People: Casey Ballard and Wayne Wilson, both formerly of UHY Advisors Inc., have joined the Houston firm Hill Schwartz Spilker Keller LLC, with the intent of expanding HSSK’s energy and international arbitration group … Michael Balter is the new partner-in-charge of Marcum LLP’s Florida region … George Hawkins, ASA, CFA, president of Banister Financial Inc., based in Charlotte, N.C., was recently admitted as a charter member of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) Foundation’s Forensic & Business Valuation Division. This is an elite group of 28 charter members, selected from across the U.S. on the basis of their national reputation and achievements in business valuation, litigation support, and forensic accounting, their history of serving AAML members and their clients in complex financial matters during divorce proceedings, and their commitment to integrity in this process … Larry Levine joins the Valuations & Opinions Group as a managing director in the Chicago office … Michael Moore, CPA, CVA, CM&AA, CGMA, joins the South Carolina firm Moyer, Smith and Roller PA CPAs as manager … Jan I. Sylvis, the chief of accounts for the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration, has been named by the Financial Accounting Foundation as vice chair of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board … Brian Sipes, formerly of Houlihan Lokey, joins the Dallas office of Duff & Phelps as managing director … Terry Whitehead has returned to the Portland, Ore., office of Willamette Management Associates as manager and office director.

Firms: BDO USA LLP has acquired UHY Advisor's Texas practice … The Michigan firms Maner Costerisan and McCartney & Co. P.C. merged on December 1 and will operate under the Maner Costerisan brand … McGladrey LLP has announced that it is acquiring the Oklahoma City-based firm Cole + Reed … Porte Brown LLC has merged with Bloomingdale, Ill.-based Katzenbach & Associates Ltd. and is now operating under the Porte Brown brand … The Houston Chapter of the American Society of Appraisers has received the Outstanding Chapter Education Event for its Energy Valuation Conference (EVC) … Generational Equity, a Dallas-based adviser for privately held, middle-market businesses, was recognized as "Valuation Firm of the Year" by the M&A Advisor at its 13th annual awards gala in New York City.