About TCC

Brandon Edwards

Chief Executive Officer

Brandon has 20 years of experience building and leading enterprises in tax credit and human resources services. An expert in the application of tax credit opportunities for clients across a broad spectrum of industries, he is a frequent speaker on tax incentives, and appears in publications such as Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Inc. Magazine, SHRM Online, SHRM Staffing Management Magazine, Huffington Post, Accounting Today, CBS Interactive and others. Brandon holds a BA in Economics from UCLA.

LaRae Pieroni

Chief Operating Officer

As TCC’s Chief Operating Officer, LaRae is responsible for Service and Operations. With over 22 years in the tax credit industry, she has held senior leadership positions across multiple organizations including ADP, TALX/Equifax and Management Insights. She has led multiple high growth businesses with a deep focus on driving innovation within human capital incentives, compliance solutions, and government relations, serving Fortune 500 to mid-market clients. LaRae has been a featured speaker at the Tax Executives Institute, authored articles in The Journal of Multi-State Taxation, and served as a multi-year President of CEON (California Employment Opportunity Network). She currently serves as a Board Member of NEON (National Employment Opportunity Network), the premier industry coalition organization serving WOTC (Work Opportunity Tax Credit).

Steve Kowalski

Chief Technology Officer

Steve has over 25 years of technology leadership experience and has been with TCC since 2013. He spent 11 years at TRW Systems / Northrop Grumman where he served in a number of roles including Director of Mission Architecture. He co-founded a business process outsourcing company that went public and founded a software company that was acquired. He holds multiple patents and has published over a dozen technical papers. Steve holds a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from the University of Southern California and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. He taught computer science courses at Cal State Fullerton and was an Advisory Board Member for the USC Integrated Media Center.

Peter Mehta

Managing Director

Peter serves as the National Service Leader for the firm’s R&D tax credit practice. With over 20 years of tax experience with the Big 4 and a law firm, Peter has significant expertise with R&D tax credit matters and federal and state practice and procedure issues. Peter spent 12 years as a Managing Director with Deloitte’s Tax Controversy Services, where he served as the western region’s lead point of contact for the firm’s largest R&D tax credit examinations and appeals. He has worked extensively with IRS engineers and MITRE to successfully resolve multiple R&D credit claims in excess of $100 million. He is a frequent speaker on tax matters and has published numerous articles on various tax topics. Peter holds a J.D., LL.M. (Taxation), and a B.S. (Biology with a specialization in Chemistry).

Dave “Digger” Phelps

Managing Director, Verification Services

Dave serves as the Managing Partner for TCC’s Verification Services. He brings over 35 years of related business acumen from working for major BPO providers including TALX Corporation. In 2005, Dave founded uConfirm, which became an industry leading business process outsource provider specializing in employment and income verification services. uConfirm was acquired by TCC during early 2019. Dave’s work experience and background are well versed including executive leadership roles in operations, finance, account services and new business development.

John Redding

Chief Financial Officer

John joined TCC in 2019 with a 20+ year track record of performance in rapid‐growth, high‐paced organizations. Prior to this role, John spent seven years as Chief Financial Officer of a commerce platform company delivering SaaS, ecommerce and professional services solutions globally to some of the largest brands in the restaurant industry. John followed up nearly a decade of Big 4 Public Accounting experience with the successful start‐up of a multi‐state small business (SBA) lending & technology venture from which he was recruited by his company’s acquirer, a $4+ billion regional bank holding company, to be its EVP, Chief Accounting Officer with responsibility to direct bank accounting and financial reporting activities. John is a CPA, a CITP, and holds a BS in Accountancy from Villanova University and an MBA from Columbia University.

Avishai Avivi

Chief Information Security Officer

Avi joined TCC in 2019, with over 20 years as a senior Information Security leader with at multiple companies including Wells Fargo and E*Trade. He has created and implemented security programs with focus on best practices and control maturity. Avi’s Information Security career started with his service at the Israeli Defense Forces Unit 8200. His career spans multiple roles and domains across Information Security including information security product research and development, professional services, customer support, consulting, and strategic leadership. Avi holds a dual MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and Columbia University’s Business School. He is CISSP and CISM certified and holds the Stanford University Strategic Decision and Risk Management program certification.

Tim Cate

VP, Strategic Accounts

Tim consults with TCC’s strategic accounts to assist them in capturing the maximum return from available Employment Credits, with the lowest possible involvement required of their internal resources. Tim has 23 years of experience in the Credits and Incentives industry, spending 7 years at YUM! Brands, managing their tax credit strategy and efforts, and 16 years consulting with large, national companies on the topic. Tim has been involved in industry trade and legislative groups, and has represented the National Restaurant Association before the Ways and Means Tax Policy Subcommittee. Tim earned his BBA in Economics from The University of Iowa, and his MBA in Finance from The University of North Texas.

Elizabeth May

VP, Solutions + Implementation

Elizabeth consults on TCC’s largest engagements to architect and implement tailored WOTC solutions. Elizabeth has 10 years in the Credits and Incentives industry, spending time as Director of Operations, Client Services, and Business Development. Elizabeth has led some of the most complex implementations and system integration builds in the WOTC industry and also coined the term “there’s no crying in tax credits.”

Matt Kelm

Senior Director, Partnerships

Matt has over 15 years of experience as a human capital consultant to Fortune 500 companies with a focus on implementing turn-key solutions that deliver real ROI and a healthier bottom line. He understands what it takes to create mutually beneficial, customer focused and revenue generating partnerships with organizations of all sizes. His data driven approach relies equally on both analysis and intuition. At TCC, he is responsible for working with business leaders of technology companies to develop strategic partnerships on behalf of our mutual clients. Those synergies leverage best-in-class technology and ensure the highest return on investment.

Stephen Whiteaker

Director

Stephen joined TCC in 2017 after a 32-year career with the Internal Revenue Service. He brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the area of tax controversy and navigating state and federal audits. He provides counsel in the areas of risk assessment and quality review. He has held numerous positions, including Territory Manager in Small Business and Large and Mid-Sized Business, Director of Field Operations for the Large Business and International Industries and Engineering. He gained significant experience in the area of Research Credits while serving as Executive Lead for the Research Credit for three and half years. In addition, he had executive responsibility for field enforcement for some of the largest companies in the United States. Stephen has a well-rounded and unique background as a Certified Public Accountant who served in both field and National Office roles at the Service.