ABOUT OUR MISSION:
Masters of Coin is committed to building civic engagement through financial education.
Located in Phoenix, AZ Masters of Coin is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping low income and elderly individuals with income tax preparation.
JIM SIMPSON,PhD, CPA
FOUNDER
Jim was a Professor of Computer Information Systems and Accounting at Scottsdale Community College.
He started Masters of Coin to bring together the many volunteers who have helped make the SCC VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program such a success and expand the reach to help people become better citizens through financial education.
During his career at SCC, Jim established the SCC VITA program.
This program uses student volunteers from Maricopa Community College accounting classes and other community members to provide free income tax preparation for low-income, disabled, and elderly taxpayers. These services are offered for free. Upon retiring from SCC, Jim and several volunteers established Masters of Coin to expand these services to five VITA sites throughout the Scottsdale Corridor.
Jim’s occupational experience is wide and varied,
including entrepreneurial experience as the owner of a fence contracting business, corporate experience at BF Goodrich Aerospace as an international sales representative, and professional experience as a CPA at McGladrey & Pullen, CPAs. His educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, and a Masters in Tax, all from Arizona State University. He earned a PhD in Education from Walden University.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Andrew Loubert, MA, CED
Andrew is the President of Community Reinvestment Solutions and has a background working with many non-profits including Habitat for Humanity and several low-income housing projects. His banking background as a Sr. VP at Bank of America also provides the credentials for teaching professional education seminars in the banking industry. Andrew has certified as a VITA volunteer.
Rea Abel
Rea has an extensive technical and educational background in computer engineering working for firms such as Honeywell, Motorola, and General Dynamics, but more importantly, she has many years’ experience working as VITA/TCE volunteers through AARP. Rea was the district director for seven AARP tax assistance sites.
John Abel
John has a varied technical background in computer engineering and security working for firms such as Honeywell, Motorola, and General Dynamics. He also has many years’ experience working as VITA/TCE volunteers through AARP. John assisted Rea with her management of the AARP sites by providing the technical expertise for the sites.
Paul Ulan
Paul of Primary Consultants provides election consulting services to aspiring as well as experienced political candidates. Paul’s specialty is education bonds, and he also serves on the board of the Arizona Business & Education Coalition.
Bob Bessen
Bob brings experience working with underserved communities, and helps connect those in need with tax benefits they’re entitled to. He runs his own pension consulting firm, and has served on a wide variety of nonprofit boards. Bob has been assisting taxpayers throughout Arizona as a VITA volunteer since 2018
Frank Dever
Frank held multiple technical roles related to data management and governance at JPMorgan Chase. He has also been a partner in a number of small businesses, managing the financial and tax-related functions. He has volunteered for several years with various VITA organizations as a tax preparer, site coordinator, and trainer.
