Scott Kurkian
Chief Financial Officer of PPA

Scott Kurkian has been the Chief Financial Officer of PPA for the past 16 years. He is also the founder of Studio Management Services (SMS), the financial services division of PPA, available only to its members. Scott has worked with many photography businesses to help them learn and understand the financial aspects of managing a small business and how to use financial analysis to improve profitability.

Melissa Kriest
Senior Accountant, Studio Management Services

With an Accounting degree from Georgia State, Melissa Kriest has spent 20 years specializing in small business accounting. Along with her experiences in handling accounting and taxes for small businesses, she also brings to the table the valuable perspective that comes from being a prior owner of two retail businesses.

Bridget Jackson
CPA & Manager, Studio Management Services

Bridget Jackson is a Certified Public Accountant and Manager of PPA’s Studio Management Services. She has worked with small businesses for over 10 years and has been at PPA for several years, assisting numerous photographers.

Ann Monteith
M.Photog.Cr.Hon.M.Photog., CPP, ABI, API, A-ASP, Hon.A-ASP

Before finding her calling in photography, Ann Monteith taught high school English, college journalism, and was PR director at a local college. Now she’s known as a leading authority on studio business management. Ann serves as a consultant to studios throughout the country, both privately and under the auspices of major industry suppliers. A former chairwoman of the board of the PPA International School of Professional Photography and a past president of PPA, she received the Gerhard Bakker Award for excellence in teaching and the Charles H. “Bud” Haynes Award “for encouraging business awareness and practices.” A widely published author, she and her husband Jim are directors of Countryhouse Studios near Hershey, Pennsylvania, as well as a prestige portraiture business and teaching facility in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland.

Jennifer Roggi
Cr.Photog., ABI, CBM

Jennifer (Jen) started out in the education field, but she became a talented photographer with her husband, photographer Daniel Roggi. Over the last ten years, they have worked together in their home-based wedding and portrait studio. Jens true passion is business, and her education in this field has been an important key to their success. Creating a well-organized studio that is devoted to customer service and combining creative marketing with strong financial principles, they have become a very successful and profitable company.

An active member of CPPA, PPANE, ASP, and PPA, Jen currently works with photographers as a consultant for PPAs Studio Management Services (SMS). Her goal is to help them gain control of their businesses, so they can achieve financial success while remaining true to their artistic vision.

Lori Nordstrom
M.Photog.Cr., CPP

Lori Nordstrom owns a boutique studio specializing in maternity and newborn portraits, located in the picturesque town of Winterset, Iowa. Some of her awards and honors include Kodak Gallery, Fuji Masterpiece, and PPA Loan Collection awards for her images and storybooks. Along with being a full-time pro photographer, Lori is a PPA-Approved business instructor and marketing consultant for Studio Management Services. She counts sharing with other photographers—through PPA and her own studio workshops—as one of the activities she most enjoys.

Lori is also in her sixth year of working with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through her studio’s “Little Angels” campaign. In 2008, her studio raised over $35,000 for the Society and was recognized through Oprah’s Big Give.

Doug Box
M.Photog.Cr., CPP, API

Doug Box started his photographic career in Houston, operating a wedding and portrait business out of his home. In 1976, he moved to Brenham, Texas, bought a children’s day care center, and opened his second studio. In 1995, he sold that studio (which is still a thriving business) and opened his current studio on a 110-acre working cattle ranch near College Station, Texas.

Currently serving on PPA’s Board of Directors, Doug has always inspired photographers of all levels to go beyond…to transform a normal studio into a more successful and creative business. Besides being an excellent photographer, he is a dynamic speaker and was chosen to teach all 4 years of Hasselblad University and 18 different PPA Affiliate weeklong photography schools. He has taught in 47 states, at 15 national conventions, and in Canada, Mexico, England, Scotland, and Wales. Doug currently serves on the PPA Board of Directors.

Mary Fisk-Taylor
M. Photog., Cr., CPP, ABI, API

Mary Fisk-Taylor has been a member of the Professional Photographers of America since 1999. Along with her business partner, Jamie Hayes, they operate a high-end wedding and portrait business in Richmond, Virginia. Hayes & Fisk the Art of Photography is a home-based studio located on almost one acre of beautiful gardens and they have successfully created one of the most sought after Portrait and Wedding studios in their area.

Mary was named Photographer of the Year in 2007 and has won Best Wedding Album of the Year in Virginia several times. Nationally she has had her albums in the top five. She has won numerous Best in Show awards, Kodak Gallery Awards, Fuji Masterpiece Awards, Loan Collection prints and albums. Mary is also a recipient of the prestigious Virginia Award, which honors photographers for their commitment and dedication to their state association, and the business of professional photography.

Julia Woods
M.Photog.Cr.

Julia knows all about working with others. She and her husband Jeff work together to produce a unique perspective that showcases their client’s hearts and minds with contemporary urban imagery. They have developed and implemented acclaimed marketing strategies and have conducted private workshops about all aspects of studio management, marketing and creative inspiration.

An official spokesperson for Canon USA, Explorer's of Light, Julia has been honored for her work by numerous associations and has been featured in several trade magazines and technical books. And she knows that it’s your customer service and sales skills that let you continue a career you love.

Edward Zemba
M.Photog.Cr.

Edward and Robert Francis Zemba are the dynamic duo owners of Robert Charles Photography. They lead a group of professionals creating photographic artwork throughout New England and beyond. Edward, the businessman of the team, has focused on strategic planning and market execution. Through years of studying with many photographic greats, he has identified and put into practice some of the most effective ways to grow a photography studio.

According to Scott Kurkian, CFO of PPA, the Zemba family and their staff turned Robert Charles Photography into one of the most profitable businesses of its kind in the country. More importantly, this was done while holding on to the style of photography they are most passionate about.

Allison Rodgers

Before opening a photography studio, Allison, armed with a BFA in Graphic Design and Photography, worked for several nationally recognized advertising agencies. She garnered multiple design and photography awards and was published in PRINT magazine, a prestigious design magazine.

In 2004, Allison and her husband Jeff, also a graphic designer, opened Allison Rodgers Photography (their work was featured on the April 2008 cover of Professional Photographer). They have doubled their sales each year and are regarded as one of the most profitable studios in the U.S., due to their design skills, marketing strategies, and client relationships. In addition, they are active in charity-based projects, enhancing the commitment to their community and customer base.