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About Our Firm

Background

Newman Dierst Hales, PLLC, brings together two partners who specialize in serving the tax, accounting, and planning needs of owner-operated businesses, individuals, and healthcare organizations and professionals. In 2006, Jandl, Dierst and Hales merged with Nolan A. Newman, PLLC, to form the new firm and add a healthcare tax and strategy consulting niche.

Our Mission

Our mission is to help clients maintain financial viability in the present while taking a proactive approach to achieve future goals. This requires open communication to reach an understanding of our clients needs, thorough research, and sound analysis. Our firm is dedicated to meeting these goals with high standards of excellence and professionalism.

Our Team

Nolan A. Newman, CPA, Partner

nnewman@ndhaccountants.com (206)284-1383, ext 114

Nolan A. Newman, CPA.vcf

Nolan A. Newman, CPA has provided outstanding professional tax advice and financial guidance to businesses of all sizes and individuals since 1986. His broad expertise as a partner with Newman Dierst Hales ranges from tax risk management and compliance to planning, transaction analysis and strategy. Nolan is also a noted expert tax advisor for healthcare organizations, including hospitals, medical groups, healthcare systems, physicians, healthcare professionals and long term care facilities.

In 2005 he founded Nolan A. Newman, PLLC, which evolved into Newman Dierst Hales in 2006. Nolan began his CPA career with Arthur Andersen in 1986 and advanced from a tax staff member in the firm’s Cape Town, South Africa office to a tax partner in the Seattle office responsible for the entire Pacific Northwest healthcare tax practice. He honed his federal and state tax consulting expertise while working with well-known clients such as Children’s Hospital & Regional Medical Center, Group Health Cooperative, Swedish Medical Center, Providence Health System, Multicare Health System, Overlake Hospital Medical Center, Olympic Medical Center, Good Samaritan Community Healthcare, Sacred Heart Medical Center, Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, Asante Health System, Legacy Health System, Oregon Health & Science University, Franciscan Health System, and the University of Washington, among others.

Prior to founding Nolan A. Newman, PLLC, Nolan spent three years as a tax principal for Clark Nuber PS in Bellevue, Washington. In this role, he specialized in owner-operated businesses, not-for-profits and healthcare organizations. He worked with these clients in the areas of start-ups, choice of entity, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, restructures, succession planning, tax exemption, intermediate sanctions, executive compensation, productivity benchmarking, tax planning, resolution of Internal Revenue Service and state Department of Revenue controversies. In addition, he advised them on tax compliance (individuals, C Corporations, S Corporations, partnerships, LLCs, estates, trusts, tax exempts) and Board education in the areas of tax risk management and governance.

“Helping clients achieve their business objectives is one of the most enjoyable aspects of serving as a professional advisor,” says Newman. “To me, professional excellence means providing outstanding technical advice that addresses the client’s specific business opportunity or problem. Blending the knowledge and expertise gained from years of experience working in both large and small firm environments enables me to provide balanced professional advice.”

In the mid-1980s Nolan served as chief financial officer for a private holding company in South Africa with revenues in excess of $30 million. He directed an 18-month financial turnaround, leading to a reduction in debt, improved cash flow and profitability. He earned his Bachelor of Commerce in 1980 and Masters in Financial Accounting in 1981 from the University of Cape Town.

Committed to advancing the accounting profession, Nolan speaks frequently at professional and industry meetings and CPE workshops for organizations such as Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), Smith Barney, Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants (WSCPA), Washington Planned Giving Council, Arthur Andersen Center for Professional Education, and the Washington Association of Housing and Services for the Aging. He has authored articles on tax planning and compliance that have appeared in the Puget Sound Business Journal, the Portland (Ore.) Business Journal, and in industry and firm newsletters.

Nolan is a past board member of Provail, a Seattle non-profit organization supporting people with disabilities and Herzl-Ner Tamid Congregation on Mercer Island. He is also a Trustee and member of the finance committee of Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue. He is a licensed CPA in Washington and California, and is a member of AICPA and WSCPA and a past member of the HFMA Washington/Alaska and the American Health Lawyers Association. He resides with his family in Bellevue, Wash. and enjoys travel, golf, backpacking, theater, art and investing.

Evan E. Sonntag, CPA, Partner

esonntag@ndhaccountants.com (206)284-1383 ext. 115

Evan E. Sonntag, CPA.vcf

Evan E. Sonntag, CPA, has provided professional tax guidance for small to medium size businesses and individuals for more than 15 years. Since joining Newman Dierst Hales in 2009, Evan specializes in working with high-net worth individuals on tax issues, owner-operated businesses, trusts, estates, and tax planning.

Evan has extensive experience in all aspects of small to medium business management and tax consulting in a variety of industries. He also manages the Estate and Trust practice for the firm and has vast experience in all phases of Trust and Estate compliance, planning, and administration. “I enjoy helping my clients meet their objectives to help them retire well, transfer wealth to future generations, and run successful businesses that can be passed on to future generations," he says. "I also enjoy helping clients understand the tax code. I like to interact with people on a financial level and to get to know them personally."

Evan began his accounting career in 2004 and two years later was promoted to senior accountant for Myler & Szczypka, P.C., in Ann Arbor, Mich. He moved to Seattle in 2009 to work as a senior tax accountant at a midsize CPA firm in Seattle, before being hired by Newman Dierst Hales. Evan became a partner of Newman Dierst Hales in 2018.

