Leaders
David D. Aughtry
DAVID D. AUGHTRY (B.A., The Citadel, 1975; M., Acc., University of South Carolina, 1978; J.D., University of South Carolina, 1978; LL.M., Taxation, Emory University, 1982). David opened the Atlanta Office of Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Aughtry in 1986. He practices in the area of civil tax controversy. David has tried or argued over 100 federal tax cases across the Tax Court, various District Courts, the Court of Federal Claims, eight U.S. Courts of Appeal, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
David taught tax controversy as an Adjunct Professor at Emory University School of Law (1987- 93, 1997-98, 2003), and served as an instructor for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, "Litigating before the United States Tax Court" program (1993-2000, 2018). In his prior life, he served as the Trial Attorney and Tax Shelter Coordinator for the Office of Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service (1978-82). He is a Fellow in the International Society of Barristers and in the American College of Tax Counsel. David served as president (2010) and Chair (2011) of the Southern Federal Tax Institutes.
Beyond recognition for his tax controversy work by Chambers U.S.A., and the Legal 500 U.S. Tax Controversy, and Best Lawyers in America, David received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fulton County Daily Report in 2019 and Best Lawyers named him Lawyer of the Year (Tax Litigation) in 2020.
Jan M. Craig
Jan Craig serves as the Associate Commissioner for Income and Property Taxes for the Mississippi Department of Revenue in Jackson. She has held this position since 2011. As the Associate Commissioner, Ms. Craig oversees the Income Taxes which include Individual Income Tax, Corporate Income and Franchise Tax, Withholding, Miscellaneous Taxes, the Customer Service area for the Department, and the Property Tax area which includes the Motor Vehicle Registration and Title. Ms. Craig has been with the Department for 22 years and has served in the Income Tax Bureau and Miscellaneous Tax Bureau. Ms. Craig holds an MBA from Delta State University and a Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of Mississippi. She is also a CPA.
Gray Edmondson
Gray Edmondson, J.D., LL.M., is a partner in the firm Edmondson Sage Allen, PLLC, in Oxford, Mississippi, and practices in partnership, corporate, and individual tax planning; business transactions; tax controversy; estate and wealth transfer planning; probate; estate and trust litigation; asset protection; and charitable planning. Mr. Edmondson has conducted, authored, and directed numerous seminars for professional, academic, and civic groups on taxation, business planning, asset protection and estate planning. He is a member of the Mississippi State Bar Association, Past President of the Mississippi Bar Estates and Trusts Section, and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Tax Court, the U.S. Federal District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi, and all Mississippi Courts. Mr. Edmondson earned his B.A., cum laude, and his B.P.A., cum laude, at the University of Mississippi; his J.D., cum laude, at the University of Mississippi School of Law; and his LL.M. at the New York University School of Law.
John F. Fletcher
John Fletcher, J.D., LL.M., is a Partner with Jones Walker, LLP, in the Tax & Estates Practice Group and practices from the Jackson, Mississippi office. With more than twenty years' experience in the legal, corporate, and accounting arenas, his practice focuses primarily on state tax matters, encompassing Mississippi, Louisiana and multi-state income, franchise, sales, use and local ad valorem taxes. Mr. Fletcher earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Delta State University, where he currently serves on the Alumni Association Board of Directors, and his Juris Doctor at The University of Mississippi School of Law. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) in Tennessee, is active with the Mississippi Economic Council and Mississippi Manufacturer's Association. He is also a member of the American Bar Association's State and Local Tax Subcommittee, the Institute for Professionals in Taxation ("IPT"), and the Council on State Taxation ("COST").
Jennifer B. Goode
Jennifer is a National Director of Bernstein Private Wealth Management's Institute for Trust and Estate Planning in the Washington, D.C. office. In this role, Jennifer works with Bernstein clients and their professional advisors to develop comprehensive wealth management and wealth transfer strategies. Her articles about tax and estate planning have appeared in a number of publications, including the ABA's Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Journal, Bloomberg's Tax Management Estates, Gifts, and Trusts Journal, and Practical Law, and she was recently recognized as Bloomberg Tax's 2023 Estates, Gifts, and Trusts Tax Contributor of the Year. Jennifer frequently presents to professional groups across the U.S. on topics relating to the intersection of estate planning and investing, including a recent appearance at the 58th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning. Prior to joining Bernstein, Jennifer was a Founding Partner of Birchstone Moore LLC, a Washington, D.C., boutique law firm focused on estate planning and estate and trust administration.
Jennifer's involvement in the larger Washington D.C. estate planning community includes her tenure as a past Co-Chair of the D.C. Bar's Taxation Section's Estate Planning Committee and as a current member of the Board of Directors for the Washington, D.C. Estate Planning Council. Additionally, Jennifer served as an adjunct instructor at Howard University School of Law, where she taught a course on estate planning, and a member of the Board of Directors for the Council for Court Excellence, a nonprofit focused on enhancing D.C.'s justice system to serve the public equitably.
Jennifer earned her B.A. in Social Thought and Analysis from Washington University in St. Louis and her J.D. from Duke University School of Law.
Bradford C. Hatchett
Brad has been with GranthamPoole since 2008, with varied practice areas. Before joining GranthamPoole he spent a number of years with International Accounting Firms.
