A bit about us…
Crista Gruendyke
Strategist · Systems Analyst · CEO
Crista started Infusion Accounting with a passion to see businesses succeed with the aid of smart and effective accounting tools. For over fifteen years, she has held key positions in accounting and business in a wide range of industries. Her expertise in financial systems, coupled with her degree in business finance from Middle Tennessee State University, make her uniquely suited to assisting small businesses in streamlining accounting operations and developing efficient solutions.
Her early years were spent on the Hawaiian Islands. While her journey through distinct chapters of life have lead to diverse places, she now resides in Southern California. She is passionate about caring for orphans and assisting impoverished communities with small business strategies. She also has a love for the great outdoors, perspective gained from travel, and playing classical piano. She married her best friend, Eric, who owns a custom homes company, Citrus Homes. When they’re not working, they are soaking up their happy little ones, Emmett & Addie.
Chelsea Doyle
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Chelsea has always had an interest in Business & Accounting. Her background is in Finance and while she spent 10 years in banking as a consumer loan underwriter, it was the business side of things, she always came back to. An entrepreneur at heart, she has also owned or been a partner in providing consulting and management services to other small businesses over the last two decades. She has held administrative and management positions at local organizations such as Seattle Children’s Hospital, Evergreen Medical Center and Lake Washington School District. She has an eye for detail and finds accounting & management both challenging and satisfying.
When not organizing data and creating new systems from her home office in the Pacific Northwest, you can find her spending time on her yoga mat, camping and hanging with her family and friends. Chelsea and her husband Toby, live north of Seattle, with their 3 kids and rescue pup.
Christine Riney
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Christine is a dedicated professional with over 10 years of experience in business operations and management, holding a double bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Accounting from the University of Texas at Dallas. With a fervent passion for helping and growing business owners and entrepreneurs, she excels in creating strategies that foster business development and success. Christine’s leadership skills are evident in her ability to inspire and grow her team, driving them towards achieving collective goals.
Outside of her professional life, Christine is an avid sports enthusiast, enjoying both baseball and football. She cherishes spending quality time with her family, often traveling together and taking relaxing trips to the lake. Christine lives in Texas with her husband, Micah, and their two active boys, where they create cherished family memories and embrace the vibrant local culture.
Jessica Mack
OPERATIONS ASSISTANT
Jessica is a highly skilled administrative professional with a wealth of experience in the real estate field. With a strong background in administrative work, she has excelled in roles that require attention to detail, organization, and multi-tasking.
In her time working in real estate, Jessica has acquired extensive knowledge of the industry, particularly in marketing strategies and promotional techniques. Her expertise in these areas has contributed to the success of various projects and campaigns, helping to increase visibility and drive business growth.
Outside of her professional life, Jessica has a passion for animals, especially dogs. She finds joy in travelling and exploring new destinations and seeking out new experiences. Attending concerts is another favorite pastime of hers and live music brings her joy in her free time.
Penny Lundgren, CPA | CFO
Tax & Finance Director
Proudly partnering on all tax services, consulting and Virtual CFO services!
Penny Lundgren is a certified public accountant and member of the AICPA providing personalized tax and financial services to discriminating clients with an emphasis on excellence, integrity and smart strategies. A CPA since 1988, Penny began her career as an auditor at an international accounting firm in Los Angeles in a variety of industries, including entertainment. Penny specializes in tax planning and preparation for business owners with pass-thru entities, high earners and not-for-profit organizations. Penny currently serves on the BYU Women’s School of Accountancy committee providing professional development and mentoring.
Penny’s previous experiences include producing live events and television programming in action sports for ESPN and the Gravity Games for Octagon Sports Marketing with NBC and Petersen Publishing. Additionally, Penny fulfilled a goal of giving back to her community by earning a California secondary teaching certificate and teaching at a California public high school.
Penny Davidson Lundgren’s is a UCI World Bronze Medalist and 2x US National Champion Cyclist, representing the United States at six world championships as a downhill mountain bike athlete and served as the sports color commentator for ESPN for multiple years. Penny was also invited to the inaugural XGames.
