Kevin McGrath, CPA, has been appointed as the next chief operating officer for Crowe Group LLP and Crowe Chizek and Company LLC. McGrath is currently executive in charge of the firm’s Financial Institutions Group. He will succeed Frank Arford, who has been named chief executive officer of Horwath International. McGrath begins his new role on April 1, 2007.

McGrath’s new responsibilities will include oversight of the firm’s specialized industry groups and the marketing, sales and communications functions. McGrath also will be responsible for product and service research and development, and the firm’s internal support groups.

McGrath, who has been with Crowe for 30 years, is a member of the Indiana CPA Society and has served as a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) National Banking Committee and the AICPA Assurance Services Subcommittee on Performance Measurement. McGrath also has served two terms as a member of Crowe Chizek’s Executive Committee and is currently a member of Crowe Chizek’s Management Committee. McGrath is a graduate of St. Joseph's College of Indiana with a bachelor of arts in accounting.