UVAFinance Introduces Venissa Nieves as Senior Payroll Specialist

Venissa Nieves

Venissa Nieves recently joined the UVAFinance team as Senior Payroll Specialist. With over 20 years of experience in Payroll and a passion for connecting with the people she collaborates with, Nieves brings extensive experience and dedication to her work that will be a valuable asset to the Payroll team at UVAFinance.

Nieves was born and raised in Jamaica and moved to New York when she was 14 years old. She attended Monroe college, where she received both her associate and bachelor degrees in business administration and accounting. Nieves has a true passion for learning and is currently furthering her education by working on her master’s in project management at Aspen University, which she is interested in transferring over to UVA soon!

Throughout her time in the workforce, Nieves has worked in Payroll with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), March of Dimes, Teach for America, and most recently, New Visions. New Visions works with public schools and educators to provide adequate tools, resources, and support within school systems. Nieves remarks that she has always loved education and working with schools, and while she says she couldn’t be a teacher, her contribution to the world of education through Payroll is something she takes “great pride in.” Through her work with New Visions, Nieves attests that she learned more about building up her customer service skills and explored the business aspect of schools and school systems, which she says was a great prior experience for her role at UVA and working in higher education.

Initially, Nieves went into college under the field of liberal arts, but after taking her first accounting class, she recognized her passion for finance- working with numbers, debits and credits, and “putting things in their place,” and she aptly switched her major to reflect that. Nieves claims that she “hates math… but this isn’t your usual math!” when it comes to Payroll. 

Nieves’ choice to join the UVAFinance team was a “happy coincidence,” she says. While moving out of New York to Texas, she spotted the job on the market, and after talking with Angela and Marcy, she was truly excited about the opportunities UVAFinance had to offer. She acknowledges that this position is a huge move for her and her family, as it allows her the ability to work and attend school in the same place. Nieves says she is looking forward to the chance to grow in her work, collaborate alongside a fantastic team that has made her feel at home immediately, and provide personalized customer service to the employees she’ll work with in Payroll. 

Nieves

As Senior Payroll Specialist, Nieves will join the Payroll Solutions Team, who addresses all things pay and tax compliance. The team's work crosses many components that impact employee paychecks, their take-home pay, and the many facets that must be considered to get from worked hours to net paycheck- whether through direct deposit or check.

In her free time, Nieves loves hanging out with her family. She has a big family that loves get-togethers and spending time with each other, and she remarks “family time is a must!” She also loves spending as much time as possible outdoors and finding ways to combat the Texas heat (“it’s a little different from the New York climate!”). Her two girls are in Girl Scouts and STEM clubs, and love any and all bugs- she currently has butterflies growing in her living room! Nieves is also a huge fan of roller coasters, and has spent plenty of time at Six Flags, where she has ridden Kingda Ka multiple times (for all you roller coaster lovers out there!).