Cheryl Akin received her B.S. in Business Accountancy from California State University, Sacramento, in 2003 and her J.D. from Lincoln Law School, Sacramento, in 2012.  She was admitted to the California Bar in 2012. Ms. Akin began her professional accounting career at Ernst & Young, a large public accounting firm, where she performed financial statement audits and obtained her certified public accountant (CPA) license in California. Thereafter, and prior to attending law school, Ms. Akin worked as a tax auditor and protest hearing officer at the California State Franchise Tax Board for more than eight years. After Ms. Akin was admitted to the California Bar, she worked as a Tax Counsel in both the General Tax and Multistate Tax Law Bureaus at the Franchise Tax Board. Her duties included handing administrative protest hearings and complex tax appeals before the California State Board of Equalization. Immediately prior to joining the Office of Tax Appeals, she was appointed and served as Deputy Director of the California Competes Tax Credit program in the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.