June 2021 Staff Spotlight
Martha Lefotu-Aumua
Administrative Assistant
Martha joined the Hawthorne & Co. CPAs team in February 2014 as an Administrative Assistant. She previously had many years of experience working in the education field at the University of Southern California. When she and her family moved to Seattle, Martha felt like it was time to try out a new industry, which led her to Hawthorne & Co. CPAs.
Martha says one of her favorite parts of working at Hawthorne & Co. CPAs is that she has been able to witness the growth of our firm over the past 7 years. From welcoming more clients, hiring more staff members, and moving to a new building, a lot has changed since she first came on board.
Martha also loves working with our diverse group of staff members. She says when we have a company potluck, being able to sample the various dishes people bring in is a huge bonus.
Martha also loves being able to connect with our clients. After many years being the first friendly face when clients come in and the first cheerful voice when they call, Martha has enjoyed making connections with many of our long-time clients.
To a young professional, Martha would advise being open to whatever opportunities come their way.
“Be open with a teachable spirit and work at it faithfully. It only takes one door to open up new opportunities.”
In her free time, Martha loves spending time with her family, including the newest member of the family – Simba, the one year old cat.
Martha’s family with kids and grandkids
Martha’s family at Christmas with Simba, the family cat
Martha’s kids
Martha and her family are very involved in their community and enjoy helping others through their church ministry. They volunteer every month feeding the homeless and at the food bank. Every Christmas, they sponsor children whose parents are incarcerated through a nationwide program called the Angel Tree.
Many people do not know that Martha and her family were blessed with the opportunity to raise a young, African American boy named Wesley. Wesley came into their lives when he was 12 years old from the inner-city of Los Angeles. He came from a broken family and was struggling with school. Martha says with love and speaking life into him, his academics improved, and he graduated high school with a full ride to WSU through a football scholarship. Martha is proud to share that he then went on to serve in the Navy and he is now a successful young man raising a family of his own.
Martha says this taught her that it only takes one positive choice to turn someone’s life around. She says raising Wesley was a decision that changed his life and her family’s lives and if given the chance, she would do it all over again.
Learn more about Martha and the rest of our staff by visiting our staff page.