CARLA FIELDS
Chelsea,MI
Summary
Strategic Executive Finance Director with expertise in managing accounting operations, optimizing internal controls, and developing long-term financial strategies. Skilled in overseeing high-volume budgets, payroll, and regulatory compliance, along with full-lifecycle fund accounting and reporting for Federal Grants and State Appropriations. Focused on leading teams, enhancing system efficiency, and ensuring fiscal governance to drive organizational growth.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
Work History
Finance Director
St. Louis Center for Exceptional Children and Adults
Chelsea, MI
07.2023 - Current
- Executed strategic direction for financial, accounting, and budgetary operations, aligning resources with organizational goals.
- Administered and reported on Federal Grants and State Appropriations, ensuring compliance with public funding regulations and deadlines.
- Financial Modeling & Strategy: Direct multi-departmental budget creation, revenue forecasting, and long-term financial strategies to support organizational growth.
- Reporting & Closings: Oversee general ledger maintenance, comprehensive financial statement preparation, regulatory filings, and quarterly/annual closings.
- Governance & Audit Preparedness: Design and enforce internal financial controls, policy updates, and risk mitigation strategies to ensure full audit readiness.
- Supervised and mentored from 3 to 5 financial administrative staff, optimizing workflows to enhance productivity and accuracy in reporting.
- (DBA St. Louis Center)
Accounting Manager
Merkel Brothers Inc.
Chelsea, MI
10.2017 - 07.2023
- Financial Operations Management: Directed daily accounting activities, including banking reconciliations, monthly balance sheet statements, journal entries, collection efforts, and payroll processing.
- Fiscal Control & Variance Analysis: Tracked business revenue/expenditures, reconciled accounts for accuracy, and investigated variances to resolve discrepancies swiftly.
- Expense Control: Implemented strict budget and expense controls by analyzing income and expenditures, minimizing tax liabilities through precise management of statements and transfers.
- Expense Control: Analyzed income and expenditures to implement strict budget and expense controls, managing statements and transfers to minimize tax liabilities.
- Team Supervision: Led 5-person accounting team in budget administration, AP/AR, and financial management to meet organizational needs.
- Talent Acquisition: Recruited, interviewed, hired, and trained 10 team members; created a structured mentoring program to boost retention and engagement.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration And Management
University of Wyoming
Laramie, WYSkills
- Financial planning
- Financial analysis
- Grant management
- Revenue & Expenditure Tracking
- Regulatory & Tax Compliance
- Audit preparedness
- Financial Compliance
- Strategic & Financial Leadership
- Compliance & Operations
- Process optimization
- Payroll Management
- Team Leadership & Staff Development
Accomplishments
- Overhauled AP and AR processes, bringing delinquent accounts current and establishing reliable, on-time vendor payment schedules.
- Negotiated key vendor contracts to lower annual operating expenditures and optimize vendor management.
- Enhanced year-end closing and mid-year review procedures to streamline external audits and strengthen internal controls.
Work Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
swipe to browse
Timeline
Finance Director
St. Louis Center for Exceptional Children and Adults
07.2023 - Current
Accounting Manager
Merkel Brothers Inc.
10.2017 - 07.2023
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration And Management
University of Wyoming