Our Professional Staff

As a Certified Public Accountant with over 30 years of financial accounting and tax experience, Desha has been a stockholder in Furin & Company and its predecessor since 1996. She is passionate about her profession and works to promote the high ideals and quality service of the public accounting industry.

Desha has a BS in Accounting from Linfield College. She began her career with a CPA firm in Kirkland, WA, later joining her mother’s CPA practice in 1993. In 1997 she made several life-changing moves; marrying her husband Joe, taking over the CPA firm, relocating it to Anacortes and changing the business name to Furin & Company.

Desha works with a wide variety of individuals and small businesses in her practice and has developed an expertise in several industries including construction, real estate development, restaurant/hospitality, campground timeshare and automotive. She believes that one of the real benefits of her role as a CPA is that she is able to really know her clients professionally and personally and is therefore able to provide insightful advice to assist them in achieving their business and personal financial goals.

Desha has a strong expertise in resourcing and implementation of information technology (IT) products and systems. She has worked with a wide variety of consumer-based tax and accounting programs including QuickBooks Professional for Windows, Mac and Online Editions, QuickBooks Enterprise Edition, Quicken, Turbo Tax, Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate software (formerly Sage Timberline Office).

Desha is a member of the Washington State Society of CPAs and a graduate of The Pursuit of Excellence personal development program. 

When Desha isn’t in the office she enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons, Nicholas and Cameron, and entertaining, cooking, hiking and reading.

Christine Oatman has been a staff accountant with Furin & Company, P.S. since January of 2015. She graduated from Central Washington University in June 2011 with a BS in Accounting. Shortly after graduation, Christine was hired as a tax preparer at a small CPA firm in Langley, Washington. During her four years in Langley, she learned valuable lessons and techniques on how to analyze tax returns in order to assist clients in receiving the best possible outcomes. These skills were amplified after being hired by Furin & Company in 2015.

Christine received her CPA license in January of 2016. Her accounting and tax knowledge has expanded exponentially since joining Furin & Company and now includes foreign tax filing requirements, tax savings through retirement planning and annual tax planning for both individual and business entities.

Although many do not understand the draw of the accounting industry, Christine was compelled to this industry because of the benefit it provides to so many. At its core, the accounting world thrives on its ability to ‘ease the pain’ of one of the most stressful and integral part of people’s lives – finances. It is not uncommon for an individual to have an unexpected change in their finances. These changes can come in a variety of different forms and Christine enjoys assisting individuals in navigating these new waters.

Although accounting is a large and enjoyable part of Christine’s life, it is not her first love. Every Saturday during the fall and spring season, Christine teaches dance to children age 4 to 14. It brings her absolute joy to see them grow not only as a dancer but also as an individual. When not at work or teaching dance, you can often find Christine at home with her husband for a quiet night of watching television.

Tammy Mesmer is a Staff Tax Accountant and Bookkeeping Account Manager who has over 30 years of accounting experience. She has worked at a variety of companies, from small family run businesses to multi-million dollar corporations. Tammy moved with her husband to Anacortes from Wisconsin in 2010, and has been working at Furin & Company, P.S. since March of 2012. While moving from private to public accounting was a change, Tammy enjoys working with the various types of people and businesses she encounters every day. She has a knack for assisting a new business from the ground-up, giving established businesses the help they need with payroll or bookkeeping, and preparing corporate and personal tax returns. Tammy has a daughter, son and 5 grandchildren back in Wisconsin and travels to see them as often as she can with her husband. In her free time, she loves to read, watch movies and travel.