#WomenAtCPA: Nadia Flores

Nadia Flores, a 26-year veteran of state tax accounting and administration at CPA, is the new director of the Revenue Accounting division. Flores’ peppy tone and animated expressions exude passion for the work and the people around her. “This agency is very special to me,” she exclaims. So her promotion last September was no surprise to those who have worked closely with her over the years.

Flores is from the small South Texas town of Weslaco, but she has spent most of her adult life in our state’s bustling capital. In the late ’90s, while enrolled in business management classes at Austin Community College, Flores picked up a temporary job answering calls from taxpayers at CPA’s former Revenue Administration division, which housed what are now four separate divisions, including the one she currently leads. “I found the agency to be a good learning experience, and [the LBJ Building] was conveniently located,” she says. “I was attending classes down the street during my lunch hour.”

Flores was later hired as an accounts examiner in the Account Maintenance division, where, in addition to her official job duties, she served as the lead examiner for the Fuels and International Fuel Tax Agreement section and volunteered to help several other sections during peak workloads.

“It's kind of exciting for me because 25 years later I've come full circle to the same floor I started on, but as director,” says Flores. (Though, with recent remodeling at the LBJ Building, that floor looks nothing like it did more than two decades ago.)

Flores currently manages 120 employees and oversees the day-to-day functions of Revenue Accounting, which include processing payments and dispersing taxpayer funds and local tax revenues. The division also collects money due to the state through an effective advanced collections program, administers various taxes and fees, and properly reconciles tax revenue funds, she explains.

Although Flores is a seasoned public servant, her recent promotion brings new challenges. “Going from managing a small group to an entire division is a big transition … and it’s humbling,” she says. One of the biggest hurdles is getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.

“I think as leaders we pride ourselves in being proficient and confident in the areas we've managed, but you have to learn to make decisions on [big picture issues such as] business affairs that you may not be familiar with.”

She takes advantage of these moments of uncertainty by building on her interpersonal skills: “I ask a lot of questions and take every opportunity I can to learn from trusted team members.”

When Flores started at CPA, she didn’t have any family living nearby. But she quickly developed a close-knit support network with supervisors and coworkers. “I’ve had great mentors, friends and leaders before me,” she says. “Now I want to give that same support to others and pay it forward.”

“I’m excited to see the emerging leaders among us,” Flores says. “Nothing is more rewarding than seeing others succeed.”

When she’s not hard at work, Flores and her husband, Jerry, enjoy watching their two daughters play club volleyball and spending quality time at the coast. She grew up near South Padre Island, and her love for the beaches there remains constant.