RKL Elects Mike De Stefano as CEO, Rachel Sargent as COO

Picture this: your accounting firm is humming alongclients are happy, dashboards are green, nobody has yelled “Where’s the PDF?” in at least 12 minutesand then leadership says, “Let’s change the top of the org chart.” Sounds dramatic, right? In reality, the most successful leadership changes are the least dramatic ones: planned, communicated early, and built for continuity.

That’s the story behind RKL’s announced leadership transition: Mike De Stefano has been elected Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and Rachel Sargent has stepped in as Chief Operating Officer (COO). It’s the kind of move that signals, “We’re not just growingwe’re getting serious about scaling without breaking things (including people).”

What RKL Announced (and Why the Timeline Matters)

RKL’s partners elected Mike De Stefano as CEO, with the transition set to take effect on September 1, 2026. Until then, the firm continues under the leadership of current CEO Ed Monborne, who has led the organization for roughly 15 years. Meanwhile, Rachel Sargent returned to the firm and assumed the COO role in August 2025, stepping into the operations seat as De Stefano moves into a CEO-elect runway.

That “runway” is the quiet hero of well-run successions. Instead of a sudden baton toss (or worse, a baton drop), the overlap period allows:

• Continuity for clients: relationships and delivery stay stable while leadership responsibilities shift.
• Operational tuning: the COO can strengthen systems and execution while the CEO-elect focuses on strategy and stakeholder alignment.
• Culture protection: leadership transitions can be emotionally loud even when the press release is calmtime helps teams adapt.

In other words: this is the difference between a smooth flight and the “we’ll be landing at an unknown airport due to reasons” announcement.

Meet the Incoming CEO: Mike De Stefano

Leadership successions tend to land better when the incoming CEO understands the business from the inside outhow work actually moves, where bottlenecks hide, and which processes exist mostly because “we’ve always done it this way.” De Stefano’s career path is a classic example of that kind of inside knowledge.

A career that loops backwith purpose

De Stefano began his career at RKL in the 1990s, working in tax before moving into audit. Over time, he built long-term familiarity with the firm’s client service approach and the realities of professional services delivery. He later left the firm, gained industry experience outside public accounting, and returned in 2019 as CFO. In 2022, he stepped into the COO roleoften the training ground for future CEOs in complex service organizations.

That arcclient work → broader exposure → financial leadership → operations leadership → CEOisn’t accidental. It’s a practical blueprint. The CEO of a modern CPA and advisory firm can’t just “manage partners.” They have to steer strategy, invest in tech, attract talent, protect quality, and make sure growth doesn’t come with chaos as a hidden fee.

Meet the New COO: Rachel Sargent

If the CEO is the “where we’re going” person, the COO is the “how we actually get there without setting the building on fire” person. And in a growing advisory firm, that job is enormous.

Why operational leadership is the headline behind the headline

Sargent’s appointment is particularly meaningful because she brings both firm familiarity and operational finance leadership. She started her career at RKL as an auditor and later built experience in senior finance roles, including CFO-level responsibilities and finance/integration leadership in industry. Returning to RKL to take the COO role positions her to translate strategy into execution across core internal functionspeople operations, process design, systems, capacity planning, and performance metrics.

And yes, this is the part where we admit the truth: no matter how brilliant your strategy deck is, clients don’t pay for slides. They pay for outcomesdelivered on time, consistently, by teams that aren’t running on pure adrenaline and conference-room cookies.

Why This CEO–COO Pairing Is a Big Deal for a CPA & Advisory Firm

In professional services, growth is rarely limited by demand. It’s limited by capacity, consistency, and coordinationthe three Cs that keep leadership awake at night. Adding (or elevating) the COO role during a CEO transition often signals that the firm is prioritizing operational excellence alongside strategic expansion.

