Fractional CFO Services

Ready for a great conversation? Susan brings a unique energy not seen in many accountants that makes collaboration seamless. Combining that with deep experience in the financial accounting field makes her an indispensable advisor to her clients—one that truly drives positive change and results.

Susan earned a degree in accounting from Clemson University (Go Tigers!) in 1995 and earned her CPA license in 1998. Her first 18 years of her career were mainly dedicated to both internal and external financial statement audits. She then transitioned into a role that would eventually see her as the CFO for the City of Tuscaloosa (Roll Tide?), where she spent the last six years.

But how did she end up at Dark Horse? Having spent her career primarily working with larger organizations, Susan decided she wanted to use her skillset to serve small businesses that she found were chronically underserved. Curiously enough, she happened upon Dark Horse CPAs while looking to see if the same name was available for her own practice. After realizing how aligned Dark Horse’s mission was with her own, joining the firm was a natural next step.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that she also owns a couple of horses. Susan and Dark Horse CPAs go together like biscuits and gravy.

A native of Austin, Texas, Megan got her start in accounting at an early age while helping her parents out in their respective businesses. Insistent in her infinite wisdom as a teenager that she would not be "stuck behind a desk doing something boring like accounting or taxes," she instead earned her undergraduate degree in marketing from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas.

Megan then moved to Colorado, where she spent 15 years in business consulting and management. In 2014, she came to her senses and realized that she had an unashamed love for taxation, evaluating financials for strategic planning, and that beautiful equation that is the root of accounting: assets = liabilities + equity. Upon this realization, Megan quickly returned to school to complete her master's degree in accounting with a focus on tax from the University of Colorado, earned her CPA license, and began working in public accounting. More recently, she earned her CVA (Certified Valuation Analyst) certification and began performing valuations for exiting small business owners and gift and estate tax purposes.

Megan has spent the last seven years specializing in tax compliance, advisory and strategic planning for small businesses, high net worth individuals and trusts, as well as business valuations. Her passion for helping clients navigate the complicated world of tax, as well as helping them to plan for their future financial goals, is palpable in each client interaction and reminds her every day how much she loves her work.

In her spare time, Megan loves to enjoy the great outdoors, going on multi-day rafting trips with her daughter, running her local river (the Arkansas) after work with friends, skiing, hiking, mountain biking, camping, traveling, and being a complete foodie in the kitchen, whipping up new creations for friends and family. In other words, anything that doesn't involve sitting at a desk.

Brian McComas has been around the block when it comes to public accounting. 16 trips around the block known as tax season to be exact. During his career, he’s come to understand what it is he wants in his work and what it is clients need from their CPA. It was the realization that neither was possible at the traditional accounting firms out there that got him looking for something different. He found something altogether different in Dark Horse that would support his work and life in a way that would allow him to drive the value he aspires to with his clients.

Brian graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Alabama and earned his CPA license from the state of South Carolina. During his career, he has provided tax & accounting services to closely-held businesses in a number of industries with a specialization in real estate and construction enterprises, primarily serving entrepreneurs and high net worth individuals.

Outside of his client service work, Brian loves spending time with his family which includes his wife, Maryann, and his son, Angel. He likes camping and working on his Jeep, with the latter being the vessel to enjoy the former. And, he is an avid sports fan who is admittedly less than avid in his golf game. Assuming he’s refrained from throwing his clubs into the water or off a cliff, it’s been a good day at the golf course.

Brett takes pride in what he does. Was achieving a 4.0 grade point average in college necessary? Was being selected as one of five Division III basketball players awarded first-team academic all-American a pre-requisite? How about doing that two years in a row? For Brett, it’s less about the accolades and more about the process, the hard work, and the growth. The accolades are the logical conclusion of unmatched discipline and grit.

The aforementioned 4.0 GPA was earned in pursuit of his Bachelor’s degrees in both Accounting and Finance at The College of St. Scholastica. Also, it was earned while completing three tax seasons as an intern at a large, multinational accounting firm. He later earned his CPA license from the state of Minnesota. Over the past decade, Brett has served small businesses and entrepreneurs in the areas of tax & accounting, spanning a number of industries including real estate, restaurants, and professional services to name a few.

In his free time, Brett can often be found out in nature either golfing or hunting (unless you’re the prey, in which case you’ll never see him). Occasionally, he finds some time to hang out with his very understanding wife. In all seriousness, he does very much enjoy spending quality time with her and travelling the world together.

The one thing you know about a collegiate wrestler is that they have grit and unshakeable discipline. While others are partying around them, they are periodically starving themselves and putting in countless hours in the gym. Another thing you know about someone who is a team captain is that they know how to lead and to be coached at the same time. In other words, the traits you’d look for at any level of your organization.

Tanner earned his degree in accounting from Muskingum University after pivoting from pursuing a degree in engineering. Both disciplines are predicated upon understanding the component parts and how they comprise the whole. Debits and credits, however, provided Tanner a more intriguing set of building blocks than, well, building blocks. Tanner left college not just with a degree but also a fiancé, Breanna, whom he met in the dorm’s laundry room.

