Meet Our Team

Sandy Saggar is a founding partner of Saggar & Rosenberg and serves as the firm’s managing partner. Sandy’s clients appreciate that he listens to their long-term goals and helps them develop a strategic plan that aligns their business, tax, and financial strategies and helps to scale their business and add value. 

Sandy is sought out today because of his excellent track record with strategic business planning and successful exits. However, he has a more extensive portfolio of skills, including assurance, corporate structuring, transaction financing, financial management, mergers & acquisitions, budgeting, forecasting, and process improvement.

Sandy has worked extensively with companies in the high-tech, government contracting, non-profit, retail, manufacturing, and biotechnology industries. However, his core expertise is advising clients in the government contract industry. Sandy is a Subject Matter Expert in FAR compliance, contract negotiation, pricing strategies, and transaction structuring.

Sandy is active in the profession and the community and is a member of the AICPA and the MACPA. Sandy graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Maryland. Outside of the office, Sandy likes to travel internationally, and every year his family explores a new country. Closer to home, he is an enthusiastic basketball fan of his alma mater University of Maryland Terrapins. 

Susan Rosenberg is a founding partner. Her clients benefit from her mastery of tax laws, resulting from her years of client service and her leadership in the accounting and tax profession. Susan assists high-net-worth individuals in navigating the complicated issues surrounding federal and state taxes, tax planning,  and trusts and estates.  She helps her corporate clients with international taxation, pension, and employee benefit plan design, administration, and reporting; litigation support; business valuation; mergers and acquisitions; and management advisory services.

As an AICPA member, Susan serves on both the Tax Practice Responsibilities Committee and the Tax Practice Improvement Committee. She has also served on the AICPA’s Tax Education Committee and was a member of the task force that published the Model Tax Curriculum. Susan also previously served as an editorial adviser to the Journal of Accountancy. Susan is a past chair of the Maryland Association of CPAs Taxation and Planning for Estates, Gifts, and Trusts Committee, and past President of their Capital Area Chapter. Susan is also a past president of the Association of Practicing CPAs.

Susan is active in her local community of Myersville and the profession as a member of the AICPA and MACPA. Susan received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Maryland at College Park and a Master of Science in Taxation from The American University. Susan enjoys ballroom dancing and gardening.  Her favorite travel destinations are the smaller islands of the Caribbean. 

Christine Heckman Spano’s clients benefit from her thirty years of helping business leaders to take advantage of opportunities and solving challenges with Government Contracting, FAR Compliance, ERP System Implementations, Strategic Planning, Financial Modeling, and Management Consulting.

Christine’s experience spans both public accounting and private industry, providing her with a unique understanding of her client’s needs. Christine has significant project management and industry experience at the Controller level in the government contract industry. Christine is a Subject Matter Expert in FAR compliance, including implementing FAR-compliant accounting systems. In addition, she has recognized expertise in helping organizations strengthen their internal controls, developing forward pricing and pricing strategies, budgeting, and complex financial modeling.

In her ERP implementation assignments, she is experienced in Deltek, Unanet, Microsoft Dynamics, and GP.

Christine holds a BSBA from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. MBA from the John Hopkins University – Carey Business School and a Master’s Certificate in Government Contract Management from Villanova University. She is a member in good standing with the AICPA and MACPA and is a Certified Information Technology professional.

Aman’s clients depend on his broad range of experiences to help them navigate their challenges. His clients find him proactive in bringing issues beyond the audit finding and appreciate that he is a good listener. His calm and steady approach in stressful situations keeps him focused on the long-term goal. Aman has more than 20 years of public accounting experience. As the audit practice leader, Aman oversees Saggar & Rosenberg’s clients in all industries, including government contractors, manufacturing, professional services, technology, and non-profit industries. Aman has expanded his technical skills, including specialized guidance for Employee Benefit Plans, Government Auditing Standards, and the OMB’s Uniform Guidance. He regularly attends the annual AICPA Employee Benefit Plan Conference and Government Non-profit training programs. He is also an active member of the MACPA’s Not-for-Profit and Government Contracting committees.

