Chris Bauer, CPA – Managing Partner

Chris started his career at KPMG in 1997, and rose to Senior Manager in his 8 years with the Big 4 firm. After leaving KPMG, Chris served as the Global Sarbanes-Oxley Project Manager for a Fortune 500 Company during its SOX implementation. Prior to starting Bauer & Company, Chris was a partner with a regional accounting firm. He held various leadership positions, including; partner in charge of audit quality and chief financial officer. His experience spans a broad range of industries: technology, broker-dealers, financial services, employee benefit plans and not-for-profits. Chris graduated from Boston College with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and is a licensed CPA in both Texas and Colorado.

Chris and his wife Heather have three children, Lily, Claire and Zane. Chris was a goalkeeper for the Boston College varsity soccer team, but now enjoys watching his kids’ soccer and volleyball teams and rooting for Everton in the English Premier League. Chris is passionate about the outdoors and loves taking his family on adventures, exploring Austin, and backpacking the mountains of Colorado. Chris also enjoys running and cycling and annually participates with Team No Mas in the MS 150, a charity bike race from Houston to Austin with the goal of eliminating Multiple Sclerosis. Chris has been involved as a member of the board of directors or finance committee with a number of nonprofit organizations.

Dipti Pandey, CPA – Partner in Charge of Compliance and Audit Quality

Dipti leads the firms Broker-Dealer audit practice and is responsible for maintaining the firm’s audit quality and compliance with SEC, PCAOB and AICPA rules and regulations.  Dipti started her career at Deloitte in 2008 and leads audit and accounting advisory engagements for a broad range of clients including technology, financial services, manufacturing and not-for-profit organizations.  Dipti loves creating connections for colleagues and clients to other resources in the Austin area and serving as a trusted business advisor.  Dipti is also active in the Austin community as a former board member for Impact Austin, one of the largest women’s philanthropy groups in the nation. Through Impact Austin, Dipti is dedicated to helping women become philanthropists right here in our community.
Dipti has a Masters in Professional Accounting from the University of Texas, Austin and is a CPA in Texas and New York. Dipti who grew up in Nepal fell in love with Austin after she moved here for her advanced degree.  She enjoys spending time with her husband Amit and her daughters Avya and Ahana.  An avid traveler, Dipti is always looking for new destinations to explore.

Ashton Meyer, CPA – Senior Manager

Ashton is a Senior Manager and licensed CPA with a passion for numbers and serving clients. With a career spanning over 10 years, she began her journey at a regional accounting firm in 2012 before joining Bauer & Company at inception in 2014. She has experience serving a broad range of industries including not-for-profits, broker-dealers, consumer packaged goods, technology and employee benefit plans.

She is a native Texan and earned her Master of Accountancy from Texas State University. When she’s not diving deep into financial statements you can find her baking delicious treats, dreaming up her next home or craft project, practicing yoga, or horseback riding. She loves the ocean and takes her sassy husky, Lucy, wherever she goes. She also dedicates her time to making a positive impact in the equine-assisted therapy space and supporting her local foster care community.

Stephanie Ramsay, CPA – Manager

Stephanie is a Manager with Bauer & Company with over 14 years of financial statement auditing and SEC reporting experience.  Stephanie started her career in audit at Deloitte, serving public, non-public and not-for profit clients for 5 years before transitioning to SEC Reporting Manager role for an Austin-based public company in the oil and gas industry for another 5 years.

Stephanie has a Master’s in Professional Accounting degree and a Bachelor in Business Administration, Accounting degree, both from the University of Texas, Austin.  She is a CPA in the State of Texas and also a licensed Realtor on the side.  Stephanie is also a busy mom of 4 children, including twins, and enjoys spending her spare time with her children and husband.

Laura Ackley, CPA – Senior Manager

Laura is a Senior Audit Manager for Bauer & Company with over 15 years of experience, including previous audit experience with McGladrey & Pullen, LLP and a regional accounting firm. Laura has worked closely with Chris and Dipti for over ten years, serving a broad range of clients including; broker-dealers, technology, financial services, and not-for profits.

Laura graduated from the University of Redlands, in Redlands, California, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting with a minor in Business Administration. She was also a member of the University of Redlands Softball team. She is a licensed CPA. Laura enjoys spending time with her husband, Matt, and their three children, Declan, Cole and Braden,  as well as watching and playing sports.

Lauren Thomas, Senior Associate

Lauren is a Senior Associate for Bauer & Company with over 12 years of financial statement auditing experience. Lauren has experience serving various industries including; broker-dealers, consumer packaged goods, technology, employee benefit plans and not-for-profit organizations. Lauren also worked in the insurance brokerage and consulting industry as an internal auditor for 3 years.

