Our firm was founded with a focus on family

Our Story

Our firm was founded with a focus on family. David wanted to spend more time with his young children, coach them in sports, work a flex schedule and be the best father and husband possible. He was tired of sitting in Austin traffic, working long hours and missing important family events. Working for the man wasn’t working for him. There was only room for one boss in his life – his wife Samantha holds that title. The decision was made, and he hit the ground running.

After some early success, he quickly realized there was an incredible opportunity to do something much bigger. His first hire was his sister, Kaycee, who runs daily operations today. Each year the firm brings in hundreds of new clients and a handful of experienced accountants. As the firm grows, there is a commitment to a culture that prioritizes family.

Employees are offered the freedom that David was searching for when he founded the firm. Our team members are invested in each other and that allows us to thrive as an organization.

From a client perspective, we focus on legacy planning, working with the next generation and understanding every one of your financial goals. For us, it has always been about building great relationships and helping our clients and their families succeed. Our dedication and commitment to our clients is what sets us apart. There is a great sense of duty and responsibility and it shows in our work. We view ourselves as an extension of your organization and take the time to understand your operations, key employees, and long-term goals.

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Our Founder

David grew up in a hard-working family in Harrison, New York. When he was eleven, he started his work career at the local country club as a golf caddy. When he wasn’t lugging golf bags around, he was in the weight room or on the football field. He was a captain on his high school team and an all-conference player in college at Salve Regina University. He finished up his college studies at Roger Williams University, majoring in Accounting.

David and his high school sweetheart, Samantha, have three young children (Hudson, Ryder, and Hazel). Outside the office you can find David coaching his sons in youth sports or sneaking in a quick round of golf with buddies. He loves being outdoors, whether it’s hunting in the Hill Country or deep-sea fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Above all, David is a family man who believes in hard work and no excuses.

David’s experience spans across all industries, but some specialties include working with tech and E-commerce startups, oil and gas partnerships, investment funds, and real estate developers. David has extensive experience with corporate restructurings and M&A deals. He is a closet tax nerd and can be found reading tax code in the middle of the night; just ask his wife.

Meet Our Tax Team

Tax Partner

Suzanne Newton

Since 2012, Suzanne has been practicing tax in public accounting with regional accounting firms for a wide variety of industries. She received her double Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2013. Her dedication to her clients, great attitude, and work ethic helped her move up quickly in her career. While she continued to advance, she knew becoming a CPA was something she wanted to do; therefore, she went back to school to complete the requirements to become eligible for the CPA exams. She received her Master of Business Administration with Accounting emphasis in 2018 from Texas Woman’s University and is now currently studying for the CPA exams.

When she is not working or studying, Suzanne enjoys spending time with her husband, Conelius, and their two children, Lasiah and Camden. Whether it’s jokes or pranks, there is never a dull moment with their boys. While Texas doesn’t always have the cold weather they truly love, they do enjoy all the amazing outdoor activities Austin, TX has to offer.

Tax Manager

Cara Jordan

Cara has been in public accounting since 2011 and a CPA since 2013. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelors of Arts in Spanish & Hispanic Studies minoring in Math. While working as a translator and office assistant after graduating, she learned she enjoyed helping with the accounting work and decided to go back to school. She obtained her Masters in Accounting from Texas State University in 2010. Her eclectic background has given her experience in lots of different environments. She enjoys getting to know her clients and building relationships.

Cara lives in Austin with her husband and two sons. When they are not working, they are chasing the boys and spending as much time outdoors as possible. Cara loves the Longhorns, Dr Pepper and crossword puzzles

Tax Manager

Casey Jones

Casey joins us from the small town of Clifton Springs in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. Casey is a first-generation accountant who wants to break the typical “bean counter” stigma that follows the accounting profession. In 2014, Casey received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting and in the following year, his Master of Business Administration with an Accounting concentration from St. John Fisher College. He gained his CPA license in 2016 and has been working in public accounting ever since. Casey works primarily on manufacturing, real-estate, and construction industries with additional experience in several other sectors.

When Casey is not crunching numbers, he enjoys being outside and weightlifting at the gym daily. Casey is also a self-taught woodworker who can be found tinkering in his workshop or working with his wife, Kimberly, on various house projects. Casey and Kim also love to travel abroad and enjoy backpacking through the rolling hills of Italy.

Tax Manager

Sara Hipolito

Already equipped with a degree in Business Administration, Sara has also recently completed all requirements to become a CPA. Her hard work and integrity have helped her to advance quickly in past employment, and have gained her the trust and confidence of clients and colleagues.

When she is not working or studying, Sara enjoys spending time with her family – her husband, Andy, and their two children, Caeden and Luna. They enjoy watching movies and going to Pinballz. One of Sara’s favorite pastimes is showing her Samoyed, Emma, in dog shows.

