Chris Russell

Chris joined V & R Accounting, Inc. in March 2016.  She graduated from Quincy College with a Bachelor’s degree.  She is the friendly face of V & R as she greets our clients and handles the receptionist duties of our office.

She enjoys being outdoors and working with gardening and landscaping ideas.  Cooking is also a favorite of Chris’s to share with her family and her fellow employees.

She spends quality time with her family – especially her grandson Alex and creating memories that she shares with others through her scrapbooking skills.

Drew Gross

Drew has worked with V&R since January of 2024. He is the chair of the accounting department at SIUE and teaches various tax courses. He has worked in public accounting and managed tax departments for fortune 500 companies before returning to school to become of professor.

Drew graduated with his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Accounting from Truman State University and a PhD in Accounting from the University of Arkansas. He is married with 8 children and enjoys the gardening, mushroom hunting and playing games with his family.

Emily Ferriell

Emily joined V&R in October of 2024. She received her Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville in 2024. Emily comes with almost two years of interning experience from a public accounting firm.

Throughout her time at SIUE, Emily demonstrated a strong commitment to her studies and developed a deep understanding of accounting principles. She is eager to apply her knowledge and skills in the professional world. She manages the sales tax and accounting needs for our clients.

Emily enjoys traveling, music and spending time with family and friends in her free time.

Gabrielle Douglas

Gabrielle joined V & R in January 2020. She received her Bachelors of Science in Accounting and Business Administration from MacMurray College in 2014. She brings over 6 years of tax preparation and accounting experience to our firm.

She enjoys sports and family time with her 6 siblings and parents.

Grant Simons

Grant joined V & R in May of 2024. He received his Bachelors of Science in Accounting from Eastern Illinois University in 2014. You will see him in the office at our downtown Quincy location.

In his free time, Grant enjoys spending time outdoors, exercising and enjoying life with friends and family.

Jessica Vowels

Jessica Vowels, has been with V & R since February 2017. She has over 15 years of experience in the tax preparation field and enjoys working with her clients helping them pay the least amount of tax legally possible.

She graduated from John Wood Community College in 2014 with an Associates degree in Accounting. She also handles the IT part of V & R and oversees day to day operations.

She is a Quincy native and lives here with her 2 children. She enjoys socializing with friends and family.

Kim Parrish
Certified Public Accountant

Kim started at V & R Accounting in January of 2011. She has over 30 years of tax and accounting experience with 17 years of public accounting and 13 years as comptroller of a small business. She is also the Business Manager for a local nonprofit agency.

She graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. Kim passed her CPA exam in May 1983 and was awarded the Elijah Watts Sells award for passing the Uniform AICPA exam with high distinction. She is licensed by the IL Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Patti Gomez

Professional Assistant working for V & R as of November 2024

I’m passionate about helping people access information and complete tasks efficiently. I enjoy learning new things and using my knowledge to generate creative text formats, translate languages, and answer questions in an informative way. I love to spend time outdoors with friends and family. I also enjoy cooking, cleaning, organizing, and painting. I have participated in various college courses from business to health occupations. Being bilingual is another skill set I’d like to incorporate that has allowed me to help many people.

Samamtha Kern

Samantha (Sam) joined V&R in October of 2024. She has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville and is currently studying accounting.

Sam specializes in payroll and payroll taxes for our clients. She is detailed oriented and works hard to have payrolls processed accurately and efficiently. Sam is also ready to assist with any questions or needs clients have.

Sam loves math and numbers – especially Calculus – but also enjoys normal things like driving to new places and visiting family in Alabama.

Sarah Kohlbrecher

Sarah joined V & R in July of 2022. She received her Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from Southern Illinois University of Carbondale in 2014. You will see her in the front office at our Maryville location.

In her free time, Sarah enjoys spending time jeeping with her family and friends.

Shari Livingston

Shari joined V&R in August of 2024 with 20 plus years of customer service management experience.

Shari enjoys spending time with family and friends in her free time.

Toni Cook

Toni is the friendly face of V & R at the Quincy location. She joined our team in May 2021 and comes to us with 20 plus years of customer service. Communication skills are her strong suit and she is very organized and efficient.

She lives in Carthage, IL near her family and loves doing research on genealogy. She enjoys sports and country life and spending time with her dogs.