What do you do at StopWaste?  

I manage the day-to-day operations of the Finance Department at StopWaste. My role is to keep the Agency’s finances intact and make sure that the financial books are in compliance with all government requirements at the local, state, and federal levels. I do my due diligence to make sure every single penny is accounted for, including everything that the Agency brings in and everything that it spends out.  

Once a year, the Agency gets audited by an outside firm. They look at every single transaction in our books and verify and clarify to make sure everything is correct before they issue our financial statements. Last year, we submitted our entry to the Government Finance Officers Association for the 2022 Awards for Excellence in Government Finance and won our first Financial Reporting Achievement Award. This year we got a clean audit as well, and we will be entering for an award once again.   

To sum it up, I support anything that is financially related at StopWaste, whether it is receiving revenue or paying an invoice. I also oversee payroll and benefits—our team makes sure that employee benefits are accurate, and that they are paid correctly and on time.  

What skills do you need for your role? 

In finance we expect to get audited a lot so keeping a clean financial record and consistency are key. We make sure to document everything, which is why we’re sticklers when it comes to payments, and we request a lot of information because we make sure we have all the details. 

Besides technical accounting skills, soft skills are very important. You need to know how to approach people and know what kind of conversation to start. Knowing each person’s communication style and preference is very helpful. Some people prefer a softer approach where you work your way up to the finance questions in your conversation, while others like to get straight to the point without much conversation. And, even though most of the time I’m sitting at my desk crunching numbers, I try my best to understand the operations of the Agency’s programs. I keep my eyes and ears peeled when walking down the hall or passing through the kitchen to get updates on programs or grants. 

 
What is your favorite part of working here?  

It’s very unique. I’ve worked in different industries like private, technology, and local government, but StopWaste’s organizational structure is unique. Each program and project is like its own entity and I get to learn about the Agency’s different projects. It’s also small enough that you can approach everyone, but big enough for you to take on new challenges and learn something new. 

 
How has working at StopWaste impacted you? 

Professionally, StopWaste has challenged me to grow in my role. StopWaste is made up of three different entities: Alameda County Waste Management Authority, the Alameda County Source Reduction and Recycling Board, and the Energy Council, which means we keep three different books unlike municipal governments with only one book. At StopWaste we combine the three books into one at the end of the year for our financial reporting—that can be challenging.

Personally, StopWaste has made me conscious of my actions and now I always take a step back before I toss things into a bin. Everywhere I go, I look out for the compost, recycle, and landfill bin. I also run marathons and race a lot, and now whenever I go to my races, I’m conscious of all the cups that people throw on the ground. I do bring my own reusable water bottle and that way I don’t feel guilty about wasting more cups. I’m hopeful that someday we’ll find a way to introduce reusables to races and marathons.

Do you have a life motto that you live by?  

Work hard, play hard. I work hard, but when I play, I play very hard. I’ll go on a 50-mile ultra-race in extreme stormy weather. Before the pandemic, I used run a lot of ultra-races running 50K once or twice a month, but I’ve since scaled back. It’s the way I balance life and stress.  

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?  

I love to run and work out to help keep my mind and my body clear. I especially like trail running. I recently ran the California International Marathon in Sacramento in December. Anytime I go out for a run, it helps to clear my mind. It's the time I have to myself to get fresh new ideas. If I’m stuck on a problem at work, I can’t solve it by sitting. But if I go run for a few miles, my mind starts clearing up and things start making sense. I like to do cardio outside and when I do strength training and conditioning, I stay indoors. I try to squeeze workouts in whenever I can but generally, I do strength and conditioning once or twice a week and run five times per week. I run at least 10 miles each time and usually go to Lake Chabot, Marin Headlands, or Berkeley.