Natalia Bakurova joined the Foundation team this past month taking on the Senior Accountant position. Below Natalia shares a little bit about her life to introduce herself to our loyal patrons. Join us in welcoming Natalia Bakurova to the Foundation team!
Tell me about yourself. Where are you from and how did you end up here at the Foundation?
“I am a native Ukrainian. I have a wonderful and friendly family. I have been married for over 30 years and have 2 sons and an amazing grandson. After moving to America, I lived in a small town near Jacksonville and at the end of 2023 I moved to Orlando. I worked at the beginning of this year at H&R Block as a Tax associate and when I saw the vacancy for Senior accountant in the Catholic Foundation, I had no doubt that I really wanted to work in this company and be around people who share such values as inspire and increase giving, support community, deepen faith and others. Now, I am here and so happy to be a part of the team and work in a professional environment.”
What are your past qualifications that led to this job position?
“I come to the Foundation with over 25 years of accounting experience. I worked in accounting and finance in various areas such as agriculture, industrial, investment and banking sector. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Master’s degree in Information control system while residing in Ukraine, and completed my Management degree from Grant MacEwan University in Alberta in Canada. Using analyze and deep knowledge in statements I can give advice to clients how optimize expenses to increase company’s profit, how make budgets or financial plans to achieve company’s goals.”
What do you hope to gain from this job position?
“In this position of Senior Accountant, I am confident that there is an opportunity to deepen knowledge in financial analysis, reporting, working with external auditors and strategic decision making, which can contribute to the overall professional development and success of the Foundation. In addition, work at the Catholic Foundation may provide additional opportunities to develop skills in working in non-profit organizations and interacting with church structures. This may also involve working with donors, participating in charitable events, and providing transparency in financial management to believers and the community at large.”
What has been the biggest challenge so far?
“It’s still difficult for me to talk about this and I never thought that this would happen at all, perhaps in my life, but it happened to me and my country – this is war. One day I was forced to leave my home. Adapting to a new place was not easy, but now I live in a safe place, and I am very grateful to America for being able to live here, work and help other people. I wish everyone peace and goodness in their lives.”
Outside of work, what is your life like?
“I am cheerful and active. My family and I love to travel. We have visited more than 25 countries of the world and each time we learned with great interest the history of different places and attractions. I do fitness and I really love flowers and making bouquets of different flowers.”
Can you share a fun fact about yourself?
“When I was 10 years old, I could eat 2 pounds of tangerines at one time. Usually, tangerines were sold in the winter for the New Year, when there was a lot of snow outside and I imagined myself in a warm sunny country eating this orange fruit.”