Board Members
Co-Director
Hannah Huneidi, CPP
Credo Semiconductor Inc
Director@californiapayroll.org
Hannah is a seasoned Senior Global Payroll Manager at Credo, where they deliver high-speed, energy-efficient connectivity solutions that power AI, cloud computing, and hyperscale networks. Hannah is based in the Bay Area, CA. She has earned a track record of working for a variety of employers providing disruptive technologies such as Cloudera, Netflix, Malwarebytes, and Box.
With over 15 years of experience in payroll processing, management and expansion, Hannah earned her CPP earned in 2017. She is an active member of the PayrollOrg (PAYO) since 2015, and is actively contributing to various national committees such as Government Relations Task Force (GRTF), State and Local Topics subcommittee (SPLTF), and Best Practices. In addition to supporting on a national level, Hannah is a Past President of the Silicon Valley chapter of PAYO, and is an active volunteer on the Board of Directors for California Payroll Conference.
She is proud to be a co-recipient for the 2021 GPA's Global Payroll Team of the Year award, one of the 2022 PAYO Education Grant winners, and a co-recipient for 2022 PAYO's Payroll Overall Best Practices Prism award winner. These wins were in part because of her involvement and exposure she earned with the larger payroll community. Hannah is passionate about sharing payroll knowledge to continue to promote and reshape the payroll landscape, which cannot be done without being surrounded by incredible payroll professionals.
Co-Director
Jon Stone
Ryan, LLC
Director@californiapayroll.org
Jon is the Principal in Charge of Ryan’s Employment Tax Consulting practice, providing U.S. federal, state, and local employment tax consulting, compliance, and controversy solutions to clients of all sizes and in all industries.
With over 18 years of experience, Jon has:
- Conducted payroll process reviews to diagnose employment tax risk and subsequently implemented solutions.
- Provided tax controversy services at federal, state, and local levels by representing clients under audit with the respective taxing authorities, providing notice resolution, assisting with penalty abatement, and resolving worker classification issues.
- Assisted clients with establishing, maintaining, and improving U.S. payroll functionality.
- Managed U.S. expatriate inbound and outbound payroll compliance, including drafting secondment agreements, running shadow payroll, and coordinating multi-country payroll reporting.
- Reviewed and assessed expense reimbursement policies and fringe benefit plans for appropriate taxation.
- Delivered technical expertise and assisted with the implementation of multi-jurisdictional withholding policies.
- Conducted wage and overtime reviews for compliance with FLSA and state rules, as well as qualified overtime wage reporting requirements.
In addition to the California Payroll Conference, Jon is frequent speaker at PayrollOrg local chapter events, statewide events, and national Congress.
Treasurer/Finance
Cynthia Vance
Ryan, LLC
treasurer@californiapayroll.org
Background
Cynthia is an IRS enrolled agent, authorized to represent clients before the IRS
Professional and Industry Experience
Cynthia Vance is a Senior Manager in Ryan’s Employment Tax Services Group with over 20 years of experience specializing in employment tax matters across multiple industries. She advises clients on payroll tax compliance and consulting, including federal, state, and local requirements.
Cynthia supports clients through complex transactions such as mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, and entity changes, ensuring proper handling of employee movements, withholding, and unemployment taxes. She also helps identify and secure federal and state tax refunds related to overpayments.
Her expertise includes employment tax controversy, notice resolution, penalty abatement, and worker classification (employee vs. independent contractor). Additionally, she assists with IRS account reconciliations, tax credit issues—including the Employee Retention Credit—and compliance reviews of 1099 reporting and independent contractor classifications.
Secretary/Administration
Christine Ness, CPP
University of San Francisco
secretary@californiapayroll.org
Christine currently serves as the Director of Payroll Services at the University of San Francisco, a private Jesuit institution founded in 1855. She brings over 30 years of payroll experience, beginning her career as a switchboard operator at Target, where she calculated employee timecards using punch machines. She advanced to Paychex as a Payroll Specialist, processing payroll on green bar paper and printing paychecks during the early transition to computerized systems.
Christine continued to expand her expertise through roles at a temporary agency, where she managed payroll, benefits, and accounts payable, before joining Petco. There, she supported payroll operations for more than 15,000 employees across the United States. She later transitioned into higher education at the University of San Diego, an institution with personal significance, as both her father and son are alumni.
