Will Bader, CPA

Will Bader is a Principal at Merit Advisors. As the Houston sales tax practice leader, he manages one of the brightest teams of energy tax advisors in the state and local field today. 

Will’s team prioritizes a collaborative approach to creating value for clients and wants to be viewed as an extension of each client’s team rather than a third-party provider. With expertise in refund studies, audit defense, due diligence and process automation, Will prides himself on the team’s track record of obtaining refunds and applying creative solutions to minimize risk and underpayments. 

Will holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Texas A&M University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the state of Texas, and he is active with industry associations including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Institute for Professionals in Taxation.

Vann Vandervoort, CMI

Vann Vandervoort, CMI is a Principal at Merit Advisors. He has over 35 years of property tax management experience, and has represented all types of real and personal property in the commercial, industrial and oil and gas sectors.

Vann has steadily advanced throughout the course of his career, serving in positions from Property Tax Agent with Valero in 1986 to Manager of Property Taxes for Coastal Corporation and El Paso Corporation. He partnered with Jimmy G. Myska in 2005 to form the oil and gas property tax consulting firm Myska and Vandervoort, LLC. In 2016, that firm merged with Stancil Property Tax , which was acquired by Merit in 2022.

Vann’s successful career has made him one of the most highly respected oil and gas property tax management experts in the country. He is also a consulting expert for several law firms in the field of property tax litigation.

Vann graduated from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with a Bachelor of Science in Geology. He is a Certified Member of the nationally recognized Institute of Property Taxation as well as a Licensed Senior Property Tax Consultant, and he has served on various committees of the Texas Oil & Gas Association.

Robert Clark, ASA

Robert (Rob) Clark, ASA currently serves as Principal at Merit Advisors. With over 30 years of valuation and consulting experience within the energy industry, Rob has a wealth of knowledge in the development of complex property valuations, property tax management, expert testimony, mergers and acquisitions, purchase price allocation, and tax incentive consulting. Further, Rob has consulted, advised and assisted clients with their property tax operations and functions in the United States, Canada and the former Soviet Union.

To start his consulting career, Rob worked from 1988 to 1997 at the valuation and consulting firm Pritchard & Abbott, Inc., where his responsibilities included the development of major complex property valuations and expert testimony for litigation purposes. From 1997 to 2003, Rob worked at Ernst & Young, LLP, where he managed property tax departments for large corporations and consulted in various tax assignments.
 
Prior to joining Merit, Rob was a consultant/partner at Stancil & Co. from 2003 to 2022, when it was acquired by Merit. There, he performed engineering and appraisal services for energy-related clients in mergers and acquisitions, purchase price allocations, finance, and ad valorem tax engagements.

Rob holds a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University. He is an accredited Senior Appraiser – Machinery & Technical Specialties (“ASA”) with the American Society of Appraisers.

Drew Harrold

Drew Harrold is a Principal at Merit Advisors in the Property Tax Processes and Technology practice. Drew works with energy companies, manufacturers and real estate firms to manage their state and local tax liabilities. With his experiences as a contractor for Texas county appraisal districts, a corporate tax manager and a state and local tax consultant, Drew offers his clients the expertise they need to navigate the gamut of tax systems across the United States.

Prior to joining Merit, Drew’s state and local tax experience included managing property tax compliance, negotiating property tax valuations at the local and state levels, sales tax audit and refund reviews, merger and acquisition tax due diligence, and participation in various oil and gas trade organization tax committees.

Drew holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University and an MBA in Energy from the University of Oklahoma. He is a past chair of the tax committees of the Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia, Ohio Oil and Gas Association, Marcellus Shale Coalition and Petroleum Association of Wyoming.

Rick Worth

Rick Worth is a Principal at Merit Advisors, providing consulting services for both sales and use tax and severance tax. Rick has been with Merit since 2012 and brings more than 17 years of experience to the clients he serves.

Prior to joining Merit, Rick served in the tax industry and provided expertise in the areas of tax return preparation, audit defense and representation, and other tax services across all levels of clients. He has represented clients in numerous state audits in which their tax liability was turned into a tax refund.

Rick earned his bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Northeastern State University and continued on at the university to receive his master’s degree in Business Administration and Management.

Wilber Chan, CPA

Before joining Merit, Wilber was a Senior Manager at KPMG, where he led multi-state sales and use tax engagements, generating multimillion-dollar revenue streams while mentoring and developing a team of tax professionals. His career also includes nearly a decade at Ryan, LLC, where he specialized in tax strategies for the energy and manufacturing sectors, delivering substantial savings for Fortune 500 clients.

Wilber is known for his strategic approach to tax planning, leveraging technology and automation to enhance efficiency and streamline processes. His ability to build strong relationships with both clients and tax authorities has led to successful audit resolutions, refund claims, and proactive tax planning initiatives.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Texas A&M University and is actively involved in industry organizations, including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT).