Jim Martin is the founding member of Real World Seminars of GA, LLC, a company wholly dedicated to providing “real world” oriented accounting and auditing CPE for local practitioners primarily servicing or working for privately held organizations. Jim is a true “general practitioner” who, for 30 years, has specialized in income tax, accounting and auditing areas through his local firm Martin & Co., CPA, P.C. with offices in Sandy Springs, GA. Jim performs up to 70 full day continuing education presentations per year for CPAs and attorneys throughout the United States and Canada. To date, Jim has prepared and presented over 1600 full and half-day seminars on accounting, auditing and taxation topics and was named the winner of the 2014-2015 Outstanding Discussion Leader award from the State of Alabama to add to multiple other CPE awards he has received over the past 10 years. Jim also regularly consults with CPA firms throughout the United States on a variety of accounting, auditing and litigation support issues.

Dr. Josh McGowan is an accounting professional and educator, holding a Doctorate in Business Administration from Creighton University, along with both a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Troy University. His career path began in accounting services and later as an auditor at a regional accounting firm. Dr. McGowan later took a job as CFO for a company, spearheading long-term strategic initiatives. In academia, Dr. McGowan began his teaching career at Troy University in 2018.  

He presently holds the position of Associate Director and Assistant Professor within the William H. Carr School of Accountancy at Troy University. In this capacity, he dedicates himself to teaching and mentoring students across both undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr. McGowan has maintained a CPA license from the State of Alabama since 2017, further solidifying his professional credentials. His scholarly contributions include articles published in the ASCPA Connections magazine, Tennessee CPA Journal, Today’s CPA, the International Journal of Accounting & Business Finance, and the International Journal of Accounting & Finance Review.

At the heart of McGowin Tax is Alex McGowin, whose career began at PwC in Houston, TX, focusing on the intricate tax issues faced by US expatriates and nonresidents. Alex's journey in international taxation deepened with his role at Grant Thornton, where he led a team dedicated to resolving complex tax matters for multinational corporations. He further honed his expertise in the corporate tax department of an international steel manufacturing corporation, tackling diverse corporate international tax challenges. These rich experiences culminated in the founding of McGowin Tax, LLC, where Alex's deep knowledge now fuels our commitment to personalized service.

Alex holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Mississippi and a master’s degree in tax accounting from the University of Alabama. Beyond his professional pursuits, Alex is passionate about sharing his knowledge as a professor, teaching Taxation of Individuals and Business Entities to both undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Mobile. This role in academia underscores his dedication to the field and enriches the custom guidance he provides at McGowin Tax.