Whatcom Young Professionals and the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce 2025 Top 7 Under 40: Gena Mikkelsen

The path to leadership is not always an obvious one. For Budget Analyst Gena Mikkelsen, it started in an unexpected place – a paralegal office. “I was working as a paralegal, and they needed a backup bookkeeper,” she said. “I thought, ‘Hey, I will give it a try!’ I ended up really loving it and went back to school for accounting. Little did I know that I would fall in love with budgeting and finance.”

That small step led to a flourishing career in finance, her role as a budget analyst at Western Washington University, and treasurer and director of finance at the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra, where music and numbers come together in surprising ways. In fact, Gena plays as principal piccolo and assistant principal flute for the symphony as well.

(Gena Mikkelsen earned an MBA from Western in 2025 and is a budget analyst in WWU's Strategy, Management & Budget Office.)