Ellen Vargo received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania. Ellen joined Nearman, Maynard, Vallez, CPAs, P.A., in October 1997 and currently holds the position of Partner. Ellen successfully completed the requirements for the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) designation in the states of Florida and Pennsylvania. Ellen has earned the CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner) designation from the Association of Fraud Examiners. Ellen received this certification after an extensive application process and upon passing the uniform CFE Examination. In addition, Ellen met the requirements for certification as a Forensic Certified Public Accountant (FCPA). Forensic CPAs not only utilize their accounting and auditing skills, but also use their investigative skills to determine what events actually took place in a financial setting.

In addition to being a Partner of the firm, Ellen is also the Chairman of the firm's Accounting and Auditing Standards Committee. The primary objective of this committee is to ensure adherence to accounting and auditing standards, increase audit efficiency, and quality of services offered by the firm by improving the technical skills of our Associates.

Ellen is a member of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Florida Institute of CPAs, as well as the American Institute of CPAs. In addition, Ellen has also contributed to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants publication of Checklists and Illustrative Financial Statements for Depository and Lending Institutions for Credit Unions.

Ellen has conducted educational sessions at American Institute of CPAs Conference on Credit Unions in the past. Topics included identifying and accounting for trouble debt restructured loans, and general requirements of a Supervisory Committee guide engagement. Ellen has also written several articles for our newsletter, “The Auditor’s Report.”