Catherine E. Brown, CPA, has joined Updegrove, Combs and McDaniel, PLC, as its new staff accountant, while Stephanie J. Mercer, CPA, has been promoted to supervisor. Both are employees in the firm's Leesburg office.

Brown lives in Leesburg with her husband and two children, and she has been a CPA for 10 years. She will be serving clients in individual and business tax return preparation and planning.

Mercer has been with UCM since 2007, where she has provided assistance with personal, business and payroll tax returns to clients, including related tax planning. She is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Virginia Society of CPAs.

For more on the firm, visit ucmcpas.com.