We are committed to providing close, personal attention to our clients. We take pride in giving you the assurance that the personal assistance you receive comes from years of advanced training, technical experience and financial acumen. Our continual investment of time and resources in professional continuing education, state-of-the-art computer technology and extensive business relationships is indicative of our commitment to excellence.

Our Team Profiles

Anne Mitchell

Anne was born in Buffalo, New York and grew up in Dallas, Texas. She received a BA in Political Economics from the University of Dallas and a MS in economics from Oklahoma State University, specializing in international trade, money, and banking. She spent 6 years in St. Louis, Missouri, first as a VISTA volunteer and then in radio, as director of KBDY, a non commercial radio station. She moved to CA to work with KFAT radio in Gilroy.

She settled in Santa Cruz, CA and decided to pursue a career as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). She studied accounting at Golden Gate University in San Francisco and interned locally to become licensed. In 1985 Anne established the firm, AMMSCPA, at Branciforte Plaza with her associate, Marshall Forrester, a finance specialist, and her mother, Marge Mitchell, who had just retired from White Cap as office manager in Dallas, Texas.

Currently, the firm’s services are augmented by 2 CPA’s, a professional, experienced tax preparer, a more than full time executive assistant, and administrative support staff. With Anne’s personal attention and focused continuing education the whole firm is dedicated to professional excellence and preservation of client wealth with the services offered.

One of the keys to Anne’s professional abilities has been her commitment to continuing education and ongoing involvement with business organizations. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce and its Finance Committee.

Jean Gardner

After a career in academia in New England and New York, Jean relocated to Santa Cruz in 2000, and chose to start a new career in the business world. She began as an Administrative Assistant and soon demonstrated an aptitude for facts and figures and communications. She has taken courses in taxation and management, to further enhance her skills in the field.

With the growth of Anne’s business, Jean’s current position is now Executive Assistant, managing clients and staff. Always ready to assist with any questions or problems that may arise, she enjoys working with clients and making their experience as beneficial and uncomplicated as possible. She is a master at dealing with government agents on our clients’ behalf.

The students that work in the office until they graduate make her feel as if she has not quite left her former life behind and that is the best of both worlds. In her spare time she tutors adults.

Michael Blas

Michael W. Blas, became a CPA in 1974 after graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1972 from University of Southern California. He received his Master of Business Administration in Taxation in 1980 from Golden Gate University.

Lindsey Freitas

Lindsey started as a student intern in May 2005. She immediately excelled at her assignments, particularly those dealing with financial and tax forms, and communicating with clients at all levels. She assumed increasing responsibility to become the Administrative Assistant, managing client communications and supervising staff. She managed the calendar and clients’ questions and concerns by acting as a liaison between clients and administrative staff. She also assisted in researching public policy implications of growth issues for Anne’s role on the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce.

Lindsey studied in Washington DC for a quarter. As an intern in Congresswoman Anna Eshoo’s office, she drafted constituent mail and lead historic tours of the nations Capitol. Lindsey learned from the staff, the workings of the legislative process.

She graduated June 2007 with degrees in Politics and Economics. She will continue her education by obtaining a Masters Degree in Public Policy. After graduation she will build on her experience by working in the field after traveling to Portugal, France, and Spain.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending as much time as she can with her family and friends. She also enjoys following the 2008 presidential campaign and reading, in particular books discussing the historical formation of policy.

Elizabeth Henry

Elizabeth Henry is a UCLA graduate with a major in English Literature. She joined the team in the summer of 2005 as an Office Assistant. She works part time as Operations Coordinator, supervising record locations. She also manages the ever-present living document, the firm’s Procedure Manual.

She is a library clerk for several branches of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries, and is working on her Master’s degree in Library and Information Science at San Jose State University.

She enjoys reading and listening to music. In her spare time she is active in outdoor sports like hiking and running.

Randall Degges

Randall is a first year student at UCSC working on a double major in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics and Statistics. He plans on attaining PhD’s in both fields.

Since he joined the team in March 2007, Randall has been our computer technology expert. He coordinates electronic data gathering from clients, transmits QuickBooks files between the office and our clients, and maintains our website. In addition to these services, he also provides technical support via the phone for clients having computer system problems.

Over summer, Randall will be living in Los Angeles studying mathematics at the University of California, Los Angeles. When not in school, he will be working on operating system research in coordination with other programmers from around the world for the OpenBSD project.

In his free time, Randall works on various open source projects and is heavily involved in computer security, cryptography, and operating system design research.

Kao Youa Moua

Kao Youa is a senior at UCSC majoring in Business Management Economics with an emphasis in Accounting. Her goal is to become a certified public accountant (CPA). She intends to start her own business sometime in the future.

She has been on the team since February 2007 with responsibility for making sure that client files are well organized. She is an eager learner and excels in fielding phone calls and handling messages. She is gaining experience in accounting applications using QuickBooks. She uses excel to track client activity.

In her spare time she solves sudoku puzzles and enjoys playing tennis.

Alumni

Stephen Godina

A fourth year global economics student, Stephen came to the firm in February of 2004. He brings an aptitude and attention to detail well suited to the clerical duties he performs. Along with his like of travel, Stephen's academic interests lie in classical history, international finance & development, and the dynamics of empire.

Stacey Landesman

Stacey was first hired in 1998 during her second year of studies at UC Santa Cruz. She graduated with Honors in 2001 with a B.A. in Modern Literature, and continued to learn and assist with every aspect of the company including internal operations, internal and external bookkeeping as well as some of the simpler tax preparation. In early fall of 2002 she set off on a wild adventure to the other side of the globe to teach English in Japan. The year abroad sparked a renewal of her long-time interest in visual communication and graphic arts. In 2003 she returned to the States to pursue further education in this field. She has recently rejoined the team to assist with "anything and everything" and continues to provide excellent support and a sense of history to a staff that has nearly doubled since recent memory.