Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Websites
Accomplishments
Education Certifications Training
Portfolio
Work Preference
Timeline
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Desiree Fernandez

Desiree Fernandez

Knowledge Manager / KM Architect
Columbia,SC

Summary

I design and operationalize governance, documentation, and knowledge systems that help organizations work more effectively, manage risk, and scale with confidence. My work focuses on transforming complex, unstructured environments into clear, usable systems that support real-world operations across technical and non-technical teams.

California native with professional experience supporting organizations across the West Coast, Pacific Northwest, and nationally distributed teams. With over 20 years of experience supporting executive leadership, IT operations, and cross-functional organizations, I bring a strong foundation in judgment, communication, workflow management, and organizational planning.

My background spans behavioral health, public sector, medical, and legal environments, including highly regulated and compliance-driven settings. I have experience supporting privacy and security programs (including HIPAA-aligned environments), operationalizing system controls, and maintaining audit-ready documentation across SaaS and enterprise platforms such as Microsoft 365.

I approach this work from a practical, people-centered perspective: understanding how teams actually operate, what information they need, and how systems can be designed to support day-to-day execution—not just policy on paper. This allows me to bridge operations, IT, compliance, and leadership, translating strategy into sustainable processes.

In addition to my technical and operational background, I bring extensive training in public speaking and community-based volunteer work, which strengthens my ability to communicate clearly, facilitate alignment, and support collaboration across diverse stakeholders.

My focus is consistent across every role:
build systems that are usable, resilient, and trusted—so organizations can move forward with clarity and confidence.

Overview

28
28
years of professional experience

Work History

Operations & Governance Manager

Behavioral Health Resources
OLYMPIA, WA
11.2021 - Current

Knowledge & Information Architecture

Develop and maintain documentation standards that ensure sensitive behavioral health information is accurate, current, and easily discoverable.

Translate complex operational requirements into structured knowledge assets, including governance rules, templates, and documented workflows.

Create executive-ready reports that synthesize caseload data, compliance updates, and strategic priorities.

Data-Informed Decision Support

Perform ongoing analysis of caseload data and operational metrics to identify trends, bottlenecks, and opportunities for improvement.

Deliver insights that inform leadership decisions, resource allocation, and program-level adjustments.

Build clear, digestible dashboards and presentations that convert complex data into actionable guidance.

Cross-Functional Alignment & Workflow Optimization

Coordinate communication and information flow across clinical, operations, administrative, and community partners.

Standardize processes for scheduling, planning, reporting, and project tracking across multiple concurrent initiatives.

Improve workflow clarity by documenting processes, mapping dependencies, and enabling teams to work more efficiently and consistently.

Executive Communication & Stakeholder Enablement.

Web content management.

Produce professional, high-impact PowerPoint decks, decision briefs, and updates for internal and external stakeholders.

Ensure leadership has accurate, timely information supported by structured documentation and clearly defined operational logic.

Anticipate information needs and proactively prepare materials that reduce ambiguity and support organizational readiness.

Governance & Technology Operations Manager

Environmental & Land Use Hearings Office
Tumwater, WA
02.2017 - 12.2021
  • Served on the Executive Steering Committee to respond to legislative demand for comprehensive system upgrade.
  • Facilitated technology upgrades, SaaS transitions, and systems modernization.
  • Agency CIO, attend all State of Washington CIO Meetings to report to the agency new initiatives or directives.
  • Designed and managed agency website.

CEO of Revenue Cycle Management Company

Tri County Medical
Murrieta, CA
01.2000 - 12.2017
  • Built and maintained strong relationships with physicians and clinics.
  • Supported contracting workflows in partnership with legal, compliance, and operations.
  • Gathered data, conducted analysis, and prepared communication materials for cross-functional teams.
  • Increased receivables by 30%.
  • Maintained HIPPA compliance.
  • Managed vendor relationships and compliance expectations, ensuring policy alignment and audit readiness

Software Sales and Training

JB Medical Billing Service
Murrieta, CA
01.1998 - 06.1999

Remote configuration and customization of enterprise software based on specific business requirements.

Partnered with customers to gather functional needs and translate them into tailored system settings, workflows, and user configurations.

Executed hands-on testing of customizations to ensure alignment with business processes and operational requirements.

Troubleshot system issues, validated fixes, and escalated technical defects when necessary.

Provided user support and guided clients through new features, updates, and process changes.

Ensured accuracy, quality, and completeness of all custom configurations prior to user acceptance.

Even in the late 1990s, this experience gave me exposure to:

Requirements analysis

User acceptance validation

Process mapping

System testing

Client training and support

Cross-functional problem solving

It remains one of the building blocks of my modern approach to KM, change readiness, and operational excellence.

Education

Certificate - Program Change Management

South Puget Sound College
Olympia, WA

Certificate - Developing A Systems Mindset

University of Colorado At Boulder
Boulder, CO
01.2026 - 01.2026

Skills

  • Microsoft 365 applications
  • Leadership meeting facilitation
  • Project management and accountability
  • Process optimization and automation
  • Board-level communication
  • Risk Management
  • Power BI familiarity

Conflict management

Report analysis

Technical support

Project management

Project oversight

Advanced MS office suite

Project planning

Database management

Process improvements

Report development

Operations management

Public speaking

Collaboration and teamwork

Strategic planning

Accomplishments

  • Designed and implemented a secure, cloud-based intranet that strengthened data protection protocols and safeguarded sensitive information against cybersecurity threats.
  • Led digital modernization as Acting CIO, coordinating cross-functional projects and vendor solutions that improved compliance, reduced decision lag time by 40%, and enhanced the measurable impact of executive actions.
  • Implemented a centralized document repository, improving legal discovery turnaround time from 7 days to 48 hours.
  • Reduced administrative processing time by 30% by automating board-meeting material preparation and approval workflows.

Education Certifications Training

  • Program and Change Management, South Puget Sound College, Olympia, WA
  • Developing a Systems Mindset, University of Colorado
  • Leadership, Process Improvement, Adult Learning, Digital Transformation
  • State of Washington Training Program including: Editing and Proofreading, Grammar and Professional Writing, Plain Talk Principles, Meeting Minutes and Notes

Portfolio

FEATURED
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Knowledge Management and Taxonomy
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SOP - A structured travel guide
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Knowledge Management Modernization
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Business Automation
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Risk Registry (template)

Work Preference

Work Type

Full Time

Location Preference

RemoteHybrid

Timeline

Certificate - Developing A Systems Mindset

University of Colorado At Boulder
01.2026 - 01.2026

Operations & Governance Manager

Behavioral Health Resources
11.2021 - Current

Governance & Technology Operations Manager

Environmental & Land Use Hearings Office
02.2017 - 12.2021

CEO of Revenue Cycle Management Company

Tri County Medical
01.2000 - 12.2017

Software Sales and Training

JB Medical Billing Service
01.1998 - 06.1999

Certificate - Program Change Management

South Puget Sound College
Desiree FernandezKnowledge Manager / KM Architect