Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Affiliations
References
Awards
Timeline
Generic

Kelsey Josi

Bend,OR

Summary

Accomplished Grants Management Specialist with the USDA Forest Service, skilled in grants administration and regulatory compliance. Proven track record in budget management and financial analysis, enhancing project outcomes through strategic collaboration. Recognized for outstanding contributions, including receiving the Regional Forester Honor Award for Organizational Transformation.

Overview

5
5
years of professional experience

Work History

Grants Management Specialist

USDA Forest Service
Bend, OR
06.2023 - Current
  • Company Overview: Office of Grants and Agreements, Region 3
  • Independently administers agreements from cradle-to-grave, including pre-award, active, and closeout.
  • Develop compliant agreements aligned with current laws, regulations, and policies by using established criteria to measure and analyze agreement documents to ensure that goals and aims are clearly described for the proposed project outlined, and relate directly to the Agency’s goals, objectives, and mission statement.
  • Collaborates with program staff on identifying project management strategies for successful implementation. Methods include hosting consultations with program managers, and providing guidance, policy interpretation, and training on procedures and policies related to the development and management of new agreements and modifications. Provides guidance on the structuring of financial plans to provide oversight of contract and budget management, structuring of scopes of work to provide transparency to the public regarding the work planned to achieve goals, as well as further outlines of budgetary needs.
  • Enhances relationships with internal and external partners by preparing informative presentations on grants and agreement processes geared toward program managers' roles and responsibilities.
  • Researches and uses all available resources to provide accurate information surrounding the interpretation of policies and processes.
  • Provides guidance on issues related to existing submissions, and how to resolve errors.
  • Initiates and maintains agreement records within SharePoint. Upon award of the instrument, files all records in an official agreement folder. Adheres to federal record retention requirements.
  • Maintains knowledge of changes in policy, regulations, and legal authorities that affect agreements, and communicates changes when needed to program managers and management teams.
  • Regularly generates, reviews, analyzes, and distributes financial, performance, management, and other required reports to appropriate staff for efficient management of instruments.
  • Maintains and acquires additional endorsements through continuing education, active participation in training sessions, and other learning activities.
  • Research and compile information to respond to audit and data act findings.

Administrative Support Assistant

USDA Forest Service
Bend, USA
01.2021 - 06.2023
  • Company Overview: Data Resources Management, Region 6.
  • Reported to the Director of DRM to ensure the fast-moving, data-driven needs of this organization were met rapidly and precisely. The organization in Region 6 consists of about 80 employees specializing in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Project Management, Data Strategy, Business Operations, and more.
  • Acted as a secondary Management Analyst (shadow and backup), and served as a non-supervisory member of the Leadership Team and provided technical support in the development of strategic planning initiatives.
  • Developed procurement documents and justifications to mitigate risk to the agency. Independently administered procurement processes for supplies and services for the unit. Reviewed incoming requests to determine conflicts and risks, provided feedback on findings if further information is required, and determined the reasonableness of requests.
  • Worked closely with a budget analyst to perform budgetary and statistical forecasting and analyses.
  • Reported the status of funds to management to help support the budgetary decision-making process.
  • Facilitated interdisciplinary team meetings to discuss a myriad of program and project management policies, procedures, goals, objectives, and their implementation. Subject matter areas included cartography, human resources, natural resources, grants and agreements, and data strategy effort coordination.
  • As part of the Leadership Team, I lead our unit through multiple program restructuring events, including IT revisions of data management, including teaching new methodologies and policies regarding data management; redesigning programs of work to more efficiently offer mandated public services, and restructuring how we work with partners to gather the data needed to provide these services; and a complete organizational realignment event that redistributed positions, career ladders, salary ranges, and union negotiations.
  • Managed various Human Resource actions including hiring, promotions, pay increases, monetary and time-off awards, and paycheck approvals.
  • Performed supervisory actions such as travel reimbursement approvals. Coordinated travel arrangements and completed expense reports for travel reimbursement.
  • Attend budget meetings, and monitor the status of funds for the unit. Provided guidance on budgetary matters to senior management staff.
  • Maintained credentials in the Forest Service Natural Resource Manager Information System (NRM), as required to support the program’s involvement in grants and agreements.
  • Coordinated multiple important and complex unit segments of technical and administrative work.

