JAMES RUSSELL - Key Persons
Andrew comes to James Russell PLLC after 5 years as the controller for a local business that was a Puget Sound Business Journal top 100 Fastest-Growing Private Company the last two years. He has experience in all functions of accounting, insurance and human resources. Andrew is excited to assist all his clients with all their tax preparation, consulting and accounting services that James Russell PLLC offers.
Education
University of Great Falls, B.S. Accounting
Personal
He enjoys spending time with his wife and two dogs. They enjoy weekly trips to local dog parks, traveling around the great Pacific Northwest and cheering on the Seahawks and Mariners.
Chris joined the firm in 2023 after spending three years as a senior tax manager at a local mid-sized company and eight years prior to that at national and local public accounting firms. He has worked on a variety of clients and understands the importance of monitoring changes in the tax code so he can better serve his clients year after year.
Education
University of Washington Foster School of Business, Master of Science in Taxation (MST)
University of Washington, B.A. in Accounting
Personal
Chris loves spending time with his wife and two young children while exploring local parks, beaches, and campgrounds (a personal favorite so far has been Diablo Lake). There are rumors that he's a skilled bowler, fisherman, and French macaron baker. And when time permits, he's a hopeless DIYer working on projects around his old house.
Crystal L. Valencia joined the firm in October 2012. She has worked in public accounting for 23 years and one year in private industry. Her passion is assisting business owners with their tax preparation and planning needs as well as working closely with them to solve problems and grow their businesses. Crystal is a Certified Public Accountant licensed to practice in the State of Washington.
Education
University of Washington, B.A. in Business Administration, concentration in Accounting
Personal
Originally from the east coast, Crystal grew up in Shoreline, WA and has settled down a bit north of there. She has two children and spends her leisure time keeping up with the kids' activities and spending time with her family.
Personable and responsive in all facets of exceptional customer service, Dawn brings 25 years of office management experience to the firm. Having managed staffing, and inventory control for a major food supplier in south Texas, she went on to oversee the downtown Bellevue office for Windermere Real Estate. There, during 10 highly productive years, she transformed the company's office model from limited staff capabilities to collective capabilities, a first for Windermere.
Education
Del Mar College, Corpus Christi, Texas, majoring in Accounting
Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington, majoring in Financial and Managerial Accounting.
Personal
In her spare time, Dawn enjoys gardening, fishing, boating, and camping. Out of the office, she's often been spotted wearing a baseball cap emblazoned with the word "Texas" in one form or another.
Job Titles:
- Tax Manager - Estate, Gifts and Trust Administration
With more than 20 years of public accounting experience, Dawn has developed a loyal and diversified group of clients who continue to benefit from her tax and financial advice. Dawn specializes in estate and trust organization along with tax compliance and income tax planning. She provides skilled and practical advice while working closely with trustees, personal representatives, beneficiaries, attorneys and other fiduciaries in estates and trusts administrative matters. She understands the difficulties of dealing with the multitude of issues that rise when a loved one passes and the steps necessary to closing out the estate or implementing a trust. Prior to focusing on estates, gifts and trust administration, Dawn's extensive experience includes assisting closely held businesses and individuals with their tax and accounting needs. Dawn has experience in federal, state and multi-state tax planning and compliance for individuals, C Corporations, S Corporations and partnerships.
Education
St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, Bachelors of Arts in Economics
Golden Gate University, Masters of Science in Taxation
Job Titles:
- COO / Lexo Media Group, Inc.
Eli joined the firm in August 2023, having experience in both tax and audit. His experience with both these areas along with exposure to individuals and businesses of all shapes and sizes provide him with a great background for success. With over 5 years of experience, Eli looks forward to continuing his career with James Russell, PLLC and leveraging all the knowledge and experience he has acquired thus far to servicing the firm and its clients.
Education
Champlain College, B.A. in Accounting
Personal
Eli is originally from a suburb between Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC. He moved to the Pacific Northwest in October of 2021 and has grown to love the area more than anywhere else in the US. He enjoys playing and listening to music, traveling the country, and any sort of activity in the great outdoors.
Emily joined the firm in April of 2022 and enjoys being part of the James Russell, PLLC atmosphere. Having worked several years in customer service and retail positions, she is excited to continue developing her people and administrative skills. She looks forward to the opportunity to provide the best service possible to the clients of the firm.
Outside of work, Emily loves to spend her free time cosplaying at local conventions, practicing her singing, cooking and trying new recipes at home, as well as enjoying an online game or two.
Jane joined the firm in January of 2015, and is thrilled to call James Russell PLLC her new home. She has spent the last ten years in the private sector in a variety of industries and has an extensive knowledge in Sales and Use Tax and Washington B&O. Jane is eager to help with Estates and Trusts, Tax preparation, consulting, QuickBooks and other various services the firm offers. She is working to contribute to the firm's growth while growing in her burgeoning career.
Education
Central Washington University, B.S. in Accounting
Personal
Born and raised in Washington, Jane enjoys what the Pacific Northwest has to offer, from hiking with her father to camping with her family. As self-professed borderline gym rat, she enjoys chasing after her toddler son and taking him on adventures.
