James Howard

Jim is a Senior Partner at KellyPartners+JamesHoward.

Jim has provided accounting, tax, and consulting services to McDonald's Owner-Operators and other clients since 1975.

Jim is a nationally recognized expert in McDonald's taxation and was a speaker at the 2001 and 2003 McDonald's National CPA Conferences. Jim was a member of McDonald's National Team of Experts, and his client Canterbury was chosen as the lead case in McDonald's Corporation's successful challenge to the IRS disallowance of franchise cost amortization (see Canterbury v. Commissioner T.C. 223).

Jim is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Society of California Accountants, and the scholastic honor societies of Beta Gamma Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi.

Jim is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the National Franchise Consultants and Accountants (NFCA). NFCA is an association of nine top U.S. CPA firms specializing in providing professional services to McDonald's Owner-Operators. NFCA member firms are dedicated to sharing best practices in an effort to provide the finest level of service possible to their clients.

Jim is the past president, former treasurer, and a founding member of the Orange County Ronald McDonald House Board of Trustees. Jim is the past treasurer and former member of the Board of Directors for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California, a nonprofit corporation containing the Los Angeles, Orange County, and Loma Linda Ronald McDonald Houses, Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, and the Community Grants Board. Jim is also the former chairman and a founding member of the McDonald's Charities Investment Program (McCIP).

Education
California State University, Long Beach

• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Accounting

• Master of Business Administration

Memberships and Affiliations

• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants

• The California Society of Certified Public Accountants

• The Society of California Accountants

• The scholastic honor societies of Beta Gamma Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi

• Founding member of the Board of Directors and former treasurer of the National Franchise Consultants and Accountants (NFCA), an organization of independent CPA firms dedicated to serving the needs of McDonald’s franchise owners

Community Involvement

• Former president (1995–2004), former treasurer (1991–1995), and founding member (1988–2015) of the Orange County Ronald McDonald House Board of Trustees

• Former treasurer (1992–2004) and former member (1990–2004) of the Board of Directors of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California, a nonprofit corporation containing the Los Angeles, Orange County, and Loma Linda Ronald McDonald Houses, Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, and the Ronald McDonald House Charities Community Grants Board

• Former chairman (1998–2000) and founding member (1994–2000) of the Advisory Board for the McDonald’s Charities Investment Program “McCIP”; during Jim’s six-year term, funds under management grew to over $175,000,000

• Co-founder and chairman (2004–2015) of the RMHCSC Rock the House fundraising event featuring the Steve Plotkin Band; the event raised over $500,000 for the benefit of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California