J. Richard Claywell Outstanding Member Award—Second Quarter 2026
NACVA would like to thank and recognize the following members with the J. Richard Claywell Outstanding Member Award:
Christoper Edwards, CPA, CVA, MAFF
After receiving his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Georgia in 1989, Chris returned home to Macon, Georgia to begin his practice in public accounting. For his first 25 years, Chris enjoyed a successful practice in the traditional service areas of audit, taxation, and consulting while also specializing in business valuation, litigation support services, and fraud audits. In 2013, he joined the regional firm of McNair, McLemore, Middlebrooks & Co. and is the firm’s directing partner of its Valuation and Forensic Services Practice Group with a practice devoted exclusively to multi-purpose business valuations, litigation support and expert witnessing, and fraud auditing. He has performed hundreds of business valuations in a diversity of industries and has been retained as an expert consultant/witness in over a thousand cases wherein he has provided expert witness testimony 120 times either at deposition, trial, or in regulatory environments. Chris was the chairman for three of his ten years of service on the Georgia Society of CPA’s Professional Ethics committee. In addition to being a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chris holds the advanced credential of Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) and Master Analyst in Financial Forensics (MAFF) as issued by the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA). Since 2020, Chris has been on NACVA’s faculty for edit reviews of professional texts as well as for various instruction, including the CVA and MAFF credentialing training programs. Chris is also part of the leadership of the Financial Consulting Group (FCG) and is a regular speaker at their educational events.
After receiving his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Georgia in 1989, Chris returned home to Macon, Georgia to begin his practice in public accounting. For his first 25 years, Chris enjoyed a successful practice in the traditional service areas of audit, taxation, and consulting while also specializing in business valuation, litigation support services, and fraud audits. In 2013, he joined the regional firm of McNair, McLemore, Middlebrooks & Co. and is the firm’s directing partner of its Valuation and Forensic Services Practice Group with a practice devoted exclusively to multi-purpose business valuations, litigation support and expert witnessing, and fraud auditing. He has performed hundreds of business valuations in a diversity of industries and has been retained as an expert consultant/witness in over a thousand cases wherein he has provided expert witness testimony 120 times either at deposition, trial, or in regulatory environments. Chris was the chairman for three of his ten years of service on the Georgia Society of CPA’s Professional Ethics committee. In addition to being a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chris holds the advanced credential of Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) and Master Analyst in Financial Forensics (MAFF) as issued by the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA). Since 2020, Chris has been on NACVA’s faculty for edit reviews of professional texts as well as for various instruction, including the CVA and MAFF credentialing training programs. Chris is also part of the leadership of the Financial Consulting Group (FCG) and is a regular speaker at their educational events.
Ross Yogel, MBA, CPA, CVA, MAFF
Ross Yogel is the Managing Director of Business Advisory Services and leads the Business Valuation and Financial Forensics Group at LitmanGerson Associates, LLP. He specializes in assisting closely held businesses, high-net-worth individuals, stakeholders, and attorneys with business valuation, financial consulting, and forensic accounting matters. Ross also serves as an instructor for the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts, teaching the Foundations of Financial Forensics and Conducting Fraud Investigations programs.
Ross holds the Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) designation, is a Master Analyst in Financial Forensics (MAFF), and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). He brings over a decade of experience in business valuation and forensic analysis. In each engagement, Ross applies a disciplined and methodical approach—thoroughly investigating the facts, developing a well-supported strategy, and executing that strategy with precision.
His industry experience spans a broad range of sectors, including but not limited to restaurants/hospitality, real estate, healthcare, insurance, sales and distribution, technology, manufacturing, professional services, architecture, and construction.
Ross prepares business valuations for closely and privately held entities in connection with shareholder disputes, marital dissolution matters (as both a consulting and testifying expert), mergers and acquisitions, estate and gift tax planning, SBA 7(a) compliance, and exit planning initiatives, including both internal and external buyout and negotiation strategies.
In litigation support matters, Ross assists counsel with valuation and forensic engagements involving business valuation disputes, bank-statement and asset-tracing analyses, misappropriation and dissipation of assets, fraud and embezzlement investigations, lifestyle analyses, complex compensation issues, and the calculation of income available for support.
Ross also advises buyers, sellers, and their advisors on quality of earnings analyses and transaction due diligence, supporting transactions involving private equity, venture capital, and emerging growth companies.
Ross Yogel is the Managing Director of Business Advisory Services and leads the Business Valuation and Financial Forensics Group at LitmanGerson Associates, LLP. He specializes in assisting closely held businesses, high-net-worth individuals, stakeholders, and attorneys with business valuation, financial consulting, and forensic accounting matters. Ross also serves as an instructor for the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts, teaching the Foundations of Financial Forensics and Conducting Fraud Investigations programs.
Ross holds the Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) designation, is a Master Analyst in Financial Forensics (MAFF), and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). He brings over a decade of experience in business valuation and forensic analysis. In each engagement, Ross applies a disciplined and methodical approach—thoroughly investigating the facts, developing a well-supported strategy, and executing that strategy with precision.
His industry experience spans a broad range of sectors, including but not limited to restaurants/hospitality, real estate, healthcare, insurance, sales and distribution, technology, manufacturing, professional services, architecture, and construction.
Ross prepares business valuations for closely and privately held entities in connection with shareholder disputes, marital dissolution matters (as both a consulting and testifying expert), mergers and acquisitions, estate and gift tax planning, SBA 7(a) compliance, and exit planning initiatives, including both internal and external buyout and negotiation strategies.
In litigation support matters, Ross assists counsel with valuation and forensic engagements involving business valuation disputes, bank-statement and asset-tracing analyses, misappropriation and dissipation of assets, fraud and embezzlement investigations, lifestyle analyses, complex compensation issues, and the calculation of income available for support.
Ross also advises buyers, sellers, and their advisors on quality of earnings analyses and transaction due diligence, supporting transactions involving private equity, venture capital, and emerging growth companies.
