In 2015, Charnee Foston (she/her) moved to Portland for a career opportunity with Moss Adams, but she struggled to turn the city into a home. Her role required travel along the western coast for up to 75% of the year, which made it challenging to feel settled. When her sister on the East Coast welcomed her children, Charnee was compelled to be closer to family. In 2018, Charnee made the difficult decision to leave the firm for a move back east.
“Because of my travel schedule, I only made it home twice in three years. I was missing out on a lot with my family. I felt the tug on my heartstrings to leave Portland because remote work didn’t exist then as it does today,” Charnee said.
First, Charnee used her experience in construction consulting and advisory to transition into internal audits for construction—she wanted to understand the client side. After a few years with a construction manager, she joined another accounting firm to get back into construction consulting.
“At Moss Adams, we had healthy relationships with our clients that set reasonable expectations. I don’t know that I felt that with my next firm. I observed issues with available resources I hadn’t seen at Moss Adams. The firm I was with had great people, but it didn’t feel like a natural fit for me.”
In Charnee’s first three years at Moss Adams, she and Stephen Bacchetti were construction consulting advisory group managers. They kept in touch when Charnee left Portland, and during that time, Stephen progressed to partner. Charnee congratulated him on his new role, and Stephen told her there would always be a place for her if she wanted to return to Moss Adams.
“Even when I left the firm, I was told I could return anytime. By 2022, the construction advisory group was experiencing new client growth and needed senior-level personnel. I went through the interview process just like everyone else to fill that role, and I think my skill set was perfect for what they were looking for.”
By then, the COVID-19 pandemic had fundamentally changed the work environment, limiting business travel. Today, Charnee can work remotely with her team. They were happy to have her back.