Brenda Tate Email & Phone Number

Ashburn, Virginia

Managed team of nine exempt and non-exempt employees responsible for processing 9,000 invoices with disbursements of $100M monthly. Handled invoice processing, employee travel expense reports processing, customer service, 1099 Miscellaneous Income reporting and filings, and payment disbursements. Oversaw the daily operations. Compiled data to produce weekly, monthly, and quarterly statistical and disbursement reports for upper management. Prepared audit workpapers as required by the external auditors and responded to their inquiries. • Led successful implementation of SAP Concur Invoice Management solution to automate invoice workflow resulting in cost savings and headcount savings, invoice consolidation, better visibility to invoice status, and streamlining approval flow. • Increased electronic payments 40% by implementing virtual credit card program and strongly encouraging suppliers to enroll in program or use ACH as alternative. • Reduced risks associated with manual routing of invoices requiring AP management's approval by implementing approval flow within Oracle.• Identified and implemented several operational improvements that resulted in realignment of staff members' responsibilities, increased efficiencies, and promoted timely and accurate posting of invoices. • Led and actively participated in several projects, including reporting of students' stipends on Form 1098-T, implementation of JP Morgan Single Use Card Program, and development of automated approval workflow for invoices. • Developed and presented training to finance directors that announced new structure of payables department, new policies and procedures, changes to travel and expense reimbursements, management of aged travel expenses, and various other subjects. • Significantly reduced volume and dollar amount of aged unsubmitted and unassigned procurement card transactions. • Secured approval and updated policies and procedures to promote effective control environment.

Vienna, Virginia

Managed team of 17 exempt and non-exempt employees in payables-related functions, including processing 4,000 invoices per month, employee travel expense reports processing, customer service, vendor maintenance, 1099 Miscellaneous Income reporting and filings, and payment disbursements (FXs, ACHs, wires, and checks). Handled escalated vendor calls in professional manner while preserving reputation and integrity of company. Reported cash flow projections to treasury and worked with treasury on cash disbursement requirements. Reviewed contractual obligations to ensure compliance with related contracts. Participated in monthly and year-end close activities. Produced monthly aging schedule for inclusion in financial reporting package. Worked directly with external auditors.• Identified and implemented several operational improvements that resulted in realignment of staff members’ responsibilities, increased efficiencies, and promoted timely and accurate posting of invoices. • Developed and maintained strong working relationship with treasury, procurement, and other internal organizations. • Created monthly productivity metrics and held one-on-one meetings to discuss metrics with team members. • Developed and implemented policies and procedures to promote effective control environment and protect company assets.• Served as payables business lead during system modifications and upgrades. • Handled gathering, documenting and reviewing business requirements, coordinated test phases and reviewed test results, identified and secured correction to defects, and provided status reports to upper management.• Effectively addressed performance, operational, control, and other issues impacting quality and quantity of productivity as well as issues impeding compliance with internal policies and external requirements, creating organization respected by both internal and external users. • Developed internal policies and procedures documents.

Manage a team of 16 exempt and non-exempt employees in the audit, security and control functions related to Accounts Payable. This includes: vendor maintenance, 1099 Miscellaneous Income reporting and filings, check disbursements, banking operations, operational audits, balance sheet reconciliations and reporting. • Establish and implement policies and procedures to promote an effective internal control structure and environment. • Audit the payables functions and produce audit reports with findings and recommendations for corrective actions. • Audit the internal control processes of internal groups sending electronic invoices to Accounts Payable. • Conduct annual SOX testing on Account Payables’ systems of internal controls. Review auditors’ work papers and secure senior executive approval. • Work closely with both internal and external auditors.• Managed Verizon’s company-wide records management functions, including employee education, records retention activities and coordination and approval of records destruction. • Established system access standards to promote segregation of duties within AP. • Led the integration of acquired entities’ payables into Verizon’s payables landscape. • Developed an effective vendor master data validations using the IRS website, denied parties listing and USPS.• Initiated and coordinated the consolidation and reduction of the vendor file. • Implemented an effective overpayment/recovery program.• Project managed two financial system conversions. This initiative included gathering, documenting and reviewing business requirements, coordinating test phases and reviewing test results, identifying defects, securing defect correction and providing status reports to upper management..

Managed the accounting functions related to company debt (capital leases, revolving lines of credit, and notes), cash and cash investments, interest expense and income. •Presented/reported debt activity, a cash flow statement and interest expense and income schedules to the Controller in the monthly close meetings. •Recognized deficiencies in supporting systems/programs and aggressively worked to obtain system support to resolve deficiencies. •Identified control issues within other areas and worked with members from those areas to resolve the issues.•Project managed the initial compliance to abandoned property state laws.

Managed the manual billing functional area which produced approximately $18 million of revenue from a PC-based system. •Reported revenue and generated statistical trends. •Ensured FCC regulatory requirements and contractual obligations were met in all billing activities. •Project managed the transition of digital private-line billing (approximately $5 million of revenue) from the West Coast Billing Center. •Actively participated in billing system development efforts.

Managed the payables' control functions and check disbursements. •Initiated and implemented plans and procedural changes that streamlined work flow, increased efficiencies and addressed control issues. •Prepared the 1099 Miscellaneous Income state and federal filings.

Managed the functions of accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash, payroll and payroll tax filings for approximately 110 projects for low/moderate income families. Reviewed and supervised financial statement preparation for year-end audit. Communicated with several external audit companies and assisted in year-end audit work plan. Reviewed and supervised State Agency reports prepared by staff accountants.

Managed the functions of accounts payroll and payroll for approximately 550 project employees, quarterly and annual payroll tax filings, cash and accounts payable for 110 housing projects. Reviewed and supervised the preparation of reports provided to HUD which established net income and excess income.

Prepared workpapers for year-end audits. Researched and responded to HUD inquiry letters.Prepared monthly operating reports to state agencies.

Prepared monthly invoices for data services provided to government agencies. Coordinated billing and prepared receivable aging report.