More than just an auditor, Aman has assisted his clients with cash management, forming related entities, designing and implementing internal control structures, and operational improvements. His business advisory expertise includes strategic planning, tax planning, financial analysis, budgeting, and regulatory compliance. Aman began his career in his home of Zambia, where he worked with a NASDAQ listed multi-national company running the finance department and later transferred with the company to the US.

Aman, his father, and his siblings all have a shared calling and work in the accounting profession. Aman earned his bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (London, UK). He is a member of the AICPA and the MACPA.

Aman volunteers at the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless, and while he has retired as a Bhangra dancer, before retiring he was honored to perform at the Lincoln Theatre and at the Half-time show for the Washington Mystics. Today his two young sons occupy his attention, and whenever possible, you can find him with his wife and children at the beach. 

Jeff leads the Saggar & Rosenberg Federal Practice. He specializes in federal financial reporting and performance audits and has expertise in SOC examinations, legal compliance reviews, internal control implementation, and litigation and forensic consulting services. He has helped his clients navigate issues connected with various Financial Accounting needs, Revenue Recognition issues, and SSAE 18. 

Communication is a significant pillar of Jeff’s client service strategy. Jeff listens to his clients, works with them closely, and draws on his deep experience to find solutions that address their concerns. They appreciate that he communicates frequently, offers progress reports, and works collaboratively.

Jeff earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. When he was exposed to the Federal Public Sector, it made sense to him, and he knew it was an area where he could help his clients navigate the challenges and meet compliance requirements. Jeff belongs to the AICPA and the AGA.

Jeff is a sports enthusiast outside the office who enjoys attending sporting events and hiking with his dog. He also loves to travel, explore new geography, and meet new people from around the world.  

Jessica’s clients benefit from the fact that she has sat in their chairs, and she understands firsthand the problems that result from ERP systems that don’t meet the organization’s needs. However, Jessica also knows that each organization is different, so she starts every engagement by listening to her clients describe their needs and environment. She enjoys helping organizations achieve optimal performance by integrating their strategy, operations, accounting, and human resources. 

She started her career in the private government contracting industry, where she gained extensive hands-on experience in accounting and project financial reporting requirements through the daily management of business operations for several small, mid-sized, and large government contractors. Today, she leverages those experiences to help others develop and implement the best configuration for their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, primarily with government contractors, nonprofit organizations, and commercial entities.

Jessica primarily focuses on implementations and helping her clients get the most out of their ERP system investments with Deltek Costpoint, Unanet, or Microsoft Dynamics.  Jessica also provides training and helps develop written procedures. Along with leading the Deltek implementation group at Saggar & Rosenberg, Jessica heads up the Costpoint outsourcing practice.

 Jessica has extensive knowledge of FAR, CAS, and OMB Circulars and considerable experience interfacing with DCAA and other government audit agencies, financial institutions, and public accounting auditors.

Jessica graduated with a B.S.B.A. in Management with concentrations in Accounting, Management Information Systems, and Marketing from the University of Alabama at Huntsville. She serves as Treasurer for a local Non-Profit. In the Fall, she can be found supporting the Alabama Crimson Tide. Travel is a passion of hers, and every year she embarks on international adventures with her friends.

Rick’s clients recommend him to others because of his client service skills, expert tax advice, and the fact that he puts their needs first. His clients and colleagues benefit from his over twenty-five years of helping solve tax challenges and problems. Rick began his tax career at an international accounting firm and then worked on the tax teams at five of the nation’s most recognized organizations in a series of positions with ever-increasing responsibilities. In 2009 he joined Saggar & Rosenberg as Tax Director. Rick has helped clients with a wide variety of tax issues. Some of his highlights include supporting clients with federal and state tax audits, tax compliance issues of domestic federal and multi-state tax returns, FAS 109/FIN 48, tax research, and SOX. Rick’s practice is focused on non-profits, government contractors, high net-worth individuals, real estate, and the tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions, including due diligence, tax elections, and post-acquisition support.

