BOSTON (June 15, 2026)—AAFCPAs, a premier, independently owned CPA and advisory firm, today announced it has been named to the Boston Business Journal’s 2026 ‘Best Places to Work’ list. The award, based directly on employee feedback, recognizes the firm’s exceptional work environment and its commitment to building a culture that benefits both its team and its clients.
As an independently owned Certified B Corporation™, AAFCPAs is not driven by private equity or a national parent structure. This allows the firm to invest in what matters most: its people. The result is a culture of purpose, collaboration, and flexibility, reflected in an overall employee engagement score of 80.5 percent favorable—exceeding the accounting industry benchmark. Team members cited trust in leadership, strong camaraderie, and a genuine work-life balance as key reasons they are proud to work at AAFCPAs. This culture is grounded in a clear set of core values that define how the firm works and supports its people.
“This recognition comes directly from our team and is a testament to the culture of purpose and respect we have built together,” said Dawn Hagman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Chief Talent Management Officer at AAFCPAs. “We believe when talented people are supported with flexibility, meaningful work, and opportunities for growth, they can build lasting careers. That commitment shapes the client experience, with teams who know each organization well and bring deeper insight year after year.”
For clients, the firm’s award-winning culture translates into a distinct service advantage. The stability and high morale of AAFCPAs’ teams lead to deeper relationships, more efficient engagements, and a consistent, high-value experience. Clients partner with a cohesive team that understands their organization, not a revolving door of new faces.
“This year’s companies have once again set the bar for retaining top talent,” said Carolyn Jones, Market President and Publisher of the Boston Business Journal. “In such a competitive hiring environment, the Best Places to Work employers continue to outshine their peers.”
The businesses that met criteria for the award participated in employee-engagement surveys by Quantum Workplace, rating factors like work environment, job satisfaction, advancement opportunities, and benefits. The top-rated companies are listed across five size categories.
The Best Places to Work celebration was held in-person on June 11th at The Westin Copley Place from 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM. The special publication appeared in the June 12th weekly edition of the Boston Business Journal.
About AAFCPAs
AAFCPAs is a premier independently owned CPA and advisory firm with a global presence. The firm distinctly serves privately held businesses, public and pre-IPO companies, nonprofit organizations, and wealthy individuals/estates with complex financial needs through audit, tax, and advisory solutions grounded in sound judgment.
Founded in 1973 and headquartered in Boston, AAFCPAs employs 400+ professional advisors who are relationship focused, committed to service excellence, and inspired by meaningful work that has positive social impact. Clients appreciate the exceptional value of our pragmatic solutions and rely on the firm for clarity when decisions carry lasting financial and regulatory consequences.
AAFCPAs is a Certified B Corporation™. This designation reflects our people-first culture and commitment to do well by doing good. We donate 10 percent of our profits annually back to nonprofits.
Key Takeaways:
- Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”) requires all public companies to assess and report on the design and operating effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (ICFR), regardless of filing status.
- Effective ICFR depends on consistent execution, not documentation alone, with gaps often arising from unclear ownership, uneven oversight, or breakdowns during periods of change.
- Management certification links financial reporting accuracy directly to control performance, reinforcing accountability across finance leadership and governance structures.
- Enforcement activity by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shows that control deficiencies often develop over time and may lead to restatements, penalties, and reputational strain.
- Early preparation and ongoing evaluation help support a more stable compliance framework, particularly for organizations approaching an IPO or managing evolving reporting requirements.
Public companies operate under a level of scrutiny that leaves little room for ambiguity in financial reporting. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act established a framework intended to bring discipline and clarity to that responsibility, placing management at the center of internal control oversight. Section 404(a) calls for a deliberate evaluation of how financial information is produced, reviewed, and disclosed, and whether those processes function as intended over time.
For leadership teams, this requirement often becomes a defining feature of governance. Effective internal control over financial reporting, or ICFR, supports accurate disclosures, reinforces accountability, and helps sustain investor confidence. Gaps in design or execution may expose an organization to misstatements, regulatory scrutiny, and reputational strain. A thoughtful approach to SOX 404(a) aligns financial reporting processes with the expectations of regulators and the market, while supporting informed decision-making across the organization.
