February 7, 2024 – Nashville, TN
Shannon Sumner, Chief Compliance Officer and Managing Principal of PYA’s Nashville office, has received a Nashville Business Journal 2024 Women of Influence Award in the “Top Executive” category. The award program honors the region’s most influential businesswomen in the 10-county region of Middle Tennessee who shape companies, improve communities, and serve as role models for future influential female leaders. The “Top Executive” category recognizes female CEOs, presidents, and partners who are leading their companies to success while impacting Nashville and the surrounding region.
Sumner has more than 30 years of experience advising executives and governing boards in healthcare organizations in Middle Tennessee and across the country on navigating highly complex federal regulatory requirements and their roles and responsibilities for effective compliance oversight. Her work helps the organizations strengthen their essential compliance programs, so they can continue to provide quality care to their communities.
Sumner’s career highlights include being recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Justice as the healthcare compliance and internal audit expert for the largest federal compliance co-monitorship of a health system in U.S. history. Before returning to PYA, she was integral to the senior leadership of the nation’s largest provider of internal audit services to more than 450 hospitals and health systems.
“I’m honored to represent PYA in the Women of Influence Award—a reflection of our firm’s commitment to female leadership,” Sumner said. “I take immense pride in being a female owner at one of the nation’s premier healthcare consulting firms and in the fact that PYA is a leader among our peers in the percentage of female owners. I hope my award is a testament to my approach to empathetic leadership, professional excellence, community involvement, and a culture where colleagues and clients feel supported, valued, and empowered.”
An active community supporter, Sumner serves in governance roles in the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, Ascension Saint Thomas, and most recently the Maryland Farms’ YMCA. She is a member of Women Business Leaders in Healthcare, the American Health Law Association, and the Women’s White Collar Defense Association. She also serves as a faculty member of the Health Care Compliance Association and on the editorial board of the Journal of Health Care Compliance.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead our office’s efforts to give back to the Nashville community,” Sumner said. “We have sponsored Alive Hospice, fulfilled holiday wish lists for families in need, celebrated cancer survivors with the YMCA’s After Breast Cancer program, and packed boxes for Second Harvest Food Bank. Our goal with community outreach is always to do the good that is ours to do.”
Sumner is a certified public accountant with certification in healthcare compliance. She earned a Master of Accountancy degree and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree, Cum Laude, from the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
“Shannon Sumner is certainly a ‘woman of influence,’” said Marty Brown, PYA President and Chief Executive Officer. “Her leadership of our Nashville office reflects on her both as a person and a professional who represents PYA’s values in the region through her passion for quality service, her collaborative spirit, and her dedication to supporting clients’ and the community’s needs. I’m proud of Shannon and this recognition, which is so well deserved.”
Women of Influence Award honorees are nominated by the public and judged by an independent panel of past winners on professional accomplishments, community involvement, and the judges’ assessment. The awards will be presented at an event in Nashville on April 24. Nashville Business Journal subscribers can read about all of the 2024 winners.
April 17, 2024 – Nashville, TN
Forbes released its inaugural list of America’s Top 200 CPAs, and PYA is honored to announce Marty Brown, President and CEO, is included in the prestigious list. He is one of only two CPAs from Tennessee and the only CPA in East Tennessee to receive this honor.
The Top 200 is “…a compilation of the finest CPAs active in public practice, culled from a collection of candidates sourced through independent nominations and accolades from every society and association of CPAs,” according to Forbes. “Nominees were rated on a range of weighted criteria, including expertise, innovation, thought leadership, experience, and service to the community and to their profession, as well as responses to selected questions.”
A select group of Forbes’ editorial staff considered more than 1,000 nominated CPAs for the list, which reflects “the very principles on which this profession stands – most of all, a fierce commitment to the staunch independence that delivers reliable financial data, upon which the American economy resides,” according to a Forbes article by Steel Rose. “But in truth, the most common denominator among each of these listmakers was courage.”
In a time of volatility in the accounting profession brought on by a dwindling pipeline of talent, the introduction of artificial intelligence, the shifting needs of clients, changes in technology, and the influence of private equity, the Top 200 CPAs reflect a stalwart determination to innovate and adapt.
“I’m both surprised and deeply humbled by this recognition,” Brown said. “I’m privileged to work alongside the mindful professionals at PYA, who tirelessly work to do what is best for our clients. PYA certainly experiences the challenges of today’s profession, but we continue an upward trajectory. Of the many factors that contribute to our success – our people, our ability to transition our services, and our values – I believe our choice to remain independently owned helps us ensure absolute impartiality and the ability to advise our clients on what’s best for them without question. That’s been the PYA way for more than 40 years.”
A certified public accountant, Brown joined PYA in 1991 and served as Managing Principal of Consulting Services from 2006-2019, when he was named Chief Executive Officer. During his tenure, he has helped catapult PYA to national recognition from Accounting Today, USA TODAY, Inside Public Accounting, and Modern Healthcare. In 2023, PYA was inducted into The University of Kansas Health System Hall of Fame, the highest honor bestowed by the system, and named the Outstanding Corporate Partner by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business.
With a strong spirit of entrepreneurship, Brown helped found several of PYA’s affiliated companies and inaugurated the PYA Ballard Innovation Award for East Tennessee start-ups. He is a 1985 graduate of the Haslam College of Business and continues to support his alma mater in impactful ways. A longtime leader in the community and profession, he is involved with many state and national organizations.
PYA is pleased to sponsor and be members of:
