Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting has put together
a team of experts in performance audits, evaluations and government consulting,
and is pleased to be able to offer the benefits of their extensive experience
to clients in the public and private sectors across the country.
KURT SJOBERG
is a Co-founding Partner of Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting, a national performance
audit and government consulting firm. He brings more than 30 years experience in
conducting, managing and overseeing performance audits, financial studies and program
evaluations to the government and private sector consulting arenas. For 11 years prior
to starting the firm, he was the California State Auditor, managing one of the most
highly regarded independent audit operations in the nation. Since its inception in
January 2000, Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting has grown steadily and significantly, and
Kurt remains actively involved in the successful oversight and completion of the firm's
many large performance audits, evaluations and consulting engagements. In the last five years,
Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting's audits and engagements have addressed such diverse areas as
health maintenance organizations, pesticide regulation, inmate services, Medicaid, highway
construction and alternative transportation issues, governmental contracting
and leasing, home loan programs, Indian gaming revenues and economic impact,
child support enforcement, California's Superior Courts' financial and
operational concerns, security regulation, information technology reliability,
bilingual education, and special districts—to name only a few. Moreover, the firm
has assisted clients in strategic planning, organizational development, human resource activities
and financial management.
Although he has left public service, Kurt remains involved in numerous professional
and civic organizations. He was the President of the National State Auditors Association
for 1998-1999, and currently is a life member of the National Association of State Auditors,
Comptrollers and Treasurers. He continues to be active in the Association of Government
Accountants (AGA), of which he is a past Chapter President and honorary board member. Kurt
also served a four-year term as a member of the U.S. Comptroller General's Advisory Council
on Government Audit Standards, where he chaired the Performance Audit Subcommittee.
In 1994, he received the Frank Greathouse Leadership Award from the AGA and the Donald L.
Scantlebury Award in 1995 from the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program,
recognizing him for distinguished leadership in financial management. Recently, the
National State Auditors Association presented him the Sixth Annual William R. Snodgrass
Distinguished Leadership Award.
A former adjunct professor of business at California State University, Sacramento,
Kurt holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, and a Master's degree in
Business Administration. He is also a Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Financial
Services Auditor, and Certified Governmental Financial Manager.
kurt@secteam.com
MARIANNE EVASHENK
is a Co-founding Partner of Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting. Offering
more than two decades of experience in government operations and auditing,
Marianne has dedicated her career to improvement in accountability and
excellence in government services. Since its inception in January 2000,
Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting has grown steadily and significantly, and Marianne
remains actively involved in the successful oversight and completion of all of
the firm's performance audits, evaluations and consulting engagements.
In the last five years, Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting's audits and engagements have
addressed such diverse areas as health maintenance organizations, pesticide
regulation, inmate services, Medicaid, highway construction and alternative transportation
issues, governmental contracting and leasing, home loan programs, Indian gaming
revenues and economic impact, child support enforcement, California's Superior
Courts' financial and operational concerns, security regulation, information
technology reliability, bilingual education, and special districts—to
name only a few. Moreover, the firm has assisted clients in strategic planning,
organizational development, human resource activities and financial management.
Prior to founding Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting, Marianne successfully managed
one of the most respected, independent audit operations in the nation—the California
State Auditor. As Chief Deputy State Auditor of California, the number two state
auditor, she was responsible for the operations of the Bureau of State Audits—the State's
independent fiscal watchdog. During her 18-year career at the Bureau of State Audits and
its predecessor, the Office of the Auditor General, she managed and participated in
literally hundreds of performance, financial, compliance and investigative reports.
She began her accounting career as a paraprofessional accountant with CPA firms and
moved to the Office of the Auditor General in 1982 at the entry level. In fewer than
three years she rose through the journey audit ranks and was appointed to the Auditor
General's executive team.
In addition to her extensive audit and executive experience, Marianne has a
strong national presence in the government auditing and accounting community.