SOX Requirements and Common Gaps
Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act places responsibility squarely on management to assess and report on the design and operating effectiveness of ICFR. This obligation applies to every public company, regardless of size, filing status, or market position. Misunderstanding the distinction between Section 404(a) and 404(b) (through which a public company’s external auditor must separately opine on the design and effectiveness of ICFR) continues to create avoidable exposure, particularly among organizations preparing to enter public markets.
ICFR extends beyond documented policies. It reflects how transactions are initiated, processed, reviewed, and disclosed, as well as how exceptions are identified and addressed. Controls may be well designed on paper yet fall short in practice when execution varies or oversight weakens. Inconsistent review procedures, unclear ownership, and limited documentation often surface during evaluations, especially in periods of growth or operational change.
Management certifications further reinforce accountability. Executives who attest to the accuracy of financial statements confirm that controls operate as intended. This expectation ties governance directly to day-to-day financial processes, elevating the importance of consistent monitoring and clear communication across finance leadership.
Enforcement Lessons and Ongoing Oversight
Regulatory enforcement has shown a consistent pattern. Breakdowns in internal controls often coincide with broader governance challenges, leading to financial restatements, penalties, and, in some cases, criminal liability. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has pursued actions against companies where control deficiencies contributed to material misstatements or obscured financial results. In these instances, reporting issues were not limited to isolated errors. They reflected gaps in oversight, insufficient challenge within finance functions, and breakdowns in governance that allowed misstatements to persist.
A steady approach to SOX 404(a) supports more reliable outcomes. Organizations that maintain effective compliance programs tend to align controls with financial reporting risks, perform regular evaluations of control performance, and address deficiencies in a timely manner. Ongoing communication within finance and executive teams helps reinforce expectations and supports consistent execution.
Preparation also plays a role for companies approaching an initial public offering. Establishing and testing controls in advance of filing requirements may ease the transition into public reporting and reduce the likelihood of late-stage remediation.
Putting This Into Practice: SOX Readiness & Compliance
Partnering with AAFCPAs supports a practical, disciplined approach to SOX 404(a) compliance by aligning internal controls with financial reporting processes and regulatory expectations. AAFCPAs works closely with management to evaluate existing control environments, identify gaps that may affect readiness, and design controls that are both effective and sustainable in practice. This includes documenting key processes, performing walkthroughs, and testing operating effectiveness to provide a clear view of how controls function over time. Early and ongoing coordination with external auditors helps align expectations, reduce inefficiencies, and support a smoother review process.
For organizations preparing for an IPO, the focus remains on establishing a strong 404(a) foundation in advance of filing requirements, while public companies benefit from a repeatable framework that supports consistent monitoring, timely remediation, and reliable financial reporting. This approach strengthens governance, reinforces accountability, and provides management with greater confidence in the integrity of financial disclosures.
These insights were contributed by Lisa Whittemore, CFE, CRMA, MBA, Partner, Risk Advisory and Joshua P. Stone, CPA, MSA, Director, Risk Advisory.
Questions? Reach out to our authors directly or your AAFCPAs partner.
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Nonprofit organizations continue to innovate and rethink how they plan, operate, and report. AAFCPAs’ 2026 Nonprofit Seminar sessions offer experienced perspectives you can employ across finance, operations, and strategic planning. Watch pre-recorded sessions from AAFCPAs’ 2026 Nonprofit Seminar, featuring real-world insight on financial reporting, compliance, operations, and strategic planning.
