Tamara Mcgowen Email & Phone Number

Houston, Tx, Us

Houston, Tx, Us

Houston, Tx, Us

General Ledger maintenance in a national leader in the food service industry. Duties include Month end close, account reconciliations and process improvement. Received a service reward for process improvement in the first 3 months of employment. Helped to create a process that cut payroll entry time from 4 hours to 15 minutes saving the company over 2000 hours a year.

Began as a Staff Accountant, quickly promoted to Senior Accountant < 12 months for this 501(c)(3), non-profit, community-based organization with over 18 programs including after-school activities, homeless shelters and support, children's' health insurance and youth drug prevention. Partnered with the CFO and Auditor in garnering relevant data to produce monthly, quarterly and annual financial statements and prepare for year-end audits. Forecasted cash flow and trends, authoring user-friendly reports to upper level management. Led close processes including updating GL, journal entries and all relevant reconciliations. Produced billing, invoices and funding requests, ensuring documents were sent to vendors in a timely manner. Prepared bank deposits, monthly accruals and settled bank and credit card statements. Key AccomplishmentsSaved 100 hours per year of work through upgrading the data entry process for credit card purchases.Made certain taxes were filed on time saving significant amounts in avoiding fees and maintaining a record of excellent compliance.Administered a $3.2M budget including general analysis, review of P&L and daily/weekly/monthly expenses.Made certain all transactions and records adhered to GAAP resulting in very few findings during audits. Verified accuracy of journal entries, GL, AP/AR, payroll, taxes and other key financial functions.

Houston, Texas, Us

Took over a newly created position from 5 separate grant managers to achieve increased state funding from $3.5M to $8.4M < 12 months. Earned recognition from State Funders as a model of effective and efficient management, oversight and adherence to state requirements. Garnered relevant data to prepare documents, reports and budgets to serve 12K+ students throughout Houston/Harris County. Troubleshot operations, task delegation and grant use/dispersion continuously, identifying areas of weakness and proactively resolving challenges and conflicts. Established clear benchmarks and forecasts for both individual and group budgets. Spearheaded project lifecycle from initial development to on-time delivery including risk management, contingency plans, schedule, goals and accountabilities.; Key AccomplishmentsLed a team-centered effort with 5 Direct Reports to administer the largest state-funded grant portfolio of after-school programs in the Department. Realized a 5% YOY increase in client satisfaction through working with a Division Researcher to initiate an in-depth analysis and review of programs and workflow.Earned various kudos and recognition including a Calm in the Eye of the Storm Award by CASE staff members for expert management and leadership during high-stress situations.Collaborated monthly with 50 grant recipients to ensure compliance to guidelines achieving a 95%+ rating (highest in state).Partnered with external organizations including the Texas Education Agency and Representatives from independent school districts to reply in a timely manner to questions and concerns.

Bs, Psychology

Ms, Accounting And Financial Management

Mba, General Business