She actively participated in the U.S. General Accounting Office's government
auditing standard setting and exposure draft processes and served several years
on the National State Auditor's auditing standards committee. Furthermore,
she was closely involved in the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996. Moreover, Marianne
is known nationally as an expert in government auditing particularly in performance
audits and evaluations. She is active in various professional organizations and
has served on numerous national American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
committees including Consulting Services Executive Committee, Business Assurance and
Advisory Services, Business and Industry Committee, and Members in Government Committee.
In addition, she was a member of the California Board of Accountancy's Technical Review
Panel and participated on the Association of Governmental Accountant's national Emerging Issues
Committee. She is also active in community efforts and serves on a non-profit education
board of directors, and is involved in competitive gymnastics.She has led many fundraising
efforts and served as the Legislative Sector Chair for the California Employees United
Way campaign.
Marianne holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from California State University,
Sacramento and is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Government Financial
Manager.
marianne@secteam.com
Catherine Brady
is a Director with Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting. She brings nearly 16 years
of experience managing and performing a wide array of projects, consulting engagements,
financial audits and analysis, and performance reviews and audits at the state and local
government levels. Since joining Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting, she has led such diverse
reviews as Los Angeles' Harbor Leasing Practices, Idaho's Medicaid Program, Arizona's Bilingual
Education Programs and Regional Freeway Transportation system, and California's
Child Support Programs.As part of these reviews, she has assisted clients in improving
effectiveness and achieving efficiencies, revising performance benchmarks to align with strategic
plans, and strengthening fiscal management. Moreover, Catherine is the managing Director of several
in-depth financial, operational, and system reviews of Superior Courts located
throughout the state for the Judicial Council of California where she has honed
a detailed working knowledge of court operations and fiscal functionalities,
developed expertise in case management system functionality and distribution of
complex fees and fines collected by the courts, assessed court organizational
needs, and developed recommendations related to improving efficiency,
effectiveness, controls, and adherence with Judicial Council directives.
Previously with the California State Auditor's Office for nearly 11 years in various management
roles, she was responsible for planning and managing the work of multidisciplinary
professional staff engaged in a variety of complex fiscal and performance
audits and reviews, developing policies and practices for review, and providing
management advice to the Legislature and top-level administration within State
and County departments. Further, she was instrumental in the California State Auditor's reviews of the UCSF
Stanford Medical Center merger and has extensive experience and expertise in
government financial systems, Medicaid, and fiscal analyses.
Catherine has a Master's degree in Business Administration and Bachelor of Science Degree
in Accounting from California State University, Sacramento, and is a Certified Public
Accountant.
cathy@secteam.com
Anya Vassilieva Fenton
is a Manager with Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting. Anya offers over seven years
experience in program planning, evaluation, business assessments, and financial
reviews. Her experience includes leading and participating in large and small
scale audits and consulting engagements including performance audits and financial
examinations. Anya has led many financial and operational reviews of
California's Superior Courts for the Judicial Council of California. She has
conducted analytical research and audit work on software licensing agreements,
managed healthcare entities, and court accounting and case management systems
at several of California's Superior Courts. Anya has also conducted a
performance audit of the Arizona Department of Transportation's Regional Freeway
System and has performed in-depth critical reviews of the contacting and leasing
practices of several governmental agencies, including Southern California Regional
Transit Authority's Metrolink, the Los Angeles Public Works Department, and the
Los Angeles World Airports.
Additionally, Anya held a brief stint as a Manager at a non-profit
foundation, overseeing public outreach and fundraising programs. Prior to
joining Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting, Anya was a business development
officer at an Internet startup company where she was in charge of business
planning, product development, and mergers and acquisitions efforts. Part
of an international marketing effort, she developed business recommendations
and provided management solutions to companies in the medical informatics
and high technology industries.