Explore All Sessions
- Accounting Standards Update: What’s New, What’s Challenging, and What’s Next
- Insights From Our Consulting Attorneys: Navigating Advocacy and Risk
- Elevating Risk Management: Creating a Proactive & Dynamic ERM Culture
- Common Finance Processes Nonprofits Are Rethinking
- Understanding Agentic AI: Practical Applications for Nonprofit Finance
- What’s New at AAFCPAs
- Futureproofing Your Organization: Thriving in Uncertain Times
- Strengthening Resilience Through Mission and Financial Alignment
- Panel: Reimagining Mission Delivery in a Changing Funding Environment
Accounting Standards Update: What’s New, What’s Challenging, and What’s Next
An update on the latest accounting standards affecting nonprofits, including upcoming HIPAA security requirements, crypto, CECL, federal funding changes, and Single Audit considerations. The discussion also addresses ongoing challenges such as contributions and pledge accounting, conditional grants, federal grant tracking, and internal controls.
What you’ll take away: Where to focus as you prepare for audits and maintain compliance.
Matthew Hutt
PartnerCPA, CGMA
Matthew Hutt
PartnerCPA, CGMA
Matt leads AAFCPAs’ Healthcare Division, providing assurance, tax and advisory solutions for sophisticated and complex healthcare organizations including Federally Qualified Health Centers, behavioral health providers, home care agencies and hospices, nursing homes,…
Jennifer A. L’Heureux
DirectorCPA
Jennifer A. L’Heureux
DirectorCPA
Jen is responsible for leading high-energy teams in planning and executing financial statement audits for sophisticated nonprofits and privately held companies. She serves a variety of industries, including construction, publishing, green tech,…
Insights From Our Consulting Attorneys: Navigating Advocacy and Risk
In this session, AAFCPAs’ consulting attorneys share strategies for navigating lobbying rules and the 501(h) election and protecting your organization’s tax-exempt status during challenging times.
Joshua England
Partner & Tax AttorneyLLM, Esq.
Joshua England
Partner & Tax AttorneyLLM, Esq.
Josh is a tax strategist with extensive expertise advising high-net-worth individuals, nonprofits, and business owners and investors on effective strategies to ensure tax efficiency, asset protection, well-executed succession plans, and wealth preservation.…
Christopher Consoletti
Consulting Attorney, DirectorEsq.
Christopher Consoletti
Consulting Attorney, DirectorEsq.
Chris is a consulting attorney at AAFCPAs, working in conjunction with the firm’s multi-disciplinary team of CPAs and focusing primarily on tax-exempt organizations. He brings expertise in private foundations, lobbying regulations, multi-state…
Elevating Risk Management: Creating a Proactive & Dynamic ERM Culture
Risk management should not be a static, reactive exercise. Join us to learn how nonprofits can develop a living, proactive enterprise risk management program that supports better decision-making, reduces fraud exposure, and ensures limited resources are directed toward the risks that matter most.
Lisa Whittemore
Partner, Risk AdvisoryCFE, CRMA, MBA
Lisa Whittemore
Partner, Risk AdvisoryCFE, CRMA, MBA
Lisa specializes in governance, risk, and compliance, drawing on her internal audit, enterprise risk management, and assurance experience within multi-billion-dollar global organizations. She partners with clients to strengthen internal controls, optimize processes,…
John Buckley
PartnerCPA, CGMA
John Buckley
PartnerCPA, CGMA
John leads AAFCPAs’ Educational Services practice, serving diverse academic and education services clients including independent schools, colleges/universities, special education schools, education services, charter schools and charter management organizations (CMOs). He fully understands…
Common Finance Processes Nonprofits Are Rethinking
As nonprofit organizations grow and evolve, certain finance processes may become strained or overly complex. This session explores commonly reexamined areas—such as chart of accounts design, grant tracking, and financial close—and how organizations are approaching improvement.
Robyn Leet
Partner, Business Process, Systems & Controls
Robyn Leet
Partner, Business Process, Systems & Controls
Previously a controller private closely-held businesses, Robyn brings her experience of running the daily ins and outs of an organization to all aspects of her work. Having constantly undergone process improvements herself,…
Wendy Smith
Consulting CFO, Business Transformation & IntelligenceCPA
Wendy Smith
Consulting CFO, Business Transformation & IntelligenceCPA
Wendy is an integral member of AAFCPAs’ Technology & Process Advisory team, specializing in delivering advanced business intelligence and enhancing productivity through strategic process and IT solutions. This includes business process assessments…
Understanding Agentic AI: Practical Applications for Nonprofit Finance
Agentic AI represents a shift from task-based automation to intelligent agents that support decision-making. This session demystifies the concept and highlights real-world finance use cases, risks, and governance considerations for nonprofit organizations.
