Dennis L. Faurote, President, CPA

Denny Faurote is President of The Faurote Group. He is a professional trainer, keynote speaker, consultant, and executive coach.  Denny’s creed is to help others succeed in the
challenges of life. 

Denny provides a unique perspective combining the business savvy of an accounting career and  CPA with the human touch. For fifteen years he worked for an international public accounting firm. He contributed to the client service side of the Indianapolis  practice office for eight years and directed their human resources and recruiting efforts for seven years. During his tenure, the Indianapolis office was recognized as having the # 1 HR operation in the worldwide firm. Denny assisted with the development and rollout of a firm-wide performance management system. In addition, he was one of the pioneers of an extremely successful leadership training and development program that was implemented firm wide.

For the past 11 years he has successfully developed and delivered hundreds of programs to thousands of people around the world, effectively coached executives and managers to higher levels of performance, and been a consultant to a multitude of clients. His 26 years of experience and diverse background allow him to better understand all audiences and customize programs to, not only meet, but exceed their expectations. Denny’s background and in-depth knowledge of business and people development will provide you with unparalleled service in developing people, increasing levels of customer service, improving profitability, building leaders, and creating a fun and productive learning culture.

Sarah Turner, Principal, CPA

Sarah Turner is a Principal of The Faurote Group where she has served as a professional trainer and consultant for the past 7 years. She is also an executive coach and enjoys assisting others in determining their goals and desires and helping to achieve them. 

Sarah’s business experience and enthusiastic attitude contribute to her success. She is a CPA who worked for 5 years at an international public accounting firm. While there, she concentrated on client service and was heavily involved in the recruiting and training process of new employees. In addition, Sarah spent several years as a controller for a financial services company in Indianapolis, in charge of the financial stability of the  company and the human resource function. Furthermore, Sarah has assisted as an adjunct professor teaching general leadership practices to undergraduate and masters students.

Sarah has developed and delivered many programs to a multitude of people ranging from business professionals to students. The programs are very successful at helping participants identify what leadership means to them and laying the groundwork for developing those skills to becoming a better leader and achieving success. Her background and experience provide excellent service in developing people and helping companies increase their productivity and growth.

In addition, Sarah is actively involved in developing the young leaders of tomorrow, serving on the board of directors of the nationally acclaimed Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Program.  She is also a member of the Young Alumni Advisory Council at Ball State University and was named as one of Five Under 35 by the Indiana CPA Society in 2006.

JoDee Curtis , Associate, CPA, SPHR

JoDee Curtis is an Associate at The Faurote Group where she provides training, coaching, and human resource consulting services to a variety of clients.

Her success comes from a blended background of both business experience and human resource knowledge. She was a practicing CPA at a regional CPA firm for 9 years where she contributed to the assurance responsibilities of the firm and eventually transitioned into the Director of Operations for the Indiana region. In  addition, JoDee spent time as the CFO of an Indianapolis business for several years. For the past 15 years, she has been focused on human resources, most recently serving as the Vice-President of HR for a $100 million services company and previously as the Director of HR for a $60 million public accounting and consulting firm. While there, she led the firm to receiving two awards— a Best Place to Work and Healthiest Place to Work in Indiana. During her six year tenure, JoDee also successfully led all human resource facets of two firm acquisitions, including the transition of  compensation and benefits, employee announcements and presentations, employee focus groups, training, and integrations.

In helping her clients reach their potential, JoDee has developed and delivered programs in a variety of areas including: Benefits, Recruiting, Wellness, Mentoring, Performance Development, Creative Problem Solving, On-boarding & Strategic Planning, among others. No matter the need, her passion for people and drive to succeed create results for her clients.

JoDee has a bachelor’s degree in business administration, is a Certified Public Accountant, a Senior Professional in Human Resources, and holds certifications as a Predictive Index analyst and as a Creative Problem Solver. She is a member of SHRM and the AICPA and serves on the board of directors of IndySHRM and the Carmel Library Foundation.  

