Director Of Finance And Administration

• Jun 2019 - Present

Chief Financial Officer

• Apr 2016 - Mar 2019

YWCA St. Paul is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.For more than 100 years, YWCA St. Paul has been breaking down barriers and building up communities.You might know us best for our Health & Fitness Center, but we also work to help: - Families to fight homelessness - At-risk youth to reach their full potential - The unemployed and underemployed to find their place in the workforceMajor Contributions:- Guided team of two accounting and one IT professional, including performance evaluations, problem resolution, and building a dynamic Finance and IT Team- Manage financial, strategic, and IT activities; planning, analyzing and presenting monthly financial statements, annual audit and IRS Form 990, delivering reports to Management Team and Board of Directors.- Ensured development of annual $5,000,000 budget- Renegotiated business insurance resulting in as saving of 10%- Developed new revenue stream that provided $30,000- Organized Audit RFP, including participation of the Board Finance Committee- Implemented cross-training and documentation throughout finance functions- Negotiated sale of land moving original offer of $300,000 to a final purchase price of over $475,000- Identified little used accounting method and successfully restructured policy regarding long-term debt that resulted in nearly $1,000,000 increase in net assets- Planned and managed the conversion from an internal IT department to a managed service provider with a help desk process for staff technical issues- Coordinated the conversion from assorted Microsoft Office versions to a company wide standard of Office 365- Resolved decade old deficiency in contract compliance to correct historical audit finding- Discovered and corrected improper accounting treatments for property transactions

Vice President of Finance and Operations

• Oct 2014 - Apr 2016

- Provided leadership serving as a resource to the Chapter President and Executive Vice President, management, staff and the Board of Trustees on all chapter operations- Oversees the chapter operations including payroll and benefits, office services, mail services and facilities management- Supervises the chapter's finance and accounting function, including but not limited to budgeting, planning, analysis, reporting and audit- Oversaw the chapter's data/IT functions to ensure data capture occurs in keeping with all established standards- Organized a department with up to 7 individuals including 3 direct reports- Served as the Midwest Regional disaster relief captain responsible to reacting to any office closures in the nine (9) state area and for establishing proper response plans in those states- Served on the National MS Society task force that recommended consolidating all 37 chapters into one legal entity- Orchestrated the on-boarding and off-boarding of employees in relations to benefits- Acted as the primary contact for the Board of Trustees Finance and Audit Committees. Worked with the committee chairs to schedule and conduct meetings and to provide the committees with the necessary information needed to conduct their work

Finance Director

• Apr 2012 - Sep 2014

Responsible for directing the finance department as they record all the financial transactions for a $8,900,000 not-for-profit.- Conducted a request for proposal and successfully transitioned audit firms.- Prepared the Society for their annual audit which was conducted within 6 weeks of their year end.- Guided Accounts Payable Coordinator, Accountant and Payroll Coordinator. - Counseled staff on the budgeting process and on how to read the Society financial statements.- Constructed the budget for the finance department- Coordinated the counting of over $1,000,000 in special event receipts utilizing staff and volunteers- Participated on a nationwide committee for the National MS Society to design templates used for the budgeting process at all MS Chapters across the country.- Learned that the best way to lead a department is to hire good people, empower them with the things they need to succeed and then get out of their way.

Manager

• Nov 2004 - Apr 2012

Developed and conducted external trainings to not-for-profit organizations around the countryPresented sessions at two Head Start Region Associations, two state associations of Community Action, a state association of CPAs, and at Wipfli's Annual Management Conference for NonprofitsTrainings range from 90 minutes to 3.5 hours and cover topics such as: - Preparing GAAP Financial Statements - Preparing for an Audit - An Auditor's look at Head Start Compliance - How to Hire an Auditor - Budgeting for Beginners (authored) - Setting up an Audit Committee (authored) - Internal Controls for the Understaffed Accounting Department (authored) -Discussing Finances with the Board of Directors (authored)Responsible for the planning, execution, and wrap-up of approximately fifteen A-133 audits on an annual basis Experienced in auditing clients ranging from $3,000,000 to $35,000,000 in annual revenue, funded extensively thru Federal grants such as Head Start, Energy Assistance, Weatherization and WICConducted audits in accordance with OMB Circular's A-133, A-122 and A-110, including grant compliance, analysis of financial results, and financial reportingSkilled in communicating with clients during the annual audit and acting as the first resource for questions throughout the yearManaged three staff/senior accountants at times over the last three yearsResponsible for helping develop subordinates' annual performance goals, scheduling their time, and assigning them client responsibility by serving as their performance coachAdministrative responsibilities include billing, proposal writing, staff scheduling, business development and new staff training

Staff Accountant

• Aug 2002 - Oct 2004

Responsible for individual and corporate tax returns, staffed not-for-profit audits of HUD housing projects; responsible for the monthly/quarterly bookkeeping and financial statement of various small businessesSubsequently merged with Wiplfi, LLP Responsible for individual and corporate tax returns, staffed not-for-profit audits of HUD housing projects; responsible for the monthly/quarterly bookkeeping and financial statement of various small businessesSubsequently merged with Wiplfi, LLP

Staff Accountant

• Dec 1999 - Aug 2002

Responsible for auditing nonprofits, monthly bookkeeping and corporate and individual tax.Subsequently dissolved. Responsible for auditing nonprofits, monthly bookkeeping and corporate and individual tax.Subsequently dissolved.