IT Finance, Strategy and Oversight Manager,
Information Technology
- Where are you from? Detroit, Michigan
- What is your educational background? I have a B.S. in finance from the University of South Alabama.
- When did you start at the Bank? 2013
- What do you do at the Bank?
My current role within the Chicago Fed’s IT Department and descriptor of what I do is captured in the nomenclature of my title whereas my three primary areas of support are Finance, Strategy and Oversight. On any given day I’m reviewing financial performance reports and providing direction to leadership on what levers to pull to keep the department on track to achieving our desired goals. Annually my team and I collaborate with District and System IT leaders along with the Central Financial Management team aggregating inputs to create the Departments’ annual budget, this process typically spans four months. In addition to the annual budget planning activities, on a daily basis we work closely with IT stakeholders to gain ongoing intelligence to manage updates to our monthly forecast which provides senior leadership insights and indicators of success in meeting our annual budget target.
Throughout the year I facilitate strategic planning discussions that inform our strategic and long term goals, which serve as an input to ongoing updates to our strategic planning documents and communications to staff. I’m often engaged to consult on plans to offer new services to customers, lending my financial and business expertise on the approach and cost model options to ensure we are adhering to System policy and guidance. There are situations where we’ve had to devise creative solutions to meet evolving business needs.
As the “Oversight” Manager, my team tracks and generates reporting to provide updates on Local IT efforts to execute scorecard and service level agreement goals and objectives. We capture the highlights of staff activities personal and professional in a quarterly newsletter. I also have the opportunity to partner with the Financial Management, People and Culture and Office of Diversity teams in supporting/leading all resource management needs. Often I’m communicating and creating plans to support directives from these areas, ensuring our staff has the appropriate resources and training if needed to advance these objectives.
There is never a dull moment in my role and that’s why I enjoy it. The level of exposure and the ability to positively impact organizational objectives is very rewarding.
- Why do you like working here? One of the reasons that I really enjoy working for the Bank is that there a many opportunities to expand your reach and impact beyond your current role. The Bank has a very solid representation of Employee Support Network Groups (ESNG’s) which provides the opportunity for me to make a difference. This year I elected to join the Volunteer Council and was very excited to support efforts of the United Way sub-committee in raising awareness and support throughout the Bank.
- Who makes for a successful Chicago Fed employee? A few qualities that come to mind when thinking of a person who would be a good fit is for them to be highly collaborative, socially adaptable and possess strong communication skills.
- What do you do in your free time? Traveling, golfing and sewing.
My current role within the Chicago Fed’s IT Department and descriptor of what I do is captured in the nomenclature of my title whereas my three primary areas of support are Finance, Strategy and Oversight. On any given day I’m reviewing financial performance reports and providing direction to leadership on what levers to pull to keep the department on track to achieving our desired goals. Annually my team and I collaborate with District and System IT leaders along with the Central Financial Management team aggregating inputs to create the Departments’ annual budget, this process typically spans four months. In addition to the annual budget planning activities, on a daily basis we work closely with IT stakeholders to gain ongoing intelligence to manage updates to our monthly forecast which provides senior leadership insights and indicators of success in meeting our annual budget target.
Throughout the year I facilitate strategic planning discussions that inform our strategic and long term goals, which serve as an input to ongoing updates to our strategic planning documents and communications to staff. I’m often engaged to consult on plans to offer new services to customers, lending my financial and business expertise on the approach and cost model options to ensure we are adhering to System policy and guidance. There are situations where we’ve had to devise creative solutions to meet evolving business needs.
As the “Oversight” Manager, my team tracks and generates reporting to provide updates on Local IT efforts to execute scorecard and service level agreement goals and objectives. We capture the highlights of staff activities personal and professional in a quarterly newsletter. I also have the opportunity to partner with the Financial Management, People and Culture and Office of Diversity teams in supporting/leading all resource management needs. Often I’m communicating and creating plans to support directives from these areas, ensuring our staff has the appropriate resources and training if needed to advance these objectives.
There is never a dull moment in my role and that’s why I enjoy it. The level of exposure and the ability to positively impact organizational objectives is very rewarding.
