Grant Thornton names new office managing partners for Boston, Cleveland and Tulsa

Chris Martin, John Barnes and Jason Butler step into new leadership roles

BOSTON, CLEVELAND and TULSA, Okla — Grant Thornton LLP, one of America’s largest audit, tax and advisory firms, has named new office managing partners (OMPs) for its offices in Boston, Cleveland and Tulsa, Oklahoma — effective August 1, 2022. Each of the new OMPs will succeed Grant Thornton leaders who are wrapping up successful careers with the firm and accomplished tenures in the accounting industry. The new leaders include:

• Chris Martin, who has been named OMP of the firm’s Boston office. Martin has nearly 25 years of experience in public accounting, and he most recently served as the OMP of Grant Thornton’s office in Tampa Bay, Florida. He is also a member of the firm’s People Experience Leadership Team. Throughout his career, Martin has served clients within a broad range of industries, including life sciences, technology and manufacturing — as well as hospitality and restaurants. He is a certified public accountant (CPA) and a member of both the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Massachusetts Society of CPAs. Martin earned a bachelor of science in accountancy from the University of Rhode Island and a master of science in taxation from Northeastern University. He assumes his new role from Kim O’Connor, an Audit partner at Grant Thornton, who retires after more than 18 years of service at the firm.
• John Barnes, who has been named OMP in Cleveland after 18 years of successive leadership roles within Grant Thornton. He most recently served as the leader of the firm’s Advisory Services practice in Ohio, Michigan and Western Pennsylvania — and his extensive industry experience includes many engagements with multi-national manufacturing firms, technology companies, retailers and not-for profit organizations. Barnes is a CPA in Ohio, a certified internal auditor and a member of both the AICPA and the Institute of Internal Auditors. He earned a bachelor’s in accounting and international business from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s of business administration with a concentration in finance from the R.H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. Barnes succeeds Tom Freeman, a Tax partner at Grant Thornton, who retires after 16 years of service at the firm.
• Jason Butler, who will assume the role of OMP in Tulsa, Oklahoma after almost 20 years of successive leadership roles in that same office. Most recently, he served as the firm’s Audit practice leader in Tulsa. During his nearly 25 years in public accounting, Butler has served clients in the transportation, manufacturing and retail industries, among many others. He is a CPA in both Oklahoma and Texas and a member of the Oklahoma Society of CPAs and the Texas Society of CPAs. Butler earned a bachelor’s in accounting from the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University. He succeeds longtime Grant Thornton Audit partner Brad Stoots, who served in multiple leadership roles within the firm’s Tulsa office for more than 20 years.

“These three leaders have already made an incredible impact during their time at Grant Thornton ― and they are ideally suited to help clients and colleagues thrive and grow,” said Brad Preber, CEO at Grant Thornton. “Chris, John and Jason each have a wealth of talent and experience and, most important, they embody Grant Thornton’s commitment to making business more personal and building trust into every result. I would also like to thank Kim, Tom and Brad for their remarkable leadership over the years and their longstanding dedication to our firm.”

“Grant Thornton’s greatest strength has always been our people,” added CEO-elect Seth Siegel. “I am so grateful to the fantastic OMPs who are retiring later this summer after decades of success helping to lead our firm, and I am energized to work alongside Chris, John and Jason as we continue to grow our firm and deliver the value and quality our clients expect and deserve.”  

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