Tax Manager

Brooke Spencer

Brooke started her career in public accounting in Chicago, IL after graduating from DePaul University in 2008 with B.S. in both Accounting and Finance. She spent almost a decade with a focus on Financial Service clients- beginning right around when a recession was impacting the world, which gave some invaluable insights and experience. She became a CPA in early 2010, while working at McGladrey. Brooke transferred to New York, NY in 2011, and shortly after graduated from a remote program with DePaul University with a Masters in the Science of Taxation. Brooke worked in both the private sector and with PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York City.

In 2017, Brooke took an interesting route by detouring from public accounting and attending Bikram Yoga teacher training, which remains a big passion in her life. Brooke traveled the world teaching yoga while slowly becoming a small business owner with yoga studio clients as her focus. Brooke is joining our team to share her experience with many types of taxpayers and clients, and is excited to be in the role of reviewing tax returns, connecting with clients, and helping to grow along with the growing David French & Associates team!

In her free time, Brooke enjoys sprucing up her new home, spending time with her rescue dog, Rose, teaching and practicing yoga, gardening, and exploring the Texas Hill Country.

Senior Tax Associate

Damin Choi

Damin is a proud first generation Korean American. He was born in South Korea and moved to the US in 4th grade. He graduated with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration in Accounting at Texas State University in 2019. He is currently working on completing the requirements to become a CPA. He joins the team with 2 and a half years of experience in Public Accounting, mostly within the real estate industry.

When not working, Damin enjoys catching up with friends, going to the gym, and spending quality time with family. He is a the proud dog dad of a big, sweet Doberman name Zion. He also really enjoys fishing and is a huge coffer lover, as well as beer. Especially nice cold hazy IPA!

Senior Tax Associate

Brooke Capela

Brooke joins us from Boston, MA. She is a senior tax associate with 4+ years of public accounting experience. Through her time in public accounting, she's serviced emerging small business clients in industries such as construction, real estate and other service based industries. She enjoys working closely with her clients to help achieve their financial goals. She received her Bachelors of Science degree in Accounting from Fairfield University in 2017.

When she's not working, she is spending time with my family and friends. She enjoys staying active and being outdoors. She also enjoys traveling and visiting family in Portugal ever year.

Tax Associate

Roberta Garcia

Roberta has been in public accounting since 2008. She graduated with her Bachelors in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin. After taking a couple of years off from public accounting, she realized how much she missed it and decided to return to her roots.

Roberta is an avid sports fan and roots for the Longhorns all year long. When she’s not working, she loves chasing around her two little boys, Lucas and Logan, and watching them grow. She also enjoys supporting her husband’s coaching career, especially during basketball season.

Tax Associate

Brandi Hentges

Brandi is a CPA with 4 years of experience in public accounting. Through her time in public accounting, she has serviced a range of clients in the tax sector, primarily in the real estate and alternative investment industries. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Texas State University in 2015.

When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Robert, and their two dogs and four cats. She also enjoys gardening, hiking, kayaking, and watching horror movies.

Bookkeeper

Noi Sukkij

A woman of many talents, Somyong (Noi) was born into a farming family in Isaan, the Northeast region of Thailand. As the first person in her family to complete a high-school education, Noi then went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Ramkhamhaeng University in Bangkok. She then worked as an auditor for four years before coming to the United States. Her goal was to improve her English skills during a one-year stay, with the intention of returning to Thailand to continue her career in accounting. During her stay, she met her now-husband, and together they opened a Thai Food Restaurant, “Thai How Are You”. For six years she successfully ran the restaurant as the chef, general manager, and bookkeeper. Noi is now providing bookkeeping services professionally. In her free-time, Noi enjoys gardening and cooking Thai food for family, friends, and neighbors.
Director of Operations

Kaycee French

As a visionary with excellent management skills, and a knack for directing company operations in a growth-minded direction, Kaycee has been working for the firm since it opened its doors. As the current Director of Operations, she leverages her excellent leadership and teamwork skills in order to ensure that objectives are completed on time for delivery to the client. Kaycee is directly responsible for ensuring that day-to-day processes at the company run efficiently and without error.

Kaycee relocated to Austin after attending the University of North Carolina. Although she’s held several jobs during her career, by far her favorite is working alongside her brother at the firm. In her spare time Kaycee enjoys reading, volunteering, spending time at the beach and traveling the world.

Tax Administrator

Samantha Baldwin

Fueled by a desire to improve the customer service standard in the Accounting industry, Samantha has recently joined our team to add her client-oriented skill set to the already thriving business. With 7+ years of customer service experience and an educational background from Kent State University, Samantha is motivated, empathetic, and well-organized. In her free time, Samantha enjoys spending time with her daughter, hiking at the metro parks, and learning new hobbies.
Administrative Assistant

Ciara Cook

Ciara Cook's primary motivation is the desire to provide support and connection for everyone she meets. After dabbling in many different areas of business administration, she found she was the most fulfilled as both a team player and team advocate for initial client interactions. Ciara is responsible for the scheduling, filing, office support, and all other areas that allows the David French & Associates to keep their primary focus on client needs.

Ciara enjoys film, the arts, traveling, and culture. She is a rare unicorn in Austin, TX as a native. In her free time, she spends every moment she can with her dog, Stanley.