Vicky Dalton, CPA, serves as Spokane County Auditor and is a fierce advocate for CPAs in government. She originally hails from Priest River, Idaho, 60 miles from her home in Spokane Valley. She earned her CPA upon graduation from Idaho State University and has since gone on to make great strides expanding the role CPAs play in Spokane County.
Growing up in north Idaho, Vicky helped her family hunt, grow crops, and raise livestock. “It taught me about responsibility and the consequences of action or inaction. If you want something, you need to figure out how to get it done. Don’t expect it to come to you,” said Vicky. Now, Vicky enjoys more relaxing hobbies. “I’m mostly into things like knitting and weaving, anything to do with yarn.”
Vicky demonstrated her leadership and accounting skills in high school when a teacher failed to effectively teach bookkeeping to her class. She stepped up and taught the subject to her classmates herself. “That’s when I realized this was something I was good at and really enjoyed. It was just meant to be,” said Vicky.
In her current role as Spokane County Auditor, Vicky oversees four separate divisions: financial services, elections, motor vehicle licensing, and records. One important subsection of records is marriage licenses. This is how Vicky experienced one of the proudest moments of her professional life.
On December 6, 2012, Washington officially legalized same-sex marriage. “It was amazing to experience the sheer joy of people who wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. We opened the doors and saw people, who never even had the opportunity to express their feelings in public before, walk in and obtain a license to be married.”
That is what Vicky values most about her work, the ability to impact other people’s lives. “Every day, my work is going to touch a considerable number of people. Whether through elections, recording a deed for someone buying a house, or issuing a marriage license, we do so many things that impact this community.”
Vicky is also passionate about involving CPAs in the governmental process. According to Vicky, CPAs are valuable because “they are detail-oriented, but also understand the larger picture and how everything comes together. We need those traits in the governance process.” CPAs can participate in two ways:
- As a private citizen. “We need citizens looking at issues like money spent on criminal justice, elections, or any other service that government provides,” said Vicky. “Citizens can attend neighborhood meetings and have meaningful discussions with their neighbors and elected officials.”
- As a civil servant. CPAs can fill many roles as elected officials, CFOs, department heads, and technical or administrative professionals. “You can provide support to officials to help them make good decisions. Decisions need to be based on credible data. That’s one of many things that CPAs bring to the table.”
One of Vicky’s major projects is succession planning for the next generation of leaders in Spokane County. Within the last three years, she created new positions within her office and worked with leaders in the county to bring in people who have the right skills and attitude for the jobs.
A chief deputy position Vicky established hired a CPA she knew from the state auditor’s office. This CPA worked with Vicky for two and a half years. She is now an elected official, commissioner to the Board of County Commissioners. This creates another opportunity for a CPA to take over as chief deputy.
Vicky is optimistic about the future of Spokane County and will continue to do her part to help it grow and thrive. She encourages CPAs to consider involving themselves in their own local governments, bringing their much-needed gifts to the process. Said Vicky, “We really don’t need politics in local government. We need good decision-making skills.”
Cory Wilmarth is the Communication, Design, and Social Media Coordinator for the WSCPA. To nominate a member for the next profile, you can contact him at cwilmarth@wscpa.org.
This article appears in the spring 2019 issue of the WashingtonCPA Magazine. Read more here.