Elana Hansen
Seattle,WA
Summary
Accounting professional with 15+ years of experience leading financial operations across governmental, nonprofit, and private organizations. Expertise includes financial reporting, month-end close, audit preparation, GAAP/GASB compliance, process improvement, and ERP implementations. Known for modernizing accounting operations, improving internal controls, and building efficient financial systems that reduce costs while supporting organizational growth.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
Accountant
Self Employed Services
Seattle, WA
02.2026 - Current
- Analyze complex financial data to identify discrepancies and improve reporting accuracy.
- Implement process improvements that enhanced workflow efficiency in audit preparation.
- Collaborate with clients to assess risks and implement tailored solutions for tax planning.
- Coordinate cross-functional teams to streamline audit processes and enhance project timelines.
Interim Senior Staff Accountant
Beacon Hill
Seattle, WA
09.2025 - 12.2025
- Led all daily, payroll, and month-end close processes, ensuring timely and accurate financial reporting for Talus Bioscience.
- Directed cash flow between investment and operating accounts.
- Oversaw preparation of financial statements, maintaining compliance with GAAP standards.
- Developed a comprehensive training manual for the incoming permanent accountant.
Financial Accountant
Edmonds Public Facility District/Edmonds Center for the Arts
Edmonds, WA
08.2023 - 09.2025
- Directed accounting operations for both a Public Facility District and supporting nonprofit, overseeing monthly close, financial reporting, audit preparation, and board reporting.
- Streamlined accounting workflows that eliminated approximately 30 hours of monthly staff effort while improving reporting accuracy and internal controls.
- Consolidated the monthly financials and analyzed and reported discrepancies for Finance & Administrative Committee meetings.
- Led organization-wide accounting process improvements across multiple platforms and trained finance and operational staff on new accounting workflows and financial software in order to allow for better job costing analysis.
- Led audits by coordinating with external auditors and preparing necessary documentation for review by the executive board.
Division Controller
Management Trust
Bothell, WA
10.2022 - 06.2023
- Directed a team of 4 accountants while supporting 156 HOAs.
- Secured ICS accounts for $48m in reserve funds that were at risk of FDIC limitations after banking fallouts related to SVB failure.
- Developed a custom resource for tracking client requests where multiple parties were involved and frequent wait times or dependencies were present.
- Trained HOA members on financial literacy through community presentations.
- Assisted external auditors and HOA boards with year end audit and entries.
CFO / Finance Manager / Accounting Manager
Red Barn Group
Kenmore
11.2018 - 03.2022
- Directed administrative and accounting staff of 6 in two states.
- Developed and trained Civil Engineering Project Managers on common and modern project costing and methodology, including Waterfall and Agile.
- Developed and documented all accounting, finance, and operation process for Red Barn Group to scale the company from $500k a year to $6m a year and quickly grow the accounting, administrative, and IT teams.
- Maintained healthy growth and steady operational support through the pandemic and growth into new markets.
- Completed yearly DOT audits.
Accounting Consultant
Robert Half
Seattle, WA
01.2019 - 05.2019
- Oversaw $27m in grants received from the MacArthur Foundation.
- Quickly and accurately screened recipients of grants to ensure funds were sent across the world to promote the protection of indigenous waters.
- Developed and implemented an effective SharePoint structure with strict security and separation.
Fiscal Analyst
Cascadia College
Bothell, WA
08.2017 - 02.2019
- Converted paper billing to mail merge bulk email notifications to establish contact with students quickly and increase the collections velocity while better tailoring communication to students’ preferred methods and reducing waste of resources and postage.
- Developed complex SQL queries and reports to automate report fetching, formatting, and segmenting for partners.
- Created SharePoint sites and structures for better file access and interdepartmental communication.
FinOps Project – Product Owner
Seattle Times
Seattle, WA
07.2015 - 05.2017
- Documented user stories on behalf of the Finance department for a complete operational and financial system conversion.
- Developed and trained 30 department users on SharePoint adoption.
- Developed a custom SQL transformation to efficiently connect legacy treasurer database to an API within Zuora.
Senior Accountant
Seattle Times
Seattle
08.2014 - 07.2015
- Verified advertising commitments for accuracy in publication and billing.
- Issued $120k in monthly billing statements.
- Client payment reconciliation and communications with client sales representatives.
Accounting Specialist
Novadent
Issaquah, Washington
01.2014 - 07.2014
- Managed the integration of dental labs across the country as they were acquired by Novadent.
- Managed high flow AP transactions with accuracy and speed in a multi-company environment.
- Consolidated financials at month end.
Accountant
Marchex
Seattle, WA
11.2011 - 07.2013
- Managed AR and AP transactions in a multicompany environment.
- Produced financials with detail variance notations.
Accounts Receivable Lead
American Red Cross
Seattle, WA
10.2010 - 11.2011
- Managed AR transactions and reporting for Red Cross in Alaska, Washington, and Montana.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Accounting
North Seattle College
Seattle12-2026
Associate in Applied Science - Integrated Studies Transfer Degree
Cascadia College
Bothell05-2007
Skills
- GAAP, GASB, SOX and FAR
- Payroll & Benefits Management
- Journal Entries
- Treasury Management
- Financial Reporting
- Month-End and Year-End Close
- Account Reconciliation
- Budgeting
- Audit Support
- Internal Controls
- QuickBooks
- Sage
- Oracle
- SAP
- NetSuite
Accounting
Software
- Microsoft GP & Dynamics
- SharePoint & Site Development
- SQL Server
- Microsoft 365
- Bower BI
- BARS GAAP
- Grant Compliance and Reporting
- Fund Accounting
- Nonprofit Accounting
- Grant Compliance
- Board Reporting
- PCI Compliance, FDIC Risk Mitigation
- ICS &CDAR
- Cash Management
- Financial Consolidation
Government
Timeline
Accountant
Self Employed Services
02.2026 - Current
Interim Senior Staff Accountant
Beacon Hill
09.2025 - 12.2025
Financial Accountant
Edmonds Public Facility District/Edmonds Center for the Arts
08.2023 - 09.2025
Division Controller
Management Trust
10.2022 - 06.2023
Accounting Consultant
Robert Half
01.2019 - 05.2019
CFO / Finance Manager / Accounting Manager
Red Barn Group
11.2018 - 03.2022
Fiscal Analyst
Cascadia College
08.2017 - 02.2019
FinOps Project – Product Owner
Seattle Times
07.2015 - 05.2017
Senior Accountant
Seattle Times
08.2014 - 07.2015
Accounting Specialist
Novadent
01.2014 - 07.2014
Accountant
Marchex
11.2011 - 07.2013
Accounts Receivable Lead
American Red Cross
10.2010 - 11.2011
Associate in Applied Science - Integrated Studies Transfer Degree
Cascadia College
Bachelor of Science - Accounting
North Seattle College