Meet our Team

Here at Abacus, we pride ourselves in only employing account specialists who are experienced and qualified enough to “calculate your peace of mind”. In our profession, we must be very organized, efficient, and most importantly, always looking out for our client’s best interest.  We have been very fortunate to develop an amazing team who is committed to this.

Shellee Spafford, CEO

After 6 years at Merrill Lynch National Financial as a Loan Manager and obtaining her bachelor's degree in Accounting, Shellee started Abacus Accounting & Bookkeeping in 1998. Since then, she has developed the expertise to learn and set up bookkeeping and administration processes for companies in many different industries.

Shellee was nominated for Small Business Woman of the Year by the Sandy Chamber of Commerce at the 2019 Peak Awards and graduated in 2019 from both a mini-MBA program through Interise and the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Businesses Program. Abacus was voted Small Business of the Year at the Titan Awards in SLC in 2022. 

When she is not working, Shellee enjoys spending time with her friends and family.  She loves to travel, golf, ski and listen to live music, especially in the beautiful outdoors of Park City or Newport Beach.

Misty Vick, Bookkeeping Specialist

Misty Vick was born in a small town in New Mexico and grew up farming and ranching. She graduated high school at 16 and enlisted in the military. After her discharge, she changed majors from Paleontology to Accounting and started working with the Bureau of Land Management as a water rights and land deeds clerk.

From there, she was offered a job in county government that sparked her interest in governmental accounting and auditing. She has worked in the accounting industry for 20 years gathering knowledge of different companies and procedures. The only thing that stays the same is that everything changes!

Preston Jensen, Certified Public Accountant

Preston is a licensed CPA with more than 20 years of experience. He started his career with Ernst & Young in Salt Lake City, Utah and ultimately found his way to Gilbert, Arizona where he spent ten years working as International Controller for Iridium Communications, managing the public company's foreign subsidiaries, corporate accounting team, and the consolidation process. 

Preston specializes in tax and assurance services, and has a strong background in business advisory consultation, mergers and acquisitions, partnership dissolutions, and outsourced CFO services. Preston received his BS in Accounting from Utah State University, and has an MBA from Arizona State University. He has taught numerous CPA preparation courses over the years for Becker Professional Education and has served on the Board of Directors for several companies in the Phoenix area.

Autumn Thueson, Integration & Bookkeeping Specialist

Autumn joined the Abacus team in 2022 and brings years of experience to the team in administrative assistance, social media development, marketing, and complex software Integrations. Her sharp skill and quiet confidence bring a collaborative spirit to the company that is helping Abacus grow exponentially.

When not at work, Autumn enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, playing volleyball, going to the beach, and hanging out with Kota, her adorable miniature greyhound.

Auditing
Auditing

Accuracy is everything in bookkeeping. AbacusVRA can dig into all of your systems to help streamline your processes, ensure that you are capturing correct data and collecting all revenues from your bookings.  Ultimately we will make sure that your financials are accurate and organized per industry standards for decision making purposes, tax filings, & proper company valuations.

Consulting
Consulting

AbacusVRA offers consulting services to assist clients with not only selecting the best software for their business, but also determine the best accounting processes for efficiency and accuracy.  As leaders in the industry, our staff is knowledgeable in property management software, accounting platforms, and external integrations to help streamline your business operations and save you money. 

Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping

AbacusVRA offers full charge bookkeeping services, from your trust account to your operational account. Behind or messy?  Let us help clean up and catch up your current bookkeeping situation to get you on the right track.   Clients love our monthly, quarterly or annual customizeable services that allow them to focus on their business success and leave the financial worries to us!