About me

The revolution may need spreadsheets

Like many people, I got my start as an “accidental operations manager.” After majoring in creative writing and getting my first job as a web designer, in 2010 I co-founded US Quadball, a real-life nonprofit sports league with more than two thousand players and a $400,000 budget at its peak.

I had a knack for organization and numbers, which led me after quadball to operations management for a $2 million progressive donor alliance in 2015 and then into bookkeeping for Advocate Accounting in 2017. In 2019 I went back to school while working to get the 72 credit hours in accounting and business that I needed to sit for the CPA exam. In 2023 I earned my CPA license, and at the end of that year I left Advocate Accounting to work independently. Now, I partner with nonprofits on full-service bookkeeping and accounting, consulting, 990 preparation, and training.

A photograph of the author, sitting on an emerald velvet couch in a trendy Pioneer Square exposed-brick loft. She is smiling, her legs crossed and hands clasped in her lap. She is wearing her favorite jacket.

I’m passionate about making the language of finance accessible and using it to build power for collective liberation. For that reason, I operate on a sliding scale. My work is rooted in relationship. My goal is to build meaningful, long-term partnerships with clients and give from my own abundance of knowledge, skills, and time.

I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, and for the last ten years I’ve called South Seattle home. I am also rooted in place. Being in community and working in solidarity with my neighbors is important to me as a white person living on colonized and gentrified land. I serve on the boards of FEEST Seattle and SANCA, and when not at a computer using QuickBooks, I can be found at a computer playing with graphic design, standing on my hands or hanging from a trapeze, sewing an elaborate costume for a party, trying out a new recipe, or cuddling my fancy rats Flint, Fable, Aspen, and Larkspur.

Gratitude

The following people, organizations, and resources have shaped my thinking, nourished my heart, and honed my courage.

Mentors

Erin Louis, CPA
Ananda Valenzuela
Esther Handy
Shin Shin Hsia
Anis Lee
Kirstie Arnberg

Art/Photo: Jessica Kelly