Outside the office, Tanner can be found either fishing, kayaking, hiking, coaching wrestling, or reading at bookstores or coffee shops. Further outside the office, he can be found traveling the US of A with Breanna and their two dogs who he quips, “have visited more states than their collective number of paws.”

For Mike Madden, life is a team game. Although he is of no relation to the late John Madden, he does boast his own impressive sports resume, including lettering in five sports in high school and winning two collegiate national titles with the USCD soccer team. After college, he found a new team in the world of emergency medicine. There, he spent over 20 years as a paramedic and firefighter. Mike believes great teams elevate each other to achieve something greater together than the sum of the individual parts. Having transitioned into public accounting later in his career, he really missed this team environment. That is, until he joined the Dark Horse team.

Mike began his accounting career in 2002 while moonlighting in tax prep for his fellow firefighters. This gig led to him becoming CTEC-Certified, then becoming an Enrolled Agent while working as a part-time associate. He then transitioned to a regional CPA firm where he earned his CPA license from the state of California. Later, he would start his own firm. He did all of this work in public accounting while remaining a full-time firefighter. Finally, in 2017 he merged his firm with a legacy firm in Encinitas. To say his path to running his own practice was nontraditional would be an understatement.

These days, playing competitive sports is not in the cards what with the various injuries sustained along the journey. Rather, he gets to live vicariously through the competitive endeavors of his three daughters, including water polo, swimming and softball. Of course, he still watches a lot of soccer (which he admits is probably too much). Taking advantage of the southern California sunshine and outdoor amenities, he also finds plenty of time to ride his bike, hike and surf.

At first glance, one might read the statement, “Megan is a beekeeper” as, “Megan is a bookkeeper” given her extensive public accounting background. One would be reading incorrectly. In fact, she has six beehives on her family farm in Ohio which she keeps with pride. Maybe it’s this ability to serve a delicate (and dangerous!) group that makes serving her clients child’s play.

To that end, many clients has she served. From individuals to large corporations, spanning the industries of manufacturing, real estate, wholesale, retail and professional services. She began her career in the Big Four after graduating from Ohio University with a Master’s degree in accounting and passing the CPA exam. She then transitioned to a regional firm, McLain, Hill, Rugg & Associates, where she became partner in 2018. She served the firm in that capacity until merging forces with Dark Horse in 2023.

Outside of running her practice, she spends her time on the boards of various organizations, including Genesis Foundation, United Way of Muskingum, Perry and Morgan, and Muskingum County Center for Seniors. Additionally, she is the president of her local Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Professionally, she is a past Executive Board member of the Ohio State Society of CPAs, and a member of the AICPA. To say she’s involved with a lot of good causes would be an understatement. Otherwise, if not tending her beehives or the family farm, Megan is trying to get as close to any body of water she can find, whether pond, lake or ocean.

There are things in life we don’t want to admit to others and, more importantly, ourselves. For Alison Ramsey, it took her a while to admit to herself that numbers, math and eventually accounting is where she’d find her highest degree of stimulation. Pursuing a degree of an entirely different kind, a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Colorado at Denver, these proclivities were beginning to surface. Her favorite courses were math and statistics, left-brained subjects that had a level of black and white, correct and incorrect not present in her bachelor’s degree in psychology, which she earned from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

She was searching for the ultimate outlet of this interest while working a host of jobs (and wearing a number of hats) in marketing, education, and nonprofits. One of the hats she wore while a director at a nonprofit was that of an accountant. There, she discovered the deep satisfaction of a reconciled account and the finality of closing the books. She found creating budgets, comparing to actuals, and the overall narrative told by the financial statements to be both intriguing and rewarding work.

Always striving for balance, both in balancing the books and balancing work and life, Alison balances her work time spent indoors with as much outdoor activities as possible. In the winter, this means hitting the slopes for skiing, which she quips is the only good thing about said season. During the seasons that are not winter, she enjoys riding her mountain bike, river rafting and exploring the desert and mountain backcountry. The sum of these activities are helping her bridge the gap between a full nest and an empty nest, a paradigm shifting transition for all parents.

Tim McLain has been married to his wife for as long as he has worked in public accounting. 43 years to be exact. He’s been devoted to both, as well as his family, team members and community. He’s lived a life of service and those he’s served have benefited greatly, not the least of which are his clients. Tim’s goal is to be his clients’ first and most trusted resource for any accounting, business or tax needs. He’s helped these clients in the areas of business and individual tax preparation and planning, business and estate planning, as well as business valuation support and consulting. He’s served businesses across various industries, including manufacturing, real estate, oil and gas, as well as about every type of small business you could imagine.

Tim earned his accounting degree from Ohio University and his CPA license from the state of Ohio. He has served McLain, Hill, Rugg & Associates as a partner and Vice President for decades, managing both the Zanesville and Newark offices, prior to merging forces with Dark Horse.

Outside of his service to clients, Tim is a board member of Park National Corporation, Perry County Community Foundation, and Muskingum Valley Miracle League. He is a founding member of Zanesville Daybreak Rotary and has formerly served as the president of both the Muskingum County Community Foundation and Muskingum County Library System. Outside of his suit-and-tie endeavors, Tim enjoys unwinding via a round of golf with friends, dancing with his wife and family fishing trips in Canada.