Rick has an MS in Tax from American University and a BS in Accounting from Old Dominion University. He was originally attracted to the accounting profession because he enjoyed working with numbers. This attraction to the profession grew as he discovered his tax specialization and the impact he could have while helping his clients. He enjoys keeping up with never-ending tax changes, so his clients get the best advice. Rick is an active member of the AICPA.

Sports, family, and ballroom dancing are at the top of Rick’s life outside the firm. He loves spending time with his two daughters and granddaughter. He is an avid cyclist and swimmer and has competed in three Ironman competitions and 27 marathons. Saturday nights, you can find him enjoying ballroom dancing.

Jeff’s clients appreciate his practical approach to solving their accounting problems. Jeff translates complicated issues into terms everyone can understand. These skills have led to a successful career spanning more than 30 years. He focuses on audits, reviews, and compilations for many clients, including government contractors, non-profit entities, real estate companies, construction contractors, and 401K pension plans.  

As one of the Technical Team leads at Saggar and Rosenberg, he helps colleagues find solutions for complicated issues concerning revenue recognition, lease accounting, stock option, and other share-based incentive plans. Jeff also helps clients with bank field examinations, accounting clean-up, and forensic accounting engagements. 

Jeff has a B.S. and a B. A degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, and an MBA from Hood College, Frederick.  In addition to being a licensed CPA, he is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF).   

Before becoming a CPA, Jeff had a rich but nontraditional path serving in the Peace Corps, in Tunisia, as an entomologist with a tree care company, and as a middle school science teacher.  

Raising two sons led Jeff to volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America in Troop 1066, Jefferson, Maryland; Jeff served as Committee Chair, Assistant Scoutmaster, and Merit Badge Counselor, where he had the honor of helping his two sons and many other Scouts attain the rank of Eagle. Today he enjoys hiking, backpacking, and spending time with his wife watching Jeopardy, antiquing, and reading. 

Bob’s clients benefit from his thirty-plus years of experience working with government contractors leading Accounting, IT, and Contract Management departments. All the situations he navigated and problems he solved have uniquely qualified him to help his clients solve technical accounting and regulatory reporting issues.

Bob is a leader in the Consulting practice at Saggar & Rosenberg and focuses on helping clients with government contracting regulatory topics and issues. Bob’s clients appreciate his practical approach when analyzing problems and proposing solutions. His clients rely on him to articulate complex topics in a simple and straightforward manner.

Bob’s clients include small, medium, and large businesses contracting with the U.S. Federal Government in a wide range of industries including aerospace and defense, pharmaceutical and biotech sectors, manufacturing, and professional services. He has also worked with numerous departments within the Federal government, including the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and many others.

Bob holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in finance from La Salle University. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and has been involved in various professional organization, including the American Bar Association, Federal Publications Seminars, National Contract Management Association, Professional Services Council, Association of Government Accountants, National Defense Industry Association, and the Maryland Tech Council.

Bob regularly teaches classes about Federal Acquisition Regulations, Cost Accounting Standards, and current industry trends such as cost estimating and indirect rate structures. He is known for adding levity and humor to complicated rules and regulations.

You’ll likely find Bob on a golf course outside the office.  He also enjoys time with his wife and three dogs, Woodford, Tinka, and Leo.  His two bucket list trips include fly fishing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and exploring Machu Picchu & the Sacred Valley of the Inca in Peru.

John Daly’s clients benefit from his passion and 30 years of experience in the complicated world of State and Local Taxes (SALT). John manages the State and Local Tax function at Saggar and Rosenberg. John has prepared, reviewed, and signed countless tax filings, from the most basic separate state return to the complex combined/consolidated group tax filings. He has been involved with returns in every state with an income or gross receipts tax. 

John's experience results in practical advice when his clients navigate complicated issues like revenue sourcing, “tax nexus,” FIN 48, and state tax adjustments during planning sessions or answering an auditor's questions. Additionally, John has extensive experience helping clients buy or sell companies with SALT due diligence. 

