. Rick is a graduate of Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri, where he obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in Accounting. He has been a CPA since 1993 and is a member of the AICPA, Missouri Society of Public Accountants and Kansas Society of Public Accountants. Rick is licensed in both Kansas and Missouri.
Richard Birks

Richard Birks

Partner
Rich joined the firm June 1, 1982, after four years with the Kansas City office of Arthur Anderson & Company. He became a stockholder on June 1, 1984. Over his 30+ year career, Rich has developed expertise in the areas of governmental, non-profit, construction, and closely held businesses. As a working partner, he has daily client service responsibilities.Internally, Rich serves as the Firm’s quality control partner and oversees the firm’s tri-annual peer review program. Rich is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Kansas Society of Certified Public Accountants. Graduating from Graceland College in 1978, he was elected to the 1977-78 Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges. Rich has served on numerous civic boards including Boys & Girls Club, American Diabetes Association, and the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce. An avid hockey fan (being ½ Canadian), Rich still enjoys trying to keep up with those much younger playing his favorite sport.
Jeff Vanek

Jeff Vanek

CPA
Jeff Vanek is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the states of Missouri and Nebraska. Jeff has an extensive background in the healthcare field, including over ten years of experience reviewing and auditing Medicare and Medicaid cost reports. Additionally, Jeff has worked directly with healthcare service providers to prepare, review, and develop processes and procedures related to Medicare and Medicaid cost reporting. He has also served as treasurer, secretary, and vice president in charge of programs for the Kansas City Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) chapter. Jeff was honored with the President's Award from the HFMA for 2012. Jeff has undergraduate and graduate accounting degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Nebraska-Omaha, respectively.
William J. Miller

William J. Miller

Partner
William J. "Bill" Miller, CPA, joined our firm in 2011 as a partner. Mr. Miller received his B.S. in Business Administration and B.S. in Accounting from the University of Kansas in 1984. He is licensed to practice public accounting in Kansas and Missouri. Mr. Miller has been active in the metropolitan area civic activities. He recently served as member of the Mayor's Bi-State Innovation Team (MBIT), established by Mayor James and Mayor Reardon to find imaginative, innovative, and inspired ways in which Google Fiber can benefit the KC metro area and its citizens. Mr. Miller has also served on the Unified Government Board of Commissioners in Kansas City, Kansas and Wyandotte County intermittently from 1997-2011. Mr. Miller was active in the consolidation efforts initiated in the community and served as the Chairman of the Economic Development and Finance standing committee for the community. Additionally, he is active in not-for-profit entities, generally focused around neighborhood and housing development. Mr. Miller has recently presented GASB 54 – fund balance reporting, to the GFOA MO-Western Chapter.
Pam Wood

Pam Wood

Staff Accountant
Pam joined the Novak Birks team in May 2014, and works in the business financial reporting and new client consulting practice areas. Pam has over 30 years of experience in public accounting where she has performed all aspects of client accounting from accounts receivable/accounts payable duties, payroll returns including the issuance of W-2s and 1099s, sales tax returns, personal property declarations, business licenses, workman’s compensation insurance audits, client consulting on software and software implementation/training to creation, and issuance of financial statements. She is proficient in Word, Excel, Quickbooks (stand alone and on-line), Peachtree, and Creative Solutions Accounting software.
Scott Allen

Scott Allen

Director of Tax
Scott joined the firm in early 2013 and has been a CPA since 2001. Prior to that, he has several years of experience in the commercial real estate field including accounting operations, investment pro formas, partnerships, and asset management. Scott has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University (NJ) and a Master of Science degree in Accounting, with Tax Emphasis, from University of Missouri at Kansas City. He is licensed to practice public accounting in Missouri and Kansas and has extensive tax compliance and return preparation experience. Scott is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is currently active with the local Boy Scout organization and also enjoys snow skiing in Weston, Missouri, and with extended family in Colorado or Utah.