Penny is married to Swedish National Ski Champion, Jonas Lundgren and the mother of Karly and Carson. She loves to snowboard, mountain bike, hike, ride horses and manage her farm in Yucaipa, CA.
https://www.lundgrencpa.com/
Kristen Lockyear
TAX & FINANCE MANAGER
Kristen has an intellectual curiosity and strong work ethic, both of which drive her to excellence in all of her endeavors. Having obtained her bachelor’s degree as a pre-med and art history major at UC Berkeley, Kristen also recently completed her Masters in philosophy and ethics at Biola University. While completing her graduate degree, she has worked as an Adjunct Professor teaching chemistry laboratory classes. After working in the accounting department for a local company, she found enjoyment in the accounting realm and began working for Infusion Accounting in 2013.
Kristen currently resides in Wyoming with her husband, Russell, and enjoys spending time outdoors with her son and twin girls and playing classical piano and harp.
Cristina Grant
ACCOUNTING MANAGER
Cristina graduated from Central Connecticut State University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. While at CCSU, she found a passion for accounting, and gained valuable experience through her work as an intern and associate accountant for a CPA firm. She took a break from the accounting field for a couple years and worked in the restaurant industry to grow her interpersonal skills. Now that she is growing her family, she decided to explore other areas of accounting that allow her to be home with her son. She spent 3 years working as an Executive Client Manager for Infusion before finding her passion in becoming a leader for our accounting department.
When she is not working, Cristina enjoys growing her home library and spending time with her son and dog whether that be with hiking up a mountain or having a get together with friends and family.
Rachel Smith
Executive Client Manager
Rachel graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a minor in business management. Rachel always felt the need to be highly organized while growing up, especially as a quintuplet. Her organizational skills and attention to detail are what led to her to the accounting world, and they continue to be an asset in her accounting work. After graduating, Rachel gained experience in the world of accounting in various positions and looks forward to learning more.
While living in Southern California, Rachel loves to spend time at the beach and at Disneyland, which is where she met her husband during college.
Josefina Gonzalez
Executive Client Manager
Josefina graduated from California State University Northridge with a degree in Accountancy. While at CSUN, she volunteered for VITA preparing tax returns for low income families and served as a translator for Spanish speakers. Josefina worked for Los Angeles Unified School District supervising the development and organization of enrichment programs at multiple elementary schools. She is passionate about helping others succeed and is excited to take on new clients and help them thrive in their businesses.
When not in office, she enjoys being in the water, playing poker and going on new adventures with her family. She lives in Southern California with her husband, Jaime and their two boys, Leo and Robert.
Natalie Meyer
Executive Client Manager
Natalie took her first accounting class in high school and fell in love. In college, she began working at a local credit union and made it her goal to work for their accounting department. After a year of waiting for a position to open, her accounting journey began. The ability to work and study simultaneously made difficult classroom topics understandable in the workplace. Natalie earned her degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from California State University, Fullerton and continued to work in the banking industry for more than 20 years.
In her free time, you will find Natalie at the soccer field with her husband watching their kids play. Natalie enjoys cooking, attempting to bake the perfect chocolate chip cookie, reading historical fiction and spending time with her family.
Anastasia Passarelli
Executive Client Manager
Anastasia graduated from CA State University Sacramento with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition. While obtaining her degree, she worked at a hospitality group where she worked as a restaurant manager for five years and then was promoted to an accounting supervisor for another five years. She has since worked in accounting for a local HR company, assisting local businesses with their finances as well as accounting for large state agency contracts. Beyond numbers, her interests include weightlifting, cycling, gardening, cooking, and taking lake trips. Recently, she has ventured into DIY projects, crafting benches and planter boxes for her garden. She is born and raised in Sacramento, CA and she lives with her boyfriend Miguel and their charming five-year-old dog who is an English Springer Spaniel named Bennie.
Joy Woodburn
AA TEAM MANAGER
Joy graduated from Western Governors University in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Accounting. With a lifelong passion for setting goals and working toward them with intention, she spent years as a small business owner in floral design before discovering a love for the accounting field. Joy has always enjoyed organization and detailed work, as well as creativity and problem solving. Originally graduating with a degree in Music Performance, she sees the marriage of creativity and structure as a theme throughout her endeavors. Joy is excited to embark on her Accounting career with Infusion.