John received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Rutgers University and earned a Master’s in Taxation from Pace University. John started his career on the Prudential Insurance tax team and has held staff and management positions in both public accounting firms and corporate tax departments. John enjoys sharing his knowledge with others. He has spoken at more than 100 state and local tax webinars and in-person seminars to help business owners, CPAs, and attorneys understand the complexities of SALT. He also served as a guest lecturer at Baruch College in New York City.  

In the summer, you can find John and his family at the beach or on boardwalk rides. In addition to his children and grandchildren, John also has three fur babies, German Shepards, that the neighbors expect to see on their long walks each morning. He also loves to grow vegetables and fruit organically.   

Bryan Hughes prides himself on his ability to help clients work through complex problems. Problems that are important to his clients but need more than a “top of my head” answer. He always strives to offer meaningful solutions by digging in and helping his clients think through the problem, research options, and brainstorm solutions. He gets great satisfaction from helping his clients find the best answer for their situation.

Bryan’s core areas of responsibility include transaction and accounting advisory services, audits, and other assurance services like reviews and reviews and compilations.  In addition, his experience includes providing buy-side and sell-side due diligence services, including transaction preparation, structuring, advising, and management buyouts. He also advises clients concerning accounting questions and executive long-term compensation strategies.

Bryan's client experience ranges from small startups to multi-billion operations. Bryan’s clients include government contractors, technology companies, portfolio companies, and life sciences. He also has worked with clients in financial services, banking, hedge funds, and private equity.

Bryan holds a BA in Accounting from Bucknell University. He is an audit leader at the firm, belongs to the Board of Directors of the Maryland Tech Council (Awards sub-Committee), and is a member of the AICPA. He prides himself on mentoring staff and building diverse teams capable of providing meaningful client suggestions. 

When Bryan isn’t at work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two dogs, soccer, trail running, and adventure racing (races where you need to reach points on a map by running, biking, and canoeing).

Dan’s clients benefit from him having more than two decades of experience solving complex tax issues in residential and commercial real estate, mergers and acquisitions, and transaction structuring. 

He focuses his practice on real estate, technology, and government contracting. Dan also has extensive experience in the taxation of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), debt instruments, and tax accounting methods. 

Prior to joining Saggar & Rosenberg, Dan worked in the national tax office of a large national public accounting firm. He works with clients on tax matters concerning partnership formations and liquidations, partnership mergers and divisions, and REIT tax compliance and liquidation plans. He has also assisted clients with purchases and sales of partnership interests, tax-free exchanges of real estate, and individual tax planning with respect to partnership activities. 

Dan received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Towson University and his Master of Science in Taxation from the University of Baltimore.  He is also a member of the AICPA and MACPA.

Dan is a voracious reader, which helps him maintain the technical knowledge required to remain an expert in his field despite the never-ending changes in tax law. When he’s not assisting clients on tax matters, Dan is an avid reader of subjects as wide ranging as history, biographies, psychology, and philosophy. Dan also enjoys spending time with his wife and two young children.

Ellen is the firm’s tax practice leader. She has a long and successful track record of helping clients deal with complex tax compliance issues and addressing tax strategies and opportunities. Ellen served over 13 years in a corporate tax department. She achieved the level of Tax Manager before transitioning to a Senior Tax Director position for 15 years at a large US accounting firm. Saggar and Rosenberg welcomed Ellen in 2014; Ellen’s practice at Saggar & Rosenberg focuses on taxes for various entity structures, including closely held businesses and S Corporations. She also has practice focus areas in Government Contracting, M&A, and Multi-State tax issues.  

Ellen’s clients appreciate her direct approach to dealing with their issues. They welcome her honest assessment of the situation and her ability to help them work through the various alternatives. Ellen enjoys the unique challenges with each transaction and the opportunity to learn and grow. Also, she practices a “pay-it-forward” approach where she brings learning from previous assignments to future engagements.  

Ellen is a graduate of The University of Maryland.  

Outside the office, Ellen’s family is her greatest joy. Ellen is fortunate to be part of a large family and wants her three children to value the rich experience that a close family offers. Family activities often center around the table and fabulous meals. Her “happy place” is the beach, and she goes as often as she can.