Christine has been an active member of PayrollOrg since 2001 and earned her Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation that same year. She currently serves on the Strategic Payroll Leadership Task Force (SPLTF) – Education Institutions and the Ask an Expert Committee. In recognition of her contributions, she received the 2020 Meritorious Service Award. She also served on the PayrollOrg Board of Advisors from 2018 to 2019.
In addition, Christine has been actively involved with the San Diego Chapter for over 20 years, holding several leadership roles and currently serving as Chapter President. She has also been involved with the CPC since 2017 and presently serves as Secretary.
Exhibitors
Maria Katich
Execustaff HR
exhibitors@californiapayroll.org
Maria is the Payroll Manager at Execustaff HR. A seasoned payroll professional with over 22 years of experience. She is the Past President of the Silicon Valley APA and has been a board member of the Silicon Valley APA for the last four years as Director of Chapter Relations. Maria is also a Member of payroll.org.
Exhibitors Co-Chair
Danny Tomasello
UKG
exhibitors@californiapayroll.org
Danny is a tenured member of the Payroll/HR technology space with a career spanning over 25 years marked by success in Fortune 500 and 1000 companies. His journey began at a pivotal moment in the industry when IRS regulations first allowed for the electronic distribution of W-2s, and he has since been at the forefront of Employee & Manager Self-Service, tax compliance, and full-suite software platforms.
Throughout his career, Danny has established business relationships with over 250 organizations, including iconic brands such as Starbucks, Nike, Schwab, T-Mobile, Microsoft, Nordstrom, and Entertainment Partners. Currently serving as an Enterprise Account Executive at UKG, Danny is passionate about transforming payroll solutions into people solutions, emphasizing workforce enablement and helping organizations create great places to work.
Hospitality
Therese Meedon
hospitality@californiapayroll.org
Therese is currently the Global Payroll Manager at Clearwater Analytics, LLC. She is a dedicated payroll professional who actively contributes to both her organization and the broader payroll community, fostering growth and collaboration within the industry. With experience spanning a leading payroll provider as well as in-house operations, she brings a well-rounded perspective to her work. Therese specializes in developing, implementing, and automating comprehensive end-to-end payroll standard operating procedures (SOPs).
In addition to her professional role, she serves as President of the Silicon Valley PayrollOrg Chapter for 2026. Outside of her work in payroll, Therese enjoys spending time gardening.
Hospitality Co-Chair
Lisa DeRosier, CPP
GoodLeap, LLC
hospitality@californiapayroll.org
Lisa has over 30 years of payroll experience and enjoys the constant learning environment that payroll provides. After a decade at Paychex, during which she originally got her CPP, she has worked in both internal and client supporting payroll roles. Over the years, she has had the opportunity to use numerous payroll platforms, with heavy involvement in implementations and systems testing.
She also loves to travel and had the opportunity to spend 7 years in the travel industry. She especially enjoys spending time with her 5 grandkids.
Favorite quote: Minds are like parachutes – they only function when they are open.
Special Events
Nadia Camarena, CPP
Netflix, Inc
Nadia Camarena is a highly accomplished global payroll leader with more than 30 years of experience spanning bookkeeping, accounting, and complex multinational payroll operations. Beginning her career at the age of 15, Nadia has built a deep, practical understanding of payroll through hands-on experience across diverse industries, including small businesses, automotive software, and the technology sector. She currently serves as Director of Global Payroll Operations at Netflix, where she leads payroll strategy and execution across North America, EMEA, LATAM, and APAC. In this role, Nadia oversees large-scale, highly complex payroll environments, drives operational excellence, leads global transformations, and partners cross-functionally to ensure compliance, scalability, and employee trust. Nadia holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from California State University, Sacramento, and earned her Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation in 2011. She is deeply committed to the payroll profession and has been an active member of the American Payroll Association since 2011. Her leadership contributions include over a decade of service on the Silicon Valley Payroll Association board, where she currently serves as Past President, and nine years on the California Payroll Conference board, most recently as Events Chair. Known for her collaborative leadership style, operational rigor, and passion for mentoring, Nadia is a strong advocate for elevating payroll as a strategic function within organizations. She is dedicated to developing teams, modernizing payroll operations, and advancing the payroll profession through education, community engagement, and thought leadership.