In her free time she enjoys studying botany, writing and recording music, making mixed-media visual art, and training her dogs for agility trials.
Laura Alvarez
Accounting Associate
Laura received her Bachelor’s in Accounting at the University of Alaska Anchorage and furthered her education with a Master’s in Business Administration. Growing up in a small town in Southeast Alaska, Laura found her passion for business while working for local tourism companies. Her interest in business, and having a head for numbers, is what lead her to pursue an education and career in accounting. Laura is eager to delve into the world of virtual accounting, which enables her to be a devoted military spouse and mother.
In her free time, Laura enjoys traveling to new places and baking for her friends and family.
Lexus Castillo
Accounting Associate
Lexus graduated at the top of her accounting program in Minnesota, after completing all math and business classes available at her high school. She has worked in accounting for almost 10 years in a variety of industries; ranging from personal accounting portfolios, mom and pop stores, corporations, and enterprises. Her significant experience is in auditing and is always available to solve new arising problems.
Lexus chose a new career path through virtual accounting to better meet the needs of her and her family with Ehler Danlos. They spend most of their free time learning new hobbies, reading or watching movies together.
Samantha Erickson
Accounting Associate
Samantha is a highly qualified professional with a diverse educational background and a strong foundation in accounting and finance. In 2008, she earned an AAS degree in Multimedia from Hibbing Community College. Seeking to broaden her expertise, she returned to academia a decade later, achieving an AS degree in Business from Anoka-Ramsey Community College and a BS degree in Business Administration with a focus on Marketing from Bemidji State University. Her journey into the world of accounting commenced a decade ago, and since then, Samantha has honed her skills through various roles in different industries. She is dedicated to ongoing growth and has an enthusiasm for acquiring new skills.
Outside of her professional pursuits, she finds joy in practicing aerial arts, discovering new destinations in and around Florida, and cherishing moments with her husband, family, and beloved pets, Luna and Lottie.
Monica Carrillo
Accounting Associate
Monica developed an interest in accounting at the young age of 16 volunteering for an internship at a construction company. This sparked an interest in accounting and pushed her to look for more knowledge and training in the field. She started her first job in bookkeeping for a local carpet cleaning company. Monica found herself moving on to jobs with greater workload and responsibility. Her ability to learn from her work and find answers or asking the right questions while working brought her to many opportunities and eventually being a member of the accounting team for a successful restaurant group. These opportunities have made her reliable and very experienced.
In her free time, Monica enjoys the great outdoors, hiking or chasing waterfalls and sunsets.
Kara Erdman
Accounting Associate
Kara is a business-savvy individual with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Indian River State College. With a strong foundation in marketing, finance, and risk management, she’s had the privilege of working in various industries, from commercial real estate to banking.
Outside of the office, she is an adventure-seeker who thrives in the great outdoors. Kara is a go-getter with a curious nature, always eager to take on new challenges and try new things. With a blend of business acumen and an adventurous spirit, she is always looking for opportunities to grow and make a positive impact in her community.
Erin Lu
Accounting Associate
Erin is a seasoned accountant with a wealth of experience in payroll, taxes, accounts payable, and accounts receivables. Her expertise spans a wide range of accounting functions, enabling her to expertly manage the financial health of organizations. Erin has significant experience in end-to-end payroll management across multiple states and ensuring compliance with diverse regulatory requirements. She has also been instrumental in tax preparation, financial management, and bank reconciliations, all of which have contributed to the financial stability and growth of the companies she has served. With a proven track record of working with both emerging start-ups and established corperations, Erin is passionate about optimizing cash flow and helping businesses thrive in today’s ever-changing economy. Her commitment to financial excellence and operational efficiency consistently drives her to deliver outstanding results.
Beyond her professional pursuits, Erin is deeply committed to bird conservation and enjoys a variety of hobbies, including quilting, hiking, cooking, traveling, and being active in her church community. Family holds a special place in her heart, and she cherishes the time spent with her husband and two kids. Balancing her professional and personal life, Erin is driven by a desire to contribute positively to the world, whether through her work in accounting or her personal passions.
With virtual offices and serving clients in:
Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Hawaii
Idaho
Indiana
Maine
Montana
Nevada
New York
North Carolina
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
Washington
Wyoming
Available virtually anywhere