Knowledge and Insights

Princeton, NJ – Conrad L. Druker, CPA, CGMA, and managing director of The Mercadien Group, is pleased to announce that Samuel J. Kenworthy, CPA, MST, CGMA, has been promoted from director to managing director of The Mercadien Group and principal of Mercadien, P.C., CPAs. Mr. Kenworthy, a senior member of the firm’s Tax Advisory and Family Office Groups, has been with Mercadien for 8 years and in public accounting for 19 years.

Additionally, Eric M. Whelan, CPA, MST, CGMA, and Emily A. Hoffman, CPA, CGMA, have been promoted to the level of director, from manager positions, and Arpita Patel, CAMS, has been promoted to the level of manager, from a supervisor position. Mr. Druker added, “Other professionals throughout Mercadien were also promoted, all of which reflects their contributions to the continued positive and expanding service experiences enjoyed by our clients, and the resultant growth in our business.”

Samuel Kenworthy serves a diverse clientele of individuals and families, including high-net worth families, and multi-generational business owners in a wide variety of industries. He also works with global companies and their employees on various international tax advisory and compliance matters. He has given professional education seminars and authored articles on these topics.  Mr. Kenworthy is a member of the American Institute and New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Philadelphia and Bucks County Estate Planning Councils, and the Associated Builders and Contractors of NJ.  He earned a B.S. degree in Accounting from The College of New Jersey and a Masters of Taxation from Philadelphia University and resides in Yardley, PA.

An integral member of the firm’s tax advisory practice with vast experience in public accounting, Eric Whelan is involved in the quality control group for tax compliance and return preparation, and responsible for managing all types of tax engagements for businesses and individuals. He has in-depth knowledge of multi-state corporate and individual income tax planning and preparation and representation of clients before the IRS and various state taxation agencies. Additionally, Mr. Whelan works with business owners and chief financial officers to help them operate and grow their organizations more effectively, by providing planning, budgeting and forecasting services. Mr. Whelan earned a B.S. degree in Accounting from Georgian Court University and a Masters of Taxation from Philadelphia University. He is a member of the American Institute and New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants and resides in Forked River, NJ.

Emily Hoffman directs the Compliance Oversight Services Group, where she is responsible for planning and performing fiscal and programmatic oversight of projects, contract and statutory compliance, budget monitoring, risk management, audits and agreed-upon procedures, for commercial, healthcare, and federal, state and local government entities. She is highly regarded in the areas of internal control structures and audit and compliance program design and implementation.  Ms. Hoffman is a member of the American Institute and New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Association of Government Accountants’ Trenton, NJ chapter, and the board of directors of Dress for Success of Mercer County.  She earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from American University, and resides in Bordentown, NJ.

A member of Mercadien’s Financial Institutions Services Group, Arpita Patel oversees the Anti-Money Laundering/Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) team through the completion of internal audits, validations, risk assessments and consulting projects for community and commercial banks. She acts as a key resource for bank clients through complex regulatory examinations and audits, while consulting on enhancing and strengthening their BSA programs, primarily through assessment of their policies and procedures; training staff on high-risk relationship reviews and red flags; and suspicious activity reporting and monitoring. A Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist, Ms. Patel is a graduate of Drexel University, where she earned a B.S. degree in Accounting and Entrepreneurship, serves on the board of the Accounting Advisory Council, and is a member of the Alumni Association. She resides in Philadelphia, PA.

The Mercadien Group is a family of several entities and 130 professionals that provides a full spectrum of accounting, auditing, tax compliance and planning, compliance oversight, risk assessment, litigation support, as well as consulting, technology and wealth management services. It is a team of trusted advisors working together, sharing a broad knowledge base and creating solutions that maximize wealth and profitability, minimize taxes and risk, evaluate systems and processes, and increase efficiencies, for its many diverse and sophisticated clients.