DEBORAH WHITIS

• Developed high-performing teams by providing mentorship, guidance, and opportunities for professional growth.
• Cultivated positive work environment that fostered employee engagement, increased retention rates, and boosted overall team morale.
• Enhanced team collaboration through regular communication, goal setting, and performance evaluations.
• Managed budgets effectively to ensure optimal use of resources while maintaining financial stability.
• Established culture of continuous improvement by fostering open communication channels and empowering employees to voice their ideas.
• Monitored and coordinated workflows to optimize resources.
• Oversaw operations and provided corrective feedback to achieve daily and long-term goals.
• Optimized operational processes using analytics tools to address client-specific metrics.
• Monitored expenditures to mitigate risk of overages.
• Drafted and distributed reports to assist board members with critical business decisions.
• Trained and guided team members to maintain high productivity and performance metrics.
• Recruited, hired, and trained initial personnel, working to establish key internal functions and outline scope of positions for new organization.
• Reduced financial inconsistencies while assessing and verifying billing invoices and expense reports.
• Evaluated company documentation to verify alignment with regulatory requirements.
• Boosted client satisfaction rates through exceptional relationship management and prompt resolution of issues.
• Managed daily operations while overseeing multiple locations to foster increased productivity.
• Facilitated cross-functional collaboration for improved decision-making processes within organization.
• Monitored office workflow and administrative processes to keep operations running smoothly.

• Successfully managed multiple, concurrent projects by prioritizing tasks and allocating resources efficiently.
• Generated financial and operational reports to assist management with business strategy.
• Introduced software tools and process improvements to mitigate loss and drive operational growth.
• Analyzed business processes to identify cost savings and operational efficiencies.
• Created financial dashboards to provide insights into key performance indicators.

Stood up the first operational PFO (Project Facilitation Office) for ACD with 1 Portfolio Manager, 4 Project Managers (PMP certified), 1 Project Coordinator and 1 Data Analyst.

• Increased participant engagement by incorporating interactive activities and group discussions into sessions.
• Built rapport with diverse groups of stakeholders by demonstrating empathy, active listening skills, and cultural competence during facilitated sessions.
• Contributed to improved team performance by facilitating workshops on communication, collaboration, and problem-solving techniques.
• Supported organizational change initiatives through effective facilitation of targeted employee training programs.
• Used mediation techniques to facilitate communication between disputants, to further parties' understanding of different perspectives and to guide parties toward mutual agreement.
• Delivered high-quality training sessions, ensuring participants developed a thorough understanding of the subject matter.

• Delivered exceptional organizational support enabling executive focus on high-level strategic initiatives fostering company growth.
• Supported VCFA in decision-making processes by conducting research and presenting findings in clear formats.
• Contributed to budget management by monitoring expenses and providing detailed expenditure reports regularly.
• Updated spreadsheets and databases to track, analyze, and report on performance data.
• Proactively identified areas requiring attention or improvement aligning priorities effectively in line with VCFA preferences.
• Collaborated on special projects to improve overall business operations within the organization efficiently.
• Worked with senior management to initiate new projects and assist in various processes.

• Developed Continuous Improvement/Lean production training programs for onsite implementation.
• Worked with cross-functional teams to develop and implement processing improvements and drive quality mindset resulting in in 99% reduction in retrieval time of archived board agenda’s, reduction of 70% wait time for rule approval for publishing to Texas Register, 100% reduction of manual indexing for Teach for Texas Loan Repayment Applications.
• Created reporting to provide hourly, daily, weekly and monthly performance metrics for nine functional areas within Loan Program Operations.
• Streamlined continuation of vital LPO business processes and increased customer service capabilities. Recovered 19 cumulative hours of staff time across departments recouping $76,000 annually in staff down time. Reduced loan origination processing backlogs by 3 weeks.
• Automated manually intensive processes in an increase of 66% capacity within the support team for more mission critical tasks.
• Created system to track all reconciliation items between LPO and Finance resulting in 100% tracking of un-reconciled items with metrics showing wait times and individual assigned.
• Implemented electronic funds transfer of loan funds that cut delivery time from 2-3 weeks to 3 days.
• Designed and implemented architectural changes to corporate workflow system allowing for 100% paperless environment.
• Completed the first Baldrige Application in THECB history.

• Managed and motivated employees to be productive and engaged in work.
• Maximized performance by monitoring daily activities and mentoring team members.
• Enhanced customer satisfaction by resolving disputes promptly, maintaining open lines of communication, and ensuring high-quality service delivery.
• Resolved staff member conflicts, actively listening to concerns and finding appropriate middle ground.
• Monitored and analyzed business performance to identify areas of improvement and make necessary adjustments.
• Cross-trained existing employees to maximize team agility and performance.
• Facilitated successful cross-functional collaborations for the completion of key projects, fostering strong working relationships among team members.
• Developed a strong departmental culture focused on employee engagement, collaboration, and continuous learning opportunities.
• Streamlined workflows by identifying bottlenecks in existing systems and proactively addressing these challenges through appropriate solutions implementation.
• Ensured compliance with industry regulations and legal requirements by implementing comprehensive policies and training programs for staff members.
• Leveraged data and analytics to make informed decisions and drive business improvements.

• Managed multiple projects simultaneously, delivering results within tight deadlines while maintaining high-quality standards.
• Strengthened communication between departments, facilitating a seamless flow of information for faster decision-making processes.
• Spearheaded process automation initiatives, reducing manual efforts required in day-to-day operations tasks significantly.
• Improved team productivity by implementing effective workflow strategies and time management techniques.
• Assisted in the development of operational policies and procedures that aligned with organizational goals and objectives.
• Identified inefficiencies in operating systems, recommending adjustments that resulted in increased productivity levels.
• Optimized operational efficiency by analyzing and streamlining processes.

• Effectively managed a diverse portfolio of loans, ensuring timely processing while maintaining strict compliance with all applicable regulations and guidelines.
• Developed, managed, reconciled, and defended departmental operating budget (3.5MM).
• Managed 38 staff members, including two Supervisors,
• Managed seven (7) processes, and four (4) operational systems.
• Managed all staff performance, including performance assessment, coaching, and individual performance expectations and goals.
• Ensured supervisors executed performance management objectives appropriately within their teams and provided feedback and recommendations for individual/departmental improvement.
• Managed 26 external partner relationships.
• Designed and implemented architectural changes to corporate workflow system allowing for 100% paperless environment.
• Designed and implemented inter-departmental communication portal.
• Designed and implemented major architectural changes to primary operations system.
• Designed and implemented Quality Assurance program based on Six Sigma methodology DMAIC (define, manage, analyze, improve and control).
• Identified, monitored, and ensured that Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and production goals were consistently met.
• Wrote, tested, and implemented corporate business continuity plan for critical functions for multiple locations.
• Identified and assessed operational risk and ensured implementation of appropriate mitigation plans.
• Directed and maintained the development, interpretation, and implementation of departmental policies and procedures based on industry management methodologies and operational excellence standards.
• Ensured departmental compliance with all applicable State, Federal (including title IV), and Corporate rules and regulations.
• Developed policies and procedures that streamlined workflows while maintaining compliance standards across all aspects of loan operations management.