Open To Work
DEBRA J. HAWKINS
Richmond,VA
Summary
Dynamic leader with over 25 years of extensive industry experience, specializing in business process analysis, Agile/SAFe transformations, and comprehensive project lifecycle management. Proven expertise in overseeing multi-million-dollar programs and managing large onshore and offshore technical teams to drive strategic business outcomes. Certified in Agile methodologies, with a successful track record as Program Director, Agile Coach/Scrum Master, Product Owner/Manager, and Business Analyst across diverse sectors. Committed to fostering high-performing Agile teams that consistently deliver exceptional results while leveraging data-driven insights to enhance operational performance and optimize efficiency during enterprise-wide transformations.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
4
4
Certification
Work History
Sr. Project Manager | Product Owner
THINKMIRUM
Richmond, VA
12.2025 - 06.2026
- Project Planning & Execution: Developed comprehensive project plans, defining scope, objectives, and deliverables. Create timelines, budgets, and resource allocation strategies.
- Team Leadership & Management: Lead, motivated, and managed project teams, provided guidance, support, and feedback to ensure cohesive and efficient work.
- Stakeholder Communication: Established and maintained clear communication with clients, team members, and senior leadership, providing regular status updates and managing expectations.
- Risk & Issue Management: Identified potential risks and issues, develop mitigation strategies, and address obstacles as they arise to keep the project on track.
- Quality Control: Set and maintained quality standards for project deliverables, conducting regular checks to ensure compliance with best practices and industry standards.
- Resource & Budget Management: Allocate and manage all project resources, including personnel, equipment, and budgets, to optimize their use and achieve project goals.
Lead Business Analyst | Agile Coach
VDOT
03.2025 - 12.2025
- Managed, coordinated, and led business analysis activities for multiple projects and teams, acting as a bridge between business stakeholders' needs and IT solutions.
- Assisted and mentored the business analyst team members with analyzing complex business requirements, defining project scope, and ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
- Communicated with high-level business stakeholders, business teams, IT, and developer teams to understand the business needs, gather requirements, and ensure alignment.
- Provide guidance, support, and mentorship to junior business analysts, helping them develop their skills and make practical contributions.
Sr. Resource Manager | Agile Coach
Amtrak
01.2024 - 01.2024
- Maintained relationships among managers, customers, and employees, and ensured a healthy work environment by ensuring SAFe Teams meet compliance requirements.
- Reviewed departmental budgets and monitored project metrics.
- Managed on and offshore Agile teams and educated team members about the Agile framework and implementing guardrails for success.
Agile Coach/Sr. Project Manager
Cognizant, Inc.
01.2022 - 01.2024
- Served as Agile Coach/Scrum Master, planning client project deliverables for multi-million-dollar projects.
- Gathered requirements from start to completion, working with the Agile teams to meet client deadlines, milestones, and processes using Agile/SAFe methodologies.
- Assessed the client's existing program's effectiveness to recommend changes to content, policies, and procedures.
- Identified issues and monitors project progress with reports issued by subordinate managers.
- Collaborated with directors and team members to discuss topics related to client projects.
- Collaborated and participated in the RFI/RFP process with Senior Leadership, and attended industry conferences.
Agile Coach/Business Analyst | Program Director
Chexout, Inc.
01.2020 - 01.2024
- Evaluated Agile Team performance and pinpointed necessary enhancements through targeted program assessments and Chexout healthcare data software implementation for public healthcare clients.
- Fulfill roles of Agile Coach and Scrum Master, strategizing client project milestones, collecting requirements throughout the project lifecycle, and ensuring Agile team adherence to client deadlines and processes utilizing Agile/SAFe methodologies.
- Monitored Agile Team performance and identified needed improvements based on targeted program evaluation strategies and implementation of Chexout software for public healthcare clients.
- Collaborated with cross-functional technical teams on and offshore to define business needs and translate them into functional requirements.
- Managed and led offshore developers and QA team and oversaw performance reviews.
- Recommended adjustments to content, policies, and procedures by improving the efficiency of client programs.
- Detected issues and steered project advancement through reports provided by team managers and addressed concerns associated with client projects by engaging with directors and team members.
- Contributed to RFI/RFP process and collaborated on multi-million-dollar public healthcare projects with Senior Leadership attending relevant industry conferences for continued professional development.
Scrum Master/Business Analyst
HCL America, Inc., Richmond, VA
Richmond, VA
01.2019 - 01.2023
- Served as a Scrum Master while leading Daily stand-up ceremonies, organizing and managing PI Planning sessions, and ensuring the timely execution of Sprints for various multi-million-dollar client projects.
