---

Toni, tell me about your background.

I grew up in a town about 40 minutes outside of San Francisco called Moraga, with my parents, older sister and younger brother. I lived there until I went to study at Notre Dame, where I studied accounting and also ran cross country and track. It was an amazing college experience. After graduating, I moved to Chicago for two years and worked at a Big Four firm in audit. It was a great intro to how businesses function and a great way to start my accounting career but, after a couple years, the work was more routine than I was looking for.

After about two years in Chicago, I was ready to move back to California to be closer to family, enjoy better weather, and make a career pivot. I really wanted to use my accounting background but knew I didn’t want to stay in audit. I also wanted to be part of a smaller company. Through a friend from college, I was able to connect with TM Financial Forensics (TMF), which was acquired by HKA in 2022. I moved back to San Francisco in 2021 and have been working here ever since.

How do you think the company has changed in those years?

The biggest shift that I’ve noticed is that there’s more resources we can pull from, now we’re part of a bigger company. But overall, things have felt very consistent in my office. When I joined, I really enjoyed the culture, the people and how things functioned. It felt very refreshing after working for a larger firm environment, where the experience was more structured. It’s been nice for me to feel like work is a steady, consistent, and enjoyable part of my life here in San Francisco.

What makes HKA a standout employer for you?

One of the things I have loved most about working at HKA is the people. Everyone is very supportive. They want to challenge you but make sure to support you along the way. That means I’ve been pushed out of my comfort zone with the knowledge that there’s going to be someone there helping me succeed in that. That’s not always easy to come by when you’re working. I’ve had some amazing opportunities with cases that I’ve worked, clients that I’ve worked with, and trials that I’ve attended that I don’t think I would have found elsewhere, and it’s really helped me grow in my career. People here really believe in you.

Are you now looking to pass on that same attention to growth and development to junior colleagues? 

Absolutely. Over the past year and a half, I’ve taken on more of a management role on the cases I’ve been working on, working with several different associates and senior associates in the San Francisco office. As I’ve started to manage people, I’ve really wanted to be the person to them that other people at the company have been to me, which means really focusing on teaching. It’s a challenging thing to balance at times when things are really busy and you’re stressed. But I always try to keep in the back of my head that it’s a super important part of HKA’s culture and development as a company. Also, from a social perspective, I always try to connect with people outside of just the casework we’re doing. It’s important that you feel like someone knows you outside of just a work environment.

Are there any particular people that have helped you along your journey at HKA?

There are so many in the San Francisco office it would be hard to name them all. But to name a few, Sean Gard has been a wonderful mentor for me. When I started at TMF, we shared an office and he was a great coach in my first few cases. Paul Meyer and Naomi Daysog have both been very supportive and helped provide me with opportunities I may not have otherwise. I’ve worked with Brian Badala a lot and formed great relationships with him and Kelly Darroch. Julie Knox has been a consistent mentor and resource for me throughout my time at TMF and HKA. And more recently, I have worked on several cases with Chad Salsbery, who really challenges me to take things on that I might not normally, but provides support and feedback along the way. I also really enjoy working with all the associates and senior associates; they’ve formed a real bond between themselves and bring a fun energy to the office that I think has been important to our culture and office environment.

Are there any projects that you feel especially proud of, or that you feel have been particularly impactful? 

Generally, when cases go to trial, they end up standing out to me because it can be such a demanding and challenging process. It’s very fast-paced, you’re working late nights, and you’re constantly adapting under a lot of pressure. Those are cases that I really have to pour all my energy into in order to ensure we do quality work for the client. I’ve been to eight trials now in the past few years, which has been amazing, but also a lot of hard work. I think when I first started, I was told that only a small proportion of cases go to trial, but a large share of mine have.

I’ve gotten some incredible trial experience, and to see your cases go through every stage to trial is something that I don’t think a lot of people get to experience enough. We’ve been to trial for two cases in the past year and a half, including high-profile matters in professional sports that have attracted media attention.

It’s a lot of fun to be part of those bigger name cases which are being reported on in the news, and where lots of relevant people are following them. It adds an extra layer of excitement.

What do you enjoy doing most outside of work?

I love working out. That’s the biggest way I unplug. I do a mix of running, pilates, peloton, weights, and walking. It’s something I really look forward to every day. Beyond that, I love cooking, reading, and spending time with family and friends. I also love eating out and trying new restaurants, because San Francisco has such a wonderful restaurant scene.

What do you love most about the field you work in? 

What I love most is the variety in what we do. I get really excited when I get started on a new case and I don’t yet know what it’s going to be about. Maybe it’s an IP case or an antitrust case – what does that look like? And how are we going to approach that? Every case just is so different from the last. You can recycle knowledge and you can recycle some processes, but in general, there’s always going to be something new involved. It keeps you on your toes and challenges you to always be thinking critically.

Looking ahead, is there something you’d like to work on in the future?  

That’s a great question. For so many years, it felt like I was always planning for the next thing – what college I was going to go to, what job I was going to get, where I was going to live. I’m now at a point in my life where I’m just very happy with where I am and the job I have. I feel like I haven’t honestly stopped to think about what it is that I want next. It has been nice to have a pause to just enjoy where I am at and not be constantly planning the next move. There are always such high-profile, amazing cases coming through our office that I trust that wherever my help is needed, it will be a good opportunity.

If you would like to find out more about joining HKA,
visit our careers page.