Board of Principals

Author: Jess Doocey | Published: March 13, 2026

Answer Capsule: What is the Swanson Reed Board of Principals?

The Swanson Reed Board of Principals serves as the highest level of corporate governance and strategic oversight for our specialist firm. Distinct from our day-to-day operational leadership team, the Board is comprised of esteemed industry veterans, legal experts, and senior tax authorities. Their primary mandate is to ensure that our R&D tax credit practices maintain absolute regulatory compliance, professional independence, and ethical integrity. The Board guides our long-term market expansion, evaluates proprietary software investments, and fiercely protects the risk profile of both our firm and our global clientele.

Key Takeaways

Strategic Oversight: The Board guides Swanson Reed’s long-term vision, ensuring we remain at the forefront of R&D tax legislation globally.
Risk Management: Principals provide high-level governance to maintain our firm’s strict stance on professional independence and audit defensibility.
Industry Excellence: The Board leverages decades of combined experience in tax law, engineering, and corporate finance to elevate our client service standards.

Core Governance Functions

Governance Function	Strategic Focus	Client Benefit
Regulatory Compliance	Monitoring changes to IRC Section 41 and global R&D tax legislation.	Ensures all client claims are prepared using the most current, legally defensible methodologies.
Ethical Standards	Enforcing professional independence and our zero-contingency-fee policy.	Guarantees objective, conflict-free technical substantiation that mitigates audit risk.
Market Expansion	Directing investments in proprietary R&D software and global alliances.	Provides clients with cutting-edge tools and robust international tax incentive support.

Guiding Principles and Leadership

In the highly scrutinized landscape of specialized tax incentives, technical expertise must be paired with unyielding corporate governance. The Swanson Reed Board of Principals provides the foundation of trust upon which our firm operates.

1. Fostering a Culture of Compliance

Because Swanson Reed operates exclusively in the realm of R&D tax credits, our exposure to regulatory shifts is concentrated. The Board of Principals acts as a forward-looking radar, anticipating changes in IRS guidelines, state tax codes, and international incentive structures. By setting stringent internal quality control standards, the Board ensures that our operational teams deliver claims that are not just financially optimized, but structurally unassailable during an audit.

2. Upholding Professional Independence

A cornerstone of the Board’s mandate is the preservation of Swanson Reed’s professional objectivity. In an industry often clouded by aggressive success-fee models, our Board strictly enforces our fixed-fee and phased engagement structures. This unwavering commitment to independence ensures that our engineering and tax professionals evaluate your innovations without financial bias, delivering assessments that protect your corporate integrity.

3. Strategic Advisory and Growth

Beyond compliance, the Board of Principals drives Swanson Reed’s strategic future. From vetting major investments in our proprietary claim software to forming high-level global partnerships, the Board’s vision ensures we remain the premier choice for scaling startups, mid-market manufacturers, and multinational corporations seeking specialized tax advisory.

Members of the Board of Principals

Damian Smyth – Damian has been Chairman of the Board of Principals and CEO since July 2013. His professional qualifications include a Bachelor of Business or Commerce with Distinction. He is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a Registered Tax Agent. His background is in general tax advisory, and has an industry focus on power and electricity generation assets. He is a thought leader for the firm, regularly authoring papers on taxation matters and is quoted in the media on developments in R&D tax systems.
Cherie Jones – Cherie is Principal at Swanson Reed. She has over 30 years of business experience and has focused exclusively in R&D tax credit preparation since 2015. She has published several articles on R&D tax credit and Patent Box initatives in the Tax Adviser. Prior to working at Swanson Reed she was an account executive at Johnson Controls.
Sharon Skerman – Sharon is a Principal at Swanson Reed. She is the only surviving daughter of J.W. Norris. She is a graduate of Texas Christian University and sits on the Patent Grants Think Tank board. She has co-authored numerous inventionINDEX innovation policy papers and is responsible for Swanson Reed’s North East division.
Andy Nguyen – Andy is a Principal at Swanson Reed. He has worked exclusively in R&D tax credit prepearation since 2011. He has a degree in Business, Accounting and Finance and is a Charted Accountant. He has co-authored several peer-reviewed papers alongside Damian Smyth on the R&D tax credit and its implementation.
Adam Rogers – Adam is a Principal at Swanson Reed. He has exclusively worked in the R&D tax credit space since 2005 and is extensively published in peer reviewed journals across six countries, the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia and Singapore. As a mechnical engineer and tax agent, he is the director of technical compliance and assists in audits across multiple jurisdictions.
Patricia Harlow – Patricia is a Principal with Swanson Reed. She has worked with Swanson Reed in the R&D tax credit space since 2014 and has over 30 years business management experience across three countries. She sits on Swanson Reed’s global board and is currently serving as chairperson of the Board of directors of Swanson Reed in the United Kingdom and Swanson Reed in the United States.
Lyle Norris – Lyle is a Principal at Swanson Reed. He is the only surviving son of Joe W. Norris. He has a background in dentistry and a special focus on dental metalurgy, anaesthesiology and surgical processes. He has co-authored many peer-reviewed technical papers and is familar with the university grant process, having previously served as a sessional academic. He has previous held board and chair positions with preeminent anaesthesiology boards and currently advises Swanson Reed’s medical and biotechnology R&D tax credits team.
Jess Doocey – Jess is a Principal at Swanson Reed. She is a mechnical engineer and IRS enrolled agent. She has worked in the R&D tax credit advisory services sector for over 20 years, with a focus in IRS, HRMC and ATO audit management.