Her Story
About Adelle
Adelle Oaks is an accounting and financial reporting professional based in Reno, Nevada, with a decade of experience spanning public accounting and international corporate finance. She began her academic journey at the University of San Diego, where she studied Accounting and Finance and was active in leadership roles such as Vice President of the Accounting Society and participation in Beta Alpha Psi. She later completed her accounting studies at the University of Nevada, Reno, after initially starting college on a pre-med track before transitioning to accounting.
Professionally, Adelle spent nearly eight years in public accounting, building a strong foundation in audit and assurance services. She held progressive roles at firms including BDO USA, LLP and later served as Audit Manager at Casey Neilon, where she worked extensively with nonprofit and government clients—work she found especially meaningful due to its community impact. She also gained diverse experience through roles at organizations such as The Siegfried Group and the Grand Sierra Resort.
Currently, Adelle is an International Senior Accountant at Hamilton Company, where she oversees accounting operations across multiple countries, including Japan, Australia, Singapore, Brazil, and others. Her responsibilities include managing payroll, preparing financial statements, handling invoices and bill payments, and supporting tax reporting for international entities. Known for her precision and leadership in cross-border accounting, she is focused on strengthening global financial processes while continuing to grow professionally, with long-term aspirations of building her own business in the future.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Adelle
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say it's from my mom, and it's just made it's gotten me to where I am. It's just to not to go after everything that you want, and to not be scared. I wish it was a more philosophical-sounding sentence, but just to not have fear, to go after everything, and to not let anyone tell you no. She always told me that I could do anything I wanted, and she made me believe it, and I think it really made a difference in my life. So that's what I've lived by - just don't care what anyone is thinking, just go after what you want.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is from my mom, and it's just to go after everything that you want and to not be scared. To not have fear, to go after everything, and to not let anyone tell you no. She always told me that I could do anything I wanted, and she made me believe it, and I think it really made a difference in my life. So that's what I've lived by - just don't care what anyone is thinking, just go after what you want.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
The sooner you can realize that what other people's opinions are none of your business, the sooner you can flourish and just be your own person. I think we can very easily be intimidated or nervous because of the roles we play in our industry, and we want to learn, but at the same time, it's not personal. Just be willing to learn and don't take things personally. I just try to separate feelings from your growth, I guess. You respect and value what people have to say, but you don't take things personally.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
There are less and less accountants going into our field - the percentage of accounting majors in colleges has dropped drastically since I was in college. There are fewer people coming into our field, which is bad for the industry, but I guess it provides more opportunities for me to have other opportunities. Also, I don't think AI will ever replace our jobs, and that's a nice thing - it's a tool and it's only useful, it will never replace us because there are just too many judgment requirements. We'll always have a job and I don't think it will go obsolete. But I think it just shows that the industry has to change a little bit, and there are companies that are doing that, like Casey Nealon and Vast, these women-run companies with 4-day work weeks and unlimited PTO. When you have the values there and the tone at the top is there, people don't actually abuse it. With more companies like this coming up, I think we will have more accountants come in and the culture will change. I think people are more and more realizing we don't live to work, we work to live, and we're trying to mend those two. So it's an interesting time, but I think it will get better.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Family, love, just being a good person. It just comes down to just be a good person, that's it. Be a good person, wash your hands. Just being kind, just showing every day empathy. Yeah, I mean, it just comes down to just be a good person.
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