Our Team
Jody Nickerson, CPA, CA – Senior Manager
Jody joined Bruce & Monahan in 2013 as a Manager. He graduated from Acadia University and went on to obtain his CPA in 2003 while working in an accounting firm on the South Shore. He spent several years there serving a wide variety of small and medium sized businesses, including public companies. Since that time, Jody has held various roles as Manager, Controller, and Director in the accounting and finance functions while working closely with operations staff for two well known groups of companies in Halifax. Jody takes pride in being able to understand how financial and operational reporting enhances decision making no matter the size of your business.
Jody currently volunteers time and expertise as Treasurer for Tennis Nova Scotia and maintains membership in the Halifax Triathlon Club. He enjoys playing various sports with his son and cheering for his son’s teams.
Alanna Connors, B. Comm – Senior Manager
Alanna started with Bruce & Monahan after working with a large national accounting firm in Halifax and is a manager in our practice. Alanna also has valuable accounting experience in a variety of industries and strives to provide clients with high quality services with a practical perspective.
Alanna graduated from Dalhousie University’s Bachelor of Commerce Co-op program, majoring in Accounting.
Jillian Beddow – Manager
Jillian joined our team in 2016 after earning her Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in Accounting from Saint Mary’s University. She is on the path to becoming a CPA and is preparing to write her final exam in 2024. She is well-prepared to provide exceptional service to our clients while upholding our firm’s commitment to delivering a personalized understanding of our client’s needs.
Outside of work, Jillian enjoys spending time with her fiancé Shane and son Charlie, and visiting her home in Cape Breton.
Caroline Phillips
Caroline started at Bruce & Monahan in 2011 and comes with over 12 years experience as the Office Manager at a similarly sized firm of Chartered Professional Accountants in the UK, followed by nearly 3 years experience in a similar office in Bedford, Nova Scotia. Caroline’s strengths lie in the administrative organization of our office and will be able to point you in the right direction to satisfy all your questions and requirements.
Tara Magarvey, CPA, CA
Tara joined Bruce & Monahan in 2018 and comes with years of experience in both the public and private sector. Tara is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 2002 at a mid-sized firm in Halifax.
Tara has gained valuable experience, having worked in public practice over the past 15 years. As well, Tara was the Financial Controller for a mid-sized Atlantic retailer for 3 years, so she has an excellent understanding of business and accounting. Her main areas of practice include owner-managed businesses as well as personal and corporate tax preparation.
Tara enjoys camping and is a dance, hockey and soccer mom to her daughters. She resides in Tantallon with her two daughters and husband, Trevor.
Quintin Gamble
Quintin joined Bruce & Monahan in May 2022. He gained experience doing co-ops with a provincial government while completing his Bachelor of Commerce at Memorial University, and worked with a national food retailer and a large public accounting between graduating in 2019 and joining the firm. Now a senior staff accountant on the team, he has passed his Common Final Exams (CFE) from CPA Canada in November 2019 and is progressing towards his CPA designation.
Wendy Saword
Wendy joined Bruce & Monahan in 2022 as a Senior Staff Accountant, and brings to the firm over 25 years of public accounting and industry experience. Her primary focus is to provide practical accounting and corporate tax services to owner-managed businesses.
In her leisure time, Wendy enjoys the outdoors, gardening, reading and spending time with her family.
Nancy Wang
Nancy joined Bruce & Monahan in 2021 as a staff accountant. She earned a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from University of Manitoba. Nancy moved with her family from Winnipeg, Manitoba in 2019, and before joining Bruce & Monahan, she also worked in public accounting in Winnipeg.
Paul Lindner
Paul joined Bruce & Monahan in 2023 after working at a large accounting firm in the Toronto area, where he obtained his CPA designation. Paul has experience with providing public accounting services to a wide variety of clients across many industries.
In his leisure time, Paul enjoys fly fishing, camping, collecting records, and following his favorite sports teams.
Gitanjali Sharma
Gitanjali Sharma has a passion for numbers and a wealth of experience in the accounting field who joined Bruce & Monahan as a Staff Accountant in March 2023. Having worked in one of the largest public accounting firms, Gitanjali has honed her accounting and taxation services expertise. Her strong foundation in accounting principles and practices allows her to offer practical and effective solutions to clients, ensuring compliance with regulations while maximizing financial efficiency. With a commitment to excellence, Gitanjali believes in providing top-tier accounting and corporate tax services tailored to meet the client’s unique needs.
Outside of her professional life, Gitanjali finds solace and inspiration in the great outdoors. She also enjoys expressing her creativity through painting and sketching. However, her true passion lies in spending quality time with her family.
Alan Bruce, FCPA, FCA – Counsel
Alan is a Chartered Professional Accountant who has for many years provided accounting and income tax advice to clients. Having worked outside a CA firm for a number of years as a Vice President of Finance, Alan has experience in approaching business challenges from both sides of the desk.
In the past, Alan has served on numerous committees and boards, both at the provincial and national level. In 1992, Alan’s contributions to the profession were recognized when he became a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nova Scotia. This is the highest award provided by the Institute.
With the transition from day to day responsibilities and reduced client responsibilities, Alan is able to spend more time at his cottage in New Glasgow and with family including 10 grandchildren. His experience from over 30 years in the profession has been invaluable to the firm and its partners.