Our Team

Our company is comprised of a highly responsive team, dedicated to creating strong personal relationships with clients that allow for actionable wealth-preserving insights. Get to know us here.

Russell T. Hauer, CPA, CFP®

Russ has over 16 years of experience in professional services, delivering strategic tax planning and compliance services to a variety of high net worth individuals/families, privately held businesses, and large multinational companies. His broad range of tax planning and implementation experience includes: stock option exercise strategies, the structure of new business ventures, state and local tax minimization, tax dispute resolution and implementing wealth transfer strategies. Russ founded Spring Mill Partners in January 2007 around the observation that high net worth individuals and families have complex and often very personal needs. He saw that their unique requirements would be far better served by a firm focused exclusively on clients with similar priorities.

Prior to forming Spring Mill Partners, Russ was a Senior Manager in the High Net Worth and Privately Held Business Practice at Smart Business Advisory and Consulting, LLC. In this role, Russ managed client relationships and tax projects, and worked with high net worth individuals to identify tax issues and implement strategies to minimize estate tax liabilities. Russ worked closely with the Financial Advisory Group to deliver comprehensive financial plans and wealth transfer strategies to clients. Russ began his career with two international accounting firms: Deloitte & Touche and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Russ graduated Cum Laude from Philadelphia University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, and later earned a Master of Taxation degree from Villanova University. He is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Financial Planner™, and a member of both the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA). Since 2005, Russ has enjoyed acting as an Adjunct Professor of Accounting at Philadelphia University’s School of Business. He volunteers with The Northern Home for Children (NHFC) and served on the agency’s Board of Trustees from 2003 to 2007. He currently acts as the Chairperson of the NHFC Fund Board, which oversees the agency’s 10 million dollar endowment.

Russ and his wife, Jonelle, live in Chester County with their sons, Max and Leo.  Most weekends, they can be found at one of their children’s favorite spots like Dutch Wonderland, the Please Touch Museum and Hershey Park.  Russ is an avid sports fan, proud to say he bled Phillies-red since he was their ages. He enjoys a good ballpark frank, but doesn’t discriminate: he’s an equal opportunity cuisine devotee.  Russ’s most valued pastime is spending time with his family and friends, and he feels grateful to work with so many remarkable people on a daily basis.

Alison M. Connors, CPA

Alison focuses on providing sophisticated yet practical solutions to clients’ tax and financial issues but always works to make sure her recommendations make sense within the context of the client’s overall situation. Alison has experience serving individuals, trusts, private single-family offices and business entities. She has spent most of her time focusing on assisting high net worth individuals and business owners deal with minimizing the impact of federal and state income tax and wealth transfer tax on their affairs. Alison has worked with clients on various matters that include representing clients on the sale of a business, the purchase of a new business and assisting in structuring those transactions based on the client’s specific goals and circumstances.

Alison graduated from West Chester University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and later earned her Masters in Taxation from Villanova University. Prior to joining Spring Mill Partners, Alison was a tax manager at a large regional accounting firm and, before that, was a senior tax consultant for an international accounting and consulting firm. Alison is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is an active member of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). She volunteers with the Kelly Ann Dolan Memorial Fund and currently sits on their Board of Directors.

Alison, her husband Steve and children, Annabelle and Ryan live in Wayne, PA. When she is not working, she loves to spend time with her family and friends, cook and travel.

Mary T. Kay

If first impressions are everything, then Spring Mill Partners has it made. Mary is the voice and face of the company – and so much more. Her easy-going personality, ready smile and abundant skills keep the office running smoothly amidst the chaos of tax time and beyond. As Office Manager, Mary does a little bit of everything: she handles accounting, bill paying and administrative record keeping for several clients. Additionally, she reviews vendor invoices, records transactions, writes checks and initiates wire transfers for clients as well as the firm itself. Mary also organizes client documents within the Spring Mill Partners’ electronic document management system, and helps clients set up and maintain their accounting and record keeping in QuickBooks and Quicken. Her organization, attention to detail and abiding dedication is a key reason for the firm’s growth.

Before joining Spring Mill Partners in 2008, Mary worked for Newspaper Support Services, Inc. as HR/Benefits Manager, where she was responsible for employee relations, policy development, training, benefits enrollment and staffing. Prior to that, Mary held several Office Manager and Executive Assistant positions, including those at Philadelphia Newspapers.

Mary lives in Broomall, PA with her husband. She has two grown daughters and is an avid traveler.