Laura DeFouw

Partner

Laura is a state and local tax specialist with more than 13 years of public accounting experience, serving businesses in the public and private sectors.  Her work has included assisting her clients with tax minimization strategies, nexus reviews, and liability exposure analyses, managing state tax audits, apportionment factor sourcing, corporate and pass-through entity income and franchise tax compliance, ASC 740, tax due diligence reviews for mergers and acquisitions, state tax voluntary disclosures, and securing tax and non-tax incentives.  She has a broad range of industry experience, including manufacturing and distribution, aerospace, renewable energy, technology, professional services, retail/consumer products, and transportation (asset and non-asset-based) providers.

Prior to joining KNAV, Laura led the West Region Credits & Incentives practice at Grant Thornton. During that time, she primarily assisted her clients with identifying, negotiating, and implementing federal, state, and local tax credit and incentive opportunities nationwide. Her clients included Fortune 500 and middle-market companies planning significant capital investment and job creation projects.  As part of her role, she also helped organize a national multi-disciplinary team of tax and non-tax professionals to develop, advise, and deliver various comprehensive client solutions, including federal grant applications requiring feasibility studies and domestic market selection analyses for relocation and expansion projects.  Additionally, she developed and led the firm’s federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit service.

Laura is a US Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Michigan State University. She is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the California CPA Society, and the Institute for Professionals in Taxation (“IPT”). From 2020 to 2022, she served on the planning committee for the IPT Credits & Incentives Symposium.

How Laura helps in achieving Above & Beyond?

Laura is responsible for the growth, quality, and overall delivery of KNAV’s state and local tax compliance and advisory services in the US market. Additionally, her experience in the credits and incentives space provides a unique opportunity for her to assist clients in maximizing their return on investment when planning capital investment and/or job creation projects.