Brad Graduated with a BS from Samford University in 1995 and a MBA from the University of Alabama.
He is a member of the AICPA, MSCPA, Central Chapter of the MSCPA and NACVA.
Tambra C. Kyles
Tambra C. Kyles. Local Taxpayer Advocate, Jackson, MS
My career with the IRS began 36 years ago in the Examination Department as an Audit Clerk where I later became a Tax Examiner in Planning and Special Processing (PSP). This experience sparked my interest to pursue the next level as Tax Auditor. I enjoy assisting taxpayers, so I seized an opportunity in the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) to become a Case Advocate in 2002. TAS has provided so many opportunities for my growth. I am a graduate of the Frontline Management Readiness Program (FLRP) and the Senior Management Readiness Program (SMRP). In 2016, I became (Taxpayer Advocate Group Manager (TAGM) of the Jackson, MS TAS office. I was selected as Local Taxpayer Advocate (LTA) in August 2021. I support the TAS mission by creating an environment of excellent customer service to our staff and to our taxpayers.
Jan F. Lewis
As a tax member of BMSS Advisors and CPA's (formerly Haddox Reid Eubank Betts), Jan's responsibilities include income and estate tax planning, research, and compliance for individual and business clients. Her areas of practice include healthcare, oil & gas, construction, real estate, and high-net-worth individuals. An avid and well-respected speaker, she has taught continuing education classes throughout Mississippi and nationwide in the areas of income tax planning, business tax matters, and S corporation tax issues and has given presentations on financial literacy, current tax policy, and other tax issues to various groups across the state. Jan has also authored articles on tax matters for the Tax Adviser publication of the AICPA's Tax Division and has been interviewed by Fox Business News, NPR, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and the Detroit Free Press for her insight on various policy and practice matters affecting taxpayers.
Jan is active in the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA), previously serving as president of the Society, and as an officer of the Society's Central Chapter, as well as a trustee of the Mississippi Tax Institute. Jan is a member of the Long Range Planning Committee and the Young CPAs Liaison Committee.
She is also an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and has held many leadership roles within the AICPA throughout her career. She has served as the MSCPA's elected representative to the AICPA Council and on the AICPA Life Insurance and Disability Plans Committee. She was a member and chair of the AICPA's Tax Practice and Procedures Committee and is currently the immediate past chair of the AICPA's Tax Executive Committee (TEC), having previously served as a member, vice chair and chair of that committee. The TEC is the senior committee overseeing the work of all Tax Division committees and technical resource panels of the AICPA, and her work with that committee has been especially rewarding both personally and professionally.
In May of 2023, Jan began a three-year term as one of 26 members of the Board of Directors of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (the Association), and one of 18 members of the AICPA's Board, while also serving on the AICPA Governing Council. In her role as a board member of both the Association and the AICPA, Jan is a part of the executive committee that directs the strategic vision of both organizations. The AICPA is the national professional organization for all CPAs, with over 420,000 members in the U.S. and worldwide. The Association is the global voice of the accounting and finance professional, with over 650,000 members globally, and was founded by the AICPA and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). It is a distinct honor to be in this position of leadership in the profession.
Jean Reed
Ms. Reed is a Taxpayer Advocate Group Manager with the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS), with over 34 years of experience at the IRS. Ms. Reed has worked in several positions within the organization. She has a background in the TAS as a Case Advocate, Taxpayer Services (formerly known as Accounts Management), and Collections. As a TAS group manager, Ms. Reed is committed to protecting the taxpayer's rights with examination, appeals, collections, and refund issues. Ms. Reed is very passionate about ensuring that our customers are well informed and understands their tax obligations.
Ms. Reed is a native of Mississippi and a 1989 graduate of Alcorn State University.
Thomas G. Stephens
Tommy Stephens received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree (Major in Accounting) from Auburn University in 1985. In 1992, he earned a Master of Science degree (Major in Finance) from Georgia State University in Atlanta. Presently, Tommy is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Information Technology Professional, and a Chartered Global Management Accountant.
In 1995, Tommy began authoring and presenting continuing professional education courses to accounting and finance professionals. In 2003, he affiliated with K2 Enterprises, and in 2007, he joined the firm as a partner. Over the past twenty-seven years, Tommy has presented over 2,800 educational sessions to over 71,000 participants throughout the United States and Canada.
Tommy maintains professional memberships with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants. Additionally, he is a past member of the Institute of Internal Auditors.
Bridgette Thomas
Bridgette Thomas currently serves as the Chief Counsel for the Mississippi Department of Revenue. As Chief Counsel, Bridgette oversees the Department's Legal Division, Bankruptcy Section, Review Board, and Office of Tax Policy. Prior to her position as Chief Counsel, she spent over 10 years as a senior attorney with the Department's Legal Division where she represented the Department as lead counsel in many of the state's corporate income and franchise tax cases.
Before joining the Department, Bridgette spent several years practicing law in both the private and public sectors in the areas of insurance defense and child support enforcement. Bridgette holds a Bachelor of Accountancy and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Mississippi State University and a J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law.
Melanie S. Woodrick
Melanie has been with GranthamPoole since 2005 with varied practice areas.
She is a graduate of the University of Mississippi, cum laude, with a Bachelor of Business Administration.
Melanie is a member of the AICPA, MSCPA, and the Central Chapter of the MSCPA.
