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Staff

Shareholders

Chad Vilhauer, CPA

Chad is a Watertown native and received his Bachelor degree in Finance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2007 and finished his accounting courses at Mount Marty College in 2010. Chad worked for two years with Northwestern Mutual Financial Services in Lincoln, Nebraska as a financial advisor before making the transition to public accounting. He joined VRS in September of 2009 and became a shareholder in January of 2021.  Chad is a CPA who manages the Brookings location and focuses on income tax preparation and advisory services. Chad and his wife Ellie reside in Volga with their children; Shayla, Desmond, Kai and Atticus.

Danielle Mikkelson, CPA, ABV

Danielle grew up on a farm in Lake Preston, SD and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Professional Accountancy from Black Hills State University. She began working in the accounting industry in 2006, joining VRS in November of 2007 and then became a shareholder of VRS in January of 2014. She is a licensed CPA in South Dakota, and has obtained the Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) designation. Danielle is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the South Dakota CPA Society. Her primary areas of focus include accounting services, income tax preparation and advisory services. Danielle and her husband Josh have two daughters; Maliya and Havana.

John Dahl

John is a Watertown native and graduate of Mount Marty College. He originally joined the firm in 2005 and became a shareholder of VRS in January of 2021. John is a member of the South Dakota CPA Society and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. His primary focuses are income tax preparation, advisory services and accounting services. John and his wife Stephanie reside in Watertown with their two children; Madeline and Andrew. In his free time, John enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Michael W. Snyder, JD, CPA, ABV

Mike received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting in 2004 and his J.D. (law degree) and Masters of Professional Accountancy in 2007, all from the University of South Dakota. After graduation he practiced law with a local firm before deciding to change his focus to accounting and taxation. While Mike no longer practices law, his education and experience in law have proven to be priceless in advising his business clients. In November of 2008 he joined VRS, obtained his CPA license in 2009 and became a shareholder of VRS in 2011.  Mike obtained his Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) designation in 2011 and in 2017 earned his Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) certification and became a member of the AICPA Forensic and Valuation Services Section. He is also a member of the South Dakota CPA Society. Mike’s primary areas of focus include entity taxation, litigation support, business valuations, and estate & trust planning and taxation. Mike is married to another Watertown native, Elizabeth (Hoefert) Snyder, and they reside in Watertown with their son and daughter.

Nathan Noeldner, CPA

Nathan is a native of South Shore, SD and graduated from Northern State University in 1995. He is a member of the South Dakota CPA Society. Nathan practiced public accounting for 15 years with firms in Mobridge and Watertown prior to joining VRS in October of 2010. His primary focus is income tax preparation. Nathan and his wife Stacy reside in Watertown with their three children. He enjoys spending time with his family, attending sporting events, hunting or fishing.

Scott Theisen, CPA

Scott is a native of Clear Lake, SD and is a graduate of Deuel High School. He received his joint Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting and Master of Professional Accountancy degree from the University of South Dakota in 2008 with Summa Cum Laude honors. He is a CPA and a member of the South Dakota CPA Society. Scott has worked in public accounting for the last 6 years and joined VRS in October of 2014. Scott’s primary areas of focus are accounting services and income tax preparation. Scott resides in Watertown with the love of his life Shelly and their children; Elsie, Evelyn and Kasher. He enjoys fishing, target shooting, watching the Vikings, camping, bike riding and participating in other various outdoor activities.­

Sherry Kleinsasser, CPA

Sherry is a Kranzburg, SD native and received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Master of Professional Accountancy degree from the University of South Dakota in 1999. Sherry is a member of the South Dakota CPA Society and the Watertown Optimist Club. She joined VRS in September of 1999, has been a licensed CPA since 2002 and became a shareholder in January of 2021. Sherry has firm experience in reviews and compilations, accounting and advisory services and tax preparation. She currently serves the role of CEO at VRS. She lives in Watertown with her husband Lonnie, an engineer draftsman for Terex Utilities, and their son Brayden.  In her free time, she enjoys attending sporting events, camping and spending time with her family.

Accountants

Abby Swenson

Abby grew up in Spearfish, SD and graduated from Spearfish High School in 2017. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Professional Accountancy from Black Hills State University in December of 2020.  Abby joined VRS in December of 2020 as a Staff Accountant. Abby resides in Hayti, with her husband, Cody, and their dog, Zeke. In her free time, Abby enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

Ash Griffin

Ash is a Watertown native and received his Bachelor of Accounting degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2003. Ash joined VRS in October of 2015 as a Staff Accountant and his primary focus is accounting and income tax preparation. Ash enjoys spending his free time with his children; Bret, Ben and Izzie and his dogs; Gus, Riddle, and Rocky.

