Levy & Powers CPA's

W. Desmond Powers, CPA

W. Desmond Powers, CPA, is the President and principal shareholder of Levy & Powers, Inc., Certified Public Accountants.

Levy & Powers, Inc. was founded in 2003. It is devoted to providing audit, review, compilation, agreed-upon procedures and other attestation services to small and medium sized clients in the non-profit and for-profit fields. Levy & Powers, Inc. does not engage in any service areas with its audit, review and attest clients that could be interpreted to impact the independence of Levy & Powers, Inc., in fact or appearance. The Firm is located in San Rafael, California and has clients throughout Northern California.

For additional information about Levy & Powers, Inc., please see the Firm's profile.

Des believes, in the wake of Enron and other scandals, that the time is right for a CPA firm fully devoted to providing small and medium size non-profit organizations and for-profit entities with audit, review and other attestation services unencumbered by concerns over non-audit service areas which can give the impression that an audit firm is not 100% focused on being independent in appearance and fact.

Professional Expertise Overview

Prior to forming Levy & Powers, Inc., Des managed the audit practice of Henry C. Levy & Co., with which Levy & Powers, Inc. maintains an ongoing professional relationship. Henry C. Levy & Co. no longer provides audit and review services.

Des has extensive experience working with non-profit audit clients. His industry background allows him to bring productive and innovative insights into the non-profit domain. He has helped clients improve their accounting and reporting systems thereby helping them to be more efficient and to provide more timely information for the critical decision-making processes of their organizations.

His expertise includes:

Providing recommendations to non-profits to improve their internal controls and accounting procedures.
Writing Recommendations to Management Letters and presenting them to Boards of Directors, Executive Directors, Presidents and other organization leaders
Providing a "platform" from which to view accounting and information systems' issues in a different light and being a catalyst for resolution of issues
Knowing when to recommend other specialists who can be of help to non-profit organizations and facilitating that process
Preparing and giving presentations on accounting-related topics

Des has over 20 years of auditing experience. He began his career in Reno, Nevada where he worked for Kafoury, Armstrong & Co., CPAs and McGladrey & Pullen, CPAs.

While with Kafoury, Armstrong & Co., Des attended Arthur Andersen & Co.'s Audit Staff Training School. This audit philosophy places significant emphasis on identifying and documenting the internal controls and operational cycles through which accounting transactions flow. Through this process a general risk analysis is performed and risks identified and evaluated. Risks are then specifically analyzed and a professional judgment made on the level of risks associated with the transactions as they flow through the accounting system. Where possible, recommendations are made to improve internal controls and accounting procedures.

While a Senior Internal Auditor at McKesson Corporation in San Francisco, Des continued to employ the transactions flow analysis method of auditing learned from Arthur Andersen & Co as McKesson also used the AA & Co. approach. Through his audits of operating locations throughout the Western United States, Des identified many elevated and significant financial and operational risks. He addressed those by documenting them and then recommending steps to improve the processes associated with them. From the Internal Audit Department, Des then became Regional Assistant Controller - Internal Control, for McKesson Wine & Spirits Co. While with the E. & J. Gallo Winery, Des held an internal controls oriented position in the Management Service Group. This group, comprised of accountants, engineers and computer system administrators, oversaw the wholesale distribution operations of the E. & J Gallo Winery.

He is a graduate of the University of Nevada in Reno with a double major in Accounting and Journalism. He has a BS in Accounting and a BA in Journalism.

Des is a member of the California Society of CPAs (CalCPA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). His activities in CalCPA have included serving as a Board of Director's officer on the state and local levels, local committee chair and member of a state committee.