Sean M. McLean is a strategic technology leader skilled in guiding leaders and organizations through the complexity of modern technology including implementations. He has over two decades experience developing, delivering, and supporting strategic plans as well as translating technical requirements to business solutions. He is PMP Certified in Agile/Waterfall methodology.
Sean leads full-spectrum AI strategy and adoption initiatives—helping clients move from exploration to enterprise-scale execution. He identifies high-value use cases across operations, customer experience, and decision intelligence, then architects solutions using LLMs, vector databases, RAG pipelines, and agentic automation. Whether facilitating executive-level roadmaps or configuring production-ready AI workflows, Sean bridges business needs with technical precision. His focus on adoption ensures teams are equipped to sustain and scale AI capabilities—unlocking measurable value, faster.
Experience
Since 2000, Sean had worked at Petrinovich, Pugh, & Company, LLP, a California-based CPA consulting firm. He was most recently the IT director and director of technology consulting. At the firm, he worked with clients in a range of industries including professional services, technology, manufacturing, cannabis, automotive, construction, legal, retail, finance, real estate, medical, and non-profit.
He managed the firm’s technology implementations, budget, processes, and training as well as built process automation, agile development, data analytics, financial planning and analysis (FP&A), and financial consulting services.
Sean is also an accomplished speaker with national appearances at the AICPA Engage, Wolters Kluwer CCH User Conference, and most recently the Boomer Consulting Summit. He speaks on a wide range of topics including Innovation, Technology Strategy, Fractional leadership, and AI Operations.
In his free time, Sean enjoys travelling and exploring in his camper van with his wife and dogs. He is also a competitive power lifter. He resides in the San Jose, CA.
Josh Westfall is a seasoned revenue leader with a decade of experience driving growth across SaaS, financial services, and advisory sectors. As Vice President – Growth & Cross-Sell at Elevate, Josh leads strategic initiatives to expand client value through targeted tax solutions and sophisticated advisory services.
Since 2013, Josh has held progressively senior sales and leadership roles, including Director of Enterprise Sales at SHARE and Senior Account Executive at Clarus R+D, where he specialized in R&D tax credits. His experience spans enterprise sales, channel partnerships, and strategic revenue operations, with a strong focus on high-impact advisory services. Josh holds a BA in History from Ohio State University and a Certificate in Scaling a Business from The Wharton School.
Len Rodman joined Rothschild Capital Partners in 2011 and brings a multidisciplinary background spanning investment banking, operational science, and capital markets. At RCP, he focuses on identifying and scaling acquisition opportunities that drive long-term value.
Prior to RCP, Len was a member of the healthcare investment banking group at Stifel Nicolaus Weisel, where he advised public and private companies on M&A, capital raises, and strategic initiatives across biotechnology, medical devices, and senior housing. Len began his career as a medicinal chemist at Merck & Co., contributing to patented pharmaceutical innovations, before transitioning to proprietary trading at E*Trade—building a foundation in market dynamics and risk management that informs his investment approach today.
He holds a BA in Chemistry with Honors from Wesleyan University and an MBA in Finance and Accounting from NYU Stern. Len remains actively involved in mentoring emerging leaders through the University of Maryland’s Do-Good Institute.
Karen Bennett is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of leadership experience in Human Resources and Firm Operations within the accounting industry. Karen is recognized for cultivating strong, trust-based relationships across teams and stakeholders, supported by a clear strategic vision and consistent operational execution. She has built a career driving organizational growth, cultural integration, and scalable infrastructure across complex, multi-office environments.
She currently serves as Chief People & Platform Officer at Elevate, where she leads the firm’s people strategy and operational platform. Her role spans talent acquisition, leadership development, firm wide integration, and cross-functional execution - ensuring Elevate’s culture and systems remain a competitive advantage as the firm scales nationally.
Karen previously served as VP of Strategy & Operations at Citrin Cooperman, a top 20 accounting firm, where she led Strategic Resource Management across Assurance, Tax, and Advisory service lines. Her leadership was pivotal in scaling high-performing teams, integrating newly acquired firms, and elevating operational performance. She introduced innovative scheduling and reporting systems that significantly improved resource utilization, transparency, and accountability.
Prior to Citrin Cooperman, Karen was Chief Human Resources Officer at Berdon LLP, a national top 50 accounting firm, where she led HR strategy focusing on performance management, talent acquisition, resource management, and employee engagement. Her leadership helped shape a culture of fast feedback, operational efficiency, and talent development.
A trusted advisor to executive teams, Karen is passionate about building high-performing teams, aligning people and platform strategy, and delivering lasting impact through thoughtful leadership and execution.
EDUCATION
Karen holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from St. Francis College.
INTERESTS
Karen resides in Staten Island, New York with her husband and daughter. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Karen is also an active supporter of St. Clare Church and School in Staten Island.
Paul Trager is Chief Financial Officer of Elevate, where he is responsible for building scalable financial infrastructure to support the firm’s rapid M&A and growth strategy in the CPA and advisory services sector. He serves as a true operating partner to the CEO and investors, ensuring that all partner firms are integrated seamlessly, operational performance is tracked rigorously, and the platform is positioned for sustained growth and investor confidence.
Paul began his career in public accounting, ultimately becoming a Partner at Weinick Sanders Leventhal & Co., LLP in New York, where he advised clients on audit, tax compliance, and financial reporting. Over the past two decades, he has served as CFO for multiple private equity-backed companies, leading acquisition accounting, division-level reporting, and investor communications while driving margin improvement and financial discipline.
At Elevate, Paul oversees financial integration, cash flow management, budgeting, forecasting, and resource planning across the platform. He works closely with the Chief Data Officer to implement dashboards, KPIs, and technology systems that enable visibility and scalability, while standardizing financial policies across subsidiaries. His leadership ensures Elevate’s platform is built with the systems, discipline, and accountability required to scale into a premier national firm.
Paul is a Certified Public Accountant and earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Accounting) from the Questrom School of Business at Boston University.
Sanjay Agarwal is an experienced executive specializing in strategic growth, mergers and acquisitions, and operational scalability. Previously, as Tax Managing Partner and Strategic Growth Leader at a Top 50 CPA firm, Sanjay successfully expanded the firm's national tax practice, increasing revenues from $4M to over $60M in five years through organic growth and targeted acquisitions.
In addition to leading a global team of over 250 professionals, Sanjay served on the Executive Committee and chaired its Strategic Growth Committee, directing negotiations and completion of significant CPA and advisory firm mergers totaling over $50M in annual revenue. His expertise includes talent acquisition, innovative service delivery models, high-value strategic tax advisory services and value creation through offshoring and enabling technology.
As CEO of Elevate, Sanjay drives strategic growth, value creation and operational excellence. He combines deep industry expertise, leadership acumen and an entrepreneurial mindset to guide the firm through rapid growth and innovation.
Sanjay holds an LL.M. in Taxation (Corporate and International) from New York University School of Law, a J.D. from St. Thomas University College of Law, and a B.S. in Finance from California State University, Northridge. He is a licensed member of the State Bar of California.
