Team
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Eric understands the culture of the accounting profession as well as anyone-as he was born into it. A second generation CPA, Eric went to San Diego State University to get a B.S. in Accounting. Straight out of college he spent nine years working diligently to define client value at a well-established large firm in Los Angeles, achieving partner at the ripe age of 30. He would go on to start The Brae, in order to work intimately with clients providing tax planning and accounting services in the forward-thinking manner he has become known for. His expansive experience with a diverse profile of clients guides individuals and businesses across a variety of industries and corporate structures. Eric serves as much more than a CPA to his clients, offering sage counsel, a breadth of knowledge and a valuable web of genuine and respected relationships. Eric used to sneak in a round or two on the golf course when he could and now mostly unwinds during his self-imposed reading hour. He is likely found spending quality time with Emerson & Kallyn at the beach, building some new gadgets and playing harmonica all while enjoying baby Parker, the newest band member.
Robin founded The Brae with 18 years of experience as the archetypal CPA. She came to Los Angeles with her husband in 2005 as she ascended the ranks at a long standing large firm. Robin has her B.S. and M.S. in Accounting from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. Her expertise is vast, serving closely held businesses and their owners, high net worth individuals, estates, trusts and private foundations. Robin has been known to ease the concerns of clients in a tough spot and more times than she can count, take the reins of a sticky situation. Hard work is in her DNA, and being the stable and calming voice is her middle name. Robin spends much of her time outside of work with her young daughter and husband away from it all. Those well-deserved vacations often consist of a far off destination, a beach, a house, cooking and hiking.
Christine has more than 25 years of experience providing tax services to the real estate industry. After receiving her B.S. in Mathematics from her beloved Bruins, she began her quest for real estate tax knowledge. Over time, Christine has become an extension of her client’s businesses, and they genuinely feel she is invested in their success. Avoiding all professional stereotypes-her outgoing personality shines, as she is in constant contact with her clients who find her presence invaluable. Over her career, she has seen and been involved with every shape and structure of real estate deals and has proven to be a real connoisseur of the fine print. She has extensive expertise in the application of the IRS Tangible Property Regulations among other captivating IRS rules. While her passion for her job overflows, she is equally dedicated to work life balance. Christine enjoys cooking, getting out for long bike rides and hitting the beaches of Hawaii and Cabo.
Growing up in a family of hard-working first generation immigrants from South Korea, young and ambitious Shin went to UCLA to get her B.A. degree in Economics and became the first member of her family to graduate college in the USA. Her first job out of college was as a bookkeeper at a small CPA firm and she’s been in public accounting ever since. Shin gained years of experience and knowledge at a few larger, more established firms before rejoining her former colleagues at The Brae in 2017. Over the course of her career, she has provided tax planning and tax compliance for high-net-worth individuals, closely held businesses, partnerships, trusts and estates. Her detail-oriented nature and strong analytical skills come from her favorite childhood game-jigsaw puzzles. A true believer of work-life balance, Shin spends most of her time outside of work with her family and has pledged to take time off at the end of every tax season, mostly traveling with family to relax and recharge.
Tammy joined The Brae as Real Estate Tax Manager to lend her expertise and knowledge in the Real Estate department. She has been involved in many aspects of the industry including construction, leasing and development both residential and commercial as well as private equity. She enjoys difficult challenges, helping clients succeed and improve and seeing fellow team members learn and grow in their roles. When she is not deep in the trenches of real estate accounting she can be found brushing up on her Spanish and French language skills. She loves traveling in the US and internationally and enjoys books, movies, art, history, photography and being outdoors.
Jenny joined The Brae as a Senior Tax Accountant in January 2019. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from CSUN and has years of experience in the areas of income tax compliance and planning for individuals and various forms of businesses, accounting services, and payroll services. She consistently finds ways to grow her expertise and knowledge through continuous education. Jenny is the resident expert at building out processes and her extensive editing skills always come in handy when sending out email blasts and newsletters. Outside of work, Jenny enjoys packing a bag and boarding a plane to go anywhere. She also likes hiking the Temescal Canyon trail with friends and seeing the ocean view once reaching the top—the field of wildflowers is also a bonus!
