Specializing in servicing Credit Unions for 0ver 50 years

Michael Richards, CPA    
Mike Richards has held the position of CEO of Richards & Associates, CPAs for over forty years. He joined the firm in 1973 after earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the California State University at Los Angeles and becoming a Certified Public Accountant. In addition to managing the day-to-day operations of Richards & Associates, Mike has introduced many new services we now provide for our clients. He is responsible for quality control of all professional services offered by the firm.    mrichards@richardscpas.com

William (Bill) Richards was the founder and first CEO of our firm. He earned a law degree from Loyola University before starting his long illustrious career in the credit union industry.  Bill started his career as a federal examiner and later served as the chief executive officer for a large credit union. In 1968 he co-founded the National Association of Federal Credit Unions (NAFCU) now one of the premier trade associations for the industry.

As the first president of NAFCU, Bill Richards testified before the United States Congress to obtain deposit insurance for the credit unions nationwide. Although he passed away in 1997, Bill Richards’ vision and entrepreneurial spirit continues to guide our firm.

Consulting Associate

Founder – William Richards (1918-1997)

​​Richards & Associates, CPAs

Marsha Heath

Marsha has been associated with Richards & Associates for nearly forty years. Her experience includes various aspects of credit union management, operations, and compliance. As with all of our Administrative Associates, she provides vital support to the Audit teams.

​CPA Associates

  (714) 287-6713

audit Associates

Erin Brophy

Erin has worked intermittently for Richards & Associates for over 20 years while pursuing a career in education. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree from University of California, Riverside, she went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Education. Erin joined the firm’s Administrative team full time in 2013.

Faithe Brown

Faithe graduated from Northwest University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Organizational Management. She began her banking career in 1991 and through the years worked in Commercial Banking where she was responsible for operations management. Faithe joined the Richards & Associates team in 2022.

administrative assistants

Alicia Pedernal, CPA

Alicia began working in the credit union industry in 2005. As a senior accountant, she provided accounting support to several southern California credit unions and is also knowledgeable in tax reporting. Alicia earned her CPA in February 2010. She had worked for Richards & Associates intermittently for nearly four years and rejoined our Audit team in 2017.

Vanessa Medigovich, CPA

Vanessa is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with concentration in accounting. She joined our Audit team in 2011 as a CPA candidate and earned her CPA license in January 2014. 

Wendy Angle

Specializing in operations, internal audits, and compliance, Wendy is a Certified BSA Officer and began working in the financial services industry in 2004. She started her career with Downey Savings & Loan and participated in a successful merger with US Bank in 2008. Wendy joined the Richards & Associates Audit team in 2014.

Nick Richards

After studying at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Nick began his career in the credit union industry as an Audit Associate at Richards & Associates in 2006. He worked for the firm from 2006-2010 before becoming the Director of Operations at Glendale Federal Credit Union. He helped the credit union grow their membership each year and was also in charge of all compliance areas from BSA to Lending. During his tenure at the credit union, he oversaw many projects as well as the implementation of new products and services. Nick rejoined Richards & Associates in 2015.

Nancy Richards

Nancy was an executive assistant for a northern California credit union for ten years prior to joining Richards & Associates in 1994. She has been associated with the credit union industry for over forty years.

Jennifer Collom

Jen earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management from California State University, Chico. She previously worked for Richards & Associates for over seven years and rejoined our Administrative team in 2013.