Ryan Promotes Eight to Leadership Role of Principal Across Seven Practice Areas

December 07, 2021 at 11:07 AM EST

Ryan, a leading global tax services and software provider, recently announced the promotion of eight individuals to the leadership role of Principal: Adam Davis, Property Tax Commercial; Michael Garcia, Sales and Use Tax; Tomas Gaytan, Severance Tax; Charles Johnstone, Property Tax Complex; Maria Kay, Property Tax Compliance; Adam Rupp, Sales and Use Tax; Chris Sant, Indirect Tax; and Creed Shawera, Client Services.

“I am proud of these accomplished team members for reaching such a significant milestone in their careers,” said Ryan Global President and Chief Operating Officer Ginny B. Kissling. “Each is an outstanding example of what it means to pursue excellence. They have continued to provide world-class value to our clients, built and managed successful teams, and have always found ways to push through challenges. It is truly inspiring to be reminded of the stellar talent we have here at Ryan.”

Adam Davis, based in Ryan’s Dallas office, specializes in providing property tax consulting services and tax savings to clients with commercial real estate properties; appeal and market focus includes Tarrant County, Texas. Davis is a Certified Member of the Institute (CMI) Candidate - Institute for Professionals in Taxation and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and a Master of Real Estate degree from Texas A&M University.

Michael Garcia focuses his practice on providing multijurisdictional tax services and audit management to consumer-driven businesses, including retail, restaurant, fitness, and software industries. Garcia, based in Ryan’s Dallas office, is a Certified Member of the Institute (CMI) - Institute for Professionals in Taxation and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance from Texas State University.

Based in Ryan’s Houston office, Tomas Gaytan advises clients on multijurisdictional tax and royalty services in the oil and gas industry, including incentives, deductions, and exemptions. He provides ongoing severance tax compliance services to clients on a multinational basis as well as analyzes current processes and recommends solutions for enhancement. Gaytan holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting from the University of Houston and has more than 13 years of state and local tax experience.

Charles Johnstone, resident in Ryan’s Toronto office, specializes in providing real property appraisal, consulting, and expert witness valuation services for complex commercial, large format retail, industrial, energy, large industrial, and manufacturing properties. Johnstone appears as a speaker for many industry organizations, such as International Property Tax Institute and Appraisal Institute of Canada. He is a fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (valuation), an accredited appraiser with the Canadian Institute, and a designated assessor with the Institute of Municipal Assessors, holding both a diploma in appraisal and a certificate in real property estate assessment from the University of British Columbia.

Based in Ryan’s Scottsdale office, Maria Kay concentrates on commercial and industrial real and personal property valuation, assessments, taxation, and exemptions on the state and local levels for clients in a variety of industries, including hospitality, manufacturing, retail, multifamily housing, and leased commercial space. Kay is a Michigan Master Assessing Officer (MMAO) with the state of Michigan and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in interior design, business administration degree from Adrian College, Michigan and accounting degree from Siena Heights College, Michigan.

Adam Rupp from the King of Prussia, Pennsylvania office provides multijurisdictional transaction tax services to clients in a variety of industries, including construction aggregates, consumer products, healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, and logistics. Rupp is a certified public accountant in the state of Illinois and is a Certified Member of the Institute (CMI) - Institute for Professionals in Taxation. He also earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Chris Sant, based in Ryan’s Sydney office, specializes in providing indirect tax advisory services to clients, including but not limited to fuel tax credits and goods and services tax. Sant is a practicing solicitor in New South Wales, Australia and a Member of General Council with the Australian Trucking Association. He holds Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of Technology, Sydney and a Master of Law degree from the University of Sydney.

Creed Shawera, based in Ryan’s Toronto, Canada office, is a sales professional with more than 20 years of experience, focusing on client services. Shawera has been providing clients with opportunities to take advantage of the full suite of Ryan’s industry-leading solutions and services since 2007. Shawera holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from York University.

About Ryan

Ryan, an award-winning global tax services and software provider, is the largest Firm in the world dedicated exclusively to business taxes. With global headquarters in Dallas, Texas, the Firm provides an integrated suite of federal, state, local, and international tax services on a multijurisdictional basis, including tax recovery, consulting, advocacy, compliance, and technology services. Ryan is a nine-time recipient of the International Service Excellence Award from the Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA) for its commitment to world-class client service. Empowered by the dynamic myRyan work environment, which is widely recognized as the most innovative in the tax services industry, Ryan’s multidisciplinary team of more than 3,100 professionals and associates serves over 18,000 clients in more than 60 countries, including many of the world’s most prominent Global 5000 companies. More information about Ryan can be found at ryan.com. “Ryan” and “Firm” refer to the global organizational network and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ryan International, each of which is a separate legal entity.