Michelle Mathews

Experience

• 

  United States Marine Corps

  Feb 2020 - now

  Responsible for the management and administration of the complex system of military pay and benefits. The role is to ensure that financial needs of the Marines and their families were met, including the timely and accurate processing of pay, allowances, and entitlements. The duties included managing the pay and entitlement of thousands of Marines, both in the United States and abroad. This includes processing payrolls, reviewing financial reports, and ensuring compliance with federal and military regulations. Additionally, the role included acting as a liaison between the Marine Corps and other federal agencies, ensuring that the needs of our service members were met in accordance with their entitlements and benefits. This role requires the ability to manage complex financial systems, to provide critical support to servive members and their families, and to lead and mentor a team of dedicated professionals.-Designed a quantitative analytical system that leveraged historical data to indentify patterns of errors, resulting in significant improvements in error reduction.-Delivered impactful monthly presentations to the Regional Disbursing Officer, showcasing expert analysis of current trends and proposing effective solutions.-Certified over $2.7M in waivers as well as engaged with hundreds of customers regarding their indebtedness, providing support and guidance to ensure a clear understanding of their personal circumstances and procedural requirements. -Consistently managed and diffused highly charged situations with dissatisfied customers, utilizing conflict resolution techniques to reach satisfactory outcomes.-Collaborated with cross-functional teams during Exercice Freedom Shield in South Korea to ensure seamless coordination of resources, timely delivery of critical supplies, and adherence to all protocols during bilateral logistical operations.-Trained and mentored 37 employees in the Military Pay Department. Show less This position encompasses both financial management and financial planning functions. In addition to managing financial transactions in a deployed environment, the position also analyzes and interprets financial data, as well as provides financial guidance and advice to unit commanders and other stakeholders. In addition, the position requires preparing and presenting financial reports and forecasts, conducting financial analysis to support decision making, and ensuring compliance with financial policies and regulations. In summary, this role provides financial management and planning expertise to support the success of deployed operations. It requires an ability to manage financial transactions, analyze financial data, and develop budgets and forecasts that are essential to ensuring that resources are utilized efficiently and effectively in a dynamic and challenging environment.-Ensured all monetary transactions entered were in accordance with Department of Defense’s financial management regulations; safeguarded and accounted for $1.2M in public funds and negotiable instruments-Certified over $65K in cash transactions and SF44 contracts, as well as collected over $28K for 10 Savings Deposit Program collections with zero discrepancies.-Identified a gap in policy during the transition period from the SABRS accounting system to DAI which directly led to USMC FAN 06-21 that was utilized as a standard throughout the Marine Corps for all cash operations.-Supervised 15 employees in the Deployed Disbursing environment; ensured training, counseling, and mentorship were provided increasing departmental readiness-Spearheaded an organization of over internal audit on a fraud report; recouped $11K in stolen funds-Managed multidisciplinary teams, allocating resources, and ensuring timely and efficient delivery of the Navy Cash program and the Deployed Disbursing System for over 1,500 Marines and Sailors. Show less As a Financial Management Officer in the Marine Corps, responsibilities include managing and executing financial plans and budgets, overseeing accounting and financial reporting processes, conducting financial analysis and risk assessments, and providing guidance and support to unit commanders and senior leaders. Additionally, duties involve managing cash flow, procurement, and logistics operations, and ensuring compliance with all financial regulations and policies. The role requires strong analytical, leadership, and communication skills, as well as a deep understanding of financial principles and practices.-Conducted bimonthly analytics and developed multiple analytical systems through excel and various other platforms that tracked and monitored the performance of the Military Pay deck in order to ensure maximum efficiency and improved accuracy rates.-Led 35 employees in the Disbursing Department; ensured training, counseling, and mentorship were provided increasing departmental readiness-Provided personnel support to employees including casual pay, check cashing services, savings deposit programs, and general financial assistance-Developed and implemented a program to assist new and inexperienced employees understand the organizational performance evaluation system.-Cultivated a climate that valued teamwork, collaboration, and performance-based metrics.-Fulfilled a pivotal role as a project manager, responsible for overseeing the planning, execution, and successful completion of diverse initiatives, often under high pressure situations. Show less

  • Finance Officer

    Apr 2022 - now

  • Deployed Disbursing Officer

    Nov 2020 - Mar 2022

  • Finance Officer

    Feb 2020 - Nov 2020