Certified Professionals
Founded by Rick Zatz and Mary Pat Wood in 2001, SPS/GZ addresses all core disciplines related to equity compensation plans, including accounting, financial reporting and SEC & IRS compliance. Each company is assigned a Certified Equity Professional (CEP) AND a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) to provide the best expertise to clients with our "one-source solution."
Rick Zatz (Co-Founder)
Rick is a Certified Equity Professional (CEP) with more than 15 years of experience in stock plan administration. He managed the stock plan administration department of a global technology company before founding SPS/GZ. Rick is recognized as a leader in the industry and has served on many panels related to best practices in stock plan administration and curriculum for the CEP program. He has consulted and provided outsourcing services for numerous public and private clients throughout the United States. Rick is a member of the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals (NASPP) and a regular speaker at industry conferences and executive roundtable forums. He holds a B.A. in journalism from Indiana University.
Mary Pat Wood (Co-Founder)
Mary Pat is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Equity Professional with 18 years of experience in stock plan administration, accounting and financial reporting, SEC compliance, financial forecasting and investor relations. Before founding SPS/GZ, she was an auditor for a "Big Four" accounting firm and served as Financial Reporting Manager at a global software company and at a national mortgage company, where she also managed the company's initial public offering and all public-company functions, including its equity compensation plans. Mary Pat has also consulted and provided outsourcing services for numerous public and private clients throughout the United States. Since 2005, she has focused on assisting companies with transitional issues related to the adoption of FAS 123(R). She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Illinois CPA Society, NASPP and the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO). Mary Pat is a recognized expert in the accounting, reporting and tax aspects of equity compensation administration. She holds a B.S. in Accountancy from DePaul University.
Suzy Bishop
Suzy is a Certified Equity Professional with more than 25 years of experience in the administration of equity compensation plans, which includes 12 years as the Stock Administration Manager at a Fortune 100 company. She has consulted and provided outsourcing services for numerous public and private clients throughout the United States. She is a member of the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals (NASPP).