Benjamin Lamfers

Ben grew up in Brandon, SD and graduated from Brandon Valley High School in 2008.  Before pursuing an education in accounting, he served in the United States Air Force for six years.  Most of his enlistment was spent with the 5th Security Forces Squadron at Minot AFB, ND.  He received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting in 2016 and his Master of Business Administration in 2021, both from the University of South Dakota.  He made the move from private to public accounting in 2020 and joined VRS in December of 2023.  His focuses include accounting services and income tax preparation.  Ben resides in Clear Lake with his wife, Jessica, and their children Reagan and Lincoln. In his free time, he enjoys going on family camping trips, hunting, and smoking meat.

Denai Kjenstad

Denai grew up in Watertown, SD and graduated from Watertown High School.  She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Finance from Northern State University.  Denai joined VRS in June of 2023 as a Staff Accountant.  Denai lives in Watertown with her husband, Joshua, and their two daughters, Adelaide and Eloise.

Marcus Engelhart, CPA

Marcus is a Watertown native and received his Bachelor of Arts and Science degree in Business Economics from South Dakota State University in 2008. He has worked in public accounting since 2011 and joined VRS in June of 2015. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the South Dakota CPA Society. His primary areas of focus include income tax preparation and accounting services. Marcus enjoys spending time with his twin boys, Eli and Ben, and his dogs CJ and Jersey; along with playing golf and attending sporting events.

Sarah Wirtjes

Sarah grew up in Watertown, SD and graduated from Watertown High School in 2017. She received her Financial Services degree in Business Accounting from Lake Area Technical College in 2020. Sarah joined VRS in November 2023 as a staff accountant. Sarah and her husband Blake reside in Watertown with their two children, Wrenley and Weston, and fur babies, Bruce and Bria. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, fishing, hunting, and running.

Tristen Leiseth

Tristen is a native of Hayti, SD and graduated from Hamlin High School. He received his Bachelor of Arts and Science degree in Business Economics with a minor in accounting from South Dakota State University in December of 2019. He joined VRS in February of 2022 and his primary focuses are accounting services and income tax preparation. Tristen enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time with family and friends.

Bookkeeping & Payroll

Alexys Wrase

Alexys grew up in Truman, Minnesota and graduated from SDSU in December of 2023. She started at VRS in August 2023 and works on bookkeeping. Alexys and her husband, Tyler, live in Brookings and in their free time enjoy hiking, reading, playing games, and hanging out with friends and family.

Amanda Blok

Amanda grew up in Brookings after moving from the Netherlands 20 years ago. She attends South Dakota State University for her major in Business Economics and minor in Marketing. She joined VRS in October 2023 and enjoys assisting clients with their bookkeeping. In her free time, Amanda enjoys spending time with friends and family.

Anna Bisgard

Anna graduated from South Shore High School in 1998 and received her Associates of Applied Science degree in Accounting from Lake Area Technical Institute in 2005. She joined VRS in August of 2006 and while she serves multiple rolls within VRS, she primarily assists clients with payroll processing and payroll tax returns.  In 2019, Anna transitioned to the head of the bookkeeping/payroll department which requires her to oversee all payroll processing, payroll tax returns, and sales/provider tax returns that our firm processes. Anna and her husband Jake reside in Watertown with their two children; Mallory and Soren, and fur babies, Cody and Charlie.

Audrey

Audrey Kucker

Audrey grew up in Watertown, SD and graduated from Willow Lake High school in 2013. Audrey received her Financial Services degree in Business Accounting, Consumer Financials, and Agri-Financials from Lake Area Technical College in 2021. Audrey joined VRS in September of 2021 as a Data Processing Specialist and assists clients with their bookkeeping and payroll. Audrey lives in Watertown with her three daughters. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, hunting, fishing, golfing, and crocheting.

Brandi Full

Brandi grew up in Clear Lake, SD and graduated from Deuel High School in 2013. She received her Associate degree in Business Accounting from Lake Area Technical Institute in 2015 and her Bachelor degree in Accounting from Mount Marty College in 2017. Brandi joined VRS in September of 2015 as a Data Processing Specialist. These roles include assisting clients with sales tax compliance, data processing, financial statement preparation, payroll, and on-line software training. Brandi and her husband, Christian, live in Watertown with their daughter, Mia, and husky, Nala.  In her free time, she enjoys spending time traveling the United States, camping, reading, and running.