Anya earned her Master's degree in Business Administration in
international management from the Fisher Graduate School of Business,
Monterey Institute of International Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts
degree in International Studies. Anya is also a Certified
Internal Auditor. She is a member of the Association of Government
Accountants (AGA) and the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).
anya@secteam.com
Lynda McCallum
is a Manager with Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting. She brings eight years experience managing
and performing a wide array of large-scale performance audits, operational reviews, organizational
assessments, and program evaluations. Currently, she is managing a performance audit evaluating
the fee structure of one of California’s consumer protection Boards, including analyzing all
revenue and expenditures, assessing the Board’s ability to balance future projected revenue
to expenditure need, evaluating workload data, and developing corresponding performance
measures. She is also co-managing an audit of program activities related to the City of Los
Angeles animal service centers funded by the Proposition F Bond Program.
Lynda is also currently managing multiple financial and operational reviews of California’s
Superior Courts, including evaluating court operations; fiscal activities; collection and
distribution of revenue; and procurement of goods and services. Each of these reviews result
in recommendations to improve performance and controls as well as compliance with laws, regulations,
and directives.
In addition to her current projects, a few recent projects that Lynda has managed or participated include:
- Comprehensive study and program evaluation of Los Angeles’ anti-gang activities where
long-term strategies and recommendations for reducing gang activity were provided to Los Angeles
decision makers.
- Information technology contract (approximately $600,000) involving testing data transmission
between a Superior Court in California and three of its local justice partners (district attorney,
law enforcement, county jail). Responsibilities included developing the overall project test plan
that guided all phases of testing, developing testing materials for each interface, facilitating
and participating in daily status calls and weekly strategy meetings, interacting with other
project managers (development, design, etc), and assisting in updating and managing the overall
project approach, budget, and deadlines.
- Information technology contract (approximately $400,000) examining the case management
system of five Superior Courts of California. This project included reviewing the assumptions,
rules, configuration, and processes to accurately build and allocate fees and fines in compliance
with laws, rules, regulations, and court determinations.
- Los Angeles Fire Department Performance Audit for the City of Los Angeles analyzing human
relations and workplace issues facing women and minority firefighters as well as reviewed
the Department’s leadership, communications, and recruit training.
- Performance audit and follow-up audit of the Port of Los Angeles lease negotiation processes
and practices. This complex project involved in-depth critical assessment of policy implementation
and financial analyses relied upon by the Board of Harbor Commissioners to make long-term,
multi-million dollar leasing decisions to determine if leasing decisions made were in the best
interest of the City of Los Angeles.
- California Integrated Waste Management Board, Rubberized Asphalt Concrete Technology
Centers performance audit evaluating all aspects of administration such as personnel,
management, and contracting; fiscal operations—expenditures, internal controls, and recordkeeping;
and performance outcomes and results including performance measures, changes in the industry,
and impacts of the programs.
- California Gaming Commission a performance audit of the Indian Gaming Revenue Sharing Trust
Fund (IGRSTF). This project assessing and evaluating the Commission’s policies, procedures, and
operational cycles supporting the IGRSTF, including processes supporting Compact Tribe fee
assessment and collections and the distribution of funds to recognized Non-Compact Tribes.
As part of the SEC Academy, Lynda has also developed and conducted numerous training courses covering
topics ranging from performance audit techniques, fund accounting, and internal controls. Moreover,
she has extensive experience conducting interviews, facilitating focus group discussions, and
developing surveys and questionnaires.
Lynda earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration from California State University,
Sacramento, with a specialization in Finance, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business
Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg. She is also a Certified
Governmental Financial Manager (GGFM) and a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and
Association of Government Accountants.
lynda@secteam.com
George J. Skiles
is a Manager with Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting, Inc. He is a Certified Internal Auditor with more
than seven years of lead/managerial experience conducting organization, management and
performance audits.
Since joining Sjoberg Evashenk, George recently served as a manager on a large-scale assessment
of the youth development and gang reduction programs supported by the City of Los Angeles,
which included offering recommendations regarding establishing a new office to administer
youth development and gang reduction programming, improving coordination between law enforcement,
school district and city departments; redirecting limited resources to strategically targeted
programs; streamlining several narrowly-focused programs and enhancing methods to better target
youth at highest risk of joining gangs; and implementing a comprehensive performance evaluation
process that focuses on short-term and long-term outcomes necessary to determine program success.