Arsinae joined The Brae in 2018 and has been gaining valuable experience and knowledge in the Real Estate department. She has been in the tax accounting field for six years now and received her B.S. degree in Accountancy from California State University Northridge. Born and raised in California, Arsinae foresees being a life-long Angelino spending time outside of work with her family and year-old Maltipoo, Simba. You might also find her playing piano, cooking, or watching The Office and Friends on repeat.
Born in Russia and raised in Indiana, Jayden received her B.S. in Accounting & Finance from Indiana University. She moved to SoCal to be with her husband, a Marine officer stationed at Camp Pendleton. Jayden joined The Brae in the Fall of 2020 and is most experienced preparing tax returns for partnerships, s corps and high-net-worth Individuals. She has a passion for business law and enjoys working in a team environment while helping clients with their needs. Outside of work, Jayden spends a lot of time biking, running, hiking and taking the family dogs to the neighborhood dog park. She is currently studying for the CPA exam.
Sarah received her Bachelor’s Degrees in Accounting and Business Administration from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia and joined the Brae as a Senior Tax Accountant in January 2021. She is known for the care she gives to each of her clients, enjoys working with families, and has years of experience in income tax compliance and planning for individuals, trusts, and payroll services. Sarah was born and raised in Denver, Colorado but has lived in multiple states, following her husband’s military career. She enjoys seeing new places and meeting new people and can often be found hosting dinner parties or out exploring the sites with her family. She is also an avid French Bulldog lover and you will often hear her talking of Stella and Theodore’s exploits.
Charissa came to The Brae with over a decade of experience in accounting. After receiving her B.A. in Business Management Economics from the University of California at Santa Cruz, she was recruited to be an auditor at one of the Big 4 accounting firms in Silicon Valley. After a few years she decided to move back down to Southern California and made the switch to the tax field. She has since specialized in closely held businesses, high-net-worth individuals and political non-profit organizations. She prides herself on the relationships she has developed with clients, many of which she considers family. When not working, you can find Charissa experimenting with new baking recipes, out on the ski slopes with her family or competing on the sporting clays field.
Sandra joined The Brae as a Senior Tax Accountant and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Law from California State University Northridge. While she has been in public accounting for nearly ten years, she started out performing administrative tasks, dove into bookkeeping and grew her expertise in tax preparation. Though she wanted to attend Law School and therefore never changed her major, she found it was a solid foundation for the accounting work she has grown to love. She primarily works on personal and corporation returns and in the past few years has expanded her knowledge to include non-profit returns as well. Sandra is currently studying for the CPA exam and has three children that keep her busy all the time. You can often find her at the baseball and soccer fields and in the dance studio. She is a big Dodger fan and family time is often spent watching and attending games together.
Jordan joined The Brae as a Staff Accountant and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Accountancy from California State University Northridge. She primarily works on partnership, S-corp and individual tax returns and her experience spans throughout entertainment, development and manufacturing industries. Born and raised in Southern California, it is no surprise Jordan enjoys the beach. She enjoys camping with her husband in their travel trailer and can often be found on weekends spending lots of quality time with family and friends.
Born and raised in Southern California, Allie received her B.S. from California State University Northridge. Her roots run deep in Los Angeles and she is most likely to win a game of six degrees of separation. Before Allie entered the marketing world, she previously was in the sales industry. Yet she always managed to fall into a planning centric role, therefore her transition was a natural fit. Allie joined the team with one objective; to enhance the firm’s marketing efforts and outreach. Like a magician, her abilities stand out as she waves a wand over an idea and turns it into a well-executed and dynamic event. Although she often remarks that she isn’t a mind reader, she has an uncanny gift to look ahead and anticipating every contingency, turn each new endeavor into a success. Allie is also a dedicated board member of Concern Foundation for Cancer Research. When not immersed in the details of the next big project, she can be found planning adventures with lifelong friends.
Melissa was born and raised in St. Louis, MO and studied business and acting in college there. Her love and pursuit of the arts took her to Chicago and then Los Angeles where she gained over a decade of invaluable experience working in operations and bookkeeping across a variety of industries. Melissa joined The Brae as a bookkeeper in 2019 and is well versed in helping small businesses stay organized and loves working with clients to help answer all their questions. In her spare time, she continues acting and writing, is very passionate about social justice issues, and loves cooking with her husband and doing crossword puzzles with her dog and cat.