In Cray Kaiser’s Employee Spotlight series, we highlight a member of the CK team. We couldn’t be more proud of the team we’ve grown and we’re excited for you to get to know them. This month we’re shining our spotlight on Raimonda Kesler.
GETTING TO KNOW RAIMONDA
Raimonda is part of the Assurance Team, serving as an In-Charge Accountant. She performs annual audits and reviews and prepares quarterly and monthly compilations, working closely and regularly with clients. Raimonda’s goal is to build long-lasting relationships with her clients and help them with all their accounting needs – no matter how big or small. As a former business owner, she can often relate to challenges and difficulties that her clients face and offer solutions and support based on her shared experiences and accounting knowledge.
Raimonda earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and a master’s degree in Accountancy at Aurora University. She is also a certified CPA.
WHY CK?
Prior to joining CK about three years ago, Raimonda owned a small business with her husband, Jack, for nearly a decade. That experience led to her interest in understanding and learning the operations of other small businesses, thus she made her shift to public accounting.
CK stood out to Raimonda above other accounting firms because of its culture as a smaller firm where everybody knows everybody. She feels like her CK teammates are her second family.
When she started out in public accounting, Raimonda thought she wanted to specialize in taxes. However, after being part of a few assurance engagements, she realized that she enjoyed the complexity and challenge of assurance. Without the opportunity to perform a variety of work at CK, Raimonda may have never found her calling, and that’s just one reason she has stayed at CK.
Raimonda believes that integrity is CK’s most important core value because without integrity, none of the others would exist.
MORE ABOUT RAIMONDA
- Tell us about an impactful moment in your career.
I used to think that accounting was boring, until I took a mandatory Intermediate Accounting class with Mary Tarling at Aurora University. She had me hooked. Problem-solving is what attracted me to this subject.
- What piece of advice would you give to someone who is just getting started in the accounting industry?
Accountants can be such perfectionists. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Try new things and ask for more. That is the only way to learn.
- What motto do you live by?
If you are not falling you are not learning. My father-in-law said that about learning to water ski, but I apply it to everything. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, because that is the only way to learn new things.
- Tell us about your family.
I was born in Lithuania. I am a first-generation immigrant to the United States. My mom, my younger sister, and my extended family still live there. I don’t see them nearly as often as I would like to. I have been married for seventeen years to my best friend and we have two beautiful daughters, Emily (16) and Megan (13).
- What was your favorite vacation?
My husband and my two daughters prefer an active vacation. We love outdoor activities like waterskiing, hiking, snow skiing, and biking. My very favorite vacation was a weeklong trip in a houseboat at Lake Powell in Southern Utah/Arizona.
- What’s your favorite tv show?
Grey’s Anatomy is my guilty pleasure.
- What’s the last book you read?
I love to read. I’ve been participating in Goodread’s reading challenge this year. My goal is 24 books per year, I am currently on #21. One of my favorites from 2020 is Untamed by Glennon Doyle.