Cassie Martinmaas

Cassie grew up in Clear Lake, SD and graduated from Deuel High School in 2012. She received her Financial Services degree in Business Accounting from Lake Area Technical College in 2022. Cassie joined VRS in August of 2022 as a Data Processing Specialist and assists clients with their bookkeeping and payroll. When she is not working, Cassie enjoys spending time with her kids Michael, Willow, and Jasper.

Deb Swenson

Deb received a degree in Accounting and Data Processing from Southwestern Vocational Technical Institute in 1987 and joined VRS in July of that same year. Over the years her role in the office has evolved into helping clients with all aspects of accounting. As a Data Processing Specialist, she specializes in data processing, sales tax compliance, on-line software training and provides clients with interim bookkeeping assistance. Deb also assists VRS with information technology issues and keeps the office computer systems running and up to date. Deb and her husband Tim reside in Watertown and have two daughters; Terra and Taylor. In Deb’s spare time, she can be found spending time with family and friends or on the golf course trying to improve her game.

Isabella Shreeve

Bella grew up in Huron, SD and graduated from Huron High School in 2022. Bella will receive her Financial Services degree in Business Accounting from Lake Area Technical Institute in May 2024. After that she plans to work on her bachelor’s degree in accounting through Northern State University. When she is not working, she enjoys hanging out with friends and family, working out, and playing/watching sports.

Jennine Helm

Jennine is a native of Java, SD and received her Associates of Applied Science degree in Accounting from Lake Area Technical Institute in 2013 and obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from University of Sioux Falls. Jennine’s primary focus areas are accounting services, data entry, financial statement preparation. Jennine resides in Watertown with her two daughters; Zoey and Aysia, her fiancé Allen and his son; Jon. When she isn’t working Jennine enjoys spending time with her daughters and family, listening to music, cleaning and reading.

Kylie Randall

Kylie grew up near Florence, SD and graduated from Florence High School in 2018. She received her Associate’s degree in Business Accounting from Lake Area Technical Institute in 2020 and her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Dakota State University in 2022.  Kylie joined VRS in May of 2020 as a Data Processing Specialist and assists clients with their bookkeeping and payroll. When she is not working, Kylie enjoys riding horse, spending time outside, and spoiling her red heeler, Knox.

Megan DeWitt

Megan is a Watertown native and received her Associates of Applied Science degree in Financial Services from Lake Area Technical Institute in 2010. Megan joined VRS in May of 2019 as a Data Processing Specialist and assists clients with their payroll. Megan and her husband Jason reside in Watertown with their son Carson. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Sinchana Krishnamurthy

Sinchana is from a small town in the southern part of India. She received her Bachelor of Accounting degree in 2012 from Kuvempu University in India. She worked in private accounting in the early years of her career. Sinchana joined VRS in March of 2022 as a Data Processing Specialist and assists clients with their bookkeeping and payroll. She started helping with taxes in January of 2024 as a Staff Accountant. She moved to Watertown in 2018 with her husband, Naga, a Mechanical Design Engineer at Terex Utilities and they reside in town with their daughter, Aarna. In her free time, Sinchana enjoys crafting macramé, painting, cooking and loves spending time with her family and friends.

Tara Fedt

Tara grew up in Watertown, SD and graduated from Watertown High school in 2020. Tara will receive her Financial Services degree in Business Accounting from Lake Area Technical College in 2024. Tara joined VRS in October of 2023 as a Data Processing Specialist and assists clients with their bookkeeping. Tara lives in Watertown with her dog Rufus. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, baking, cooking, working on her vintage car with her dad, and enjoying life with her dog.

Administration

Barb Luchtenburg

Barb grew up near Estelline, SD.  In June of 2023 she joined VRS as an Administrative Assistant.  Barb brings several years of administrative assistance experience to the firm.  Outside of work she relaxes by crafting and enjoys spending time with family, which includes two beautiful granddaughters.

 

Briana Popham

Briana grew up in Castlewood, SD and graduated from Castlewood School District in 2012. She received her Surgical Technology diploma from Southeast Technical Institute in 2013. Briana worked for a local clinic before joining VRS in June of 2017. As the office manager, she is required to oversee the front desk, as well as provide client assistance and general office support. Briana and her husband Kyle reside near Hayti with their children Braxton and Remi. In her free time, she enjoys camping, fishing and spending time with friends and family.