Meet and Mentor
Chattanooga AFWA's mission is to enable women in all accounting and related fields to achieve their full personal, professional and economic potential and to contribute to the future development of their profession.
Chattanooga AFWA is made up of all different types of professionals (you do not have to be a woman to be a member!) in the Chattanooga area involved in Accounting and Finance fields.
If you are a student that would be interested in meeting with a local AFWA Member over coffee (or a snack!) to discuss their experiences in the workforce and build a relationship in a relaxed atmosphere, check out some of the available members below!
Mentors Available
Dr. Michaelia Black, CPA, Asst. Professor of Accounting at Lee University’s School of Business, has spent 20 years teaching accounting. Her specialties include accounting information systems, analytics, & cost accounting. She is also experienced in financial statement reporting, non-profit accounting, grant accounting, internal audit & more.
Melissa Guinn is the founder of Lookout Bookkeeping, where service-based business owners and real estate investors get crystal-clear financials without the chaos. After a 20+ year career as an athletic trainer (earning my Master's at UTC) Melissa accidentally stumbled into bookkeeping—and discovered she was good at it. Since launching her business, she’s helped dozens of growth-minded entrepreneurs clean up their books, take control of their numbers, and stop stressing over finances they don’t understand. In addition to bookkeeping, Melissa is a wife & mother to two children, who are almost adults. When she’s not untangling financial messes or helping clients reclaim their time, she’s probably knitting, cooking, or watering her ever-growing plant collection.
Mary Johnston Accounting and tax preparation is my 5th job focus in this adventure called life. University of Tennessee BA with Tennessee Teaching Credential in French and English, Chatt State/UTC accounting courses to prepare for the CPA exam, work in public accounting, tax preparation with Ruhling & Associates, work with private clients who have small businesses for monthly state and federal tax prep, non-profit experience with AFWA, developed a micro-loan business, maintain continuous investment activity in my personal portfolio, 43 years and counting with Mary Kay Cosmetics winning cars and diamonds, motherhood to three amazing humans, private pilot license (VFR single engine land), lived-worked-traveled overseas, circumnavigated the earth. I crave adventure and love learning new things. My passion is protecting clients from the IRS and helping them win with their money. I want you to win, too.
Jennifer Lamb, CPA, is a tax and accounting professional based in Chattanooga with experience spanning public accounting, corporate finance, and technology-enabled tax systems. She currently serves as a Tax Expert at TurboTax/Intuit, where she applies her technical tax expertise to assist her clients in maintaining compliance and planning when desired. Earlier in her career, Jennifer worked in public accounting before moving into in-house roles where she led process-improvement initiatives, strengthened financial reporting frameworks, and supported leadership through clear communication of complex tax and accounting matters. Known for her analytical approach and ability to translate regulatory requirements into practical workflows, she maintains her CPA credential and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Morgen Rose - Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), VP of Finance at Happy Feet International LLC, has worked in private business, non-profit and for profit companies around Chattanooga including See Rock City, Inc, Signal Centers, EPB, Covenant Transport. Undergraduate and Masters degrees from UTC in Accounting, Mother to two girls in elementary school. Extrovert in an introverted profession, loves to translate numbers and accounting information to leadership and management to solve problems and make decisions. Enjoys building teams and helping people find the best way to do their best at their job and in their day to day life.
Students
If you are interested in meeting with any of the listed members above (free of charge, coffee or snack to be provided by the mentor), please send an email to our main address [email protected] and we will pass along contact information for you to coordinate!
Have a few questions ready ahead of your meeting time to get the ball rolling. Here are some examples you are welcome to utilize:
What has been the biggest challenge in your career?
How do you balance work and your life outside the office?
When was a time that you made the right choice even when it was difficult?
How did you transition between jobs/careers/student life/professional life?
What do you wish someone had told you when you were starting out in your career?
We hope this is a valuable experience for both the students and mentors who participate. Feedback is welcome throughout this process!
