Leading the way.

• Position: Finalentry - Interview

Francine Vorhees, CPA. the 2012 Women to Watch Trailblazer Award winner. is called many things by the younger staffers at Moss Adams: partner, mentor, sponsor and even Office Champion. And when she's not helping advance careers at her firm. Vorhees is serving in her community as Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation board member, on the steering committee fir the Sacramento Philanthropic Advisors Forum and Sutter Heritage Advisor's Forum, or past president of the Sacramento Estate Planning Council. California CPA caught up with Vorhees to learn more about her world.

How has the state of women in the profession changed?

When I had our first son 29 years ago, I was the first person at the' local firm I worked at 10 ask to work part time. Now its common for women to have flexible work schedules. Working part time for a portion of my career meant that I became a partner later, but having that time with my two sons was important to me. I was asked to be a partner when our second son was less than 1 year old. I declined because I didn't reel I could be the mom I wanted to be and he a high-performing partner based on what was expected (yes, I'm competitive). Women today at Moss Adams are able to do both.

Also, this profession was historically all men. In 2002, 15 percent of Moss Adams partners were women. Today 21-percent of the partners are women. Over time, men have become more accustomed to having women as partner's and the millennium generation expects to have men and women working together at the same level.

Clearly women still need to learn the rules of the game. Women grew up being taught we need to please everyone. Men were taught to win. This makes a difference in how we respond to situations in the workplace. I still find myself asking for permission when I don't need to.

How important is mentoring to you?

Very important. It gives stall the direction and information they need to navigate their careers. Throughout my career I have enjoyed mentoring and growing our stall: As WC' grow we can look back and See the mistakes we made and lessons we have learned. I want to share these lessons with Others. I have seen it. make a big difference in the careers of those that have listened to, and acted on, advice given to them. It's rewarding to see professional staff grow and know that V01.1 were able to be a part of that success. None of us will he here forever, so we need to invest in our staff to help them grow. In doing so we are building out...