The history of A. F. Thomas & Associates, P.C. is built upon a tradition of service, technical expertise, and innovative thinking to meet the needs of a rapidly changing world. The experience and academic credentials of our partners and staff provide our clients with the expertise of larger firms, while our commitment to superior customer service offers a personal, one-on-one approach. We invite you to meet our staff. Aida F. Thomas, President aida@afthomascpa.com Aida has been the President of A.F. Thomas & Associates since 1993. She has over twenty-five years experience in the public accounting field as well as experience in the private sector. Her desire to help small business was what prompted her to start her own practice and offer services that would compliment small business needs as well as the needs of the individuals who own them. She has experience in various industries such as retail, wholesale, personal and professional services, and residential as well as commercial construction. Aida was born in Havana, Cuba but has lived here in the United States for most of her life. She speaks Spanish fluently. She and Stuart have one daughter, Alexandra. Aida has a B.B.A. degree from the College of William and Mary and is a member of the Virginia Society of CPA's. Stuart L. Thomas, Vice President stuart@afthomascpa.com Stuart graduated from the College of William and Mary with a B.S. degree in biology. He returned to school at Virginia Commonwealth University and received a Post Baccalaureate Certificate of Accountancy and was licensed as a CPA in 1984. His varied background in other areas besides that of public accounting makes him a tremendous asset to the firm. He spent five years with the Southland Corp. (7-11 stores) on their management team. At one time he was supervising eleven of their stores in the Richmond area. He worked for the Bank of Virginia and audited companies east of the Mississippi for their Asset Based Lending Department. He was assistant controller for a large leasing company (Sovran Leasing) as well as controller for a smaller local corporation. He has also worked as an accounting manager for a savings and loan and a national not-for-profit organization in their Virginia location. Stuart was born in Lynchburg, Virginia but has lived in Richmond since 1975. The one thing he complains about is missing the mountains. He is a member of the Virginia Society of CPA's. Rebecca Parks, Staff Tax Accountant becky@afthomascpa.com Becky joined our firm in December of 2001 as a part-time employee after spending 32 years with SunTrust Bank (formerly Crestar Bank). Her tenure in the banking industry was spent in the Trust Tax Department with individual, fiduciary, estate & gift tax and information reporting responsibilities. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a B.S. degree in accounting. She continues to keep abreast of tax law changes through classes and seminars. Becky and her husband have 3 grown children and 3 grandchildren.   Ella Bryant, Office Manager ella@afthomascpa.com Prior to joining A.F. Thomas & Associates, Ella owned and operated a business with her husband for six years. We believe her experience as a small business owner is of great benefit to us and to our clients. Ella has been with us since August of 2000. Her primary responsibility as Office Manager is to coordinate your projects so that everything happens in a timely manner. That enables the rest of the staff to concentrate on the finer details of your payroll, bookkeeping, financial statements and tax returns. Ella and her husband have a son, Mark, and a daughter, Sarah. Theresa Janicek, Bookkeeper theresa@afthomacpa.com Theresa has a B.S. in accounting and a Post Graduate Certificate of Information Systems from Virginia Commonwealth University.  Her work experience includes 15 years with the VRS Investment Department as Senior Programmer/Analyst.  She left a career with the VRS to spend more time with her children and operate her own home-based business before joining A.F. Thomas in December 2009.