He is a member of the Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants (WSCPA) and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and graduated with a BA in accounting from Michigan State University and earned an MBA in accounting from Cleary University. He is an avid traveler and Michigan State basketball and football fan and a member of the Michigan State University Alumni Club. Evan resides in Seattle.

Desiree D. Pollock, CPA, Principal

dpollock@ndhaccountants.com (206)284-1383, extension 125

Desiree D. Pollock, CPA.vcf

Desiree Pollock, CPA has provided professional tax services for small and medium sized businesses and individuals for more than 7 years. Prior to moving north from the Bay Area in 1990, Desiree spent many years working in retail management and operations for GAP and Macy’s. After starting a family, she kept her skills current by volunteering at her children’s schools and with their extracurricular activities as treasurer, finance committee board member, and auction chairperson. When the time was right, she joined a small tech company as a controller. That position solidified her love of accounting and led to the decision to become a CPA and move to public accounting where she could work with a diverse group of clients.

While completing the additional education requirements for her license, she tested the waters of public accounting by joining Newman Dierst Hales for a tax season. Her real-world experience and strong accounting and operational background led to a permanent position as a staff accountant, earning her CPA credential, and promotions to Tax Senior and Tax Manager. After a brief period with another CPA firm, Desiree rejoined NDH as a Tax Principal.

Desiree prides herself on understanding her client’s business and personal tax and accounting needs to create a short-term and long-term tax strategy that will help them meet and exceed their goals.

Desiree graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and is a member of the Washington State Society of Certified Public Accountants (WSCPA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). She and her husband reside in Bellevue and enjoy exploring the great outdoors, which intertwines nicely with her favorite movie quote – “sometimes it rains.”

Kevin Ikebe, CPA, Tax Director

kikebe@ndhaccountants.com 206-284-1383 ext 118

Kevin Ikebe, CPA, has provided professional tax services for businesses of all sizes and individuals for more than 8 years in both Honolulu and the Pacific Northwest. His specialization is working with partnerships and corporations, ranging from smaller start-ups to larger consolidated returns involving multi-state and international complexities. He enjoys researching new topics and finding the most beneficial solution to complex issues.

Before joining Newman Dierst Hales, Kevin was a Tax Manager with Bader Martin, where he became involved in the real estate and corporate niche groups and gained extensive experience providing tax compliance and advisory services to owner operated businesses. In 2022, Bader Martin was acquired by Baker Tilly, a larger national CPA firm and Kevin was promoted to Tax Senior Manager.

Kevin joined NDH as a Tax Director in December 2023. He values the client service aspect of public accounting, which is what inspired him to join a smaller boutique firm like NDH.

Kevin attended the University of Washington where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Finance in 2014 and completed the Master of Professional Accounting program (taxation track) in 2015. He and his wife reside in Lynnwood and enjoy traveling at every opportunity.

Ann M. Imus, CPA, Partner (Retired)

aimus@ndhaccountants.com 206-284-1383 ext. 116

Ann M. Imus has been a CPA since 1981, working in many specialties within the profession. She has a wide breadth of experience both in public and private businesses. Her public accounting experience includes responsibilities as a senior tax specialist with Touche Ross & Co. (currently Deloitte & Touche) in Honolulu, where she worked with large corporate and high net-worth individual clients. Her main expertise was in real estate and foreign taxation. She has also worked as an auditor with White, Sluyter and Co. in Corpus Christi, Texas, and for Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co. (currently KPMG), in Honolulu, conducting audits of banks and savings and loans.

Ann also had her own CPA firm in Bellevue, Wash., for 13 years. The firm provided accounting, business consulting and tax services to small construction businesses and individuals. Prior to that, she worked as a corporate tax supervisor for New Vector Communications, Inc. (currently Verizon Wireless), where she was responsible for all federal, state and local tax planning, research and reporting for the rapidly growing cellular phone company.

Prior to joining Newman Dierst Hales, Ann worked for the Bellevue School District as a senior budget analyst, preparing the district's $130 million annual budget and was responsible for advising and supporting federal grant administrators, principals and departmental administrators on all financial and budget matters.

Ann is excited about returning to public accounting because she enjoys tax research and planning. She also enjoys "taking the bull by the horn," making the client's interests her own when determining how to maximize an opportunity or finding a resolution to a problem. "The complexities of the tax code are like a puzzle and I love puzzles. It's constantly changing, and I love the challenge of finding the best tax path for my clients to minimize their tax and keep them apprised of any pitfalls," Ann says. "My broad background with small and large clients; working in a big firm environment and at a small one gives me great perspective and an ability to serve our clients effectively."

Ann graduated with a BA in accounting from the University of Oregon and a Masters of Taxation from Golden Gate University in Seattle.

She takes an active role in her community, serving in leadership roles in her children's schools PTSA organizations, in her church, and at her community recreation club. She co-founded the Bellevue Blast Fastpitch Association, has volunteered as a fastpitch softball coach for 11 years and helped create Knights Athletic Booster Association, the umbrella booster club for Newport High School in Bellevue. She is a sports enthusiast who enjoys playing tennis and volleyball and hopes to figure out golf someday. Ann, her husband Mike and their three children reside in Bellevue, Wash.