Lauren graduated from Texas State University – San Marcos where she earned her Bachelors in Business Administration in Accounting. Lauren is currently working on completing her CPA license. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, finding new recipes to cook, hanging out on patios with friends and playing outdoors with her pup, Charlie Brown.

Stephanie Prince, Senior Associate

Stephanie is a Senior Associate for Bauer & Company with over 9 years of financial statement auditing experience. Stephanie has experience serving various industries including; broker-dealers, consumer packaged goods, technology, employee benefit plans and not-for-profit organizations. Stephanie also worked as a senior internal accountant for a consumer packaging company and hospital system for 3 years.
Stephanie graduated from Midwestern State University – Wichita Falls where she earned her Bachelors in Business Administration in Accounting. Stephanie is currently working on completing her CPA license. In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her husband, 2 kids,  and their two dogs, hiking, spending time with friends and family, cooking and baking.

Laura Gray, CPA – Senior Associate

Laura is a Senior Associate for Bauer & Company and started in public accounting in 2009.  Laura has experience serving various industries including; broker-dealers, consumer packaged goods, technology, employee benefit plans and not-for-profit organizations.

Laura graduated from Texas State University – San Marcos with a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Accountancy.  She is a licensed CPA in Texas.  Laura enjoys spending time with her husband, Leigh, and their son Riley, as well as rooting for the Houston Texans and Houston Astros.

Sandra Nannola, CPA – Senior Associate

Sandra is a Senior Associate for Bauer & Company and has worked in public accounting since 2013. Sandra has experience serving various industries including construction, technology, retail, financial services and not-for-profit organizations. Sandra also worked as a tax preparer and insurance agent before pursuing her audit career.

Sandra is a Texas CPA and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Saint Edward’s University where she earned her Master of Business Administration with a Concentration in Accounting. In her spare time, Sandra enjoys spending time with her husband, three children and two dogs. Sandra’s passion is travelling abroad and within the U.S. Sandra also enjoys live music, concerts, and reading a good book. During the week you can find her chauffeuring her children to soccer, dance, basketball, and drum lessons and trying new restaurants.

Anush Hayrapetyan, CPA – Senior Associate

Anush is a Senior Associate for Bauer & Company with over 8 years of financial statement auditing experience. Anush has experience serving various industries including; broker-dealers, construction, technology, employee benefit plans and not-for-profit organizations. Anush also worked in the manufacturing company as a chief accountant for 3 years.

Anush graduated from Yerevan State University in Armenia, where she earned her Master’s in Finance. She later graduated from St. Thomas University in Houston, where she received her Master’s in Accounting. Anush is a CPA in Texas. In her spare time, Anush enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, spending time with friends, reading books and traveling.

Rachel Lee, CPA – Senior Associate

Rachel Lee started her career at KPMG in 2016. Rachel has experience serving various industries including broker dealers, consumer packaged goods, technology, government and not-for-profit organizations.

Rachel graduated from University of Kansas in Lawrence with bachelor’s in accounting and she earned her Master’s in Accounting at Texas State University. She is a licensed CPA. Rachel grew up in Korea and fell in love with Austin when she moved here for her advanced degree. Rachel enjoys spending time playing golf, reading books, and hiking. Rachel has been involved as a member of the board of directors with not-for-profit organization called Financial Healthy Pathways.

Tabatha Brown, CPA – Senior Associate

Tabatha is an Audit Senior with Bauer & Company with over 16 years of financial statement auditing and SEC reporting experience.  Tabatha started her career in public accounting in 1997 working on large multi-national public companies for 12 years primarily in the medical device and consumer markets industry, including experience with IPO’s and go-private transactions.  She completed a two-year rotation with KPMG Netherlands in their European headquarters for U.S. GAAP technical support where she assisted with the KPMG internal quality review program, U.S. GAAP training and technical questions and became IFRS certified.  After leaving KPMG, she held roles as a Financial Reporting Manager in the healthcare industry as well as Accounting Manager and SEC Reporting Manager for a public company in the medical device industry. She has a Bachelor in Business Administration Accounting degree from the University of Houston and is a CPA. 

Tabatha is also a busy mom of two active teenagers, Colin and Hannah, and a dog named Emma.  When she is not shuttling her teens around or walking her dog around Town Lake, Tabatha is often dreaming of her next place to travel.  She has visited over 35 countries on five continents and continues to work to explore more of the world with her top five countries so far being Iceland, Maldives, Uganda, France and Japan.  She also has served on boards as well as executive, finance, and fundraising committees for a number of local non-profits primarily focused on the needs of children in Central Texas including Literacy First and Communities in Schools.