A lot has changed in UVAFinance in the past few years (understatement!). There are many new faces, changes to the organizational structure, and lots of differences in the way we do our jobs. When remote and hybrid work is added into the mix, it's easy to become unsure about which department does what and who works where.
Introducing UVAFinance is a recurring blog feature created to introduce our team to our team, a couple of members at a time. Every other week, we'll present readers with two team members to get to know. To understand how these colleagues are situated within the greater UVAFinance structure, check out this new resource on the UVAFinance website. (Keep in mind that it's not an org chart, but rather a map of what functions of central finance exist in which general areas.)
Let's go!
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What do you do as a Travel & Expense Program Analyst?
I help maintain the TravelUVA program, the online booking tool, and our travel vendor contracts. I also help Workday users with their expenses. I answer user questions about travel and expense that come to travel@virginia.edu and askfinance@virginia.edu.
Who do you work with on a regular basis?
I work closely with other areas of Procurement and UVAFinance, but mainly, I work with various employees all across the University as they use TravelUVA or Workday Expenses.
What seasons are busiest, or what rhythms exist in your job?
I haven't noticed seasons that are busier than others. We keep saying things like, "We'll get to that when things calm down," but things never seem to calm down! Weeks seem to vary in how busy they are, but you never know what you're going to get!
What might surprise people about the work you do?
I think some people might be surprised to know that we don't actually book travel for others. We facilitate the system and contracts, manage the relationship with our travel management company, Christopherson Business Travel, and assist users in arranging travel for themselves or others.
What do you like best about working in UVAFinance?
I enjoy the people! There are really great people in UVAFinance that I get to work with every day. I also like that each day is a little bit different and you never know what challenges will need to be tackled. I consider myself to be a problem-solver and I enjoy helping others with questions or issues they may have.
How do you connect your work with the UVAFinance values?
I feel that my work directly connects to the UVAFinance values. My job relies on connections with people as well as with information and data. I strive to always provide excellent service and support to TravelUVA and Workday Expense users I also focus on continuous improvement in the processes I'm involved in.
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What do you do as an Administrative Associate?
I provide support to all of UVAFinance, but specifically, I focus on the operational side a little more. I work with the budget team a fair amount, as well as the business assets and cost recovery area. My work involves a lot of scheduling, reviewing and revising documents, document creation, etc. I also am involved in some bigger projects like our recent cleanup of financial records in the building. We worked with Records & Information Management to clean up a lot of old paperwork. I'm also involved in planning events such as spring fling and family fun day.
Who do you work with on a regular basis?
Besides the people mentioned above, I also work closely with my team: Stacey Rittenhouse, Rasha Ahmad, Connie Alexander, and Jill Simpson.
What seasons are busiest, or what rhythms exist in your job?
We have a quarterly flow, due to the preparation and material collection we do for the Board of Visitors meetings. Budget season is also pretty intense because the budget team needs to meet with financial administrators in every department -- so there are lots of moving parts! Then of course there's the fiscal year-end when I'm helping make sure things are complete, account certifications are done, and generally everything in Workday is all wrapped up.
What might surprise people about the work you do?
It might surprise people that, post-COVID, a fair amount of my job as an admin is supporting people who work remotely, and being a bridge between the office and the workplace. It's definitely very necessary to have this support role in a hybrid workplace, and I'm happy to help!
What do you like best about working in UVAFinance?
I genuinely love the people who work here! They're the best I've experienced in terms of the ability to work as a team and to be professional but kind. This is a wonderful environment to work in.
How do you connect your work with the UVAFinance values?
I identify strongly with "valued, high-performing teams." Finance functions in a way where a lot of our work depends on the work others do or have done, and that fosters a conscientiousness that I see in our teams. People are willing to jump in and help out, and come together to problem solve. And of course, service excellence also resonates with me, since I'm definitely in customer service!
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UVAFinance Mission & Values / UVAFinance Organizational Structure / Past Introductions can be found on our site under "Resource Shelf"
Would you like to be featured in Introducing UVAFinance? Want to suggest a colleague to be featured? Email bv8h@virginia.edu
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