The E&A Difference

The E&A difference is the commitment and value we bring to every engagement through deep and broad client relationships, not one-dimensional transactions. Clients often comment on E&A’s “personal and passionate professionalism.” Simply put: character matters!

The E&A CFO Group’s team members are talented generalists, each with their own core specialties, who understand how people inside organizations think. By combining these talents and utilizing our network of allied professional services firms, E&A meets changing service needs, including rapid growth and turnaround/crisis intervention situations. Because we’re proud of and enjoy working with our clients, we enthusiastically help you achieve your goals. Many clients have been with E&A for 20+ years!

Knowledge and insight are intangible products—and what we provide to clients. We know we must share that knowledge with you in meaningful and useful ways to have value. The E&A team continually looks for ways to deliver that knowledge and insight and to learn from clients by providing frequent opportunities for feedback.

Every year, the entire E&A team meets off site to take a hard look at ourselves and answer several questions:

  • Why do clients choose to work with us?
  • How are we different from other firms?
  • How can we offer clients a better experience?

While the answers do not always come easily, the process continually adds capabilities and enhances the ways we interact with you. It reinforces our commitment to clients, old and new, to listen to your concerns; learn about your situation; analyze your needs, and do what it takes to provide the service you need and deserve. As Steven Covey says, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

Additional Team Members

E&A carefully selects team members for optimum value and impact. Team members have held positions inside companies (financial services, technology, retail, manufacturing and educational institutions) and, therefore, have experience on your side of the desk.

When workloads and/or specific client engagements make it wise, we supplement our permanent staff through long-standing relationships with senior interim accounting specialists (typically CPAs) and accounting interns from local universities. E&A often partners with other professional service firms, including attorneys and CPA firms to deliver specialized services to clients.

E&A’s alliances with Vanessa Pollard CPA, a minority-owned, woman-owned CPA firm, brings highly qualified resources to further deepen E&A’s team and meet MBE/WBE requirements. Our close relationship with Schmidt Associates, CPAs, also adds depth and experience to E&A’s ability to meet almost any client need.

E&A’s capabilities have also proven useful to other CPA firms who turn to us for our expertise and ability to work side-by-side with them. They frequently refer clients needing help with audits, reviews and expatriate taxation. Plus, team members speak to and are published authors on business issues for the public and other members of the profession, as well as serving as adjunct faculty at several local universities and colleges.


Meet Our Team

E&A carefully recruits outstanding team members, develops their sense of personal responsibility to keep expanding their expertise, and encourages entrepreneurial thinking. That provides resources focused on providing creative business solutions to enhance your success, instead of just being skilled technicians. That approach has produced a loyal and effective team.

All of E&A’s current team came to us from personal referrals. Over the last 25+ years, the average tenure of E&A’s non-seasonal associates has been 10 years or more and many interns stay with E&A for several tax seasons. Clients appreciate that stability, and it results in team members who are experienced business people and accountants well versed in accounting, auditing, tax and management issues that all businesses need.

Our team is committed to providing high-quality, high-value, professional services to clients.

Joe Eckelkamp

E&A’s capabilities have also proven useful to other CPA firms who turn to us for our expertise and ability to work side-by-side with them. They frequently refer clients needing help with audits, reviews and expatriate taxation. Plus, team members speak to and are published authors on business issues for the public and other members of the profession, as well as serving as adjunct faculty at several local universities and colleges.


Joseph T. Eckelkamp, CPA

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Joe is founder of E&A and has over 35 years of diverse financial experience.

Joe has over 40 years of diverse financial experience. He founded E&A in 1996 after having served as Chief Financial Officer, Vice President of Finance, or Controller at several companies, including financial institutions, a data services company, and a technology company. Joe started his career with a “Big 4” CPA firm.

Joe is accomplished in financial advisory “Rent-A-CFO℠” services, interim management, revenue enhancement and cost reduction, taxation, and operations, as well as having global business experience. He gained valuable knowledge of human resources, strategic planning, and acquisition issues, including post-acquisition integration, during his time in industry. Helping businesses adapt and improvise while they are restructuring and/or in acquisition/divestiture transactions is a major part of his role at E&A.

