Developing our people into leaders is a lot like gardening: We must carefully and patiently place rising talent in the best position to advance, providing ongoing resources and support to assist in their professional growth. The results of our culture of cultivating homegrown talent are most evident in the efforts of business resource group (BRG) leaders like Aurora Varela (she/her).

Aurora has always been determined to make a difference for underrepresented talent at Moss Adams. During her onboarding orientation, she approached the only other Black professional in her staff cohort, Lexi Simmons, and sparked a friendship now nearly 10 years in the making.

Aurora explained, “Sometimes, you just know you’re going to be in the minority—I only had one other Black student in my accounting program classes. So, from my very first day at Moss Adams, I wanted to connect with people and make them feel like they belong regardless of their race or other identities.”

It’s this core value that drove Aurora to join inclusion & diversity (I&D) programming at Moss Adams, but she didn’t know then that her passion would accelerate her career. In eight years, Aurora went from summer intern to senior manager—and she attributes some of her progress to the visibility earned through her work with the Black BRG.

Space to Grow

When Aurora joined the firm full-time, the Black BRG hadn’t been created. One year later, in 2017, grassroots conversations held at the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) conference led to Black professionals across the firm’s national footprint launching the BRG.

Aurora said, “The first time I went to NABA, I decided I wanted more of that for myself and others in Seattle.”

While on the Black BRG national steering committee, Aurora and Lexi worked with a team of colleagues inspired to charter a Washington chapter of the Black BRG. It was challenging to get the local chapter off the ground. Existing processes, including required approval for newsletters, weighed upon Aurora as members questioned the BRG's future.

Nevertheless, Aurora and Lexi advanced through burnout to stabilize the Washington chapter. Their work later contributed to the firm’s solution to simplify the approval process and reduce the barriers faced by BRGs in their region.

Her leadership in Washington attracted the attention of other Black BRG leaders across the firm, but Aurora initially declined to accept more responsibility due to low morale. It was news of the I&D governance structure, which would introduce a simpler process with shared responsibilities, that changed Aurora’s mind.

“I’m so glad I did,” Aurora said. “Now, we have the resources, structure, and people to support our projects. We have the Inclusion and Social Responsibility (ISR) team to set expectations and help with accountability. The firm actually cares about this, and it’s not just a few people in a room trying to get things together. It’s exciting.”

Adapting to Tough Terrain

Since the rollout of the I&D governance structure, Aurora has become the national leader of the Black BRG. In this role, she supports activities and other leaders while mentoring rising talent. Aurora puts in a lot of work to be a dependable leader, more than initially estimated for her role, and she’s grateful to her career advisors for their support in balancing her BRG and client responsibilities.

“It makes me sad when I speak with people whose leaders ask them to cut back on I&D work,” Aurora shared. “People who feel like they belong are happier, making our teams more reliable. I&D is woven into that, and I’m lucky I work with people who are engaged enough to understand.”

Aurora is proud to contribute beyond her client work, but she laments the shared burnout among BRG and I&D stakeholders as their efforts to create a culture of belonging have faced challenges from others who disengage with or devalue the firm’s I&D commitment.

She explained, “There are many people, like CEO Eric Miles, who really care about what we’re doing, but that’s not consistent across the firm. Microaggressions still happen, and unsupportive environments affect our retention. These issues aren’t unique to Moss Adams, but the burden to fix what’s wrong can’t always be on the backs of the people who are affected by it. How do we bridge that gap?”

Leadership in Bloom

Aurora hopes the work she and other BRG leaders are doing will amount to folks at all levels understanding the value of I&D initiatives. Participation in BRG projects allows team members to demonstrate their work ethic, develop new skills, and expand their network—and Aurora’s advancement proves its efficacy. Her leadership in the Black BRG developed her reputation for reliability, partially influencing her promotion to senior manager.

“Leaders like Eric Miles know who I am,” Aurora said. “I’ve met partners in my industry, like Kinman Tong, through my BRG work. The support I’ve had, and the skills I’ve built, wouldn’t have happened nearly as quickly if I hadn’t gotten involved in leading the Black BRG.”

Aurora has become more confident marketing herself and the firm at conferences, which directly translates to how she promotes the firm’s offerings to prospective not-for-profit clients.

“In our business, people are the asset. Learning to market the firm with students and professionals at conferences improves how we talk about the firm with clients. In the not-for-profit industry, our I&D commitment helps us better relate to clients who are making our world a better place,” Aurora said.

Despite the challenges, Aurora remains fully committed to this work as she nears her third year as leader of the Black BRG. She expects to remain involved in the firm’s I&D initiatives in some capacity, regardless of maintaining a leadership role.  

“There is no end destination with I&D—it’s a journey with a lot of work, which is terrifying at times,” Aurora said. “I don’t have to be the person doing that work, but it’s important to me that I stay involved to steer us in the right direction. I often say my clients have a mission to save lives, and I’m a part of that one audit at a time. My mission is to evolve the culture of belonging at Moss Adams because, to me, that work is just as meaningful.”

Inclusion and Diversity at Moss Adams

Moss Adams is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse culture where everyone feels like they belong. This means investing in opportunities for our people to find community and mentorship to support their professional development at our firm and beyond.

Learn more about our progress on our Inclusion & Diversity page.