Meet the California Document Preparers Team: Val Watterson

Val Watterson, in our Dublin office, is California Document Preparers’ April Employee of the Month.

Val is a fairly recent Bay Area transplant. While she grew up in the Midwest, she was fortunate enough to have lived in the Virgin Islands for 11 years, where her husband worked at the Hovensa Oil Refinery. A job at Chevron brought them to the Bay Area; shortly after her arrival, she met Tom and Sue in the Dublin office, and she’s been helping people with their legal document needs for nearly two years.

From Minnesota to the Virgin Islands

Val grew up in Minnesota and graduated with a degree in the Hospitality Industry from National College, in Rapid City, SD. She began her career in a front-office position with Marriott Hotels and Resorts in Minneapolis, then became a Systems Support Analyst in Marriott’s Wichita office. “I married, had two children, and we moved to the Cleveland area, where I continued my career as a Computer Support Analyst with OfficeMax, before moving to St. Croix.

Life on St. Croix: never far from the beach

“The job environment on St. Croix was completely different from the corporate world I knew back in the Midwest! No more suits and heels; instead, we lived a very casual lifestyle in shorts and flip-flops. I volunteered and held various part-time positions, mostly promoting the island. Some of my favorites were fundraising for the junior sailing program and the high school’s drama club. I was also a crew member for International Charter Services, organized dive tours, gave snorkeling lessons and helped out at the library of my children’s school. It was a wonderful place to raise our children, and we were never far from the beach—our kids loved to swim, dive, snorkel and sail.

“Following their love of the sea, both my son and daughter are at the US Merchant Marine Academy, in Kings Point, NY. My son is now a Midshipman in his third year, and my daughter is finishing up her first year. My husband and I are very proud of their career choices and military service.

“I have met so many people here at California Document Preparers and have made many friends along the way. I continue to learn, and while I look forward to what’s next, I’m enjoying this part of my journey.”

California Document Preparers has three convenient Bay Area offices: Walnut Creek, Oakland or Dublin. Stop in soon to talk to us about your legal document needs.