Brown Edwards Announces Three New Partners

It is with great pride that we announce that we have admitted Emily Signorelli, David Sheaffer, and Patrick Pittman as new partners to the Firm. Throughout their careers, each of these exceptional professionals has demonstrated the commitment, expertise, and leadership necessary to become partners at Brown Edwards.

Emily, David, and Patrick are all graduates of Brown Edwards' Ignite program — an initiative designed to identify and develop the firm's next generation of leaders. Their elevation to partner is a testament to both their individual dedication and the strength of a program built on investing in people from within.

Emily Signorelli, CPA, CFE – Partner

Emily is a partner in our Charleston, West Virginia office, and concentrates on accounting and assurance services. She specializes in working with not-for-profit organizations, higher education institutions, and employee benefit plans.

She holds a B.S. in Accounting from West Virginia Wesleyan College, a Master of Professional Accountancy from West Virginia University, and a Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination Certificate, also from West Virginia University. Emily is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).

Emily is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the National Association of College and University Business Officers, and the West Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (WVSCPA), where she will take over as board president later this month. She is a past board member and president of the Charleston Chapter of the WVSCPA.

Her accomplishments have been widely recognized. She was named Beta Alpha Psi Business Information Professional of the Year in 2022, was recognized in the WV State Journal's Generation Next: 40 Under 40 in 2021, was a graduate of Leadership Kanawha Valley in 2013, and received the WVSCPA Kathy Eddy West Virginia Young CPA of the Year award in 2019.

Outside the office, Emily is passionate about WVU sporting events and cherishes time spent with her husband and their three children.

David Sheaffer, CPA, CCIFP – Partner

David is a partner in our Lynchburg office with extensive experience providing assurance and consulting services. He specializes in the construction and higher education industries and has additional expertise involving the K-12 education and not-for-profit sectors.

David holds a B.A. in Accounting and an MBA with a concentration in Finance, both from the University of Lynchburg. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Construction Industry Finance Professional (CCIFP), a designation that reflects his specialized knowledge of construction finance.

He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (VSCPA), the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA), the Associated General Contractors of Virginia (ACGVA), and the Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance (VTCA).

Within the firm, David has served as Chair of the Assurance & Advisory Committee and is an active member of the firm's internal inspection team. He also brings external quality experience as a peer review team member. David regularly presents on our client webinars and is deeply involved in planning and delivering internal staff training for the higher education and construction practices. He serves as an internal resource for technical guidance on Revenue Recognition (ASC 606), endowments, UPMIFA, and sponsor-side ESOP accounting.

David has been recognized by the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) with the Rising Star award in 2022, was named to Lynchburg Business Magazine's Millennial on the Move list in 2019 and is a 2017 graduate of Leadership Lynchburg. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance and Camp Kum-Ba-Yah, reflecting his commitment to the community he calls home.

When not at the office, David enjoys traveling and spending time with his family, volunteering with local organizations, tackling home improvement projects, and cheering on college basketball.

Patrick Pittman, CPA – Partner

Patrick is a tax partner with over 25 years of professional experience. His expertise includes tax compliance for individuals, businesses, and exempt organizations. He serves clients across the financial institutions, healthcare, not-for-profit, manufacturing, and telecommunications sectors. Patrick serves clients with a particular focus on ASC 740 compliance, Form 990, and unrelated business income tax, and working with consolidated tax groups.

Patrick earned his B.S. in Accounting from Virginia Tech and his M.S. in Accounting from James Madison University. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a member of both the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (VSCPA).

Outside of tax season, Patrick enjoys running, hiking, pickleball, riding his motorcycle, and reading.

Please join us in congratulating Emily, David, and Patrick as they step into their new roles.