Accounting Advisory Board

The Accounting Advisory Board serves as a bridge between the Unit and the business community; offering advice, collaboration and support to enhance the mission of the Unit. The Accounting Unit is dedicated to developing and sustaining long-term relationships with members of the business community to ensure the ongoing relevancy and vitality of our programs.

Mission and objectives

The mission of the Accounting Advisory Board is to enable an effective partnership between the business community and the Unit. This mission will be accomplished by:

  1. Promoting the visibility of the unit in the business community. Accounting Advisory Board members will serve as effective advocates for the programs, students, and faculty of the Unit.
  2. Providing guidance and advice to develop and continuously improve a relevant accounting curriculum.
  3. Promoting and personally participating in the financial development efforts of the Unit to help improve and sustain funding sources.
  4. Assisting in the identification and recruitment of the best and the brightest students to the Unit.
  5. Helping ensure that Accounting graduates have good professional opportunities available upon graduation.
  6. Supporting ongoing faculty development. This includes enhancing the level and type of collaboration between Accounting faculty and the business community.

Corporate members

Anna Durst, CPA, CGMA (Chair, Accounting Advisory Board)

Nevada Society of CPAs
Chief Executive Officer

 Anna Durst leads a team who supports CPAs and finance professionals for the state of Nevada in her role as the Chief Executive Officer of the Nevada Society of CPAs. She provides learning, networking, advocacy, and professional information her members need to serve their clients and organizations. She also leads the peer review team who administers the program for 6 states and their firms.

 Prior to joining the NVCPA in May 2016, she served as General Manager and CFO of a private golf club in Reno, NV. While at the golf club she was involved with not only the golf club operations but major real estate transactions and the planning and financing of the clubhouse. She specializes in managerial accounting and enjoys being involved in all aspects of her company's operations and finances. During her time in public accounting Anna served clients in auditing, accounting, tax, and consulting areas. Her experience in a wide variety of industries prior to, and during, her public accounting career, led her to finance roles in property development, management, and construction when she moved to Reno in 2004. Anna enjoys reading, listening to music, travel, and anything related to the Christmas season.

Marianne Foster, CPA, CIA, CFE

IGT
Sr. Manager Internal Audit

Marianne Foster is the Sr. Manager of Internal Audit for International Game Technology (IGT). IGT is a multinational gambling company that produces slot machines and other gambling technology. Marianne oversees all audit activities related to the Global Gaming and PlayDigital business segments. During her time at IGT, Marianne has traveled the world, lived in the Netherlands for 5 months, and worked with the Global Lottery segment for 5 years in Providence, Rhode Island.

 Marianne is a Reno native and graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration and later with a Master’s in Business Administration. She is a CPA licensed to practice in Nevada, a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). Marianne participates in the local chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and plays the bass clarinet in the Reno Wind Symphony. She is also an active supporter of St. Baldrick’s Children’s Cancer Research Foundation, shaving her head since 2008 in solidarity with children diagnosed with cancer.

George Metkovich, CPA

BlueBird CPAs
Partner

George became a partner in 2012 after joining the firm 2010 as a manager. George began his career at one of the world’s largest gaming corporations as an internal auditor where he performed operational and compliance audits of casinos located in Reno and South Lake Tahoe along with Indian casinos located in Arizona and Kansas. He later moved to public accounting and joined a national firm, ultimately serving as the firm’s audit manager. He conducted compliance and financial audits of gaming establishments throughout Nevada, Indian casinos throughout California, and casinos in New Jersey and Puerto Rico. Additionally, George was responsible for training new audit associates and the annual training of all audit professionals. He has performed audits in areas of manufacturing and distribution, health care, employee benefit plans, not-for-profit, and government. As financial statement audit partner, George is responsible for the financial and compliance audits of benefit plans and casinos. He also performs and manages internal audits and Title 31 compliance audits for many of our casino clients. George has instructed seminars on compliance issues and provides leadership to our younger staff and helps them develop technical and personal skills.

George holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Nevada, Reno, and is affiliated with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Nevada Society of Certified Public Accountants.

William J. Saylor III, CPA, CGMA

Barnard Vogler & Co.
Director of Tax and Audit Services

Bill Saylor has over 30 years of industry and public accounting experience.  Bill works on a variety of tax engagements and audits for businesses, nonprofits and government entities.  Bill also brings extensive experience in government contracting, engineering, and internet marketing from his industry days.

 Bill is a University of Nevada, Reno graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He is a certified public accountant licensed to practice in Nevada and California and is a member of the Nevada Society of Certified Public Accountants (NVCPA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

 Bill serves as Treasurer for the United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra, on the Board for the Planned Giving Roundtable of Northern Nevada and has served on various charitable organization boards.