Tammy Cato
Tucson,AZ
Summary
Resourceful Manager proficient in coordinating and monitoring operations across various departments. Effective leader, analyst, and problem-solver dedicated to streamlining operations, decreasing costs, and promoting organizational efficiency. Experienced collaborator dedicated to partnering with coworkers and stakeholders to promote and empower work culture and achieve customer success.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
Work History
Office Manager
Med Psych Consultants - Dr. Adolfo Martinez
Tucson, AZ
07.2021 - 08.2023
- Managed daily operations, including patient and vendor scheduling, billing and collection, new patient intake, and reviewed office and payment policies with the public.
- Prepared a detailed financial statement showing income and transactions and briefed the doctor at the end of the day.
- Opened and closed the office.
- Collaborated with local pharmacists to clarify patient medication needs and dosages as prescribed by Dr. Martinez.
- Adhered to HIPAA privacy regulations.
- Utilized Google Workspace, Luminello, and Excel in the office and at home during off-hours.
- Informed Dr. Martinez of medical and medication emergencies in off-hours.
- Composed and sent patient letters to schools, universities, medical facilities, and employers.
- Wrote office policies and trained a new employee.
Field Office Manager
Social Security Administration
Kankakee, IL
04.2013 - 11.2017
- Performed all office procurement activities within established yearly budgets.
- Managed subordinate personnel and building and safety issues, including armed guards assigned to the office. Assisted with investigations following multiple gang-related damages.
- Identified adverse events inside and outside the federal building and completed proper incident reports.
- Sustained great working relationships with local law enforcement and other federal agencies. This was particularly helpful during a lengthy investigation involving arson committed in an adjacent building and a resulting fire that destroyed sections of our building's roof,
- Collaborated with Chicago union officials to resolve a regional-level grievance against prior office management. The result created a stable and supportive employee work environment and boosted office morale.
- Achieved quarterly and yearly organizational goals despite challenges in leading staff through constant policy and workflow changes, tight budgets, understaffing, and the development time for new employees.
- Managed change by onloading additional work to assist area offices. This resulted in meeting district and area agency goals.
- Provided oversight for subordinate supervisory personnel. Conducted mid-year and yearly office appraisals. Hired and fired employees.
- Received cash awards and high appraisal ratings for achieving office, district, and area business results and demonstrating leadership, loyalty, integrity, soft skills, and successfully developing employees.
- From this position, I retired from the Federal Government to be a full-time caregiver for my husband until he died in 2021.
Operations Supervisor
Social Security Administration
Joliet, IL
02.2009 - 04.2013
- Directed daily operations in a large, diverse, and bustling district office.
- Managed all aspects of the office in the absence of the District and Assistant District Manager, including the other supervisors.
- Motivated and trained employees in systems, policy, and technical work at the field, area, and regional levels to maximize efficiencies.
- Evaluated employee performance and productivity, provided feedback, and implemented corrective actions.
- Created and implemented office workflows, assigned workloads, and resolved employee and customer disputes.
- Conducted weekly integrity reviews by accessing multiple employee systems inputs and listening/watching interview activity and customer service.
- Tracked company equipment, tools, and technology to manage inventory.
- Managed internal operational standards and productivity targets.
- Analyzed material, presented summary findings to superiors, and worked with union officials to resolve employee/management issues.
- Collected customer feedback quarterly and used the information to develop and implement improved reception procedures.
- Office liaison for Congressional inquiries. I responded timely and accurately to Constituent Service Directors for five Senators and Representatives, orally and in writing.
- Conducted comprehensive yearly financial site reviews of nursing facilities that served as representative payees for beneficiaries. Reviewed financial records and physical evidence of care. Concluding the reviews, I summarized my findings with management and staff employees and provided required training. I uncovered significant accounting errors at one nursing home and worked extensively with their staff to install an efficient accounting system.
- Presented an oral overview of agency programs for outside office engagements and answered questions about solvency and other concerns. I assembled a Speaker's Cadre for the office to delegate some of this work and offer employees skills for advancement. I received an award for creating a successful cadre by motivating, training, and mentoring employees interested in broadening their careers.
- Purchased office supplies following requisition orders.
- Tracked my travel expenses to offsite training and management meetings and taught other supervisors to use the automated tracking system.
- Built collaboration between diverse team members aged 24 to 69. After time observing the team, I encouraged individuals to value each other's specific talents. Younger claims representatives were better multitaskers and generally more creative. Older, linear-thinking team members, had valuable job experience and were trained to hand-calculate all benefits, a vital skill no longer taught to trainees. This knowledge was crucial for ensuring accurate benefit payments when computer systems were not functioning. I paired individuals within the team according to their specific skill sets to observe and learn from each other. The outcome was a positive, forward-thinking team that generated fresh ideas with little conflict.
