Experience

Cook County Pension Fund

• Pension Funds
• 1 - 100 Employee

• • Jul 2023 - Present

• • Mar 2018 - Jul 2023



Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund

• United States
• Government Administration
• 1 - 100 Employee

• • Sep 2015 - Feb 2018

  Director of Finance and Accounting 2015 – Present• Led a staff of 10 members, including 2 direct and 8 indirect reports, in the management of all operations, accounting, and reporting functions for the organization; oversaw a finance budget of $3M.o Oversaw payroll processing and management of the Plan’s $50M administrative budget.• Restructured several procedures within the organization to facilitate improved efficiencies, including delegating duties and enhancing various controls and approval levels to mitigate risk across the Plan.o Implemented 3 layers of approval and visibility to upper management.• Worked closely with key stakeholders to develop accounts receivable (AR) and accounts payable (AP) modules that facilitated $15M in monthly transactions; additionally, improved requisition procedures.• Streamlined comprehensive annual financial reports (CAFR) procedures preparation timeline from 11 months to 6 months during tenure, implementing periodical entries to execute time savings. o Worked closely with external auditors to ensure timely completion of the financial statements audit, in addition to coordinating with other key stakeholders.• Worked with lobbyist to provide financial data for law makers; prepared and completed RFPs for External Auditor and Actuary vendor selection, and presented periodical financial information to Board of Trustees monthly. Show less

• • Mar 2014 - Sep 2015

  • Managed day-to-day accounting and closing functions, in addition to singlehandedly completing CAFR and coordinating with external/internal auditors.• Spearheaded a key process improvement, working with an accounting consultant and custodian bank to develop templates to streamline detailed investment entry postings for more than $10B in asset holdings.• Mitigated an unforeseen payment failure, conducting root cause analysis and coordinating with upper management to design and launch a solution; recognized for excellence in crisis management. Show less

• • Jan 2013 - Mar 2014

  Accounting Supervisor 2013 – 2014• Reported to the Controller, overseeing day-to-day accounting responsibilities, in addition to establishing standard operating procedures (SOP) that revolutionized the department’s sustainability.• Streamlined the bank reconciliation timeline, closing the cycle by implementing monthly procedures.• Managed AP/AR and payroll functions, coaching and mentoring team members in the procedures, highlighting best practices and operational efficiencies. Show less

• • Mar 2011 - Mar 2013

  Senior Accountant 2011 – 2013• Managed preparation of bank reconciliations and monthly financial statements, in addition to processing vouchers prior to payments, funding, and disbursement; served as back up to the Controller.• Successfully automated the transaction journalizing process, streamlining a previously manually-inputted procedure, establishing significant time savings and accuracy improvements. • Assisted Controller in monthly and annual financial statement preparation. o Gathered, organized, and submitted requested documents to External and Internal Auditors. Show less



DeVry Inc.

• Downers Grove, IL

• Internal Auditor

  • Feb 2009 - Feb 2011

  • Directed all internal control matrix maintenance for affiliated educational institutions, performing auditing procedures for SOX, regulatory, and operational controls to ensure compliance. o Facilitated and audited quarterly system user access reviews throughout tenure. o Prepared closing and final audit reports for upper management, presented findings, corrective actions, risk, and process recommendations. • Tasked with selecting risky campuses and spearheading extensive overhauls of controls and procedures to transition institutions to regulatory compliance, verifying success in subsequent years. • Acquired extensive experience leading audit projects, opening, and exit meetings, as well as leading title IV audits of institutions, ensuring compliance with Department of Education (DOE) requirements. o Effectively communicated issues with process owners, mitigating future problems. Show less



KPMG

• Canada
• Accounting
• 700 & Above Employee

• External Audit Associate

  • Sep 2007 - Feb 2009

  • Oversaw auditing procedures over several accounting functions for clients, including fixed assets, AP, AR, cash, revenue, inventory, and prepaid balances on year-end and quarterly balances. o Acquired comprehensive experience in the analysis and evaluation of Entity Level and financial reporting controls during tenure. • Reviewed all management SOX compliance test work, in addition to documenting procedures over controls and account balances to ensure objectivity and effectiveness. o Performed extensive auditing procedures over financial statement line items, as needed. • Audited Illinois State agencies for pertinent compliance requirements, in addition to reviewing 10-K and 8-Q filings as needed to ensure adequate discloser and supporting documents existed. o Audited a private sector client’s A-133 and SEC guideline compliance protocols. Show less