Michelle was born and raised in the Central Valley of CA. She attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and earned her bachelors degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting. After college, Michelle spent 8 years at a firm which specialized in high-net-worth and multi-entity tax planning with an emphasis on agriculture. During that time, she obtained her CPA license and continued her education at Golden Gate University, earning a Masters Degree in Taxation.  In 2008, she formed Michelle E. Benton Accountancy Corporation and in the Summer of 2012, had the honor of merging that firm with Ron Roberson. Together, our 2 office locations, Turlock & Sonora, serve the Central Valley and the Mother Lode.

Michelle’s areas of expertise are: Individual and Business income tax preparation and planning, business entity selection and multi-entity coordination, business consulting, construction accounting and consulting and estate planning and estate tax preparation. 

Michelle lives in Sonora with her husband and three daughters.  They spend much of their time attending sporting games that the girls are participating in as well as traveling any chance they get.  Michelle has previously served multiple terms as President for the California Society of CPA’s San Joaquin Chapter, board member for the Off Center Thrift & Gift and The Tuolumne County United Way.  She also is the CFO for Sierra Mountain Construction, Inc. a heavy civil construction company.

Ron Roberson was first licensed as a CPA in 1985 and has been an owner of a Tuolumne County CPA firm since 1986. Ron’s experience, along with his down to earth personality, has allowed him to literally help thousands of Tuolumne County business owners and residents achieve or exceed their financial goals. Ron believes a CPA should be more of a financial partner with clients that than just “tax man”. But, that doesn’t mean Ron isn’t a tax expert.

Ron is a nationally known tax lecturer and author who has more than 20 years of experience writing and teaching tax, Social Security and accounting related topics to CPAs and other tax professionals throughout the United States. More than a dozen CPA societies, the American Institute of CPAs, the California Society of Enrolled Agents, the National Society of Accountants, and the National Association of Tax Professionals have all hired Ron to teach their members the latest tax law changes. Ron’s favorite part of teaching is bringing the latest tax developments and knowledge to Benton Roberson CPAs, LLP to ensure clients get every financial and tax savings opportunity available to them.

Bob Hoyt is a CPA with 30 years of tax, business advisory, and accounting experience.   He earned degrees in finance and accounting from Oregon State University.   He also passed the professional education program administered by the College of Financial Planning.   

Bob is the former owner of the Sonora CPA Group Inc which merged with Benton Roberson CPA’s LLP in 2021. His mission with Benton Roberson is to manage the former Sonora CPA Group clients and to assist the Benton Roberson professionals as needed.

He was raised in Twain Harte where he spent his youth fishing, duck hunting, skiing, and participating in sports.   He currently enjoys golf, travel, Scotch whisky, dominoes, and most outdoor activities.   Bob is a big fan of the S.F. Giants, Columbia College Men’s Basketball, and Survivor.  He’s been married to his wife Mary for 42 years; has four children and seven grandchildren.

Michael Kambel, a Senior Managing Accountant, has been providing expert tax advice for over 15 years. After graduating college in 2006, he began working in tax advising and preparation with our Managing Partner, Michelle Benton.

Michael is a Turlock native, attending local elementary schools and graduating from Turlock High. He went on to graduate from California State University, Stanislaus with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus in accounting. His years of experience have allowed him to gain knowledge in real estate, dairy, farming, business startups, small business services, and more. Michael believes, working as an accountant there is never a dull moment, and his goal is to create a stress-free tax season (at least for the client). The key to a strong partnership is building a trusting relationship followed by proper planning.

Outside of the office, Michael spends his time with his family. He is married and has three children. He also enjoys spending his time traveling, watching sports, and immersing in local cultures and customs.

Maira’s interest in accounting began during her senior year in high school while taking a bookkeeping class. While pursuing her education in accounting she worked at a local family business in her hometown of Patterson in their accounting department. She has a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from California State University, Stanislaus. She began her career in public accounting with Benton Roberson CPA’s in 2019 as an accountant and is currently pursuing her CPA license. 

She enjoys helping her clients with immediate needs, planning their future, and understanding their business through the language of numbers. Whether it is personal income tax or business-related taxes one of her primary objectives is for her clients to not encounter surprise tax liabilities. The most rewarding aspect of her career is building long term relationships with clients and making a positive difference in the success of their businesses. 

