Our Team

Ludmila Popper, CPA, PFS

Founder

Ludmila founded her accounting firm in 2012. Her mission is to better people’s lives financially. She has earned a Master of Accountancy from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a Master of Arts in French and English, from Rostov Pedagogical University, in her birth country of Russia. She has been a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) since 2007 and also possesses the Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) designation. She is a long-standing member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Nevada Society of CPAs.

Prior to forming her own accounting firm in Reno and Incline Village, Ludmila was a partner at Crandall & Company CPA, and prior to that she held the title of Senior Auditor at Deloitte. Her strong educational background and financial experience enable her to offer individuals and small businesses an extensive array of financial services.

Ludmila was named “The 2005 Top Nevada CPA Scoring Candidate” when she sat for her CPA exams, a title which makes her especially proud. When preparing for the exam, Ludmila was inspired by Charles Carlslaw, one of her favorite UNR accounting professors, who had scored the second in the nation on the CPA exam at his time.

A natural educator, Ludmila extends her expertise and knowledge to various organizations in the Reno-Tahoe community. She previously served as treasurer for the nonprofit CYMBAL (Club for Youth Music and Band Lovers) Foundation and past president and membership chair of the Estate Planning Council of Northern Nevada.

Past involvement with professional associations includes Reno Chapter of Nevada Society of CPAs (as chapter president, 2012-2013), Reno Tahoe Express Network of American Business Women’s Association (as treasurer), where she was named the local chapter’s Woman of the Year in 2014 for her dedication to the community. She also served as treasurer for the Incline Elementary School PTA from 2016 to 2018.

Lately, Ludmila has been spending more time in Maui, where she is planning to open her next office. She is proficient in four languages, including French and German, and is studying her fifth: Italian. She is a firm believer in the importance of work-life balance and recently joined the group MOPAF (Maui Outstanding Piano Amateurs Festival) in order to take her piano-playing skills to the next level. When she’s not crunching numbers, Ludmila enjoys traveling the world, paddleboarding, yoga, and meditation. CLICK HERE to contact the principal of this accounting firm online. She is ready to help anyone with financial advice or tax preparation assistance.
Danielle Bailey, CPA

Senior Accountant

Dani graduated from the Zicklin School of Business at CUNY Baruch in 2008. She got her MST (master’s degree in taxation) and CPA in 2010. She began her career at KPMG, with a focus on Hedge and Private Equity Funds. In 2015, she relocated from New York to Virginia Beach to be closer to family. At that time, Dani found her true passion for assisting clients with their small business and personal tax returns and has been doing so for over 10 years now. She truly enjoys assisting clients in finding tax savings and helping them plan for the short and long term. Her hobbies include cooking, walking, and volunteering with SPCA.
Kirby Combs

Office Administrator

Kirby considers herself fortunate to have been raised in Incline Village. She is now even more grateful to be able to raise her three young children in the same place that captivated her heart as a child. Before joining the team at Ludmila CPA, Kirby was involved in the administration, operations, and fundraising efforts of a few local nonprofit organizations. With her free time, Kirby enjoys baking, drawing, and spending time outdoors — walking, hiking local trails, and swimming.
Ana Ruiz

Senior Staff Accountant

Ana Ruiz joined the team in December 2023. She was born and lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has a Cum Laude Degree in Accounting from Universidad de Buenos Aires.

Ana has 13 years of experience in US Taxes working for Big Four and Oil and Gas Companies. She wants to become an Enrolled Agent in the near future and loves learning more about US taxes each day.Ana practices stretching every day and has been a devoted Taylor Swift fan since her beginnings!
Daniel Amaya

Senior Staff Accountant

Daniel is originally from Venezuela and is currently living in Argentina. He has worked as a tax accountant at EY, PwC, and Chevron before joining Ludmila CPA in 2025. Daniel strives to maintain a good balance between his personal and professional life. In his free time, he enjoys exploring other interests, such as voice acting, playing basketball, and doing comedy. In the future, he hopes to travel more and discover new places.
Veronika Mai-Franklin

Accounting Assistant

Veronika joined Ludmila CPA in 2019 as an intern after graduating from Truckee Meadows Community College and completing a certificate in bookkeeping. It is said, “if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life,” and this statement rings true for Veronika in her new profession as an accountant. She enjoys the daily routine of accounting by helping business owners successfully run their businesses, so they can focus on what is important to them and not worry about the accounting part of it. She continually strives to gain new knowledge by staying up to date with tax laws and taking financial online courses to better serve our clients. In her free time, she enjoys seeing the world through the eyes of her young artist daughter. She also enjoys the outdoors with her family, nature photography, art, and yoga/Pilates.
Anastasia Kniha

Administrative Assistant

Anastasia was born and raised in Ukraine. She received a musical education and later graduated from Kharkiv University with a degree in Civil Engineering for Roads and Airfields. She worked as an engineer for mobile operators, in the gas industry, and in the housing sector of the city. Anastasia grew into a Project Manager role, working for the city hall. Her work there combined her talents and was a special form of creativity where she enjoyed intertwining data with analytics simultaneously.

Since 2022, she has lived in France for 1.5 years, absorbing its culture, beauty, and language. Afterward, she spent 3 months in Spain. Anastasia is currently living in the USA, working at Ludmila CPA and learning the English language. In her free time, she love cuddling with her cat and practicing energy techniques. She is passionate about personal growth and development, and enjoys sharing knowledge and experience with others.