Tyler brings over a decade of experience managing a variety of services including financial statement audits, performance audits, SOC examinations, legal compliance reviews, internal control implementation, and litigation and forensic consulting services for both governmental and commercial customers. Tyler’s customer base spans small regional organizations to global institutions such as the Department of Defense and Department of State. His work has revealed multi-million dollar questioned cost findings sourced from taxpayer funds and has been directly presented to the United States Congress. 

Tyler is a co-leader of the Firm’s Federal Practice. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, is a licensed CPA in Virginia, and is a member of the AGA and the AICPA. Tyler enjoys mentoring his team members and is committed to analytics and process automation in order to advance the firm.

Tyler proudly supports the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago Bears. When he’s not cheering on his teams, spending time at the beach with his wife and son, or going on long walks with his dog Shelby, Tyler can be found smoking barbecue or making his best attempt (key phrase) at woodworking and DIY projects.

Cindy’s clients appreciate the 30-plus years of experience in public accounting and private companies that she brings to help them solve their challenges, take advantage of opportunities and meet their goals. Cindy serves as the GAAP technical resource leader for the firm’s Assurance Team. She routinely works with clients on complex accounting issues and transactions, including debt and private equity financing, transfer pricing, revenue recognition, lease accounting, and business combinations.

Cindy has worked with clients in various industries, including government contracting, software, technology, manufacturing, and non-profits. Cindy’s clients range from early-stage startups to well-established middle-market enterprises with domestic and international operations. Additionally, Cindy provides consulting in the specialty-focused area of revenue recognition for software licensing, multi-element arrangements, and SaaS/cloud service arrangements. 

In Cindy’s business advisory practice, she has helped clients with complex equity transactions such as share-based compensation, warrants, and preferred stock. She has also worked on numerous engagements involving strategic planning, design and implementation of internal controls structures, financial planning and analysis, budgets, due diligence support, and operational process improvement.

Cindy graduated Summa Cum Laude from Bentley University in Waltham, MA, with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. Outside the office, Cindy enjoys playing golf and tennis.  You may also find her hiking on many of the local nature trails with her family and golden retriever.

Matt Schiavone is the Director of Cybersecurity Risk Services. Matt’s clients appreciate his strategic approach to aligning cybersecurity initiatives to their business needs and risk profile to effectively deploy resources in the pursuit of security and marketplace demands.

Matt is sought out today because of his comprehensive advisory and audit experience across the myriad of cybersecurity standards and attestation engagements. Most notable, Matt has extensive experience in SOC 2, ISO 27001, CMMC, Microsoft SSPA, and NIST based frameworks.

Matt has worked extensively with companies in the high-tech, government contracting, financial services, and healthcare industries.

Matt is active in the profession and the community holds the following certifications:

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
• Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP)
• Certified Information System Auditor (CISA)
• CMMC-Certified CMMC Assessor
• ISO 27001 Certified Lead Auditor

Matt graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Washington and Jefferson College.

Outside of the office, Matt enjoys time with his family, golf, and rooting for Pittsburgh’s professional sports teams.

Jessica’s unique approach to client success makes her a favorite with clients. Jessica starts by building a personal relationship with her clients and seeks to understand their goals and issues. Core to her approach is that Jessica genuinely cares about her work and her clients. Second, Jessica brings deep technical expertise to each assignment because she enjoys reading technical literature to understand the background and intention of technical issues thoroughly; and last, she asks many questions to get to the true root of the problem and the client’s goal. Following the words of Albert Einstein, “the important thing is not to stop questioning.”

Jessica leads the audits of Government Contractors, Employee Benefit Plans, and Non-Profits. She also works on engagements focused on due diligence, phantom equity, budgeting, and forecasting.  Jessica graduated from Calvin College with a BS in Accounting. 

Jessica would call herself a people person, and in addition to helping clients, she is committed to helping to develop new staff and helping them to be good client servers. Jessica is also a member of the AICPA. 

Outside of work, Jessica loves all the activities that come with being the mother of two young children. She also enjoys hiking, skiing, and swimming.