Grants Management Assistant

USDA Forest Service
Bend, USA
07.2022 - 12.2022
  • Company Overview: Grants & Agreements Region 5
  • Received the Regional Forester Honor Award for Organizational Transformation.
  • Provided guidance to program managers in all aspects of the grants process, assisted program managers in learning the proposal submission process, monitoring requirements, and closeout.
  • Provided expertise regarding the administrative aspects of assigned projects and operations within the unit, and supported its major programs.
  • Served as the first point of contact for inquiries on various grants and agreements.
  • Provided expertise regarding the administrative aspects of assigned projects and operations within the unit, and supported its major programs.
  • Maintain contacts with clients to build business relationships, and establish relationships with potential clients interested in the work of the unit.
  • Provided a full range of grants and agreements support to Grants Management Specialists, and developed and maintained a visible communication tracking system of instrument use and status.
  • I built the grant/agreement file, electronically filed all pertinent information for the respective file, from initial receipt to closeout.
  • Managed records in accordance with federal record retention requirements.
  • I advised officials of other units or organizations, as well as higher-level management officials, in all aspects of administrative work and projects assigned.

Management Analyst

USDA Forest Service
Bend, USA
08.2021 - 01.2022
  • Company Overview: Data Resource Management, Region 6
  • Compiled research on matters related to performance management, recruitment, outreach, and hiring actions, and prepared documents and other materials to inform confidential and other personnel decision-making by unit leadership.
  • Managed and submitted human resource actions related to research results.
  • Managed confidential employee information with discretion and integrity.
  • Assisted with the review of official environmental documents related to various subjects concerning land management policies, and processed through Mercury for official implementation.
  • Conducted studies of work processes and procedures to ensure workforce planning is consistent with established guidelines. Analyzed and identified problems, reviewed production standards, and recommended improvements to DRM’s organizational structure, processes, and procedures.
  • Upward and downward reporting on budget briefings. Gathered and analyzed financial information to develop budgets and forecasts. Collected and analyzed costs and additional data necessary for the preparation of the annual operating budget. Advised the leadership staff on the availability of funds.
  • Reviewed and edited budget requests to ensure conformance with organizational requirements. Validated budget-related transactions and resolved inconsistencies.

Support Services Specialist

USDA Forest Service
Bend, USA
07.2020 - 11.2020
  • Company Overview: Deschutes National Forest Supervisor’s Office Region 6
  • Responsible for the restoration and management of services offered by the LincPass station after the impacts of COVID-19.
  • Performed extensive technical troubleshooting and resolved software and hardware issues hindering the function of the station.
  • Identified root cause of problems occurring within the LincPass IT environment and implemented long-term solutions accordingly.
  • Collaborated with technical staff to establish goals and objectives for hardware and software system improvements and upgrades.
  • Created a virtual registration process for LincPass services during COVID-19 that I ran independently to provide service to local employees when stations nationwide closed due to national network outages and shutdowns.
  • Increased technical knowledge by reading trade publications, operating manuals and diagnostics information.

Education

BS - Natural Resources Conservation

Oregon State University – Cascades
Bend, OR
01.2019

Skills

  • Grants administration
  • Regulatory compliance
  • Budget management
  • Financial analysis
  • Project management
  • Data analysis

Affiliations

  • Sustainability Committee, Deschutes National Forest, 11/01/19-12/01/24
  • Civil Right Committee, Deschutes National Forest, 06/01/20-06/01/23
  • DRM Work Environment Team, Data Resources Management, 05/01/22-06/01/23
  • Deschutes County Noxious Weed Board, Board Member, 09/01/12-12/01/19

References

  • Kelly Whitsett, Lead Grants Management Specialist, Region 3, Kelly.Whitsett@usda.gov
  • Karen Hardy, Program Analyst, Washington Office of the Deputy Chief, Karen.Hardy@usda.gov
  • Briana Guenther, Supervisory Field Operations Supervisor, Region 6, Briana.Guenther@usda.gov
  • Kayla Herriman, National Seed Specialist, Washington Office, Kayla.Herriman@usda.gov
  • Ashley Martinez, Administrative Operations Specialist, Region 2, Ashley.Martinez2@usda.gov

Awards

Regional Forester Honor Award for Organizational Transformation, Region 5 Grants and Agreements

Timeline

Grants Management Specialist

USDA Forest Service
06.2023 - Current

Grants Management Assistant

USDA Forest Service
07.2022 - 12.2022

Management Analyst

USDA Forest Service
08.2021 - 01.2022

Administrative Support Assistant

USDA Forest Service
01.2021 - 06.2023

Support Services Specialist

USDA Forest Service
07.2020 - 11.2020

BS - Natural Resources Conservation

Oregon State University – Cascades