Supporting the Mission of Nonprofits

Jeremy Myers, BBA ’08, MPA ’09, finds gratifying career ‘in the weeds’ of nonprofit and governmental accounting

As an audit partner at Atchley and Associates LLP in Austin, Jeremy Myers, BBA ’08, MPA ’09, helps government and nonprofit organizations such as food banks, shelters, and churches manage regulatory requirements so they can focus on serving their communities.

The 15-year employee of the firm — and its first-ever intern-to-partner — leads compliance audits on how nonprofits spend their federal funding. For nearly a decade, he has also overseen the audit of one of the firm’s largest government clients. His work entails developing training materials for staff members and leading internal trainings and external educational sessions for clients.

“We’re all here to get better, to learn, and to grow,” Myers says. “I’ve enjoyed helping to foster a communication-first environment, seeing the career growth of the team we’ve hired, and being a resource for staff and for our clients.”

Currently serving as president of the Austin chapter of the Texas Society of CPAs, Myers was selected in 2025 for Forbes’ list of America’s Top 200 CPAs and in 2026 for Forbes’ list of Best-in-State CPAs.

Facilitating impact

Myers’ interest in working with nonprofits was piqued when he saw firsthand the positive impact these organizations make in their communities. He wanted to play a part in helping them succeed. “You’ve got to go beyond the financials to see how they’re serving people, to document, then to review that everything has been reported appropriately,” he says. “In theory, this work should preclude these entities from needing an audit.”

The need is great in the nonprofit world, where small staffs are limited in their bandwidth to keep pace with regulatory shifts. In 2018, when the Financial Standards Accounting Board introduced major changes to nonprofit accounting, including new revenue recognition rules and updated financial statement requirements, he and another partner developed and led training sessions for local nonprofits to help them seamlessly navigate these changes.

Finding a niche

His first experience with accounting came during a high school work-study program, when he worked as an office administrator at an accounting firm in his hometown of Houston.

“With accounting, I didn’t have to know what business I wanted to be a part of, but I could be a part of businesses that were interesting to me,” he says.

Myers began college at the University of Houston and transferred to UT as an economics major as a sophomore and switched to McCombs during his junior year. Originally, he thought he wanted to pursue tax accounting, but he says the advanced accounting courses came more naturally to him. It was the hands-on experience made possible through McCombs that helped clarify his path.

As a junior, he completed a technical accounting internship with Halliburton, and the following year, he interned with Atchley and Associates LLP. “I really enjoyed talking with clients,” he says. “You’re kind of in the weeds making sure things are done correctly, and it just clicked. I switched to the financial and assurance side of things.”

Upon graduation, Myers took a role as a forensics associate with PwC in Dallas. He found it interesting but missed his client-facing internship role. So, he took a chance and contacted his former colleagues at Atchley and Associates; he hasn’t looked back.

Hence, his advice to accounting students: “Go out there and try it out. If you like it, you’ll know.”

Interested in the Auditing Profession?

Readers of the Accounting Times may recall occasionally seeing items about the activities of the C. Aubrey Smith Center for Auditing Education and Research (CAS), led by professor Jaime Schmidt. CAS convenes academics, practitioners, and students around the issues shaping the auditing profession, from AI in the audit (e.g., the generative AI article in this issue) to evolving regulatory standards. We’re building a network of audit alumnus and friends of the center who would like to stay close to this work and be invited to upcoming events. If that sounds like you, visit this link to join our list. We’ll be in touch a few times a year, no more.