Spotlight: Ronda Lawson, AAAPM
Director of Operations
The Henry Levy Group
Oakland, California (hometown: Castro Valley, California)
How I got into accounting/firm administration: My career has been focused on professional services firms, including architecture, electrical engineering, and legal. When I accepted a position with BDO USA, LLP as their San Francisco office administrator, I wanted to understand more about the accounting field. The Association for Accounting Administration gave me insights into the profession that I needed, and the tools to become a more valuable strategic and tactical resource for the firm. When the opportunity came up to take my career to the next level and join The Henry Levy Group as their Director of Operations, I was ready for the challenge!
What brought me to become a firm administrator: I have always been interested in the underlying support structure that allows professional service firms to succeed.
One thing that makes my firm different: Almost no one at The Henry Levy Group has a traditional accounting background, and most came into the profession in unusual ways. Because of this, they solve problems in a more creative way than a standard accounting firm might do. They’re highly entrepreneurial and more focused on work/life balance than many other firms.
My accomplishments or milestones: Receiving the ACE Award is the highlight of my career. Having embraced being a CPA Firm Administrator as my profession, I feel like an Olympic athlete who actually won the gold medal. Except that in my case, I didn’t even know I was competing!
My first job: While I was still in high school I took a position as a part-time employee in the local community center’s Youth Program. I supervised a recreation room, did peer counseling, created, implemented and taught poetry classes, and wrote a weekly “what’s happening” type column for the local newspaper. It was a wonderful experience and taught me so much.
The toughest part of the job: It’s like taking a deck of cards, throwing them all up in the air at once, and then trying to catch just the Jack of Diamonds! There are always so many things happening and it’s hard to know which one to focus on first at times.
Best advice I have received: Be yourself. I know that sounds like such a lame answer! When I decided just to be the best person I could be and not some idealized version of who I thought I should be, I found a great deal more personal and professional satisfaction and success. A former partner of mine once told me that I was “quirky but effective." I still consider that a compliment!
About my family: I have an incredibly loving partner and he has been very supportive of my career. I also have an incredibly loving dog, who would probably like it if I didn’t leave and go to work every day. Fortunately, The Henry Levy Group is very pet-friendly and I can even bring him into the office!
Outside interests: I am a poet and writer and have published quite a bit, including three books of poetry. I love to cook, read, embroider, create art and more.
Favorite outside charity or event: I find the idea of abandoned or misused pets heartbreaking, and support several charities in that area.
Favorite vacation spot: My own backyard… really! I love Hawaii, love the wine country, hope to go to Europe next year, but there is something pretty lovely about just sitting quietly in my own backyard watching the birds at the feeders and the trees swaying in the wind. I live on a cattle ranch, so we have a beautiful, wild world to admire.
Other careers I would like to try: I’d love to write full-time.
Mentor who has helped the most in my career: I guess I’d have to say my stepfather. There are many people I have been fortunate to work with during my career who have given me invaluable advice, but my stepfather has given me the benefit of his own experience. He taught me how to “get things out where I could look at them", how not to overthink a problem, and how to do more of things I am good at and less of things I’m not.
My thoughts on receiving the ACE Award… “you’ve got to be kidding! I am just starting to figure out how much I don’t know…”
People who have helped me and supported me… Jane Johnson and Wendy Waters are both AAA members in the NorCal chapter. Jane, as you know, is a national board member, and Wendy is our local chapter Treasurer and currently acting Secretary as well. They have both been hugely helpful to me, and given me advice and encouragement many times. I consider Jane to be a tremendous role model. I’d also point out Paul Heiselmann, a Partner at BDO, and Tenielle Comerford, a regional HR Manager with BDO. Both have helped me enormously to grow as a professional. And then I’d have to say the partners at The Henry Levy Group – Hank Levy, Anthony Barr, Beth Attebery, and Stacy Owens. They work as such a high functioning team, and I can’t help but do the best job I can when they set such a splendid example of professionalism, caring, and mutual support.