- Facilitated Sprint reviews with the entire Team while managing effort and estimations from the development team, proactively resolving impediments in the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), and conducting Retrospective meetings post-Sprint.
- Established project frameworks and trained junior staff on project specifications, collaborating with offshore teams to develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for presentation to Product Executive leadership teams.
- Managed onshore Agile teams and played a key role in Marketing, Request for Proposals (RFPs), and Sales efforts by actively participating in the RFP process, engaging with clients, and attending sales-generated meetings.
Scrum Master/Lead Business Analyst
Cotiviti, Inc., Richmond, VA
Richmond, VA
01.2017 - 01.2019
- Facilitated Scrum ceremonies, including daily stand-ups and Sprint reviews, ensuring efficient Sprint cycles and effective communication among cross-functional teams.
- Analyzed and translated business requirements into functional software specifications, leading the development of technical user stories in JIRA.
- Oversaw product lifecycle management for the strategic reporting hub, prioritizing customer requirements and collaborating closely with engineering and sales to meet revenue and satisfaction targets.
- Engaged with offshore development teams to create a minimum viable product for executive review, demonstrating a keen understanding of healthcare industry specifics, including CMS regulations.
- Increased team efficiency by removing impediments from the software development lifecycle and streamlining processes.
- Enhanced team understanding of buyer/user personas, leading to more targeted and user-centric reporting features.
- Guided report development teams in accurate sizing and estimation, improving the predictability of product delivery timelines.
- Translated complex healthcare submission and claims adjudication processes into clear, actionable development tasks.
- Delivered compelling software application demonstrations to C-level executives, facilitating immediate feedback and continuous improvement.
Senior IT Business Analyst - Scrum Master
Rulesware, LLC, Various Locations
01.2017 - 01.2018
- Led cross-functional teams in the deployment of an online survey application for a major international automotive company, effectively adopting Agile practices.
- Utilized BPM tools to create workflow process maps, translating complex business requirements into actionable project plans.
- Conducted daily stand-up meetings, and sprint planning, and collaborated with offshore leads to facilitate feature enhancement deployments.
- Managed project deliverables within PRPC guardrails, upholding standards of excellence and adhering to best practices in requirements management.
- Streamlined client business processes, resulting in over $1M in savings from fraudulent dealership repair claims for an international Automotive company.
- Executed comprehensive quality assurance testing for Automotive survey workflow applications, ensuring end-to-end system integrity, tracked and managed current sprint iterations while enhancing team productivity, project visibility, and utilizing Kanban methodology.
- Implemented system enhancements and improved operational efficiency.
Education
MBA - Technology Management
University of Phoenix
New YorkBachelor of Science - Business Administration
Medgar Evers College
Brooklyn, NYSkills
- Agile software development
- Manual quality assurance testing
- Microsoft Office suite expertise
- Project Management
- Business Analysis
- Requirements
Certification
- Project Management Professional (PMP), 2026
- Certified Scrum Master (CSM) - Scrum Alliance, Inc., 2014
- Certified SAFe 6.0 Agilist | SAFe 6.0 Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM)
- Pathway to Agilist | Agile Coach (ICP-ACC) 2023
- Certification - Agile Coach, Scaled Agile Framework, New York, NY, 2022
- Certification - Scrum Master, Scaled Agile Framework, New York, NY, 2021
- Certification - Product Owner/Product Manager, Scaled Agile Framework, New York, NY
Work Preference
Work Type
Full TimeContract WorkLocation Preference
RemoteTimeline
Sr. Project Manager | Product Owner
THINKMIRUM
12.2025 - 06.2026
Lead Business Analyst | Agile Coach
VDOT
03.2025 - 12.2025
Sr. Resource Manager | Agile Coach
Amtrak
01.2024 - 01.2024
Agile Coach/Sr. Project Manager
Cognizant, Inc.
01.2022 - 01.2024
Agile Coach/Business Analyst | Program Director
Chexout, Inc.
01.2020 - 01.2024
Scrum Master/Business Analyst
HCL America, Inc., Richmond, VA
01.2019 - 01.2023
Scrum Master/Lead Business Analyst
Cotiviti, Inc., Richmond, VA
01.2017 - 01.2019
Senior IT Business Analyst - Scrum Master
Rulesware, LLC, Various Locations
01.2017 - 01.2018
MBA - Technology Management
University of Phoenix
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration
Medgar Evers College
Additional Career Experiences
- Senior Business Process Consultant-Project Manager, Capital Markets, Inc, New York, NY
- Senior Business-Integration Analyst, Accenture, Inc
- Principal Manager - Scrum Master, Agile Coach, Accenture, Inc.
- Project Manager-Senior Business Analyst-Scrum Master - United Healthcare-Optum, Inc., Middletown, NJ