Elina
Elina was born in St Petersburg, Russia. Her family relocated to the United States in 1992. She proudly graduated the University of South Florida twice. She holds a degree in Accounting and Audit, as well as, in Spanish Language and Literature. Elina is an Enrolled Agent, a federally authorized tax practitioner empowered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for tax issues that include audits, collections, and appeals. Enrolled Agent status is the highest credential awarded by the IRS and is recognized across all 50 U.S. states. Elina and her husband are self-proclaimed foodies. They enjoy traveling, entertaining friends at the house, and spending time with family. Elina’s son is currently studying at Florida Atlantic University to become an accountant.
Lisa
Lisa was born in Temryuk, Krasnodar Krai, Russia, but grew up in Havana, Cuba. Her parents met while studying in Donetsk, Ukraine. Although Lisa considers her first language to be Spanish, she is also fluent in Russian and English. Lisa graduated from Instituto Superior de Deseño Industrial in Habana, Cuba. Lisa immigrated to the United States with her family in 2014, she is now a proud US citizen. She has been a part of the administrative team at La Rusa since 2018, you will hear her voice when calling Russian or Spanish lines. In her free time, Lisa enjoys traveling, salsa dancing, and spending time with her wonderful daughters, dog, and two cats.
Marina
Marina grew up in a small Siberian village in the Krasnoyarsk region. She graduated from Siberian Transportation University in Novosibirsk, earning her degree in accounting and management. During her career she has held various positions, from junior accountant to senior manager and even a consultant. Marina holds a certificate from Russia that is equivalent to the US CPA designation. She is very adventurous and is not afraid to make changes in her life, so when she won a green card on her first attempt, she easily moved to the United States. As a senior manager at La Rusa since 2018, Marina is an integral part of the organization. Marina loves to travel and study psychology, but she will not accept an offer to jump with a parachute.
Katy
Katy is originally from Mexico City, the capital of Mexico. Her family relocated to the United States in 2002. After being Elina’s client for almost 15 years, Katy has joined La Rusa in the administrative role in 2018. Katy specializes in corporate formation and dissolution, multistate issues research and compliance, problem resolutions with the IRS. Just like all other members of the La Rusa team, she is multilingual, speaking English and Spanish. Katy is a proud mom of chihuahua Tony, who is a king of the house. When not at the office, you will find her dining out with her husband or attending church service with her daughter.
Lena
Lena is originally from Dnipro, Ukraine. She obtained her Master’s degree in Business and Economics from Dnepropetrovsk National University. After winning a green card on the first attempt, her family relocated to the Tampa Bay area in 2017, where she still resides. Lena joined La Rusa shortly after and is currently specializing in international taxation and ensuring tax compliance by multinational companies. Lena is fluent in English, Ukrainian, and Russian. When not at the office, Lena enjoys traveling, exercising, and going to the beach with her family.
Natasha
Natasha was born in the beautiful city of Vinnytsia, Ukraine. Once meeting the love of her life, she relocated to the United States and since then has lived in different parts of our country. She joined La Rusa in 2020 after obtaining certification in accounting and bookkeeping. Natasha specializes in bookkeeping for multistate organizations, as well as, international/domestic multilevel companies. During tax season, Natasha assists La Rusa’s clients with tax return preparation in all states and various difficulty levels. Natasha is fluent in English, Ukrainian, Russian, and is able to communicate in Polish. She is an avid reader, traveler, and animal lover, who offers monthly support to an animal shelter.
Roma
Roman was born in Ukraine. He graduated from Moscow State University with a degree in Advanced Mathematics. Roman considered himself to be a citizen of the universe, having lived in four different countries. Roman is fluent in English, Russian, Ukrainian, and knows German. He held various positions in the financial services and insurance industry before joining the La Rusa team. Roman specializes in problem resolution with the IRS and state agencies, including unfiled tax returns, back taxes, IRS liens and levies.
Saule
Saule is originally from Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan (no, she does not know Borat). She graduated from North Kazakhstan Government University in finance and accounting, and later from Houston Community College, where she was an exchange student improving her English. After graduation, she returned to Kazakhstan and worked in various financial institutions, utilizing her knowledge of English, United States culture, and participating in various international projects. Saule is a recent addition to the La Rusa team, having joined the company in 2021, specializing in taxation. Saule loves to listen to jazz music, enjoys an active lifestyle with her wonderful husband and two kids, and hopes one day to learn to pilot a plane.
Larisa
Larisa was born in the capital city of Russia, Moscow. She graduated from Open Moscow Government University with a law degree becoming a corporate attorney at a major Russian bank. Larisa extends her knowledge and assists clients at La Rusa with various corporate issues, including corporate organization, foreign and domestic entity formation, FBAR/FATCA compliance, as well as, AML/BSA issues. If you want to speak with Larisa eye to eye, make sure to bring a chair, she is 6’4” tall (if she has no heels on). In her previous life, Larisa was a professional volleyball player. Now you can find her often at the beach playing beach volleyball.
