Our Professional Team
Alaina Shaffer, Assurance Manager
Bigger, as they say, doesn’t always necessarily mean better – and for Alaina Shaffer, that prompted her to seek a change of professional scenery.
“The firm I was with was the eighth largest in the nation with about 5,000 people and it just wasn’t working out for me anymore,” she says. “I wanted a smaller, more personal firm. That’s what attracted me to Rudler.”
Now working as Assurance Manager for Rudler, PSC, she’s found the personal touch that’s allowing her to thrive.
A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana who moved to Missouri in sixth grade, Shaffer earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting at Missouri State University, where she regularly made the Dean’s List and graduated Cum Laude in 2012. She spent a decade with BKD LLP in Springfield, Mo., where she would begin her career as an associate auditor and eventually worked her way up to a senior manager by April 2021. She then worked in a similar role at Forvis Mazars from June 2022 to April 2025.
Serendipitously, a recruiter would introduce her to Rudler, PSC shortly thereafter. Shaffer joining the firm as a remote Assurance Manager in June 2025 where she leverages her expertise in employee benefit plan audits and for-profit entities.
No matter how complex her future assignments may be, Shaffer is excited to be part of a team focused on solving problems for clients.
“I really like Rudler’s commitment to its culture and that they involve everyone in their strategic planning. At my last firm, you had to be in senior management before you ever got introduced to any of those concepts,” says Shaffer. “I really like how Rudler involves everyone in their decision-making process. They're very understanding and listen to everyone's opinion in what seems to be a more collaborative environment than I'm used to.”
She hopes to inspire similar camaraderie among the clients she serves.
“I like helping businesses become better and more profitable so they can have a larger impact on their communities through growth and, in turn, employment,” she says. “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, so the more I can help them grow and achieve their goals, the more they positively impact the community.”
Shaffer enjoys a variety of activities away from work, which includes spending time with her husband Quinton, an artist she met while working together at a movie theater, and their three cats: Ramses, Momo (Japanese for “peach”) and Athena. Shaffer is also handy with both a needle, given her enjoyment of crochet and knitting, and the flute and piccolo, explaining her membership as part of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors. Says Shaffer, “Classical is a form of music that maybe gets made fun of a little bit, but we do a lot of community outreach and I think that it's important that people hear good music.”
Designations
- Certified Public Accountant, State of Missouri
Education
Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Missouri State University
Graduated Cum Laude; Dean’s List member Fall 2009-Fall 2011
Community Involvement
- Member, Board of Directors, Springfield Symphony Orchestra
Alaina Shaffer
Assurance Manager
859-331-1717