Betsy Lee has always liked numbers. “I even like doing tax returns. I usually get a strange look when I say that,” laughs Betsy. With 40 years of experience in bookkeeping and accounting, she has been a welcome addition to the Y family where she works as Accounting Clerk processing payroll and reconciling general ledger accounts. It makes sense, then, that Betsy’s favorite Y value is Honesty. “I’ve been in charge of counting large sums of money,” said Betsy. “You can’t respect people if they’re not honest and you need to be honest in return to earn respect from others.”
Betsy’s role models for honesty and hard work come from her upbringing. Born and raised in Howland, Maine, she saw firsthand how hard her grandparents and father worked. “We’ve always been workers. My grandparents had a farm and my dad worked at the mill in Millinocket. Hard work is what we do.”
Betsy’s relationship with the Y began with a former job where she brought children and youth with diverse abilities to the Y for swim lessons. She says working for a nonprofit is a big part of why she joined the Y. “The employees understand they’re not just doing a job but giving something back to the community,” she says.
Despite Betsy’s talent for numbers, she doesn’t care for the numbers game Sudoku preferring word and logic games. She enjoys cross stitch and used to be an avid downhill skier tackling mountains from Vermont to Wyoming. Scuba diving was another passion. These days, Betsy enjoys hikes with her son especially around Millinocket, listening to music (except fusion jazz), and reading. And around tax season? You’ll usually catch Betsy doing her own taxes. “Working with numbers is like solving a puzzle,” she says. “There’s no guessing and you follow a formula. I like that.”