1) Clear division of labor improves execution

When CEO and COO responsibilities are clearly defined, the firm reduces internal friction. The CEO can focus on:

• Firm vision and long-range strategy
• Market positioning and service-line growth
• Partner alignment, governance, and culture
• Key external stakeholder relationships

Meanwhile, the COO can own:

• Operational systems (finance, IT, HR, facilities, enablement)
• Process consistency across offices and teams
• Capacity planning and delivery management
• Execution cadence: metrics, reviews, and continuous improvement

It’s not “CEO vs. COO.” It’s “strategy and operations” working as a single engine.

2) Planned succession protects client confidence

Clientsespecially in tax, audit, advisory, and consultingvalue reliability. Even if the engagement team stays the same, clients notice leadership changes. A planned transition reassures them that the firm is:

• Intentional about governance
• Investing in stability
• Preparing leadership to guide the firm through change

3) Operational excellence is now a competitive advantage

In modern accounting and advisory, “doing great work” is table stakes. Firms differentiate through:

• Responsiveness and turnaround time
• Consistency across locations and service lines
• Technology-enabled delivery
• Talent experience (retention is strategy)

That’s why leadership transitions today often come packaged with an operational mandate: tighten execution, scale responsibly, and keep quality high while the firm expands services and capabilities.

What This Likely Signals About RKL’s Next Chapter

RKL has been described as having evolved from a regional accounting firm into a broader advisory organization serving clients beyond its original footprint. In that context, leadership transitions tend to revolve around a few practical priorities:

Scaling the “one firm” experience

As firms grow across locations, consistency becomes harder. Clients want a unified experience, not “it depends which office you call.” A COO with operational authority can standardize workflows, strengthen shared services, and unify the systems that support client delivery.

Investing in technology and process modernization

Many CPA and advisory firms are modernizing delivery through automation, analytics, cybersecurity services, HR consulting, and specialized advisory offerings. That requires more than buying tools; it requires operational adoptiontraining, governance, and measuring what’s actually improving.

Strengthening the talent engine

In professional services, talent is not a “resource.” Talent is the product delivery system. As leadership changes, high-performing firms often double down on:

• Leadership development and pipeline building
• Workload balance and capacity planning
• Career pathways that retain top performers
• Culture clarity: how decisions are made and communicated

Practical Lessons for Other Firms Watching This Transition

Even if you’re not running a CPA firm with multiple offices, there are lessons here that apply to any growing professional services organization.

Lesson 1: Start earlyand communicate earlier than you think you should

A long transition timeline isn’t a sign of uncertainty; it’s a sign of maturity. It creates space for stakeholders to build confidence, for the CEO-elect to align strategy, and for operations to tighten execution.

Lesson 2: Make the COO role real (not ceremonial)

COOs fail when they’re handed responsibility without authorityor when the job is basically “fix everything, but don’t touch anything.” Successful CEO–COO partnerships define:

• Which decisions the COO owns outright
• Which metrics the COO is accountable for
• How the COO and CEO resolve tradeoffs
• How leadership communicates as one team

Lesson 3: Treat succession like an operating system, not a one-time event

Great firms build repeatable succession practices: leadership development, candidate readiness, clear criteria, and strong onboarding. That’s how organizations avoid the “panic hire” scenario when a leader steps down unexpectedly.

What Clients and Team Members May Notice Next

Most clients won’t see a dramatic shift overnightand that’s the point. What they may notice over time is subtle but meaningful:

• More consistency in how work is delivered and communicated
• Faster decisions due to clearer ownership between strategy and operations
• Better experience as internal processes become smoother (translation: fewer “we’ll circle back” moments)
• Continued service expansion without sacrificing quality

For team members, the transition may show up as tighter systems, clearer priorities, and (ideally) less operational friction. The best leadership transitions improve day-to-day life while keeping the firm’s identity intact.

FAQ: Quick Answers About the RKL Leadership Transition

When does Mike De Stefano become CEO?

He is slated to step into the CEO role on September 1, 2026, serving as CEO-elect during the transition period.

Who is the current CEO of RKL?

