Karen Fitzgerald
San Ramon,CA
Summary
Seasoned PMO professional with background in strategic planning, team leadership, and performance optimization. Known for driving company growth by developing efficient operational strategies and fostering professional relationships. Demonstrated abilities in problem solving, decision making, and communication skills to influence key stakeholders. Proven record of delivering innovative solutions and achieving organizational goals.
Overview
29
29
years of professional experience
Work History
Director, PMO
Sequoia Benefits, LLC
San Mateo, California
01.2022 - Current
- Developed and executed strategic plans aligning with organizational success goals.
- Directed cross-functional teams to enhance collaboration and ensure project success.
- Established partnerships with key stakeholders to drive business growth opportunities.
- Facilitated workshops and training sessions to cultivate project management skills among leaders and staff.
- Promoted a culture of innovation by encouraging idea contributions from team members.
- Mentored junior staff, supporting their professional development journeys.
- Evaluated training needs based on roles, creating tailored development plans.
- Produced accurate and timely reports detailing project activities.
Director, PMO
Kaiser Permanente
Pleasanton, California
05.2017 - 12.2022
- Directed daily operations to ensure Kaiser SDLC compliance and operational efficiency.
- Oversaw business case preparation, aligning financial plans with strategic objectives.
- Evaluated performance to identify growth opportunities and improvement areas.
- Facilitated cross-departmental communication to enhance project alignment and execution.
- Mentored junior leaders in management best practices and strategic planning.
- Conducted regular meetings with department heads to monitor progress on initiatives.
- Recruited, trained, and supervised staff, fostering a culture of continuous development.
Director, PMO
Blackhawk Network, Inc.
Pleasanton, CA
12.2012 - 04.2017
- Managed team of 6 to 8 project managers, serving as escalation point and establishing KPIs.
- Conducted annual reviews and salary planning while removing roadblocks for priority issues.
- Monitored delivery progress across 24-36 projects, supporting C-level reporting initiatives.
- Oversaw budget monitoring to evaluate portfolio impact and capital plan outcomes.
- Provided monthly stakeholder reviews on project health, emphasizing budget concerns and risks.
- Implemented standardized processes with weekly status reports, spend tracking, and document organization.
- Steered annual capital planning process, engaging teams for high-level estimates on new product requests.
- Established Product Integration Team to assess business justifications for acquisition integrations.
Enterprise Project Manager
Blackhawk Network, Inc.
Pleasanton, CA
03.2012 - 12.2012
- Lead enterprise-wide initiatives that involved multiple business units and cross-functional teams.
- Provided clear communication regarding schedules and deliverables to the project team and senior management.
- Drove deliverables to meet timelines that were key, high-profile business initiatives. This entailed leading working sessions and collaborating with team members to determine the most efficient and effective path to ensure success.
- Drove mitigation strategies necessary to reduce or eliminate risks to complex initiatives.
- Determined best practices for initiatives that would ultimately be managed outside of the PMO. Developed and provided templates for utilization by other teams.
- Monitored and tracked the budget and spending.
Project Manager
Blackhawk Network, Inc.
Pleasanton, CA
07.2010 - 03.2012
- Served as liaison between Project Management Office and Business Unit to enhance collaboration.
- Managed multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring adherence to timelines and budgets.
- Developed and maintained several project plans to track progress and resource allocation.
- Conducted weekly status meetings with core teams to assess project health and address challenges.
- Presented weekly status updates to senior management, highlighting key milestones and issues.
- Communicated issues, risks, and mitigation strategies to relevant stakeholders in a timely manner.
- Monitored dependencies on other projects, ensuring alignment across the organization.
- Tracked project budgets and enforced change control processes for any budget overruns.
Project Manager
Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield / TEKsystems
Portland, OR
01.2009 - 05.2010
- Managed multiple projects simultaneously.
- Liaison between Program Management office and Business Unit.
- Ensured work effort was calculated, received, and tracked using a combination of MS Project and internal time tracking software.
- Conducted weekly status meetings with each core team.
- Presented weekly status to senior management.
- Ensured that decisions, issues, and risks are logged in internal system. Report status and/or mitigation strategies for each.
- Determined any dependencies on other projects within the company, and monitor accordingly.
Project Manager
Serena Software
Portland, OR
07.2007 - 10.2008
- Managed project throughout each SDLC phase.
- Managed resource allocation.
- Managed and coordinating process revision and documentation.
- Drafted, revised, and finalized Scope, Requirements, and Design documentation.
- Coordinated and managed vendor communication.
- Conducted weekly meetings with Project Team and Business Clients to discuss project issues, direction, resources, and status.
- Designed and enforce project controls such as schedule, resource allocation, and status reports.
- Administration and configuration of salesforce.com and Mariner project management SaaS products.
- Conduct weekly progress meetings with IT Management during adaptation of Mariner product.
- Conduct bi-weekly Steering Committee meetings for internal configuration requests for salesforce.com.
Project Manager
Cardinal Health/TekSystems
04.2006 - 07.2007
Project Manager
JPMorgan Chase/TekSystems
04.2005 - 02.2006
Business Systems Analyst
Morrison & Foerster, LLP
07.2003 - 04.2005
Business Systems Analyst
Elevon, Inc.
10.2001 - 07.2003
Business Systems Analyst
Achieve Healthcare Information Systems
04.1998 - 08.2001
Client Support Operations Coordinator
Achieve Healthcare Information Systems
06.1996 - 04.1998
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Spanish
University of Minnesota
Twin Cities06.1995
Skills
- Strategic planning
- Budget management
- Performance evaluation
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Collaborative leadership
- Change management
- Risk assessment
- Stakeholder engagement and relations
- Project governance
- Core values management
Timeline
Director, PMO
Sequoia Benefits, LLC
01.2022 - Current
Director, PMO
Kaiser Permanente
05.2017 - 12.2022
Director, PMO
Blackhawk Network, Inc.
12.2012 - 04.2017
Enterprise Project Manager
Blackhawk Network, Inc.
03.2012 - 12.2012
Project Manager
Blackhawk Network, Inc.
07.2010 - 03.2012
Project Manager
Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield / TEKsystems
01.2009 - 05.2010
Project Manager
Serena Software
07.2007 - 10.2008
Project Manager
Cardinal Health/TekSystems
04.2006 - 07.2007
Project Manager
JPMorgan Chase/TekSystems
04.2005 - 02.2006
Business Systems Analyst
Morrison & Foerster, LLP
07.2003 - 04.2005
Business Systems Analyst
Elevon, Inc.
10.2001 - 07.2003
Business Systems Analyst
Achieve Healthcare Information Systems
04.1998 - 08.2001
Client Support Operations Coordinator
Achieve Healthcare Information Systems
06.1996 - 04.1998
Bachelor of Arts - Spanish
University of Minnesota
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