Gidget Schutte, CPA
Gidget Schutte brings to Schutte & Hilgendorf two decades of experience as a CPA. She started her career at the national firm Deloitte & Touche where she was an auditor for 4 years in Orange County and San Francisco, obtaining her CPA certificate in 1992. For the next nine years, she worked in various accounting and financial management positions at public and pre-IPO companies in the medical distribution, software and high-tech industries. Wanting to be closer to family, she moved to Prescott on 9/11/01 (yes THE day) and started her own family. Mackenzie is now 8 and Slater is 6. No stranger to Prescott, Gidget’s family had a vacation home in Prescott since 1979 where they escaped the heat of Blythe, California. Gidget holds a BA from UC Santa Barbara in Business Economics. She is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, the Arizona Society of CPAs and the National Association of Professional Women. She served on the Board of the Prescott Area Habitat for Humanity as Treasurer in 2001-2002. Now her extra-curricular activities include helping with her kids’ school activities, hiking Thumb Butte, getting an occasional game of golf in, and practicing her culinary skills.
Lois Hilgendorf, CPA
Lois Hilgendorf’s experience includes several years of bookkeeping and accounting with both national and local firms prior to obtaining her CPA certificate in 1994. She worked for the predecessor firm, Lambson & Rader for over 20 years and finished her college education and obtained CPA status during that time. There is a good chance that if you were a Lambson & Rader client, Lois has been preparing your tax returns as the principal preparer of individual and business tax returns for the past 20 years. Lois also has extensive experience in auditing and tax preparation of non-profit firms and homeowner associations. Lois and her husband, Bruce and three children moved to Prescott from Minnesota in 1977. Now they have 6 grandchildren spread between Arizona and California ranging from age 5 to 18. Lois is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, the Arizona Society of CPAs, and the Good Samaritan Society. She has served on the Board of Prescott People Who Care as treasurer. In her spare time, Lois enjoys traveling to visit family and friends, reading, and sewing.
Adam Rutherford, CPA
Adam Rutherford, has 5 years of accounting and tax experience with local accounting firms prior to joining our firm. After graduating from Northern Arizona University with a BA in accountancy in 2005, he moved back to Prescott to work at another local firm and received his CPA license in 2008. Hired initially by Schutte & Hilgendorf part time to help out with the busy tax season of 2009, Adam came on board full time in May 2009 and has been busy ever since working in all areas of tax, auditing, accounting and has become the resident IT go-to guy. A native of Prescott, Adam is married to wife Mary Ann and now lives in Prescott Valley. He is a member of the Arizona Society of CPAs and the Prescott Young Professionals. Adam enjoys traveling, riding his bike, watching movies, and going to Disneyland as many times as possible each year.
Katja Lopez, CPA
Katja received her CPA license in Arizona after graduating from Arizona State University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. Katja worked for the ASU Comptroller’s Office and the Corporate offices of Super Shuttle, both in the Valley, before moving to Chino Valley where she has done side bookkeeping for friends while being a mom. Katja joined the firm in January 2010 just as the busy season kicked off. She participates in all tax, accounting and auditing engagements. Katja lives in Chino Valley with her husband, Michael and two daughters, Sophia (7) and Sabrina (6). She is a member of the AICPA, the Arizona Society of CPAs and the Prescott Young Professionals. She enjoys spending time with her family, biking, hiking and picnicking.
Crystal Garcia, Accountant
Hired in 2009, Crystal serves our accounting clients by performing monthly and quarterly bookkeeping functions and preparing payroll and sales tax returns. Crystal has become our Certified QuickBooks Pro-Advisor, having completed 16 hours of intense online QuickBooks training. These skills have already proved invaluable to our many small business clients using QuickBooks. Crystal was born in Big Bear California and moved to Prescott when she was 10 years old and is an alumni of Prescott High School. Crystal received her Associates Degree in Accounting from Yavapai College in December 2009 and has aspirations to obtain her Bachelor’s degree and sit for the CPA exam as soon as academically possible. When not doing homework, Crystal likes to hike the outdoors and play softball on a local co-ed team. She is a member of Prescott Young Professionals.
Rosemarie Clayton, Reception and Administration
The cheerful voice you hear on the phone belongs to Rosie, our Administrative Assistant. Hired for our first official busy tax season as Schutte & Hilgendorf, Rosie has remained with the firm and become the resident cheerleader in addition to performing all of our administrative and marketing tasks to keep the office running smoothly and successfully. Rosie and her husband Jim lived in Blythe, California for 21 years, where, among other things, they owned their own cropdusting business. They have also lived in Hawaii and Central California and decided to retire to Prescott in 2006 following their many friends that had retired here. Jim and Rosie have three grown children in California. Rosie enjoys spending time with her husband and friends and scrapbooking (which she is really good at!).
