Brenda Schuldt

Project Manager for the CLA Telecommunications industry at CLA. The Telecommunications industry works with hundreds of telecom clients who outsource their State and Local Tax (SALT) and Regulatory compliance services.

As Engagement Director at CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen), manages payment processing and reconciliation functions for the New York State Homeowner Assistance Fund; federally funded initiative aiding homeowners financially impacted by COVID-19. The NY HAF program allocated $458 million to over 16,000 households.

• Maintained open communication by presenting regular updates on project status to customers.
• Tracked project and team member performance closely to quickly intervene in mistakes or delays.

As Engagement Director at CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen), oversees payment processing and reconciliation for RentHelpMN, a COVID-19 emergency rental assistance program. The initiative provided $415 million to over 50,000 Minnesota families to help cover rent and utilities, preventing evictions.

• Led a team that varied in size, peaking at twenty members and reducing to two as the project was winding down.
• Optimized project performance by regularly monitoring progress against established benchmarks and adjusting strategies as needed.
• Delivered high-quality results under tight deadlines by prioritizing tasks effectively and managing time efficiently.
• Maintained consistently open lines of communication between stakeholders, fostering a collaborative environment that facilitated swift decision-making processes.
• Filed 1099s.

In my role as Engagement Director at CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen), served as interim Comptroller for nonprofit Kodiak Area Native Association (KANA).

• Enhanced productivity and strengthened controls in finance department through process improvements.
• Optimized month-end schedule and enhanced closing procedures, resulting in a reduction of manual tasks and a boost in overall efficiency.
• Maintained accuracy of general ledger accounts through implementing balance sheet account reconciliations and analyzing income statement variances.
• Managed general ledger, accounts payable and receivable functions.
• Executed vendor cleanup project for Accounts Payable.
• Submitted 1099 forms.
• Ensured company's adherence to unclaimed property filing requirements.

Managed and carried out the deployment of Concur Invoice from initial discovery through final launch.

• Managed stakeholder expectations through clear communication of goals, objectives, and timelines.
• Trained personnel on use of IT tools and applications.
• Monitored and tracked project progress to support timely completion.
• Communicated project updates to stakeholders at all levels.

As consultant with Salo, oversaw compliance project to prepare for the inclusion of a 10% shareholder, which initiated new compliance requirements and other obligations. The introduction of a Principal Shareholder and their Related Interests necessitated substantial updates to the existing Regulation O Compliance Program. Utilized an Agile framework to execute the project within a highly condensed timeline, ensuring core team members remained focused and collaborative.

• Developed and implemented project plans to meet project goals and ensure successful execution.
• Coordinated with cross-functional teams to resolve project issues and mitigate risks.

As consultant with Salo, collaborated with client to evaluate existing accounts payable and account reconciliation processes, offering recommendations that utilized best practices to enhance efficiency, maintain robust internal controls, and ensure effective procedures that delivered consistent quality.

Managed a Claims Invoice Management Team consisting of around 30 members who handled the review and approval of invoices, ensuring they adhered to FHA and Freddie Mac guidelines to facilitate company reimbursement.

• Implemented key changes to turn a struggling department into a highly efficient team.
• Implemented and executed strategies and protocols to ensure continuous operations, boost efficiency, and reinforce control measures.
• Monitored key performance indicators.
• Decreased expenses by 41.1% by increasing invoice processing efficiency without hiring additional employees.
• Reduced the average Cost Per Invoice (CPI) from $4.18 to $1.13.
• Lowered Days Payable Outstanding (DPO) from 27.6 days to 17.5 days.
• Enhanced the mortgage service transfer procedure, averting a $1.6M loss.
• Improved vendor monitoring to guarantee adherence to SLAs and implemented more rigorous quality standards.

As consultant with Robert Half, managed various projects, ensuring on-time completion. Led initiatives aligned with business objectives. Fostered strong stakeholder connections and worked with team members to develop efficient systems.

• Successfully managed multiple projects simultaneously by prioritizing tasks according to urgency, resource availability, and alignment with organizational goals.
• Spearheaded a data governance project to resolve data quality issues by standardizing, documenting, and enforcing consistent data definitions across the organization for uniform reporting and processing.
• Recovered over $500M in outstanding amounts.
• Managed the claims and loss analysis workstreams for a mortgage claims advance redesign program. Created a thorough advance servicing process with LoanSphere technology, centralizing governance, standardizing invoice handling, optimizing claims processing, and improving loss analysis reporting. This effort enhanced control over advances and cash flow in mortgage claims servicing.
• Successfully managed multiple projects simultaneously by prioritizing tasks according to urgency, resource availability, and alignment with organizational goals.

Effectively handled multiple projects from initiation to completion, ensuring alignment with business objectives. Coordinated with stakeholders and enhanced operational systems through teamwork. Fostered strong stakeholder relationships while managing costs, schedules, and projects to guarantee program success.

• Spearheaded the rollout of a new receivables-based financing initiative. Provided expert guidance in developing essential internal and external reports. Collaborated with the new receivables buyer to guarantee precise data interpretation.
• Led the vendor selection and discovery phases for a new ERP system. Oversaw the on-time and within-budget deployment of Oracle EBS.
• Managed the migration of private label credit card receivables from the Legacy system to the First Data platform.

Managed a significant shared services division responsible for processing $2 billion annually.

• Reduced month-end close time by more than 50% through strict adherence to established deadlines.
• Was instrumental in stabilizing and improving processes during the transition of functions from a third-party BPO, which led to the reduction of 16 FTEs and substantial enhancements in controls and customer service.
• Managed the duplicate payment audit for Accounts Payable from 2006 to 2008, recovering over $650K.
• Oversaw the deployment of the MarkView AP workflow tool, which cut operational expenses, enhanced visibility, expedited accounts payable processing, and bolstered internal controls; resulting in a monthly savings of $100K in system costs and the eliminated 16 temporary positions.
• Held a significant role in deploying iExpense, an application that enables employees to manage expense reports with online approvals; strengthening controls; eliminated 1 FTE.
• Played a key role in selecting and implementing SupplierExpress a supplier self-service portal that led to a 24% decrease in accounts payable inquiries over the initial four months.
• Attained a 95% Employee Engagement score.

Successfully transitioned accounting functions from SD to MN, managing General Accounting & Analysis, Account Reconciliation, Accounts Payable, and Payroll. Implemented Prologue.

• Managed journal entries, banking reconciliations and monthly balance sheet statements.
• Completed bi-weekly payroll for company employees.
• Developed and implemented various procedures to improve accounting process.

Led a team of accounting professionals in achieving department goals while fostering a positive work environment.

• Transferred the credit card accounting operations from Oklahoma to Minnesota and subsequently automated the processes.
• Maintained the general ledger's accuracy by managing prompt month-end closings.
• Managed banking reconciliations and monthly balance sheet statements.
• Conducted detailed variance analyses.
• Developed and maintained system of internal controls.
• Enhanced financial accuracy by implementing streamlined accounting processes and procedures.
• After HSBC acquired Metris Companies, Inc., retained for an extended period to share my expertise in credit card operations.