Kathy Nicholson Fickes Email & Phone Number

Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex

Dallas/Fort Worth Area

Infor is an enterprise software provider and strategic technology partner for organizations worldwide whose software is purpose-built for specific industries, providing complete suites that are designed to support progress – for individuals, for businesses, and across networks. During my tenure with the company, I've enjoyed the challenges that several promotions created for my career development. In my current role as a Sr. Principal Enterprise Solution Architect, I effectively and expeditiously support bid activity through improved collaboration with marketing, product management, license / ICS sales, Pre-Sales, value engineering, the project management office, customers and prospects. I leverage consistent discovery techniques across key industry solution sets and offer innovative selling options for implementation projects to facilitate value realization for our client’s investments while simultaneously balancing risks to our delivery team. SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTSParticipate in consulting service sales pursuits, juggling many opportunities at once, requiring solid organization and schedule management skillsConduct on site and remote discovery as needed to determine implementation scope Develop resource models for implementation based on discovery…i.e. timeline, resources, tasks, scope, activities. Prepare time lines and high-level tasks needed to implement the solution Define assumptions and identify risks that support the implementation scenarios Provide scope details for and preparation of SOW draftParticipate in internal and external review discussions regarding bid structure, plan and approach Participate in articulating the value of Infor Consulting services to customers

The City of Fort Worth, Texas is ranked the nation’s fastest growing city with a population of more than 800,000 — the 15th largest city in the country — and one of America’s Most Livable Communities of the decade, Fort Worth has endured economic changes and retained its Western heritage as it continues to prosper.In my role as Lead Project Manager, I was responsible for directing projects and people based on client objectives. Here are some of my leadership selected highlights during my tenure. SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTSLed a critical project to implement ground-breaking process changes at the Municipal Court while also assisting with the re-structuring of the Project Management Office (PMO).Deployed case management, e-Government, document, and workflow management applications to create the state’s first paperless judicial system in a court of this size. Assisted in re-structuring PMO prior practices to better utilize PMI best practices/processes to provide for better controlled project.

Crescent Real Estate is a fully integrated real estate investment, operation and development company. Crescent acquires, develops, and operates high-end properties alongside an exclusive group of investors and high-net-worth clients. Crescent’s portfolio consists of Class A and creative office space, hotels, resorts, senior living and multifamily properties throughout the U.S.Crescent outsourced their IT department to Insource. As the Insource assigned IT Director for Crescent and Acting CIO, I was tasked with leading the engagement to streamline and turnaround the Crescent Real Estate IT department which had outgrown its IT infrastructure. Established and transitioned department to a permanent CIO.SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTSConducted an evaluation of the IT infrastructure as well as policies and procedures. Formulated short-term strategic plan for immediate execution and long-term strategic plan to be carried out by Crescent. Revitalized the organization; restored morale; established cost controls. Defined roles, responsibilities, performance criteria, policies and procedures; aligned the organization with corporate objectives. Implemented quality initiatives, automated help desk reporting, and created checklistsEnhanced SQL Data Warehouse for better decision support; established remote access; enabled document sharing via SharePoint.Developed imaging solution for rapid PC deployment and created inventory of ready-to-go systems. Upgraded all hardware, software, networks and desktops.Created disaster recovery, virus protection, and illegal software monitoring strategies/mechanisms.Renegotiated software, maintenance, and telephony contracts, saving $550K annually as well as renegotiated BSA audit settlement. Served as CIO temporarily and then worked side-by-side with the new CIO during transition.

Insource Technology Corporation was started in the 1990’s by the original founders of Compaq Computer, Rod Canion and Jim Harris. The goal was to build the best solutions possible for their clients – solutions built to withstand the test of time. The mission of Insource is to provide the clients with technology excellence that is business driven through a true partnership. This unique Business/Technology team approach ensures that the appropriate technology is applied intelligently, and that it meets the clients’ business requirements. Insource provides services across many industries including: Education, Energy, Real Estate, Healthcare, Housing, Non-Profit, and Logistics. Insource is headquartered in Houston and currently serves clients throughout the country and abroad.SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTSAs Insource’s Outsourcing IT Director and Acting CIO, tasked with leading the engagement to streamline and turnaround the Crescent Real Estate IT department which had outgrown its IT infrastructure. Established and transitioned department to a permanent CIO.

Dallas/Fort Worth Area

As the largest not-for-profit healthcare system in Texas and one of the largest in the United States, Baylor Scott & White Health was born from the 2013 combination of Baylor Health Care System and Scott & White Healthcare. Today, Baylor Scott & White includes 48 hospitals, more than 800 patient care sites, more than 7,800 active physicians, over 47,000 employees and the Scott & White Health Plan.In my role as Sr. IT Manager, I led my group through years of continuous improvement initiatives necessitated by tremendous growth through mergers and acquisitions. Directed staff of professionals engaged in business analysis, implementation, re-engineering, development, and customer support. Formulated short and long-range business planning and budgeting. SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTSConsistently completed all projects on time and under budget. Decreased process costs by 10-50% per process through enterprise wide Business Process Re-engineering initiatives.Selected, acquired, and implemented numerous healthcare, financial, and business technology solutions requiring significant business process re-engineering. All projects resulted in improved quality, decreased maintenance time, and increased customer satisfaction. Standardized core applications to achieve efficiencies and economies of scale. Created centralized Oracle Data Warehouse sourcing data from 50 legacy systems.