Derek Dekle
Audit Manager
Education
Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, University of New Mexico
Certificate in Accounting (in progress), completing coursework toward CPA exam eligibility
Biography
Derek holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of New Mexico and has been with the firm since February 2022, his first and only firm. His work centers on tribal governments and tribal enterprises, casino and gaming compliance, state and local governmental entities such as cities and municipalities, and non-profit organizations across New Mexico. He focuses on financial audits, Single Audits under the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200), and compliance engagements, working within governmental accounting under GASB and financial reporting under FASB.
Though he never anticipated a career in accounting, Derek found audit to be much like a puzzle, the kind of challenge he has always gravitated toward. Every client approaches their books a little differently, so each engagement asks him to learn something new, adapt, and develop solutions from different perspectives, which is the part he enjoys most. He attributes his success in the firm thus far to those same abilities to adapt.
Where did you grow up?
In Bernalillo, New Mexico. I grew up alongside the Pueblo of Santa Ana, rode the bus and went to school with kids from the community, and later worked at the tribally-owned Hyatt Tamaya resort. Those surroundings shaped me early on, so the tribal and governmental focus of our firm feels familiar in a way I'm grateful for. I graduated from Hope Christian in 2016 before pursuing my financial degree at UNM.
What's the most interesting thing you've learned working in a CPA firm?
That accounting is far more creative than I ever gave it credit for. I used to think it was rigid and boring. What I've found is that a genuinely good accountant can change outcomes for people, whether that's structuring things to legally minimize what they owe or simply designing a plan that works. No two clients do things the same way, so I'm always learning. My brain never gets to coast, and I love that.
What's your favorite part about working with clients?
Being useful, especially when I'm handed something to dig into. Put me on an investigation or a problem no one's cracked yet, let me actually deliver a meaningful result, and I'm all in. My years at the Hyatt Tamaya taught me to enjoy people for their own sake, learning about them and adapting to them, and I bring that into every engagement. I'll happily carry a lot of stress if it means solving something real for someone.
What do you like doing for fun (outside of work, of course)?
I play in a sand volleyball league, and I golf when I can. Woodworking is my more unexpected one; I build furniture and layered wood art, piecing together a lot of specific cuts into a finished image. Honestly, I tend to throw myself completely into whatever has my attention, get good at it, and then find the next thing to obsess over. Around the office I'm usually the one talking, laughing, and trying to make sure everyone feels included. We've got a real family here, and I like being part of what holds it together.
Got any favorite quotes?
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." (Thomas Edison)