He has also recently managed several financial-related and operational reviews of California’s
Superior Courts for the Judicial Council of California, and a performance audit of the
administrative law hearing process for workers’ compensation cases for the State of Colorado—the
latter of which focuses on improving the quality of service to the public in the highly regulated
field of workers’ compensation. In addition, as part of the SEC Academy, George has conducted several
training courses covering topics ranging from performance audit techniques and reporting to
contracting practices.
Prior to joining Sjoberg Evashenk, George worked as an audit manager for the Los Angeles City
Controller, where he was responsible for conducting or overseeing audits of many City departments,
operations and programs. During this time, he also served as a part-time instructor at College of
the Canyons and Moorpark College. George also worked as a tax compliance officer for the City of
Los Angeles, enforcing various tax and fee ordinances.
In conducting and overseeing dozens of audits, surveys, and studies, George’s experience includes:
- A Diverse range of governmental operations, such as administrative law hearing processes,
building and safety inspections and code enforcement, recreation and park maintenance and
community service programs, cable franchise and public access television operations, tax
and revenue collections, and convention center operations;
- More than half a dozen performance audits and reviews of social service and community
development programs, including youth, family, housing and workforce development programs
funded through State and federal agencies.
- Several contract-related performance and compliance audits regarding the use of professional
services, construction and purchasing contracts in public works, public utilities, airports,
harbor, courts, information technology, and general services agencies; and
- Several small-to-large scale financial-related and operational reviews of California's
Superior Courts for the Judicial Council of California, which includes evaluating the processes
used to manage and oversee the courts' fiscal activity; the collection and distribution of fees,
fines and forfeitures; court security and information technology, the procurement of goods and
services; and various other operational activities.
George earned his Master of Arts degree in Sociology with distinction, and a Bachelor of Arts degree
in Sociology with an emphasis in Criminology and Corrections, cum laude, from California State
University, Northridge. He also earned an Associates of Science in Administration of Justice,
with honors, from College of the Canyons. He is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).
george@secteam.com
Nicole Gossett
is a Senior Consultant with Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting. She has several years
of professional experience, with a broad range of work performed in the government
environment, including GAGAS compliant performance audits, operational reviews and
other consulting engagements. With Sjoberg Evashenk, Nicole has conducted several
performance reviews of California Trial Courts operations, participated in evaluating
and improving budgeting activities for a California educational institution, helped
develop comprehensive policies and procedures for State agencies using Enterprise
Resource Planning software, conducted a cost study of online services offered by
superior courts, and performed contract compliance review on behalf of the Long Beach
City Auditor. Recently, Nicole has worked on audits and studies commissioned by
the Los Angeles City Controller’s Office, including the Los Angeles Anti-Gang study,
Proposition F Animal Facilities Bond program, and a program evaluation of the City of
Los Angeles Public Access channels.
Prior to joining Sjoberg Evashenk, Nicole worked as an analyst for a brokerage
firm in San Diego, where she assisted in daily operations, created client cash flow
analyses as well as asset allocations using modern portfolio theory. She also developed
office procedure manuals based on an audit she conducted for her company to re-evaluate
their internal controls.
Nicole has a B.S. degree in Business Administration with a concentration in
Financial Services from San Diego State University. She is a member of the Association
of Government Accountants (AGA).
nicole@secteam.com
Ross Lockhart
is a Senior Consultant with Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting. With an eye for detail and
motivation to bring value-added results to his clients, Ross specializes in
public affairs, public policy analysis, business process improvement, and governmental relations.
Since joining Sjoberg Evashenk in 2006, Ross has taken leadership roles on a
number of complex performance audits and consulting engagements. Among these engagements,
Ross has participated in several reviews of California’s Trial Courts, which
included reviews of financial recording and reporting, procurement, contract compliance,
and accounts payable. He has also participated in a performance audit of the City of Oakland,
which focused on compensation and payroll practices. More recently, Ross has been
involved in a study of the City of Los Angeles’ anti-gang and youth development programs.