Ed Monborne continues as CEO during the planned transition and has led the firm for approximately 15 years.

When did Rachel Sargent become COO?

She assumed the COO role in August 2025 after returning to the firm.

Why do firms use a CEO-elect period?

To protect continuity. It allows overlap for knowledge transfer, stakeholder alignment, and operational stabilizationespecially important in client-driven professional services.

Closing Thoughts: A Transition Designed for Continuity (Not Chaos)

Leadership changes always get attention, but the best ones don’t cause whiplash. RKL’s planned transitionelecting Mike De Stefano as CEO and placing Rachel Sargent in the COO rolereads like a playbook designed for stability, operational strength, and continued growth.

In a world where firms are expected to deliver morefaster, smarter, and with fewer people availablestrong leadership isn’t just about vision. It’s about execution. And if the CEO sets the direction, the COO makes sure the wheels don’t come off on the way there.

Experience Add-On: What Leadership Transitions Often Feel Like (and How Teams Can Thrive)

Let’s talk about the part no press release can fully capture: the lived experience of a leadership transition. Even when everything is planned and professional, people still have feelings. (Wild, I know.) In firms like RKLwhere relationships, trust, and expertise are the producttransitions tend to create a predictable mix of optimism, curiosity, and the quiet question everyone asks but nobody puts in writing: “Will this change how we work… and will it make my Tuesday harder?”

Experience #1: The “What changes tomorrow?” anxiety. Most team members want to know whether expectations, priorities, or decision-making will shift immediately. In a well-managed transition, leaders keep the message consistent: day-to-day work stays steady, and improvements roll out thoughtfully. The COO often becomes the translator-in-chiefturning high-level vision into clear operational priorities, timelines, and “here’s what this means for your role.”

Experience #2: The “Who owns what now?” fog. Transitions can temporarily blur decision authority. People might hesitate: Should I escalate this to the current CEO? The CEO-elect? The new COO? This is where a strong CEO–COO pairing can shine. When leadership clearly communicates decision lanesstrategy with the CEO, execution with the COOteams feel safer moving fast. The fog lifts, and velocity returns.

Experience #3: The “process makeover” season. If you’ve ever lived through operational change, you know the early signs: more questions about workflows, more attention to metrics, and the sudden appearance of phrases like “standardization,” “enablement,” and “capacity planning.” (Don’t panic. It’s usually a sign the firm is investing in making work easier.) COOs frequently focus on reducing friction: fixing handoffs, modernizing systems, making staffing more predictable, and ensuring that quality doesn’t depend on heroics.

Experience #4: The culture check. Long-serving leaders often shape the firm’s culturehow people communicate, how conflict is handled, how success is celebrated. When a respected CEO transitions out, teams may wonder what happens to the “way we do things.” The best outcome is continuity with evolution: keep the values that made the firm strong, but update practices that no longer match the scale of the organization. Culture isn’t preserved by speeches; it’s preserved by daily choicesespecially how leaders allocate time, reward behaviors, and respond under pressure.

Experience #5: The client ripple effect. Clients may not ask about leadership in the first meeting after the announcement, but they’ll notice signals: responsiveness, consistency, proactive planning, and whether engagement teams seem confident. A planned succession gives clients the reassurance that leadership isn’t changing because of turmoilit’s changing because the firm is preparing for what’s next. Over time, clients often benefit from operational upgrades: smoother delivery, clearer communication, and better use of technology to reduce unnecessary back-and-forth.

So what’s the “best” lived experience during a transition like RKL’s? It’s not zero change. It’s well-paced changethe kind that makes work more sustainable. The kind that replaces scramble with clarity. The kind that lets a firm grow without turning every busy season into a survival reality show.

And if you’re someone inside a firm going through a leadership transition, here’s a practical mantra: ask for clarity early, watch for how leaders communicate priorities, and pay attention to whether operational improvements reduce friction over time. When the CEO and COO roles are aligned, teams don’t just adaptthey often end up working smarter, not louder.

SEO Tags