Affiliates

Cassandra Faurote, SPHR, CCP

As a Strategic Partner of The Faurote Group, Cassandra Faurote helps companies innovate total rewards that drive people and business excellence. In her role as President of Total Reward Solutions, her areas of concentration  include compensation, benefits, reward & recognition, and performance management.

With over 20 years of human resources experience, she has had responsibility for all functions within human resources. Cassandra has started human resource operations and held top human resource positions in both small and large organizations. Her  human resource roles have been in the insurance, medical devices, and banking industries. In addition, she has  consulted in the health care, waste management, distribution, equipment dealer, wellness, security, and benefits consulting industries.

Cassandra has developed and enhanced numerous pay systems (both base pay and total cash) as well as designed management and sales incentive plans, conducted competitive market pricing analysis to include custom surveys, job analysis, developed Manager’s Compensation Guides, performed internal equity  analysis and discrimination testing, developed merit grids as well as completed a total benefits redesign for three entities that merged. She has consulted with both small and large companies on a multitude of compensation and benefit issues.

Cassandra holds two certifications – Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and Certified Compensation Professional (CCP). She has also taught in the human resources certificate program at IUPUI and recently authored an article in Workspan, a World at Work publication, on 10 Ways to Use Your Merit Dollars.

Diane Brown and Tom Porter   

As Strategic Partners of The Faurote Group, Diane Brown and Tom Porter bring the depth and breadth of expertise from over 50 years of collective experience in human resources and professional services. Through Aspire! LLC, they help firms achieve higher levels of performance through executing effective people strategies and positive change.

As organizational development consultants, Diane and Tom serve CPA firms, law firms, financial advisory firms, and other professional services firms by advising senior executives and owners. They offer special expertise in organizational effectiveness, strategic human resources, succession management, leadership development, partner relationship building, client relationship management, and business development. They have helped firms develop strategy, adjust organizational alignment, build a business development culture, and strengthen team relationships and collaboration. Within the strategic human resources arena, Tom and Diane have helped firms evaluate human resources strategy and effectiveness, improve selection results and fit, re-engineer performance management systems, execute individual development planning with performance and career coaching, build a feedback culture, and enhance execution of career paths.

Prior to founding Aspire! LLC in 2001, Diane spent over twelve years with a large regional accounting and consulting firm. She worked as an auditor before taking an internal Organizational Development/Human Resource consulting role where she led strategic initiatives for the firm. She is a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and a CPA (inactive). Tom is also a CPA (inactive) and had a 30 year career with Olive LLP, a regional accounting and consulting firm. He spent 20 of his years as a Partner and the Firm’s Director of Human Resources, including seven years as the Firm’s Marketing Director.

Gary Vickrey

As a Strategic Partner of The Faurote Group, Gary Vickrey specializes in the selection, assessment, and development of Senior Leaders throughout the world. In his role as President & CEO of Jackson Leadership Systems USA, Gary focuses on constructing and implementing Leadership Development Academies for global organizations and professional service firms. He has facilitated such academies in Asia, the United States, Canada, and South America.

With over 10 years of consulting experience, Gary’s extensive background in human behavior allows him to align growth and development strategies for his clients that work. His efforts concentrate on succession planning, talent management, relationship coaching, and conflict management, among others. In addition, Gary is a seasoned presenter and has a genuine and relaxed approach to engaging participants in learning. His presentations topics include integrity, empathic listening and communication, rewards and recognition, and strategic thinking. Furthermore, Gary has consulted in a wide variety of industries including pharmaceuticals, automobiles, financial services, and professional service firms.

Gary entered the world of consulting following a career in the United States military. He has a long history of  dedicating himself to improving the lives of others. While proudly serving in the US Air Force, he volunteered to serve with the United Nations in Operation Restore Hope in Kismayou, Baledogle, Mogadishu Somalia and Eastern Africa. Gary received his B.Sc. in Psychology and his M.S. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of  Idaho.