Chief Operating Officer

Bernie Lietz, MBA

Bernie spent the first 15 years of his career in creative and operational roles in marketing and advertising agencies in Chicago. He has been leading and managing CPA firms since 2005, when he first joined CDH. He spent 9-1/2 years as the Firm Administrator and the firm’s first COO. He was a key member of the team that transitioned CDH to a price-in-advance model in 2011. 

Bernie held similar roles in three other public accounting firms before rejoining CDH in October 2023 as COO. He works with the Partner group to execute the firm’s strategic plans and oversee key areas such as Human Resources, Marketing, Finance and Administration.

He has spoken at industry conferences in North America on the topics of performance management, succession planning and pricing for CPA firms. Bernie is a past President of the Illinois Chapter of the CPA Firm Management Association, and was a member of the COO Forum Chicago from 2011-2023. 

When he’s not working, Bernie enjoys traveling, walking, kayaking, hiking, live music and art. He grew up in Evanston, but has lived in Geneva since 2002.