Meet Our Team
The Best In The Business
The Proper Trust team understands that your accountant can be more than just a number cruncher. They are an important part of your team that helps you make crucial decisions about your business finances. That's why we specialize in data migration, software stacking, and optimizing your accounting process to provide you with standard, simplified, and effectual business and finance solutions.
Sarah Prevost
Co-Founder
Sarah Prevost is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience and specializes in accounting services tailored specifically for attorneys and law firms. Her passion lies in optimizing processes and making operations more efficient.
As an active member of the Multnomah Bar Association and a Clio Certified accountant, Sarah is deeply ingrained in the legal community, understanding its unique needs and challenges. Her expertise extends to various platforms and tools, evidenced by her certifications including Gusto Silver Tier, LeanLaw Accounting Pro, Xero Partner Advisory Council, and Gusto Partner Advisory Council.
Driven by innovation and collaboration, Sarah is not just a practitioner but also a thought leader in her field. She is the founder of Mintage Labs, the co-founder of The Proper Trust, and Create Collaborate.
Sarah's commitment to knowledge sharing and community building is further exemplified by her role as the co-host of the Accountants Law Pod podcast, where she engages in insightful discussions and shares expertise with fellow professionals.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Sarah finds joy in her personal life in Portland, Oregon, where she lives with her husband and son. Keeping it a family affair, she collaborates with her cousins, aunt, and mother, who are all members of The Proper Trust team.
Lynda Artesani
Co-Founder
Lynda is a highly acclaimed figure in the accounting field, serving as the founder of Artesani Accounting and co-founder of The Proper Trust, both firms that specialize in accounting services tailored to the legal industry. She is also a co-founder of The Accountant’s Law Lab, a premier mastermind group providing specialized training for bookkeepers and accountants working with law firms.
With over 25 years of experience, Lynda has earned recognition as the Top QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor of the Year. She is celebrated for her expertise in leveraging technology to optimize client outcomes.
Additionally, she is an accomplished author, having authored "Modernize Your Law Firm," a definitive guide for legal professionals seeking to enhance their operational efficiency and financial management practices.
Through her entrepreneurial endeavors and commitment to excellence, Lynda continues to be a driving force in advancing accounting standards within the legal sector.
Nicole Lawrence
Account manager
Nicole Lawrence has over 20 years of accounting experience, working in fields such as manufacturing, import/export, and legal.
Nicole is located in Washington state and enjoys watching her 15 year old daughter and 12 year old son play sports. They are very active in softball, baseball, basketball, football, and soccer, so Nicole is kept very busy when she’s not working for The Proper Trust. In her downtime, she loves gathering and socializing with her family and friends.
Nicole is an incredibly talented manager who coordinates the entire Proper Trust team. Her attention to detail and organization skills are a few of her amazing talents.
Yuka Zaprzalka
Accounting and Billing Specialist
Yuka, holds a BA in Communication Studies from Tokyo, Japan, and an MBA from Gonzaga University.
Yuka worked as an IT specialist and business consultant before becoming a full-time mom for 15 years! Yuka is overjoyed to have joined The Proper Trust team and loves the balance of hard work within a fun-loving and supportive team.
Yuka lives in Washington state with her family and loves to cook, garden, and do any activity that keeps her outdoors and active!
Lori Heering
Accounting Specialist
Lori holds a Bachelor's in Marketing from the University of West Georgia and has experience in bookkeeping, experiential marketing, and event management. Before joining the Proper Trust team as an accounting specialist, she spent five years as a stay-at-home mom. Lori loves the inspiration, empowerment, and support that comes with being a part of an all women team.
Lori lives in Georgia with her husband, Paul, two sons, Oliver and Wyatt, doodle, Betty, and chihuahua, Pepe. In her downtime, Lori, a certified CrossFit coach, is into all things health and fitness, loves spending time with her girlfriends, and enjoys relaxing with a good book and a glass of wine.
Chie Nakamichi
Billing Specialist
Chie was born and raised in Japan and has also lived in Vietnam, where she worked as an evacuation specialist, Japanese customer rep, and insurance coordinator.
Chie’s accounting experience began when she started working as an accounts receivable expert. She has crafted her interpersonal skills through over 20 years of working in a multilingual environment.
Chie enjoys cooking, camping, sewing, and traveling with her family and friends when she is not working for The Proper Trust.
Mirna Rankin
Accounting Specialist
Before joining The Proper Trust team, Mirna had 10 years of banking experience and 7 years of bookkeeping experience before taking a break from working outside the home to be a stay at home mom. She rejoined the workforce at the Yakima School district for 8 years, with the last four years being in finance.
Mirna lives in Yakima, Washington with her tugboating husband of over 20 years. They are the proud parents of two daughters, a college freshman and a sophomore in high school. She is the oldest daughter of one of the amazing mama’s, Eveline.
In her free time, Mirna loves spending time with her family, enjoys being outdoors and hanging out at her family’s property in North Central Washington.
Regina Valladares
Accounts Receivable Specialist
Regina was awarded a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and comes to The Proper Trust with experience in administration, banking, bookkeeping and tax services.
Since working for The Proper Trust, she enjoys interacting with clients and resolving billing issues.
Born in Texas and raised in Mexico, Regina loves adventures and spending time with people she loves, because “There’s no accounting for the mysteries of the human heart”.
The Mamas
Bookkeeping Specialists
and twin sisters, Rosette and Eveline, are mothers to Sarah Prevost and Nicole Lawrence, respectively, hence their nickname, “The Mamas.”
Rosette has over 20 years of accounting experience, with a focus on Accounts Payable. Eveline worked as a machinist for Boeing for over 30 years before joining The Proper Trust.
Both sisters are located in Oregon, and when they are not working, they enjoy spending time with each other, their grandkids, and the rest of their family, going for morning walks and shopping.
"The Mamas" are family to all of us. They work diligently as a team (you can't just have one!), and take care of all of us.
Eveline and Rosette are strong, beautiful women who keep us all in line. They are adored by our clients and are celebrities in their own right at conferences. What's not to love?
Teaira Burge
Executive Assistant
Teaira assists with scheduling, email management, IT help, and anything else the team needs to better support our clients. In addition to her administrative work, Teaira also serves as director/producer of the Accountants Law Pod podcast.
She is the master of pretty much everything and if she doesn't know how to do something, she takes the initiative to research it and get certified!
Teaira holds degrees in music from Idaho State University and The Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and currently splits her time mainly between Idaho and Utah.
When she's not working behind the scenes at The Proper Trust or performing onstage, Teaira loves yoga, fly fishing, and curling up with a good book!
