Meet Danielle Nikolaisen!
Danielle is a Director with over fifteen years of accounting and auditing experience. She joined BE in 2018 with the acquisition of the Newport News office of Dixon Hughes Goodman (DHG). She came on board as a fully remote Senior Manager and lives in the Greater Richmond area. She focuses on the government, not-for-profit, and construction/real estate industries. Her clients include governmental authorities, state and local government entities, municipal airports, non-profit organizations, government contractors, and multi-family housing properties.
Danielle earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Christopher Newport University. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (VSCPA).
Where are you from and where did you grow up?
I am from Chesterfield, Virginia. I grew up there and live there still.
In my free time, when the weather is nice (and even when it isn't), I enjoy riding my horse with a fantastic group of ladies who also board their horses in the same place as mine. I also enjoy visiting different state parks and going for hikes with my dog. Indoors, I love to cook and enjoy spending time with my family.
What's the last book you read or what is your favorite book/series you ever read and why?
I was recently introduced to the wonderful and, as I have come to understand, highly misunderstood sport of foxhunting in Virginia. As part of that, I was also introduced to the Sister Jane series by Rita Mae Brown, an author local to Charlottesville, Virginia. I have just started the first book of the series and am enjoying it so far.
I have actually just booked a trip to England and plan on spending a lot of time taking in the countryside (hopefully some of that on horseback), touring castles, and exploring the towns. I love learning about different cultures and experiencing the best of what they have to offer.
What is one food you can't live without and why?
There isn't any one food that I can think of that I absolutely cannot live without. However, in my recent pursuit of trying to cook meals from scratch (as much as possible anyway), I have discovered that carrots, celery, garlic, and onion are the staple for so many recipes. I always keep these on hand and they never go to waste.
Why did you choose a career in public accounting and what do you enjoy most about it?
I took my first accounting class as a college sophomore, and the class was three hours every Saturday. And I didn't hate it. So I figured that if I could sit through accounting three hours every Saturday morning in my early 20's and not 'hate it', then it was something I would be able to do as a long-term profession. And I was right! I love being an accountant. Numbers tell stories, and as someone who does a lot with analyzing financial statements, I love to learn about my clients through the stories told by their financials.