Marketing/Communication
Kris Armstrong, CPP
Viant Technology
marketing@californiapayroll.org
Kris has worked in payroll for more than 19 years and has held her CPP designation for over 13 years. She is currently the Sr. Director of Payroll at Viant Technology, where she has led payroll operations for the past five years. Prior to Viant, she managed payroll for Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, The Drybar, and Marinello Schools of Beauty, supporting complex, multi-state environments across a variety of industries.
Favorite things about payroll: Supporting and mentoring other payroll professionals, implementing new technology (she will automate anything that can be automated), California payroll — yes, really — and surviving SOX control audits.
Favorite payroll saying:
“Smooth seas never made for an expert sailor.”
What makes payroll challenging?
Remembering to stay healthy while working in a job that never stops, keeping up with retroactive legislation written with less-than-clear guidance, and watching providers replace real customer service with technology that doesn’t always solve the problem.
Outside of payroll:
Kris lives in Huntington Beach with her three dogs — Daisy Dollop (Beloved Chunky Chihuahua), Paisley, and Miss Maisel. When she is not running payroll, she enjoys traveling, Saints football, and lifting weights at the gym.
Marketing/Communication Co-Chair
Jennifer Balak
marketing@californiapayroll.org
Jennifer Balak is a payroll professional, educator, and chapter leader with nearly 30 years of experience and a strong background in payroll tax, compliance, and process improvement. She earned her CPP in 2001 and was the youngest person in the United States to do so at that time. In addition to her professional work in payroll tax, she serves in a leadership role with her local PayrollOrg chapter, where she helps coordinate CPP study groups and other educational efforts. Jennifer is passionate about helping others grow in the profession and leveraging new technologies to solve real payroll problems, including using AI to support solutions for qualified overtime calculations. She is especially interested in practical innovation that improves payroll accuracy, efficiency, and understanding.
Webmaster
Renee Rogers, CPP
ADP
Renee is an Executive Relationship Manager with ADP Major Accounts. She has been in payroll over 30 years and earned her CPP in 2000.
Historian
Mindy Harada Mayo, CPP
KPMG
treasurer@californiapayroll.org
Mindy is a Managing Director in KPMG’s Silicon Valley office. She has over 30 years of employment tax experience and has assisted clients through a myriad of payroll issues encountered during a company’s life cycle.
Mindy has worked with companies of all sizes, assisting with employment tax matters from start of business through branch or company closure. She began her career as a payroll tax auditor with the State of California, Employment Development Department, paving the way for her future as a payroll consultant.
Mindy specializes in independent contractor determinations as well as payroll tax audit assistance, leveraging her experience as an auditor to assist clients who are undergoing either a federal or state payroll tax review. Mindy also has expertise with the US employment tax issues encountered by inpatriate and expatriate employees.
Mindy has assisted clients with mergers and acquisitions, downsizing, rectifying reporting issues, and penalty abatements to name a few.
Recognized nationally as an expert in the field of payroll and worker classification issues, Mindy is a frequent presenter for payroll.org at both local and national events and is a member of the Payroll.org National Speaker’s Bureau. Mindy has presented to tax professionals on the topic of stock option taxation, the payment of inpatriate and expatriate employees, the issues encountered with a mobile workforce, and the due diligence process for payroll when undergoing a merger or acquisition to name a few.
Publications and speaking engagements
- Author of Payroll Tax and the Affordable Care Act
- American Payroll Association Annual Congress
- California Payroll Conference
- Local Chapters American Payroll Association
- National Association of Stock Plan Professionals
Volunteers
Shari Wilder
University of San Francisco
Volunteers@californiapayroll.org
Shari Wilder is a Senior Payroll Analyst at the University of San Francisco, bringing a wealth of experience shaped by an unexpected start in the payroll field. Her career began while working in the accounting division at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, where what started as a chance opportunity evolved into a dedicated profession. Over the course of more than seven years, she supported military operations and their families through her payroll expertise.
After her tenure with the Marine Corps, Shari transitioned into higher education, where she held payroll and finance roles within the University of California system, including the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She later continued her work at the University of San Diego before joining the University of San Francisco.
Shari is an active member of PayrollOrg and has contributed to the San Diego Chapter of PayrollOrg, serving as both Program Director and Philanthropy Liaison. Her involvement reflects a strong commitment to professional development and community engagement within the payroll field.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Literature from the University of California, San Diego, and a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
