Industry Expertise
Practice Focus
Biography
Melissa has practiced public accounting since 1998 and provides professional services to a wide variety of not-for-profit clients, primarily institutions of higher education, associations and foundations. Along with providing accounting and consulting services, Melissa conducts a wide variety of audits, including federal compliance audits.
As a national subject matter expert for the not-for-profit industry, Melissa regularly presents at industry conferences such as the AICPA National NFP Industry Conference, ASAE Annual Meeting, CalSAE Elevate and the Large Community Foundation Conference on subjects related to accounting updates, not-for-profit financial statement trends, endowments and split-interest agreements, issues facing private foundations, and the California Transparency in Supply Chain Act.
In 2015, Melissa was honored as “Working Mother of the Year” by Working Mother magazine and is a founding member of ForumW, the firm’s initiative to attract, develop, advance, and retain talented women at Moss Adams.
External Publications
- California’s Supply Chain Law: Impacts and Compliance (CalSAE’s The Executive, May/June 2012)
- California Leads the Way in Regulating Supply Chain Sustainability (HUB, April 2012)
- The Trusted Attestor (California CPA magazine, March/April 2012)
Selected Speaking Engagements
- Using Joint Ventures to Further the Mission
(NACUBO Annual Meeting, July 2017) - The Diversity-Engagement Equation: Helping Women Thrive
(WACUBO Women’s Leadership Forum, February 2017) - NFP Accounting and 990 Issues
(University Guest Professor, September 2016) - Basics of Reading Financial Statements
(American Society of Association Executives Annual Meeting, August 2016) - Split-Interest Agreements and Accounting for Endowments
(AICPA Not-for-Profit Industry Conference, June 2016) - Accounting and Tax Updates
(West Coast Comprehensive Institutions Annual Meeting, March 2016) - California Transparency in Supply Chains Act
(Moss Adams webcast, March 2012) - Not-for-Profit Financial Statement Trends
(AICPA Not-for-Profit Financial Executive Forum, November 2010)
Professional Affiliations
- Board Member, Southern California Grantmakers
- Board Member, Southern California Biomedical Council
- Member, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
- Member, California Society of Certified Public Accountants
Education
- BSBA, accounting, Hawaii Pacific University