Vassilis Kontoglis
Partner, AI Digital Transformation & Security
Vassilis Kontoglis
Partner, AI Digital Transformation & Security
Vassilis brings more than 30 years of experience delivering business intelligence, productivity, information risk and change management, automation, dashboarding, and cybersecurity solutions. He leads enterprise AI strategy, guiding planning and implementation across…
Ryan K. Wolff
Senior AI & Strategic Innovation Consultant MBA
Ryan K. Wolff
Senior AI & Strategic Innovation Consultant MBA
Ryan is a member of AAFCPAs’ Technology & Process Advisory practice and a leader in the firms consulting practice, specializing in AI, data analytics, RPA and strategic innovation. He also leads the firm’s…
What’s New at AAFCPAs
Join AAFCPAs’ Chief Marketing Officer Matthew Boyle as he shares recent highlights of the firm’s work most relevant to nonprofit organizations. The session offers an overview of ongoing initiatives and progress, with a focus on how AAFCPAs continues to align firm priorities with nonprofit goals to support long-term success.
Matthew Boyle
PartnerMBA
Matthew Boyle
PartnerMBA
Matthew Boyle brings strategic business insight to the AAFCPAs Partner team. As the firm’s Chief Marketing Officer, he is the leader of the brand and focuses on AAFCPAs’ client experience, ensuring the…
Futureproofing Your Organization: Thriving in Uncertain Times
Nonprofits are navigating rapid change driven by political dynamics, technological advances, climate realities, and evolving economic conditions. Rather than operating in reaction mode, today’s leaders have an opportunity to proactively shape what comes next. Join our 2026 Keynote, philanthropic futurist Trista Harris, for a practical, forward-looking conversation on strengthening organizational resilience, anticipating emerging sector trends, and applying futurism tools to build adaptive, high-impact mission strategies designed to succeed well into the future.
Trista Harris
Radical Optimist, Philanthropic Futurist, Professional Speaker and President at FutureGood
Trista Harris
Radical Optimist, Philanthropic Futurist, Professional Speaker and President at FutureGood
Carla McCall
Managing PartnerCPA, CGMA
Carla McCall
Managing PartnerCPA, CGMA
Carla is Managing Partner of AAFCPAs, a U.S. Top 100 CPA and consulting firm based in New England. She is also former Chair of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).…
Strengthening Resilience Through Mission and Financial Alignment
Anticipatory leadership is grounded in planning and preparation. By aligning your financial resources directly with your mission, nonprofit organizations can work to build the resilience they need to outlast uncertainty and carry forward with clarity and confidence.
Joyce Ripianzi
Nonprofit Partner, Outsourced Accounting & Fractional CFOCPA
Joyce Ripianzi
Nonprofit Partner, Outsourced Accounting & Fractional CFOCPA
Joyce is a Partner in the Consulting Division of AAFCPAs and a leader of the firm’s growing Outsourced Accounting & Fractional CFO (OAFC) practice with a focus on nonprofit organizations. She provides…
Lauren M. Duplin
Nonprofit Partner, Outsourced Accounting & Fractional CFOCPA
Lauren M. Duplin
Nonprofit Partner, Outsourced Accounting & Fractional CFOCPA
Lauren is a leader in AAFCPAs’ Outsourced Accounting & Fractional CFO practice, where she provides high-level Fractional CFO services and advisory support to nonprofits, foundations, and grant-making organizations. She brings specialized expertise…
Amy Staunton
Director & Consulting CFOCPA
Amy Staunton
Director & Consulting CFOCPA
Amy is a senior member of AAFCPAs’ Outsourced Accounting & Fractional CFO practice, providing high-level, outsourced CFO services for nonprofits, foundations, and grant-making organizations. She serves as an active partner to the…
Panel: Reimagining Mission Delivery in a Changing Funding Environment
You’re probably managing your fundraising strategy and your partnership opportunities as two separate tracks. Most organizations do. But nonprofits that weather economic uncertainty best have figured out something different: the same trust-based, relationship-driven discipline that builds a strong philanthropic program is exactly what makes strategic partnerships work, and vice versa. In this session, two practitioners with decades of combined experience share what they’re seeing on the ground right now, across organizations of all sizes and stages, and offer a practical framework for thinking about your relationships as a single, interconnected portfolio.
