Ryan Names Four New Principals and a New Corporate Officer to Senior Leadership Team

DALLAS, Nov. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ryan, a leading global tax services firm, has named Jason DeCuir, Zachary Fleming, Suzanne Markley, and James Payerle to Principal, as well as Whit Pepper to Senior Vice President, Business Development.

Jason DeCuir is a Principal in Ryan's Advocacy Services practice based in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana office where he specializes in public affairs strategies to resolve state tax policy issues and disputes. Mr. DeCuir joined the Firm in September of 2014 and provides state tax legislative, regulatory, and advocacy services to clients in a variety of industries throughout the country. In addition to his private sector experience as a tax attorney in law firms, Mr. DeCuir has served as Executive Counsel, Chief of Staff, and Assistant Secretary for a State Tax Entity and was a Law Clerk in the United States District Court. He frequently lectures on various tax topics for business associations, industry groups, and national tax organizations. Mr. DeCuir has received numerous accolades, including being named to the Baton Rouge Business Report Top 40 Under 40. Currently, Mr. DeCuir serves on several legislatively created task forces that are focused on reforming the Louisiana tax code and was most recently appointed to the Louisiana Tax Institute. Mr. DeCuir holds a Master of Laws degree in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center, a Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Civil Law degrees from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center of Louisiana State University, a Master of Business Administration degree from Louisiana Tech University, and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Howard University.

Zachary Fleming is a Principal in Ryan's Commercial Property Tax practice based in the San Antonio, Texas office where he specializes in the valuation, assessment, taxation, and exemption of real property on a state and local level for clients in a variety of industries. Mr. Fleming joined the Firm in 2013 and frequently lectures on various tax topics for Ryan clients. Additionally, he has appeared as a speaker for the Institute for Professionals in Taxation and the Texas Golf Course Owners Association. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Economics from The University of Texas at Austin and is a graduate of the Golf Professional Training Program at the PGA of America.

Suzanne Markley is a Principal in Ryan's Property Tax practice based in the Atlanta, Georgia office where she specializes in the valuation, assessment, and taxation of real property with a focus on income-producing properties across a broad range of property types and industries. Ms. Markley has jurisdictional expertise in the state of North Carolina and metro Atlanta areas, and has extensive experience in the management of national property tax engagements. Ms. Markley joined the Firm in 2012 and has appeared as a speaker on various property tax-related topics for existing Ryan clients, law firms, and other members of the commercial real estate community. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Real Estate from the University of Georgia.

James Payerle is a Principal in Ryan's Transaction Tax practice based in the Cleveland, Ohio office where he specializes in providing multi-jurisdictional transaction tax services to clients in a variety of industries. He has 14 years of experience in transaction tax, covering a broad range of commercial and industrial sectors, including manufacturing, mining, chemicals, retail, hospitality, financial, and warehousing. Mr. Payerle joined the Firm in 2003 and lectures on various tax topics for Ryan clients and various professional organizations. He holds a both a Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Science degree in Accounting from Kent State University. 

Whit Pepper is Senior Vice President of Business Development based in the Dallas, Texas office. With more than 20 years of senior management experience leading client development and growth in professional services firms internationally, Mr. Pepper is focused on delivering improved client profitability and cash flow through strategic tax solutions throughout the client life cycle. Mr. Pepper is a graduate of Davidson College (USA) with an MBA from Melbourne Business School (Australia) and has completed his Executive Education in strategy at Harvard Business School (USA).

"We're happy to welcome these remarkable executives to Ryan's senior leadership team, and I congratulate them for their incredible achievements that have helped shape the Firm's enduring success," said G. Brint Ryan, Chairman and CEO of Ryan. "Ryan has always offered unparalleled opportunities for growth and advancement, and we are excited to reward these talented professionals for their commitment to client service and results."

About Ryan
Ryan is an award-winning global tax services firm, with the largest indirect and property tax practices in North America and the seventh largest corporate tax practice in the United States. With global headquarters in Dallas, Texas, the Firm provides a comprehensive range of state, local, federal, and international tax advisory and consulting services on a multi-jurisdictional basis, including audit defense, tax recovery, credits and incentives, tax process improvement and automation, tax appeals, tax compliance, and strategic planning. Ryan is a five-time recipient of the International Service Excellence Award from the Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA) for its commitment to world-class client service. Empowered by the dynamic myRyan work environment, which is widely recognized as the most innovative in the tax services industry, Ryan's multi-disciplinary team of more than 2,100 professionals and associates serves over 12,000 clients in more than 40 countries, including many of the world's most prominent Global 5000 companies. More information about Ryan can be found at ryan.com.

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PRESS INFORMATION CONTACT:

Carol Vieira
Senior Manager, Public Relations and Communications
Ryan
401.871.7676
carol.vieira@ryan.com

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