Our Staff

Leadership Team

Kathleen Hatke Aro, JD, MBA

President

Kathleen was appointed president of Accounting Aid Society in 2004. She is an attorney with experience in both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Under her leadership, Accounting Aid was named a “Best-Managed Nonprofit” by Crain’s Detroit Business. In 2012, Kathleen was named a “Shining Light” and honored with the Eleanor Josaitis Unsung Hero Award by the Detroit Free Press and the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition. She holds an MBA from the University of Michigan, a law degree from George Washington University, and a BA from Purdue University.

Harry Cook, CPA

Director, Finance and Administration

Harry joined the agency in 2014 after 15 years of experience handling accounting and property management for several small businesses. As director of finance and administration, Harry handles operations and HR, bookkeeping, facilities, technology, and oversees the call center. He has a BA in economics from the University of Detroit, and a master of science in accountancy from Walsh College. A Certified Public Accountant, Harry is also an adjunct instructor in accounting at Walsh College.

Angela Gabridge, CFRE

Director, Community Engagement

Angela joined Accounting Aid Society in September 2018. She has 13 years of experience in philanthropy, engagement and nonprofit leadership. Prior to joining the agency, she was deputy director of philanthropy for the ACLU of Michigan. Before joining the ACLU, Angela served as development director for several nonprofits and has successfully built and managed capital capacity and major gifts campaigns up to $45 million. She is a Certified Fundraising Executive.

Matthew H. Hetherwick, MBA

Director, Individual Tax Programs

Matt began his career at Accounting Aid Society in January of 2018 as a tax site coordinator and was promoted to the role of Director of Individual Tax Programs in 2019. He is a mission-driven finance and accounting leader with over 12 years of experience in the realms of finance, business and operations. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in finance from Michigan State University, Matt earned both his masters degree in finance and MBA from the University of Michigan – Dearborn.

Ashley Mizzi, MBA

Director, Business Strategy and Innovation

Ashley joined the organization in 2018 and has been instrumental in both the launch and expansion of the Accounting Aid Academy. She has over a decade of experience in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, where she specialized in developing and deploying programs for small business owners, particularly in the areas of financial education, loan and capital utilization. Ashley earned her undergraduate degree in business and her MBA in finance from Central Michigan University, and is continuing education at Harvard Business School with a concentration in process improvement. She is a 2017 dBusiness Magazine 30 in Their Thirties honoree and a 2019 Michigan’s Most Valuable Millennial award recipient. Ashley is also fluent in German. 

Gabrielle Thomas, MBA

Chief Operating Officer

Gabrielle became chief operating officer in 2015. She joined the agency’s development staff in 2005 and was promoted to director of development a year later. In 2012, she became director of operations and process improvement. In addition to development experience and business planning, Gabrielle has nine years of private sector experience in production supervision, project management and program development. She earned an MBA from University of Detroit-Mercy and a BS in Food Science from Michigan State University.

Team