DORRIE FRANZELLO-KURTZ | Principal and client accounting and advisory services practice lead, Yount, Hyde & Barbour

With more than two decades of accounting experience, Dorrie Franzello-Kurtz focuses on attest and tax engagements for the construction industry and small businesses. She takes a strategic, forward-looking approach to her work, according to her nominator. Whether advising a client on accounting software transitions, improving workflows or guiding long-term financial strategy, Franzello-Kurtz “brings a rare blend of deep technical expertise and business savvy,” the nominator says.
As the first practice lead for client accounting and advisory services at YHB, Franzello-Kurtz built a service area from the ground up, ensuring its culture developed into one valuing innovation, collaboration and inclusivity.

Franzello-Kurtz joined YHB in 2016 as a supervisory senior. By 2020, the firm had named her a principal.

Previously, Franzello-Kurtz worked for more than eight years as an accountant at Woodcock & Associates, a Fredericksburg accounting and consulting firm specializing in medical practice and construction clients. YHB acquired the firm in 2020.
Working with the construction industry, a traditionally male-dominated industry, Franzello-Kurtz says, has given her the opportunity to challenge assumptions “about who belongs in leadership roles and about what success looks like in our profession.”

“I have demonstrated that expertise, resilience and vision can redefine expectations,” she says.

Franzello-Kurtz graduated from George Mason University with a degree in accounting. She later earned a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Phoenix.

Return to the full list of this year’s recipients