Janine joined the firm in 2000 with a simple yet dedicated desire to offer prompt, personable attention, trusted expertise and first-class quality work. She continues to live out this focused commitment of the firm for a wide range of clients.
Education
Central Washington University, B.S. in Accounting, B.S. in Business
Personal
Janine has lived in the Pacific Northwest all of her life and truly enjoys all that the great outdoors has to offer here. She has three children, three grandsons and many grand puppies and kitties who she loves to spend time with. Janine is always listening to music and finds a way to attend several concerts every year.
Job Titles:
- Real Estate Agent in Washington
Joshua Lopez, a licensed real estate agent in Washington, has joined James Russell, PLLC to help pursue a career in accounting and tax and ultimately obtain his CPA license.
With 18 years of experience as a finance and accounting professional, Neil joined the firm in the beginning of 2010 having served as president and chief financial officer with a regional environmental subcontractor in Lynnwood, Washington. He assisted the company with maintaining triple digit growth and raising $25 million in private equity capital. In his senior management position, he gained valuable experience in operations, sales, human resources, information technology, legal and of course accounting and finance. Prior to his private industry experience, Neil was tax manager for a regional accounting firm in San Diego, where he served high-wealth individuals and closely held businesses with all aspects of accounting, taxation and information systems.
Education
University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business, B.A. Business Administration, Concentration in Accounting
San Diego State University, M.S. in Accountancy
Personal
As an avid motorcyclist, Neil has been known to take off his accounting and tax hats and put on a helmet, as he's involved with the Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association and assists them at their events on various tracks in the Pacific Northwest. At home, he enjoys a challenging jigsaw puzzle and spending time with his wife and two children.
Paul joined the firm in 2015 after spending the previous 20 years as the chief financial officer for a multi-state truck dealership with annual revenues of over $150 million. In his senior management role, he oversaw human resources, financing, credit and collections, legal, insurance and accounting. This experience came on top of five previous years as a tax manager with a multi-state CPA firm specializing in tax and business consulting and seven years with a local multi-office CPA firm. In addition, Paul is a retired commander in the U.S. Navy having served over twenty years in the Supply Corps. He was recalled to active duty following the events of September 11th.
Education
Golden Gate University, M.S. in Taxation,
University of Washington, B.A. in Business Administration
Personal
Paul grew up in the Seattle area and has been happily married for over 35 years. He loves spending family time with his wife, sons, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. He's traveled to various European countries. He is also an avid sports fan, especially the Huskies, Seahawks, Mariners, and Kraken. Paul played ice hockey for the University of Washington when he was in college.
Clients benefit greatly from Raelyn's accounting experience in long-term care, construction and the aviation industries. She joined the firm with a passion to provide clients with personal service, dedication and helpful advice towards financial goals. She continually achieves this by integrating a client's business and personal needs into a long-term goal of maximizing their financial wealth.
Education
Seattle Pacific University, MBA
University of Washington, B.A. in Psychology
Personal
Originally from Hawaii, Raelyn is a wife and a mother of two. During the summer, she and her family like to spend their weekends exploring Lake Chelan and taking trips to Hawaii and Mexico. She enjoys reading, biking and volleyball.
Scott joined James Russell, PLLC as an intern in 2021 and has been a part of the team ever since, learning from the extensive knowledge of his coworkers and contributing his own skills to provide thorough and accurate tax accounting services.
Education
B.S. in Accounting, Central Washington University (Summa Cum Laude)
Master of Professional Accountancy, Central Washington University (Summa Cum Laude)
Personal
Scott chose to pursue his lifelong desire to become an accountant after retiring from Boeing, where he spent the bulk of his career travelling around the world as part of an AOG (Airplane on Ground) team. Born and raised in Idaho, he came to Washington with the U.S. Navy. Scott enjoys being outdoors and long road trips on his motorcycle.
Toni joined the firm in January 2022 as the firm's first full-time assurance staff. She has experience in both public and private accounting, but really enjoys the variety and challenges of public accounting. She has experience with accounting in a number of areas and different departments of companies that provides her a great background for the assurance work. With over 20 years of experience, Toni is glad to be with us since it enables her to utilize all of the knowledge and experience she has acquired.
Education
University of Washington, B.A. in Business Administration, concentration in accounting
Personal
She is native to the Pacific Northwest, who enjoys reading a good book, playing with her dog, and traveling the world with her adult children. Toni obtained her Business degree from University of Washington and is a Husky through and through.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner
- MST, CFP
Tracy joined James Russell, PLLC in early 2016. She has more than 15 years of experience in public accounting serving closely held businesses, both S-Corporations and Partnerships, as well as individuals. She has extensive experience working with real estate investors, professional services, independent sales, medical-dental groups and hospitality industries. She also has audit experience with IRS, Department of Revenue, Labor & Industries and Employment Security Department agencies.
Education
Baylor University, B. A. in Business Administration, Accounting
Golden Gate University, currently pursuing a Masters in Taxation
Personal
Tracy, originally from Texas, has lived in the Seattle area since 1991. She is married and has two adult children. Tracy enjoys gardening, biking, golf and taking on new adventures with her husband of over 25 years. She is a board member for the Lynnwood Chamber of Commerce and also volunteers for various charitable organizations.