This project involved detailed analysis of multi-million dollar social service programs
as well as interviews with numerous city and community leaders. Within each of these
engagements, Ross developed recommendations designed to improvement accountability
while simultaneously addressing the immediate needs of the client.
Ross earned his Master of Arts degree in International Relations and European
Studies from the University of Kent in Canterbury (UK). He also brings a BA degree
in Political Science with a Minor in History, which he received from Minnesota State
University–Moorhead.
ross@secteam.com
Melissa Lomas
is a Senior Consultant with Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting. Melissa has built impressive experience
with Sjoberg Evashenk. She has led and participated in a number of performance and compliance
reviews at local trial courts on behalf of the Judicial Council of California, Administrative
Office of the Courts. She also conducted in-depth evaluation and test scripting of sensitive
data transmission/interfaces between one California Superior Court and three of its local justice
partners (district attorney, law enforcement, county jail).
In addition to her justice experience, Melissa was a key member of a performance audit
team evaluating the payroll and compensation practices at the City of Oakland. This engagement
involved extraction and data manipulation from different databases and assessing such data for
compliance with differing rules and regulations. Further, Melissa worked on a comprehensive
study of gang prevention services in Los Angeles in which she completed a complex mapping and
survey of the various services and programs available at neighborhood locations throughout
the more than 400 square miles within the Los Angeles city limits.
Prior to joining Sjoberg Evashenk, Melissa worked in several administrative and analytical
positions. She assisted in the daily operations, created databases for clients, and traded
equities and bonds for an asset management firm.
Melissa has a B.S. degree in Business Administration with an Honors Concentration in Financial
Services from Saint Mary’s College. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in the top 5 percent of her
class, and received the Earl W. Smith Award for top achievement in the Department of Business
Administration. She is also a Certified Government Auditing Professional (CGAP).
melissa@secteam.com
Lien Luu
is a Senior Consultant with Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting. She brings experience in government
procurement, contracting and has participated in performance reviews, compliance audits, and
program evaluations of State and local governments where recommendations have been implemented
to improve operational deficiencies.
Lien has conducted performance audits of nearly a dozen trial courts in California. She also
developed comprehensive policies and procedures for a statewide human resources and financial
system and reviewed the business process controls surrounding the human resources module.
In addition, Lien successfully completed an audit of the Los Angeles World Airport’s contracting
practices as well as a separate review of the Airport’s Information Technology contracting and
contract management practices. Currently, Lien is participating in a program evaluation for the
City of Los Angeles where $154 million in bonds were issued to finance multiple animal shelters
throughout the City.
Prior to joining Sjoberg Evashenk, Lien worked on multi-million dollar projects for one
the nation’s largest engineering consulting firms where she was responsible for contract
compliance with the local, state and federal regulations. Lien also has experience
conducting logistical research for a European pharmaceutical company where she was part
of a business development team to organize joint ventures with companies in Asia and the
Middle East.
Lien is fluent in French, German, and Vietnamese. She earned a B.S. in Business Administration
with an International Business concentration and finance emphasis from California State University,
Sacramento.
lien@secteam.com
Angela Arriola
is a Staff Consultant with Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting. At California State University, Sacramento,
Angela held several student leadership positions, including President and CEO of the Associated
Students, Inc. In this capacity, she oversaw all administrative and financial operations of a $10.2
million non-profit corporation. She is currently reviewing state trial courts and assisting other
government clients. Angela’s recent engagements include assisting in a comprehensive study of
the delivery of gang prevention services for the City of Los Angeles as well as a number of financial
and operational reviews of California’s Superior Courts for the Judicial Council of California.
