Denise Clare, Managing Partner, CPA

Denise has held a Certified Public Accountant license in Washington State since 1994. She has over 25 years of experience working with small, medium and large companies in various industries such as Real Estate Investors, Construction, Wholesale Distribution, Retail, Service and Non-Profit. Denise is devoted to helping her clients succeed and meet all their compliance obligations as well as serving their bookkeeping, tax preparation, tax planning, payroll processing and financial accounting needs. She also enjoys working with individual tax clients, providing tax planning and preparation services to maximize their after-tax income.

In her free time Denise enjoys cooking, biking, and spending time with her family.

Ben Clare, Partner, CPA

Ben is a Certified Public Accountant who has been working in the accounting industry for over 8 years. He graduated with his Master’s in Accounting with an emphasis in Taxation from the University of Utah. Ben has experience working with both small and large multi-state tax business clients and enjoys finding solutions that fit client’s needs. He also has experience with individual tax returns, sales tax returns and accounting & bookkeeping. Ben is dedicated to serving his clients’ accounting needs so they can put their focus on their business. When Ben is not working he enjoys skiing, golfing, fishing, spending time with family, and cheering on the Seahawks & Mariners!

Carissa Cooper, Partner, Director of Client Services

Carissa has a passion for helping others and finding the best solution for her clients' needs. She has 6 years of accounting experience. 5 of these years have been in public accounting where she prepared financials, sales tax returns, payroll tax returns, and individual and business income tax returns. She is originally from Boise, Idaho and has spent the last 8 years in Salt Lake City, Utah. Carissa dual majored in accounting and finance and received her Bachelors of Science degree from Westminster College. Upon receiving her undergraduate degree she attended the University of Utah where she received her Master's in Accounting with emphasis in taxation.

Carissa has a sound background in all entity types, QuickBooks, and accounting. She was raised with a phenomenal work ethic and pride in delivering on all she is asked to do. Additionally, she has a working understanding of financial markets, financial performance issues, and analytics of the same. Carissa has a strong moral fiber with keen interest and ability to operate within established time frames and under pressure. Her interests outside of work consist of skiing, white water rafting, cooking, and spending quality time with family. Here at Clare Accounting Group we are happy to welcome her to our team and look forward to her contributions.

Josilyn Clare, Administrative Manager & Bookkeeper

Josilyn has previous experience in the accounting industry as a tax processor and administrative assistant. Her organizational skills and attention to detail are where she shines. Josilyn loves connecting with our clients and providing professional, yet personal service. She truly cares about the integrity of Clare Accounting Group. In her free time Josilyn enjoys spending time with her family and getting outside any chance she can! Long walks around the neighborhood and skiing in the winter are at the top of her list. All of us here are Clare Accounting Group are excited to have Josilyn apart of the team!

Scott Clare, Client Relations and Business Development

With over 35 years of business experience and having founded and managed a Grocery Distribution Company in Western Washington, he has extensive knowledge in the area of business development. All our client’s businesses are unique, and he loves learning about each of them. His passion is to use his experience to help other small business owners with everything from their accounting needs to providing insights into improving operations and overall efficiency.

He enjoys spending time with family, skiing, fly fishing, sailing and biking on the Burke-Gilman Trail to the Fremont Brewery and other area breweries.

Emily Jerome, Accounting Associate

Emily has served in various organizational roles over the past 4 years. She has 2+ years of experience as an Administrative Assistant managing events, keeping data in order etc. Emily is devoted to ensuring that the Clare Accounting Group will maintain organization in order to stay on top of clients tax needs. She will make sure our clients receive excellent service and communication.

Stacy Coutts, Bookkeeper

Stacy has a long history of working with people in customer service roles. Coming from the medical field, she has a strong passion to help others, is professional, and shows great attention to detail. Stacy is currently attending Bellevue College to achieve her AAS-T in Accounting. In her free time, Stacy enjoys spending time with her family, taking her dogs for walks, and cross-stitching.