John J. Murnane Honored for Decades of Financial Leadership

Murnane’s path to leadership began in Mount Prospect, Illinois, where a high school golf coach inspired him to pursue accounting. After graduating from the University of Miami in 1987, he adopted a proactive professional philosophy: volunteer for the tasks others avoid and respond to clients with urgency. He identified early on that many CPA firms struggled with responsiveness, a weakness he addressed by mandating that his own staff return all inquiries within hours.

In 1996, he co-founded the firm Orth, Chakler, Murnane & Co. Despite the initial challenge of going without a paycheck for his first year, the practice flourished. Following a 2015 merger with Doeren Mayhew, Murnane transitioned into his current role, overseeing a diverse range of services including financial audits, regulatory compliance, and mergers and acquisitions. Beyond his corporate responsibilities, he remains active in charitable work, specifically supporting the Phoenix Children's Hospital through annual golf fundraisers that generate up to $1 million annually. He continues to mentor young accountants, passing on the guidance he once received from his own early career partners.