Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Websites
Certification
Timeline
Generic

Brenda Willis

Washington,USA

Summary

Dynamic Senior Director with extensive experience at Howard University, specializing in financial compliance and reporting. Achieved over $50M in savings through strategic reconciliations and implemented ERP systems. Adept at complex problem-solving and training teams, driving performance improvement in research administration and ensuring adherence to regulatory standards.

Overview

32
32
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Senior Director, Post Award Administration – Financial Grants and Contracts

Howard University
Washington, DC
01.2015 - Current
  • Senior Management of the financial research administration – Post Award Administration
  • Responsible for the creation of a financial grants and contracts accounting department to comply with the new Single Circular: Uniform Guidance and appropriate laws, policies, procedures and guidelines governing Howard University’s research portfolio.
  • Responsible for financial reporting, general ledger and monthly reconciliations related to grants and contracts.
  • Saved Howard over $50,000,000 by performing a five-year reconciliation resulting in reimbursements from delinquent invoicing, billing and financial reporting.
  • Implemented monthly direct communications with outside agencies indebted to Howard.
  • Established, created and implemented updated compliances, policies and procedures in accordance with the Uniform Guidance; created a procedural manual for GCA.
  • Responsible for the implementation and conversion of the Workday ERP System. Worked with the PeopleSoft system to redesign Project Resources (Grants Module) and implemented compliances to ensure security for the Grants and Contract Departments.
  • Completed the 2014 - 2019 Single Audit reducing the number of findings from 23 for Grants and Contracts to zero.
  • Responsible for the decentralization of the pre and post award functions to better serve the research community.
  • Training of research administrators and research community regarding compliances

Emory University
Atlanta, GA
01.2013 - 01.2014
  • Provide guidance and leadership to reestablish accurate and timely billing.
  • Worked with the Billing staff to update monthly, quarterly and annual billing.
  • Established procedures to ensure all reimbursable expenditures were billed, reported and cost collected timely.
  • Collected over $5,000,000 in reimbursements owed from the Department of Defense and NASA; $5,000,000 owed from DHHS – NIH.
  • Lead the Billing Team in compliance, collections and billings.
  • Identified PeopleSoft system glitches that hindered timely and accurate billing.

Birmingham Southern College
Birmingham, AL
01.2012 - 01.2013
  • To establish a pre and post award department focusing on federal awards administration to assist with extended research programs.
  • Initiated the establishment of a pre and post award office to facilitate grant proposals and award administration.
  • Researched proposed funding from various federal agencies.
  • Assisted with the compilation of financial reports for auditing purposes.
  • Compiled grant funding and expenses to include in monthly financials.

Director, Grants and Contracts

Morehouse School of Medicine
Atlanta, GA
01.2001 - 01.2012
  • Provided a specialized research administration (post award) department focusing on compliances, policies and procedures for sponsored program operations.
  • Recovered over $4M of DHHS, DOD, NASA, DOE, etc. funds including indirect cost by reconciling the financial reports and expenditures to the payment management systems.
  • Successfully managed and administered grants and contracts composed of governmental, state and private programs in accordance with Morehouse School of Medicine financial policies, procedures, applicable federal and state regulations, and donor stipulations.
  • Saved the institution millions of dollars by successfully changing a high-risk audit into a low risk audit. Maintained 8 years of successful audits.
  • Implemented regulations including federal agencies and private sponsors. Established compliances in accordance with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget Circulars A-133, A-110, A-122, A-21 and all other Circulars related to sponsored programs.
  • Successfully completed the Cost Accounting Standard Board Disclosure Statement (CASB DS-2) with no findings or management comments.
  • Established the process of reviews and reconciliations for departments with grants and contracts by reviewing financial spending levels, indirect cost recovery, change requests, payment requests, account number setup requests, billings, mid-year and annual audits of expenditures and revenues, etc. Coordinated periodic internal and external audits to provide financial verification on all sponsored programs.
  • Successfully served as Co-Project Director for the implementation of Banner Financial System and served as the Project Director for the implementation and development of the Banner Research Accounting.

Manager, Grants, Contracts and Special Programs

Grambling State University
Grambling, LA
01.1993 - 01.2001
  • Developed and established a centralized organization for research administration increasing the restricted portfolio by 67%.
  • Developed a comprehensive grants and contracts program which included both pre and post award activities totaling over $30M annually.
  • Increased grant and contract awards by 67% over a 2-year period.
  • Established an investment plan to invest the University's idle cash in accordance with state regulations. In 1999 and 2001, duties included the revision of cash management policy and procedure manuals to comply with new state regulations.
  • Completed 7 successful consecutive audits in accordance with federal, state, local and university policies, procedures, laws and guidelines supervising three employees.
  • Converted to the Banner System successfully establishing and maintaining the research accounting module for monthly and annual closeouts as well as financial reporting.

Fiscal Control Officer / Grants Accountant

Grambling State University
Grambling, LA
  • Disbursement Manager
  • Promoted to positions of increased responsibility based on sound results.
  • Developed cost saving programs for the University involving the reduction of telecommunication cost, duplication cost, utilities, etc. - decreased the University's duplication cost by more than $200K annually.
  • Created an accountability process to report revenues collected by the University Alumni Affairs Office.
  • Centralized disbursement requests and payments consolidating and establishing policies and procedures for the business office as well as the community.
  • Audited cashier's Daily Cash Receipt Reports totaling approximately $56M annually reconciling bank balances with the general ledger totals.
  • Disbursed payments for more than 250 outstanding invoices that were 1 to 3 years delinquent re-establishing good credit ratings and a positive financial image for the University.
  • Assisted with the conversion of the POISE Financial System reconciling 4 separate bank accounts - General Treasury, Accounts Payable, Payroll, and HEFI - which totaled $30M per account.

Education

Ed.D. - Higher Education

Grambling State University
Grambling, LA
12-2026

MBA -

Grambling State University
Grambling, LA

BA - Accounting

Grambling State University
Grambling, LA

Skills

  • Financial Improvement Program Support
  • Compliance
  • Risk
  • Training & Mentoring
  • Financial Compliance and Reporting
  • Financial System Implementations (ERP)
  • Special Projects and Analyses for Financial Management
  • Performance Improvement
  • Regulatory compliance
  • Complex Problem-solving
  • Business analysis and reporting

Certification

  • Certified Senior Grants Administrator - The Research Associated and The National Grant Writers Association
  • Writing Specialist, NCURA – RA Certification

Timeline

Senior Director, Post Award Administration – Financial Grants and Contracts

Howard University
01.2015 - Current

Emory University
01.2013 - 01.2014

Birmingham Southern College
01.2012 - 01.2013

Director, Grants and Contracts

Morehouse School of Medicine
01.2001 - 01.2012

Manager, Grants, Contracts and Special Programs

Grambling State University
01.1993 - 01.2001

Fiscal Control Officer / Grants Accountant

Grambling State University

Ed.D. - Higher Education

Grambling State University

MBA -

Grambling State University

BA - Accounting

Grambling State University

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