Since joining Sjoberg Evashenk, Angela recently served as a consultant on a large-scale
assessment of the youth development and gang reduction programs supported by the City of Los
Angeles, which included offering recommendations regarding establishing a new office to administer
youth development and gang reduction programming; redirecting limited resources to strategically
targeted programs; streamlining several narrowly-focused programs and enhancing methods to better
target youth at highest risk of joining gangs; and implementing a comprehensive performance
evaluation process that focuses on short-term and long-term outcomes necessary to determine
program success. This project involved detailed analysis of multi-million dollar social
service programs as well as interviews with numerous city and community leaders.
In addition, Angela has assisted with several financial-related and operational reviews of
California's Superior Courts for the Judicial Council of California, including evaluating the
processes used to manage and oversee the courts' fiscal activity; the collection and distribution
of fees, fines and forfeitures; the procurement of goods and services; and various other operational
activities. Angela earned a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Business Administration from
California State University, Sacramento.
angela@secteam.com
Elizabeth Carlson
is a Staff Consultant with Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting.
She is currently participating on a performance audit evaluating the fee
structure of one of California’s consumer protection Boards. During this engagement,
Elizabeth is analyzing all revenue and expenditures and assessing the Board’s
ability to balance future projected revenue to expenditure needs. Additionally, she
is evaluating workload data, including activities related to education, communication,
licensing, legislation, regulation, and enforcement and developing corresponding
performance measures.
Prior to joining Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting, Elizabeth gained experience
garnering and synthesizing data at a political and non-profit consulting firm in
Washington D.C. where she fostered donor-client relations. She has meticulously
managed an FEC filing database. Additionally, at Claremont McKenna College’s
Office of Development, she handled accounts payable, helped plan and execute
alumni events, and compiled data for the Annual Report. She also started a
Democracy Matters chapter on her campus, a non-partisan organization committed to
promoting the public’s interest via effective campaign finance reform. She organized
and recruited members connecting pro-democracy reforms to issues of education, civil
rights, health care, foreign policy, and the environment.
Elizabeth graduated from Claremont McKenna College where she earned a degree in
Economics from the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance with a dual degree in
Government.
elizabeth@secteam.com
Mashariki Lawson
is a Staff Consultant with Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting. She is currently
participating on a performance audit of the City of Los Angeles public,
educational and government access channels. This audit involves evaluating
the efficiency and effectiveness of the oversight, operation, and management
of the public channels, including assessing how programming decisions are made,
determining the assurance of fair and unbiased programming, analyzing current
performance measures, and evaluating if resources are used effectively.
This project also involves benchmarking operations with other models of
government cable programming.
Prior to joining Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting, Mashariki worked for a government
energy agency where she collected and compiled large amounts of energy data,
created graphs, charts and Power Point presentations for agency staff,
assisted with research on special projects, and was responsible for updating
energy prices and trends on the agency’s website. In addition, Mashariki brings
10 years of customer service experience where she was a lead customer service agent
in the package delivery industry, supervising a team of 10-15 agents where she ensured
consistent and reliable client satisfaction through effective conflict resolution
methods and superior client management practices.
Mashariki earned a BA in Economics from California State University, Sacramento
and was also an active member of the campus Student Economics Association.
mashariki@secteam.com
Jim Roth
is a Senior Consultant with 29 years in California law enforcement, including 18 years in management.
As an Undersheriff in a medium-sized department for seven years, one of his main
responsibilities was the preparation, presentation, implementation, and adherence
of the entire Sheriff’s budget, including patrol, detectives, three drug task forces,
two jails, the Coroner and Public Administrator. After leaving the Sheriff’s Department
he worked for the California Office of Criminal Justice Planning (OCJP) as Chief of the
Public Safety and Crime Prevention Division. His primary responsibility was to allocate
over $150 million in state and federal funds to criminal justice agencies and school
districts in California. Further, for almost four years before joining Sjoberg Evashenk,
Jim worked as a Senior Management Consultant for the Peace Officers Standards and Training (
POST). During this time he studied and made recommendations for improvement to over 25
police and sheriff’s departments.
Jim earned a BA in Law Enforcement and Administration.
jimr@secteam.com
