Our Firm
Our Leadership
Steven D. Kangas, CPA
CEO/Managing Partner, Audit Partner
Steve joined DK Partners in 2007 and became a Partner in 2011, and currently manages the Audit & Attestation portion of our practice. Steve came from PricewaterhouseCoopers where he was promoted to Experienced Audit Manager after joining the firm in 2000.
Steve has served clients in banking, high-tech, energy and utilities, employee-sponsored benefit and retirement plans, and government agencies. Steve is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and holds a Bachelor’s of Accounting from the University of Tennessee (1997) and a Masters in Professional Accounting from the University of Memphis (2000). He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas (2001).
Brian T. Simmons, CPA
COO, Client Advisory Services and Audit Partner
Brian joined DK Partners in 2013 and became a Partner in 2016. From 2007 to 2013 he was with ArthroCare in positions including Vice President of Finance, Chief Accounting Officer and Vice President of Sales Operations. Previously, from 2003 to 2007, Brian was Vice President and Controller of GE Security, a subsidiary of General Electric.
Brian held various audit positions with PricewaterhouseCoopers from 1998 to 2003 where he gained experience auditing global clients in the high-tech manufacturing, software, retail, financial services and not-for-profit industries.
He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with concentrations in Accounting and Management from Trinity University (1997) and a Master of Science in Accounting from Trinity University (1998). He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas (1999), and served as keynote speaker at the August 1999 swearing-in ceremony after achieving one of the ten highest scores on the November 1998 CPA examination.
Ryan Parks, CPA
Client Advisory Services Partner
Ryan joined DK Partners in 2019 and became a Partner in 2022. Prior to that he was with HumanN, a branded direct response growth company, serving as the CFO from 2016 to 2019.
During this time, HumanN was named to the Austin A-list of the 12 hottest startups and appeared on the Inc 5000 list all three years. Previously he ran his own accounting services CPA firm from 2013 to 2016 with notable clients including the Thinkery, Zilker Botanical Gardens, and clients in the CPG, software, real estate, and pharmaceutical industries.
Ryan began his career with Arthur Andersen and PricewaterhouseCoopers auditing clients in the manufacturing, health care, software, financial services, and not-for-profit industries. Ryan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southwestern University (2001) and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas (2002).
Alvin Wu, CPA
Tax Partner
Alvin joined DK Partners in 2022. Prior to that, he spent 6 years with Atchley & Associates as a Manager where he provided Tax services to the Austin community in various industries as well as Virtual CFO and Controller services to clients in Austin, California, and Japan.
Before that, he was a Senior Tax accountant at Montgomery, Coscia, Greilich LLP, which merged with Baker Tilly US, LLP. Alvin has served clients in the real estate, construction, tech, biotech, healthcare, publishing, and restaurant & food industries. He has also provided tax services to numerous not-for profits and trade/business associations.
Alvin is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas (2008) and a Master’s in Professional Accounting from the University of Texas, Arlington (2011). He is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas (2016).
Jack Dotson, CPA
Tax Manager
Jack joined DK Partners in 2018. He graduated from California State University, Chico with a Bachelors in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting in 2017 and eagerly joined the growing DK Partners team. From the moment he joined our team, Jack’s dedication and expertise have made a significant impact. In 2022, he was promoted to Tax Manager, a testament to his hard work and leadership within our tax team.
Jack’s experience encompasses the preparation of various returns, including C-Corporations, S-Corporations, Partnerships, Trusts and Estates, and individual filings. What truly sets Jack apart is his commitment to empowering clients—not just in tax compliance, but in strategic tax planning that helps them thrive. Jack is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a licensed Certified Professional Accountant in the State of Texas (2020).
Stacy Whiteley, CPA, CFE
Audit Senior Manager
Stacy joined DK Partners in 2012. Stacy has served clients in the banking and government agency industries. She has also served as an adjunct professor of accounting at St. Edward’s University in Austin.
Stacy holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Texas State University (2009) and a Master of Business Administration, Accounting from St. Edward’s University (2011). She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas (2013) and a Certified Fraud Examiner (2013).
Chris Baker, CPA
Audit Manager
Chris joined DK Partners in 2012. Previously Chris worked as a financial analyst at Applied Nanotech Holdings, a public company specializing in nanotechnology research and development. Chris has served clients in the banking and government agency industries.
He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Michigan (2007) and a Masters of Accounting from Oakland University (2009). He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas (2012).
Mike Cantu, CPA
Client Advisory Services and Audit Manager
Mike joined DK Partners in 2018. Prior to that he was with PricewaterhouseCoopers for four years where he gained experience auditing and evaluating internal controls of companies in the energy and utilities industry. More recently, Mike has provided compliance, audit support, and consulting services to clients in the government agency and not-for-profit sectors.
Mike is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southwestern University (2014). He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas (2016).
Jill Stone, SHRM-CP, PMQ
Client Advisory Services Manager
Jill joined DK Partners in 2021. Jill brings with her years of experience in human resource management for small to medium sized for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations. Jill specializes in project management, multi-state compliance, payroll, developing HR policies and procedures, organizational development, change management and employee relations. She enjoys partnering with her clients to help them implement compliant HR systems, as well as establishing employee policies that are tailored to their individual needs.
Jill has a passion for sharing her knowledge of the human resource practice with her clients. She has her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management with a Minor in Hospitality and Tourism Management from the College of Charleston. She holds professional certifications with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) as a SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) and a Qualified People Manager (PMQ). When she is not practicing HR, you can find her training for her next race, cooking with her husband or enjoying Austin’s beautiful trails with her dog, Griff.
Courtney Cowley, CPA
Client Advisory Services Manager
Courtney joined DK Partners in 2019, bringing a unique perspective shaped by her previous career as a professional dancer. Her unconventional background has fueled her passion for helping businesses and non-profits navigate complex challenges, finding creative solutions to achieve their distinct goals. Leveraging financial modeling and analysis, Courtney uses data-driven insights to empower clients to make informed, strategic decisions.
Courtney is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting with a Minor in Business Management from Utah Valley University, where she graduated as Valedictorian of the Woodbury School of Business (2020). She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas (2022).
Licenses & Memberships
We’re proud of our associations with and support of these like-minded organizations:
Texas State Board of Public Accountancy
We are a licensed firm with the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy, whose mission is to protect the public by ensuring that persons issued certificates as CPAs possess the necessary education, skills, and capabilities to competently perform in the profession of public accountancy.
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
We are a member firm of the AICPA, which was founded in 1887 and is the world’s largest association representing the accounting profession. We are also members of the AICPA’s Governmental Audit Quality Center (GAQC), which promotes the importance of quality governmental audits and the value of such audits. Our most recent peer review report and letter notifying our firm that the peer review has been accepted are available for review.
Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TXCPA)
We are a member firm of the TXCPA, who along with its local Austin CPA Chapter are committed to serving the public interest with programs that advance the highest standards of ethics and practice within the CPA profession.
We are an independently owned and operated member firm of CPAConnect, an alliance of CPAmerica, Inc. CPAmerica, an association of independent accounting firms that maintain the highest practice standards, is a member of Crowe Global, providing our firm access to the eighth largest accounting network in the world, with over 200 independent accounting and advisory firms in more than 130 countries.