The Valley Oak Team — CPAs, Wealth Strategists & Operations

Leadership.

The people setting the course

Matt Rzepka, CPA, CFP®

Owner · Chief Wealth Strategist

Matt hates when people overpay their income taxes. In more than two decades as a CPA he's learned that buried in the tax code's 70,000 pages are opportunities that let business owners keep more of what they earn — if you know which tools to reach for. He founded Valley Oak after years at a traditional CPA firm, where the thing business clients needed most was the thing missing: long-term planning and an ever-evolving tax strategy.

Born and raised in Houghton Lake, Michigan, Matt played outside linebacker at Saginaw Valley State University. His full list of licenses and credentials is available on FINRA's BrokerCheck.

Alicia Kovach

Chief Operating Officer

With Valley Oak since 2016, Alicia builds the systems and processes behind every client experience. A Ball State Hall of Famer (four-year starting shortstop, 2009 MAC Player of the Year), she came from a Fortune 100 payroll and HR company to help scale what Valley Oak was doing differently.
Matt Miller, CPA

Tax Director

A licensed CPA with a Master's from Western Michigan University, Matt has been with the firm since 2013. He oversees the accounting team and is the primary contact for all tax services — and is also a fully licensed life insurance producer. He lives in Portage with his wife Sarah and their two children.
Ashley Tessitore, CPA, MSA

Accounting Director

Ashley joined Valley Oak in 2017. A Western Michigan University graduate and licensed CPA, she leads and trains the accounting, bookkeeping, and payroll team, with a focus on new client onboarding — ensuring a smooth transition to Valley Oak while helping clients with cash flow and wealth planning goals.
Emily Johnson, CPA

Tax Manager

Emily joined Valley Oak in 2024. She earned her Bachelor of Accountancy from Louisiana State University and is a licensed CPA. As Tax Manager she works directly with business-owner clients on tax strategy and planning, from her home base in Baton Rouge, LA.

Wealth & family office.

Valley Oak Investments

Matt O'Neill

Family Office Manager

Matt holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Political Science from Western Michigan University and handles client financial services. A licensed life insurance agent, he's the person to call with financial service and insurance questions. Off the clock: golf, the beach, and his dog.
Matthew Chlopek, CRPC™

Wealth Strategist

Matthew began his career at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Chicago in 2016, later serving clients with Fidelity Investments in Naples, Fla. Years inside the big Wall Street firms convinced him clients deserve more — higher service, unrestricted investment choice, and deeper planning. At Valley Oak he acts as a fiduciary, collaborating with the firm's CPAs on the most complex tax and planning situations. A CRPC™ designee, he is completing work toward the CPWA® designation.
Philip Kehoe

Wealth Strategist

Phil brings over four decades of experience, rooted in a family legacy of service that began in 1979 at his family's independent insurance agency. Convinced that clients are often underserved regardless of asset level, he built his practice around institutional-grade service for every client. He joined Valley Oak in 2015 and holds Series 6, 7, 63, and 65 securities licenses along with Life and Annuity insurance licenses, and mentors in the Circle of Wealth program.
Mary Veltkamp

Financial Planning Data Analyst

Mary joined Valley Oak in 2023. A Muhlenberg College graduate with a Master's in Predictive Analytics from Northwestern, she spent her earlier career as a data scientist in the insurance industry. At Valley Oak she brings that passion for data to everything from monthly bookkeeping to holistic financial planning for clients.

Tax professionals.

Valley Oak Financial

William Watts

Tax Senior

William graduated from Western Michigan University with a BBA in accountancy and finance and is working toward his MSA and CPA. He focuses on small business clients — monthly bookkeeping, tax planning and preparation, and organizing new business entities.
Chase Falgout, CPA

Tax Senior

Chase joined Valley Oak as a Tax Senior in 2025. With an Accounting degree from Southeastern Louisiana University and his CPA, he focuses on tax preparation and planning for individuals and businesses, bringing a strong analytical approach to complex tax matters.
Regine Mae Aguas

Tax Senior

Regine joined Valley Oak in 2025. She earned her BS in Accountancy from Our Lady of Fatima University and supports clients with personal and business tax preparation, strategic tax planning, financial record review, and compliance.
Carmel Kezia Ortega, CPA

