Ryan Promotes Five New Principals and New Vice President to Leadership Team.

DALLAS, April 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Ryan, the leading tax services firm in North America, with the largest transaction tax practice in the United States and Canada, today announced that Janet Askenburg, Rick Blattner, Brian Burdett, Lori Johnson, and Robert Sheehan have been promoted to Principal, and that Brooke Keene has been promoted to Vice President of Operations. The addition of these six seasoned tax professionals to Ryan's leadership team represents another milestone in the Firm's continued growth.

Janet Askenburg will serve as Ryan's Principal-in-Charge of the Boston, Massachusetts office and focus on providing Northeast clients an integrated suite of tax services that leverage each of the Firm's major tax practice areas. Janet joined the Firm in February 2007 and has been a top performing business development executive, articulating the Ryan vision and value proposition to major corporations across North America. Janet serves as Vice Chairman of the Economic Development Commission in the town of Chelmsford, Massachusetts and is also an elected member of Chelmsford's School Committee. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of West Florida.

Rick Blattner is based in the Chicago, Illinois office and specializes in transaction tax, telecommunications tax, and credits and incentives consulting services for the communications industry. Rick joined the Firm in June 1999 and has been a key member supporting the high-velocity growth of the Telecommunications Tax practice, providing innovative tax strategies and best practices that have saved telecommunications companies across the United States millions of dollars. Rick is a member of the Broadband Tax Institute and the Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT), and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

Brian Burdett is based in the Dallas, Texas office and specializes in transaction tax, gross receipts tax, and telecommunications tax consulting services for the communications and media industries. Brian joined the Firm in September 2001 and has been instrumental in Ryan's growth in revenue, client service, and market share within the communications industry. Brian is a member of the Broadband Tax Institute and the Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT). He has earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance, as well as a Master of Science degree in Finance, both from Texas Tech University.

Lori Johnson is based in the Dallas, Texas office and specializes in providing multi-jurisdictional transaction tax services to clients in the defense, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing industries. Lori joined the Firm in September 1997 and has been very influential in the ongoing development of Ryan's industry-leading tax professionals, sharing her knowledge and expertise as the Chairperson of Advanced Training and Orientation for the Ryan SALT Development Program. As Chairperson, Lori was responsible for the administration and development of Ryan's continuing education and new employee orientation training in state and local tax issues, ensuring Ryan professionals continue to lead the industry in tax knowledge and innovation. She is a member of the Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT) and has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, as well as a Master of Science degree in Accounting, both from the University of North Texas.

Robert Sheehan will serve as Ryan's Principal-in-Charge of the Providence, Rhode Island office, specializing in state income and franchise tax solutions and strategies. Since joining Ryan in July 2008, he has played a pivotal role in the growth of the Firm's State Income and Franchise Tax practice and has served as a member of the Ryan Professional Development Committee, responsible for internal tax technical training. Robert is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensed in Rhode Island and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT), and the Rhode Island Society of Certified Public Accountants (RISCPA). Robert is also the founding sponsor of the Rhode Island/Southeast Massachusetts State and Local Roundtable. He has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Accounting, as well as a Master of Science degree in Taxation, both from Bryant University.

Brooke Keene joins the leadership team as a Corporate Officer and Vice President of Operations based in the Dallas, Texas office. Brooke joined Ryan in August 1998 and has been a key member of the Firm's unique and innovative Quality Assurance Program, leading the only fully dedicated quality assurance team in the industry focused exclusively on the high-quality delivery of tax consulting services. Brooke is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensed in Texas and a member of the Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT). She has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, as well as a Master of Science degree in Accounting, with an emphasis in taxation, both from The University of Texas at Dallas.

"Our continued growth and commitment to providing unparalleled tax services to businesses across North America and Europe have provided our team of tax professionals opportunities for advancement that are unmatched in the tax services industry today," said G. Brint Ryan, CEO and Managing Principal of Ryan. "We're extremely proud to reward these hard-working professionals for their expertise in delivering industry-leading customer satisfaction and results to our portfolio of premier Fortune 1000 clients."

About Ryan

Ryan is the leading tax services firm in North America, with the largest transaction tax practice in the United States and Canada. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the Firm provides a comprehensive range of state, local, federal, and international tax advisory and consulting services on a multi-jurisdictional basis, including audit defense, tax recovery, credits and incentives, tax process improvement and automation, tax appeals, and strategic planning. With a multi-disciplinary team of more than 800 professionals and associates, Ryan serves many of the world's most prominent Fortune 1000 companies.

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