Joe earned BSBA and MBA degrees from St. Louis University and attended executive education programs at Harvard. His awards include the Missouri CEO of the Year in 2016, SBA Accountant Advocate for Small Business Award for a four state region, and the prestigious Mercantile Bancorporation Inc. Chairman’s Award. He’s also been named an Unsung Hero and one of the 100 People in St. Louis to Know and Succeed by the St. Louis Small Business Monthly.

He has served on numerous boards of directors, including non-profit organizations and a financial institution. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Chaminade College Preparatory School. An active member of the Missouri Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs, Joe served as Chairman of the MSCPA’s Business Consulting Services Committee and as a member of the AICPA’s Tax Practice Improvement Committee. He has authored numerous articles, both for general audiences and for the profession, and speaks regularly on business topics. Joe has been quoted in numerous publications, including Fortune and professional publications. He served for many years as an adjunct accounting professor for St. Louis University and several other local colleges and universities.


Diane M. Boyer, CPA

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Diane is “second-in-command” and leads E&A’s financial reporting services team.

Diane is Director-Accounting and Auditing and leads E&A’s financial reporting services team. She joined E&A in 2001 after a progressive and challenging 19-year career at a $70 billion financial institution. Her primary focus is meeting the business planning needs of clients, delivering audit and review services, and providing accounting/financial expertise for our turn-key outsourced accounting clients. She also is very active in taxation of businesses and individuals.

Before joining E&A, Diane served as CFO of the $150 million Operations and Technology Division and as Assistant Comptroller of a bank holding company. Her experience includes mergers and acquisitions, integration activities, complex financial accounting, budget system design, strategic plans, management, and interacting with regulators/external auditors. Since 1981, Diane and Joe have worked together in varying roles for well over half of their careers.

The St. Louis Small Business Monthly featured Diane as an “A-Team Executive.” She graduated with honors from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with a degree in Business Administration (emphasis in Accounting). Diane has completed a variety of professional development programs and is proficient in QuickBooks® and many Microsoft applications. She is also an active current member of the AICPA and the Affton Chamber of Commerce. She’s also served on the Affton Chamber’s Board of Directors as its Treasurer.


Tomi Akin-Deko

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Tomi handles client’s accounting, bookkeeping and tax needs.

Tomi joined E&A in 2018 after she graduated as an international student from Maryville University magna cum laude, with a degree in accounting and minor in cybersecurity. Before joining E&A full-time, she had internships with a commercial bank and a large local CPA firm, gaining experience in auditing and tax preparation.

She is involved in handling client’s accounting services, bookkeeping services and tax needs. Tomi is proficient in Microsoft applications and QuickBooks and makes expatriate returns an area of specialization.


Angelo Ceko

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In addition to accounting, bookkeeping and taxes, Angelo is a specialist in Quickbooks online and the Employee Retention Tax Credit.

Angelo joined E&A in 2019 after he graduated from Webster University with a degree in Accounting. Before joining E&A, he had experience in restaurant management where he controlled finances and customer experiences. He also enjoys coaching basketball at his high school alma mater.

Angelo handles client’s accounting services, bookkeeping services, and tax needs. Angelo is the firm’s QuickBooks Online specialist and has made the Employee Retention Tax Credit an additional area of specialized expertise. He is also proficient in Microsoft applications.


Christina Mauer

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Chrissy serves as the point of contact for all client facing communications.

Chrissy joined The E&A CFO Group at the beginning of 2021. Chrissy serves an integral role at E&A by serving as the point of contact for all client facing communications and providing technical and logistical support wherever it is necessary.

Prior to joining E&A , Chrissy managed a successful small business where her focus was on building trust with the clients and forming a relationship that allowed her to better serve their needs.

She graduated from UMSL with a B.S. in Criminal Justice and has an extensive background in client services.


Jennifer Endsley

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Jenn has worked as a permanent, seasonal professional for many years and is a key part of E&A’s service delivery team.


Joel Eisleben

Email Joel | Ext 102

Joel joined E&A in 2022 specifically to be the firm’s Employee Retention Credit subject matter expert.