Maira’s happiest place and time are that spent with her family and friends. Just about every weekend of her summers is spent exploring our beautiful California beaches with her 13-year-old Goddaughter. Currently working on visiting all 50 states of our country before she turns 40.

Courtney started her journey in her accounting career 9 years ago, when she decided to further her education.  During the process of furthering her education, she was able to earn both her BS and MS in Accounting.  Then, about 4 years ago, she officially made the switch to work in public accounting, here at Benton Roberson CPA’s as an accountant.  Before this she worked in the dental field for 8 years as a Registered Dental Assistant, and the dental field will always hold a special place in her heart.  In both professions, she loved the relationships that she built with the patients/clients, as well as helping them along the way.  Courtney was born and raised in Tuolumne County, and serves as the 7^th generation in the county.  Now she has the privilege to raise her two children here.

One of her primary goals here at Benton Roberson is to build lifelong relationships with our clients.  She feels listening to what the client wishes to achieve in both business and personal aspirations is extremely important and loves to be the lifeline for them to use along the way to help them conquer these aspirations. By building this foundation, it will allow us to figure out the best approach to take when looking at tax strategy, accounting, and the different ways to build wealth both professionally and personally. It is extremely rewarding and exciting for her to be able to go on this journey with clients.  Along the way, she will be studying for the CPA exam, and hopes to complete it soon. 

When not in the office, she loves to spend time outdoors, whether it be running, hiking, or just enjoying the beautiful weather.  She also enjoys reading a good book, cooking or creating different arts and crafts.  Of course, her favorite thing to do is to spend time with family and friends, especially her two children, Evie and Kade.

Rachael spent 8 years in banking before joining the Benton Roberson team in 2013. She initially started as the front office administrator, but slowly became more interested in the daily accounting and tax procedures. She then pursued her BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from the University of Phoenix, and is now studying to complete her E.A.

She enjoys helping clients maintain accurate books throughout the year to ensure they can reduce their personal or business tax liability as much as possible. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the job for her is being able to build long term client relationships. This allows the client to feel confident in running their business smoothly all while relying on the firm to help plan for a successful future.

When not in the office, she loves spending time outdoors fishing, hunting, and camping with her husband, Jimmy, and sons James and Murphy. As a family they love to travel, so they bought an RV to start adventures around the U.S.

Janet has been working in public accounting for 16 years in the capacity of a staff accountant, in a supporting role for both clients and co-workers.  Her main focus is helping clients with their accounting, payroll, sales tax, financial reporting, and tax preparation, both business and personal.  She has been a pro-advisor for QuickBooks and has extensive experience in both accounting and business management.  She joined Benton Roberson in June 2021 as part of the merger form Sonora CPA Group Inc.

Her career started in Silicon Valley where she worked for two privately held companies as Vice President of Finance and Administration for a total of 17 years before deciding to pursue her desire to own her own business.  Janet purchased Columbia Nursery and Florist in Sonora in 1995 and ran a very successful, multi-faceted business with included a nursery, a florist, and a gift shop.  She sold the business in 2006, having achieved the goals that she set for herself, and decided to pick up her career in accounting once again and has been in public accounting since 2007. She most recently passed the Enrolled Agent Exam, one of the highest credentials that can be obtained from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

When she is not in the office, she enjoys time at home, whether it is working in her yard or taking long walks with her dog (they both enjoy the exercise!).  She has family in Manteca and Lake Tahoe and she tries to visit them as often as possible.  She has been to several national parks and it is a goal of hers to visit many more in the next few years.

Born and raised in Tuolumne County, Dave spent 10 years in the healthcare business development before joining Benton Roberson CPA’s. Dave has a Bachelor’s in Business Marketing and a Master of Business Administration. He has experience in business development including client growth strategies, business optimization, marketing, project pro forma’s, client relations strategies, and other business-related topics. He most recently passed the Enrolled Agent exam. The Enrolled Agent (EA) is one of the highest credentials that can be obtained from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). 

He is passionate about family, friends, and the outdoors. He spends his time with his wife Natalie and three boys: Jude, Hudson, Nolan. He loves running, biking, snowboarding, but coaching is his passion. Dave enjoys volunteering with his church and as the Vice President for Sierra Westside Little League.

Born and raised in Tuolumne County, Rashell possesses nearly three decades of expertise in the private sector as a skilled business professional.  Rashell's extensive background includes proficiency in accounting, controllership, document control, project management, operations, and leadership. Currently working towards her CPA license and shift into the public accounting sector, she showcases a strong commitment to continuous professional growth and excellence.