- Established ongoing refresher training for the team. I had the most proficient person in each area of policy or automation to train the group and serve as the subject matter expert. Combining talents, ongoing training, and utilizing individual proficiency produced a working machine and more gratified employees.
- My model was adopted by other office groups, improving office stats, waiting times, and overall customer satisfaction.
- Awarded for leading a diverse team of 15 claims representatives and continual trainees to the highest office productivity level and maintaining this performance level for four years. And for assessing individual strengths and weaknesses and building a strong working relationship with the team. My superiors requested I mentor employees outside of my first-line supervision. This led to confident, more productive staff.
- Awarded for achieving business results, leadership development, teamwork, managing performance and change, integrity, loyalty, time management, and creativity.
Generalist Claims Representative
Social Security Adminstration
Kankakee, IL
04.2004 - 02.2009
- Had extensive knowledge of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income programs, policies, processing instructions, and protocols.
- Conducted interviews and provided assistance to claimants on a daily basis, both in person and over the phone.
- Efficiently and accurately processed a large number of retirement, disability, and survivor claims, and appeals in a fast-paced work environment. Additionally, I handled a high volume of post-entitlement issues and investigations into illegal work, stolen social security numbers, non-work reporting, erroneous death notices, benefit terminations, and reinstatements.
- Researched complex claims to determine next steps and possible outcomes.
- Updated multiple automated systems to provide relevant information to upper management, claimants, and other agencies.
- Hand-calculated and explained all benefit calculations to provide accurate recommendations to claimants even when computer systems were malfunctioning.
- Reviewed reports, accounts, and evidence to verify the accuracy and reliability of information.
- Generated, posted, and attached information to claim files.
- Analyzed documentation manually and with computer programs to ensure accuracy and validity.
- Conducted office training and mentored on policy and program changes and automated systems,
- Presented agency program overviews regularly at outside speaking events and answered questions from the public.
- Received cash achievement awards for significant and sustained contributions toward work performance.
- Received multiple Quality Step Increases for superior performance. This is the highest field office award.
Lead Operations Analyst
Social Security Administration Headquarters
Baltimore, MD
04.2002 - 04.2004
- I was selected for the position of Lead Operations Analyst on several high-profile projects that were part of the new Commissioner's primary initiative of converting paper applications to online, fillable, forms. My regular duties were.
- Served as Subject Matter Expert to the Regional Offices and Central Office staff during the development of the agency's first online disability and appeals applications.
- Identified and analyzed project risks and developed and presented mitigation strategies.
- Evaluated software production and validation problems, and established effective solutions approved by the Associate Commissioner of Operations.
- Prepared Software Support Messages released to agency-wide operations employees regularly.
- Wrote options papers, ROI reports, implementation strategies, and operations program policy. I also wrote memorandums that were released to the Regional Commissioners.
- Created and sent out public survey questionnaires.
- Designed data optimization and interfaces for user interaction.
- Led and participated in meetings daily.
- Took detailed notes during operations meetings and shared them with relevant department stakeholders the same day.
- Developed script for national video training and created talking points for the Commissioner of Operations to use at hearings in Washington D.C.
- Briefed Commissioners on questions and issues that arose when collaborating with department heads in other agency components.
- At the honors ceremony, I was awarded a Commissioner's Citation for successfully developing and implementing the agency's first online disability and appeals applications. I also received an Associate Commissioner's award for the same.
Education
Bachelor's degree - Organizational Management
DePaul University
Chicago, IL11.2015
Skills
- Financial Report Writing
- Office Management
- Accounts Receivable
- Accounts Payable
- Human Resources
- Recruiting
- Accounting
- HIPAA
- Bookkeeping
- Payroll
- Senior leadership
- Project management
- Report Writing
- Written Communication
- Customer Relations
- Project Management
- Team Bonding
- Workflow Planning
- Information Protection
- Policy and Procedure Modification
- Travel Coordination
- Data Communications
- Organizational Skills
- Staff Training
- Financial Tracking
- Policy Implementation
Timeline
Office Manager
Med Psych Consultants - Dr. Adolfo Martinez
07.2021 - 08.2023
Field Office Manager
Social Security Administration
04.2013 - 11.2017
Operations Supervisor
Social Security Administration
02.2009 - 04.2013
Generalist Claims Representative
Social Security Adminstration
04.2004 - 02.2009
Lead Operations Analyst
Social Security Administration Headquarters
04.2002 - 04.2004
Bachelor's degree - Organizational Management
DePaul University
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