Tilton named president

Gwen E. Tilton, CPA, officer and director, has been named president of Cotton + Allen, effective July 1. Tilton, 50, has been associated with Cotton + Allen since 1986, where she has held many leadership positions. 

She currently serves as chair of the firm's Tax Department and Litigation Support Group and as a member of the Business Valuation Group and the Executive and Compensation Committees.  Tilton has more than 25 years of experience in public accounting, including a position with Ernst & Young, as well as serving in industry as a tax specialist at YUM! Brands, Inc.

The first woman to serve as firm president, Tilton succeeds C. Robert Montgomery, who continues in the position of chief executive officer of Cotton + Allen.  Montgomery has been the firm's president since 1994 and will continue to serve his client base and maintain his role as a member of the firm's Executive and Compensation Committees.

Montgomery said that now is the time to hand over the firm's management to the next generation.  "Many years ago, our succession planning led us to Gwen," he said.  "For 85 years, Cotton + Allen has been committed to continued growth, excellent service and above all providing valuable advice to our clients and the community we serve.  Gwen has demonstrated great leadership ability within these key areas and we are confident she has the vision to lead the firm and develop its next generation of leadership."

A member and former president of the Kentucky Society of Certified Public Accountants, Tilton serves as a council member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and member of the American Society of Appraisers.  Locally, she is on the boards of Public Radio Partnership and Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy.  Tilton graduated magna cum laude from the University of Kentucky in 1979 with a bachelor's of science degree in accounting. 

A Louisville native, Tilton and her husband, Mike Spoelker, reside in the Highlands.