Beyond personal achievements, Rashell is deeply passionate about empowering those in her community. She eagerly anticipates leveraging her wealth of experience, ongoing education, and empathetic approach to make meaningful contributions to our clients' projects. 

Outside of work, Rashell cherishes moments with her family. Married to Mike, they nurture two highly competitive high school athletes, a commitment that involves a significant amount of her free time dedicated to chauffeuring, volunteering, and enthusiastic cheering. She also finds solace in nature, often indulging in hikes, with her most cherished memory being a nighttime trek up Half Dome, culminating in a breathtaking sunrise at the summit.

Jamie Grenland joined the Team in Dec. 2022 after receiving his master's degree in accounting and financial management. Jamie comes eager to put his passion for problem solving to work as he continues to learn and work towards successfully completing the CPA exams (2 down, 2 to go!!)

While Jamie may be a fresh face around the office, he is no stranger to Tuolumne County, with over 40 years of calling it his home. Born and raised with the same zip code he has today, Jamie went through elementary and High School locally, then earned his first degree at Columbia College. The next ten years brought marriage, home mortgage statements, and commuting to UC Merced five days a week. Jamie received his bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry, from UC Merced and promptly accepted a position at Columbia College as a chemistry instructor, in 2019. Jamie taught for two years, before changing his career to public accounting.

If asked why he became an accountant, Jamie would express his love for numbers and helping people. His goal is to help individuals lower their tax bills and plan for retirement. He is especially passionate about building relationships with small businesses and developing tax strategies to help guide them to financial success.

Not to avoid a difficult task or put in the extra effort, Jamie isn't one to shy away from applying the same conviction to having a good time away from the desk. Whether he is barbecuing, fishing, watching the 49ers, or just relaxing with his wife Jen and son Kai, Jamie tries to enjoy every second of his life and all who are a part of it. Sometimes, he enjoys his personal time almost as much as the time he spends at the offices of Bento Roberson CPA's. 

Lisa joined Benton Roberson as the Firm Administrator in 2021 as a part of the merger with Sonora CPA Group.  Lisa started her career in office administration in 2002 as the Office Manager for a local general contractor and made the move to tax and accounting in 2010.

Lisa truly loves talking to and helping clients with whatever they may need.  As well as making sure the office runs smooth while keeping it fun and friendly.

Lisa moved to Tuolumne County in 1998 with her husband of nearly 30 years and 2 children.  She currently is enjoying the role of Grandma to her first granddaughter.  When not in the office she enjoys biking on local trails, hiking with her 3 very spoiled dogs, gardening and pretty much anything outdoors.

In 2012 Kelly joined Benton Roberson as the office manager and bookkeeper in our Turlock office. I enjoy working with our clients and our office staff with whatever they may need and keeping our office running smoothly.

Kelly and her husband Gilbert have been married for 27 years and live in Hilmar with their two sons. She and her family love to travel and enjoy trips to Disneyland. When she is not working Kelly enjoys reading, kayaking, and spending time with her family, friends, and her two Mastiffs.

Beth joined our team in December of 2021 and serves as the front desk reception in our Sonora office as well as an administrative assistant.  Beth started her career in office administration in 2014, before that she held management positions in retail businesses.

Beth loves interacting with clients and being available to help them with their needs. As well as helping to keep the office running smoothly.

Beth has lived in the Tuolumne County off and on since 1993. Beth and her husband recently moved back to Sonora in 2015. When not in the office, Beth loves spending time with family, camping with her husband and pup, and being a grandma to 13 grandchildren.

Megan joined our team in 2021. Her work experience includes managing a medical office for 14 years, working at the Birth Center for Adventist Health, and some small business start-ups.  She brings with her knowledge of office interworking's, her ability to learn quickly, and energy for a fast-paced work environment.  Mostly, she brings energy, and charisma to the team. (what accounting office doesn't need a little Charisma?!) 

Outside of work, Megan has a Husband of 18 years (yes, high school sweethearts) and three children, Owen, Noella, and Alivia. They are her whole heart!!  When she's not running around to all the sporting events, social events, and all that three kids require, she enjoys going for long walks, relaxing at home with her hubby and Posey boy (the dog). Traveling is what makes her soul gush, and she's grateful every day for the most amazing partner to travel and adventure with.