David Kessler – Accounting Leader Extraordinaire (#41)

Bio David Kessler is Chief Executive Officer of CohnReznick with responsibility for overseeing the strategic priorities, operations, people, and client service initiatives for the firm. In this capacity, he works with the Executive Board and other firm leaders to realize CohnReznick’s sense of purpose: creating opportunities for our people, making a difference for our clients, and strengthening our communities. David has over 30 years of experience providing audit, tax, and management advisory services to the real estate and financial services industries, representing clients nationally. Before his election as CEO, David was Managing Partner – Real Estate Industry where he oversaw the firm’s largest practice group consisting of affordable housing, commercial real estate, construction, corporate real estate, and tax credit services. As a community development leader, David represented lenders, developers, syndicators, private equity funds, institutional investors such as life insurance companies and pension funds, asset management companies, property management companies, REITs, and loan funds. His work included assisting clients with a variety of tax incentives and credit programs including low-income housing tax credits, New Markets Tax Credits, historic tax credits, energy credits, and Opportunity Zones.  David designed and has taught a real estate accounting graduate-level course at Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies and the University of Maryland’s School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation as part of each university’s graduate degree program in real estate development. He has been a frequent speaker at real estate industry conferences throughout the country. Show Notes CEO role evolved quickly after leading Real Estate Practice locally (4:20)Decisions on March 12th to shut down in office operations to be WFH only (5:10)Technology adaptation was more or less seamless right before tax deadline (5:50)Scale of CohnReznick- 19 offices nationally (6:30)People working remotely from offices 3000 in US (7:00)500 people in Chinai India (7:15) Origins Born in DC and raised in Adelphi, MD (7:30)Dad was a liquor sales distributor, Mom an adminstrator (8:35)Grandfather was an accountant..other grandfather was in the laundry business (8:55)Even if it is not broken, change it anyway (9:35)Thrives in change (9:55)Exposed early on to financial forecasting (11:50)Called on by four different parties to opine on a projection (12:10)Testament to firm to look at a variety of options (13:00)Always worked from 14 yrs. old (13:50)Went to University of Maryland and sat with advisors to look at options (14:10)Majored in accounting and finance (14:30)Interned at IRS (14:40)Pulled toward public accounting, but thought about working at IRS (14:50)Interviewed with many of the large firms including Kenneth Leventhal (15:15)Interviewed then with Reznick, Fedder & Silverman (last firm he met) and felt a good “vibe” in the office that attracted him to the firm (15:30) Career Arc Reznick, Fedder & Silverman (predecessor company to CohnReznick) was a real estate oriented firm, but he didn’t know it at the time he...