Latina Smiley
Chicago,IL
Summary
With a proven track record at City Colleges of Chicago, I excel in financial management and staff development. Expert in financial reporting and critical thinking, I've significantly reduced payment discrepancies by 20%. My leadership fosters team efficiency and my proficiency in Excel supports robust data analysis.
Overview
29
29
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Financial Analyst, Account Analyst
City Colleges of Chicago
Chicago, IL
08.2005 - Current
- Monitors a twenty-million-dollar budget which includes analyzing, reviewing and compiling data from Budget Status Reports, Match Exception Reports, Payroll Reports and Open Purchase Order Reports for the Office of Academic Student Affairs & the Office of Information Technology for restricted and unrestricted transactions
- Reconcile errors and problems regarding restricted and unrestricted transactions by communicating with Executive Directors, Associate/Vice Chancellors and the Provost to determine the appropriate method of correction to accurately reflect the fiscal year transactions
- Prepared and balanced a twelve-million-dollar Annual Budget within the Office of Academic Student Affairs
- Serve as the key contact person when Department Manager is out of the office
- Assist internal and external auditors with the examination and analysis of accounting records for the Office of Academic Student Affairs
- Update and maintain accounting journals, ledgers and other records detailing financial business
- Review, enter and approve requisitions in the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars or less for the Office of Academic Student Affairs and the seven campuses for compliance with internal procurement policies
- Review, approve and process change orders for Purchase Orders of twenty-five thousand dollars or less within the Office of Academic Student Affairs and the seven campuses
- Process Grant Proposals, Department Budget Transfers and Journal Entries into the PeopleSoft Financial System for restricted and unrestricted funds
- Encouraged cohesion between several departments (Procurement, Accounts Payable, Finance, and seven campuses) to help resolve issues and increase efficiency, which includes incorrect invoices, backorders, payments, and board policies.
- Provide adequate training to professional and clerical staff members, Principal Investigators, and Directors regarding grant functions and PeopleSoft Financials functions, which include steps on how to make updates and changes independently.
- Reducing misunderstandings and miscommunications by thirty-five percent regarding grant loads, proposals, and agreements, which include procurement board and policy processes.
- Verify the accuracy of invoices and other accounting documents or records within the college’s business office and district's purchasing department to reduce payment discrepancies by 20%.
- Attended monthly Business Manager’s meeting and assist with the responses to inquiries relating to the Office of Academic Student Affairs
- Managed and reconciled the procurement card transactions on a monthly basis for the Executive Directors, Vice Chancellors and the Provost of Academic Student Affairs
Business Manager
Olympia College
Chicago, IL
02.2005 - 08.2005
- Monitored the cash/financial aid collection process and student payment plans
- Ensured entries were inputted into the Company electronic record keeping system and transmitted to the External Corporate Offices as scheduled
- Reviewed and processed change in status forms for the Registrar
- Ensured compliance with State and Federal regulations; accreditation standards; Title IV regulations as it pertained to the Business Office
- Entered and monitored tuition charges, book fees, and changes to student account records.
- Adhered and maintained the privacy and confidentiality of information protecting the assets of the organization
- Reviewed Accounting Ledgers, Aging Reports, and operational performance metrics to ensure the established performance goals were achieved
- Supervised and motivated four staff members, resulting in resolution of issues and improvement in team cohesiveness and overall performances
- Managed the daily operations of the Business Office
- Evaluated and monitored the productivity of the staff; provided coaching and feedback to improve efficiency, accuracy and work output
- Maintained appropriate Accounts Payable records, files, policies and procedure materials
Budget Analyst-Grants
Kennedy King College
Chicago, IL
12.2001 - 02.2005
- Coordinated the budget process for grant recipients
- Analyzed the submitted budgets to verify accuracy and distribution of funds among the categories of salaries, employee benefits, purchased services, supplies and materials, capital outlay and other objects
- Posted funds to People Soft Financials to ensure availability, created spreadsheets from text files, copied into Excel, uploaded into PeopleSoft Financials
- Monitored restricted and unrestricted budget expenditures by monitoring the budget accounts, tracked budget transfers and created journal entries
- Assisted with preparation of District’s consolidated Annual Budget
- Analyzed and prepared projections for the grants one year out close
- Prepared data for special project request
- Compiled various reports
- Reviewed and approved fund availability for personnel requests funded by restricted and unrestricted funds
- Processed payroll errors and made adjustments within PeopleSoft Financials
- Approved and processed payment of invoices for restricted and unrestricted purchase orders/requisitions for ordering purposes to vendors
- Served as the key contact person when the Executive Director of Business Operation was out of the office
- Conducted PeopleSoft Financial System training to Staff
- Developed plans for implementing and monitoring an estimated twenty-three million dollar budget for the Business Office
- Answered student and employee inquiries regarding tuition balances, payroll errors and status of request
- Assisted in managing the daily operations of the Business Office
- Evaluated and monitored the productivity of the staff and provided coaching and feedback to improve efficiency, accuracy and work output
- Maintained paper/computerized records of action and conversation related to accounts and transactions
Retail Banking Representative
Marquette National Bank
Chicago, IL
01.1996 - 08.2001
- Opened and closed safety deposit boxes
- Trained new Retail Banking Representatives
- Assisted customers with daily transactions
- Conducted appropriate telephone skills
- Entered customer information on computer database
- Balanced ATM on a daily basis
Education
MBA - Business Administration And Finance
University of Phoenix
Tempe, AZ12-2025
Bachelor of Science - Finance
Chicago State University
Chicago, IL05-2001
Skills
- Leadership, critical thinking, staff development, and performance management
- Financial reporting, cost control, data entry, and document management
- Accounting principles, standards, and techniques, as well as calculating budgets, cost analysis and reduction, managing cash flow, and general ledgers, reconciling bank statements
- Proficient in Microsoft Word, Outlook, and knowledgeable of Excel and PowerPoint
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Senior Financial Analyst, Account Analyst
City Colleges of Chicago
08.2005 - Current
Business Manager
Olympia College
02.2005 - 08.2005
Budget Analyst-Grants
Kennedy King College
12.2001 - 02.2005
Retail Banking Representative
Marquette National Bank
01.1996 - 08.2001
MBA - Business Administration And Finance
University of Phoenix
Bachelor of Science - Finance
Chicago State University