Courtney McFarland
PartnerCPA, MSA, 340B Apexus Certified Expert™
Courtney McFarland
PartnerCPA, MSA, 340B Apexus Certified Expert™
Courtney is an audit & consulting partner in the firm’s Healthcare Practice with extensive experience advising the nation's healthcare safety net community, including Federally Qualified Heath Centers (FQHCs), clinics, and behavioral health…
Liz Cahn
Nonprofit Fundraising Consultant, Cahn Consulting
Liz Cahn
Nonprofit Fundraising Consultant, Cahn Consulting
Kim McCormick
President, McCormick Group
Kim McCormick
President, McCormick Group
You’re probably managing your fundraising strategy and your partnership opportunities as two separate tracks. Most organizations do. But nonprofits that weather economic uncertainty best have figured out something different: the same trust-based, relationship-driven discipline that builds a strong philanthropic program is exactly what makes strategic partnerships work, and vice versa. In this session of AAFCPAs’ 2026 Nonprofit Seminar, two practitioners with decades of combined experience share what they’re seeing on the ground right now, across organizations of all sizes and stages, and offer a practical framework for thinking about your relationships as a single, interconnected portfolio.
What you’ll take away: How to think about fundraising and partnerships as a unified strategy.
Anticipatory leadership is grounded in planning and preparation. By aligning your financial resources directly with your mission, nonprofit organizations can work to build the resilience they need to outlast uncertainty and carry forward with clarity and confidence. In the session of AAFCPAs’ 2026 Nonprofit Seminar, learn how aligning financial resources with mission priorities can help nonprofit organizations plan proactively, respond to uncertainty, and move forward with confidence.
What you’ll take away: How financial alignment can strengthen your ability to navigate uncertainty.
Nonprofits are navigating rapid change driven by political dynamics, technological advances, climate realities, and evolving economic conditions. Rather than operating in reaction mode, today’s leaders have an opportunity to proactively shape what comes next. Watch AAFCPAs’ 2026 Nonprofit Seminar Keynote, philanthropic futurist Trista Harris, for a practical, forward-looking conversation on strengthening organizational resilience, anticipating emerging sector trends, and applying futurism tools to build adaptive, high-impact mission strategies designed to succeed well into the future.
What you’ll take away: How to take a more forward-looking approach to organizational strategy.
Watch AAFCPAs’ Chief Marketing Officer Matthew Boyle as he shares recent highlights of the firm’s work most relevant to nonprofit organizations at AAFCPAs’ 2026 Nonprofit Seminar. The session offers an overview of ongoing initiatives and progress, with a focus on how AAFCPAs continues to align firm priorities with nonprofit goals to support long-term success.
What you’ll take away: Where AAFCPAs invests to support nonprofit organizations.
Agentic AI represents a shift from task-based automation to intelligent agents that support decision-making. Watch this session in AAFCPAs’ 2026 Nonprofit Seminar, which demystifies the concept and highlights real-world finance use cases, risks, and governance considerations for nonprofit organizations.
What you’ll take away: Where emerging technology may support decision-making within finance functions.
As nonprofit organizations grow and evolve, certain finance processes may become strained or overly complex. Watch this session in AAFCPAs’ 2026 Nonprofit Seminar, which explores commonly reexamined areas—such as chart of accounts design, grant tracking, and financial close—and how organizations are approaching improvement.
What you’ll take away: Where to reassess current processes to support scale and clarity.