Tax Associate

Carmel joined Valley Oak in 2025. She holds a BS in Accountancy from the University of the Philippines and is a licensed CPA, supporting clients with tax compliance and strategic planning with a detail-oriented approach.
Lanee Hollingsworth

Tax Associate

Lanee joined Valley Oak in 2025 and is pursuing her Master of Science in Accountancy at Western Michigan University while working toward her CPA license. Her focus is individual and business tax preparation, plus business tax planning and strategy.
Jay Postigo, CPA

Tax Associate

Jay joined Valley Oak in 2026. He earned his BS in Accountancy from the University of San Carlos in the Philippines and has been a licensed CPA since 2017, supporting clients with tax compliance, strategic tax planning, and financial analysis on complex tax matters.

Accounting & payroll.

Valley Oak Financial

Stephanie Elliott

Accounting Manager

Stephanie joined Valley Oak in 2020 with 20 years of public accounting experience. Her focus is accounting and bookkeeping services, and she is an expert in QuickBooks® Desktop, QuickBooks® Online, and the software and integration tools around them.
Lauren Vartanian

Accounting Manager

Lauren joined Valley Oak in 2025 with over fifteen years of experience across public accounting and tax, private accounting, and full-service bookkeeping. QuickBooks Online Certified, she helps business owners understand the stories behind their numbers. A Bethel University graduate (and four-year starter and captain of the women's soccer team), she lives in Glen Ellyn, IL.
Rizza Manalang

Accounting Senior

Rizza joined Valley Oak in 2023 with 20 years in accounting, from month-end closes to financial analysis. An expert in QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online, and Xero, she prides herself on turning unorganized accounting files into something accurate and reliable — and is completing her CMA certification.
Shelby Haas

Accounting Associate

Shelby joined Valley Oak in 2022. A Western Michigan University BBA graduate in Accounting, she started with a tax internship at a Kalamazoo CPA firm before managing accounts for a large apartment rental agency. On our bookkeeping team, she brings a passion for helping clients with their financial needs.
Diana Cervaño

Accounting Associate

Diana began with Valley Oak in 2024. She holds a BS in Accountancy from Bataan Peninsula State University and has worked in the field since 2018, with strong expertise in managing financial records, reconciling accounts, and maintaining accuracy across the full accounting cycle.
Renee Pangilinan

Accounting Associate

Bio coming soon.
Chelsea Brown

Payroll Specialist

Chelsea joined Valley Oak in 2025 as Payroll Specialist, bringing organization and attention to detail to every payroll run. Before Valley Oak she owned and operated a successful cleaning business for eight years. She holds an associate degree from North Hennepin Community College.

Administration.

Across all three offices

Candice Fritz

Administrative Director

Candice joined Valley Oak in 2019, after a career that ran from healthcare studies to her family-owned blueberry farm's retail and bakery operations. As Administrative Director she manages the internal procedures that bring Valley Oak's multiple offices together — problem-solving and troubleshooting to keep the team ticking.
Rose Riemens-Birdsall

Senior Administrator · Kalamazoo

Rose joined Valley Oak in 2012 and is the senior administrator at the Kalamazoo office — the perfect conduit between clients and our accountants, and the firm's go-to person for keeping things running smoothly. She studied business and accounting at Kalamazoo Valley Community College and, before returning to office management, served in homeless and domestic dispute resolution programs. Summers are split between Kalamazoo and Ludington, on her boat, teaching her two grandchildren the ways of lake life.
Karen Wittum

Office Administrator · Charlotte

Karen joined Valley Oak in 2022 after a career managing denture labs in Ontario, Canada — and before that, teaching piano and theory in her hometown of Chatham, serving as a church pianist for 35 years. Since moving to Michigan her focus has been administration and client services. She and her husband Dan love time with their 10 grandkids; she enjoys sewing, quilting, baking, grilling, hunting, and fishing Michigan's freshwaters and South Florida's Atlantic.
Cindy Henderson

Administrative Assistant · Solana Beach

Bio coming soon.

The people behind the plan.

Leadership.

Matt Rzepka, CPA, CFP®

Alicia Kovach

Matt Miller, CPA

Ashley Tessitore, CPA, MSA

Emily Johnson, CPA

Wealth & family office.

Tax professionals.

Accounting & payroll.

Administration.

Come meet us — wherever you are.