CARLA EDWARDS
Raleigh
Summary
Proven professional with exceptional record of achievement in enhancing financial operations with innovative approaches. Exceptional partner to financial team, balancing principles to improve long-term financial stability. Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
Overview
30
30
years of professional experience
Work History
Finance Specialist
The Center for Black Health & Equity
Durham
09.2023 - 02.2025
- Company Overview: Public Health-Nonprofit
- Prepared comprehensive annual reports highlighting key financial metrics and achievements for stakeholder review.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to develop robust financial models for forecasting and scenario planning purposes.
- Streamlined financial operations, improving overall efficiency with the finance department.
- Reduced month-end closing timeframes by implementing automated reconciliation tools.
- Managed journal entries, collection efforts, reconciliations, and payroll processing.
- Generated monthly and quarterly financial statements for executive review.
- Created and maintained financial databases for data entry, tracking, and reporting.
- Cooperated with senior leadership to create operating budgets and initiate financial planning.
- Maintained integrity of general ledger and chart of accounts.
- Streamlined corporate travel processes for improved efficiency and cost savings.
- Served as a central point of contact for all employees needing assistance with travel and Comdata Card reloads.
- Coordinated employee's airfare, rental cars, hotels, and other travel arrangements related to lodging and per diem rates.
- Reconciled bank balances; record general ledger entries.
- Processed cash advance requests through ACH payments and worked closely with the Directors and Program Managers to resolve employee matters.
- Attended meetings to observe processes and interviews project staff to obtain information relative to contract oversight.
- Managed an assigned project workload and monitored all contract deadlines and conditions to ensure timelines were kept and all relevant payments or information had been met.
- Established financial dashboards and spreadsheets relating to operational budgets and costs, project scopes, and capital expenditures.
- Reviewed the financial aspects of product development, such as budgets, expenditures, and research and development appropriations.
- Assisted with funding agencies on NCE, Amendments, and FTE effort allocations.
- Performed effort reporting, cost transfers, paying invoices, and supporting closeouts.
- Managed payroll processing and HR-related benefits to compensate employees for service rendered.
- Public Health-Nonprofit
Accounts Payable Specialist (Contract)
Advance Medical Center
Raleigh
04.2023 - 05.2023
- Implemented all critical information into the agency's database and maintained confidentiality to keep information secure.
- Data entry of trip expenditures and reconciliation Excel budget trackers.
- Performed monthly reconciliation of expenditures and updated projections utilizing Excel.
- Reviewed contracts for compliance, correctness, and reasonableness of payment terms.
- Performed effort reporting, cost transfers, paying invoices, and supporting closeouts.
- Ensured reports are correct per spelling, discrepancies, math, formulas, and basic logic.
- Enhanced financial accuracy through diligent reconciliation of vendor statements and company records.
- Collaborated with the procurement team to resolve discrepancies between purchase orders and invoices received.
- Ensured timely payments for all invoices, maintaining strong relationships with vendors and suppliers.
- Applied proper codes to invoices, files, and receipts to keep records organized and easily searchable.
- Oversaw bookkeeping and accounting systems and entered data into systems.
Finance Specialist
Barbaric NA (Contract)
Cary
01.2023 - 02.2023
- Collaborated with internal departments to resolve accounting discrepancies or issues related to vendor payments or customer invoicing.
- Reviewed expense claims submitted by employees against company policy guidelines before payment processing.
- Ensured compliance with local tax laws and filing requirements on a quarterly basis.
- Managed credit card entries, reconciliations and proper job costing.
- Reconciled invoices, purchase orders and receiving documents to disburse payments to vendors.
- Verified employee reimbursement documentation and processed payments.
- Built positive and productive customer connections to drive consistent sales.
Finance/HR Specialist
The Poe Center for Health Education
Raleigh
05.2022 - 01.2023
Finance Specialist II
Bennett Aerospace/Army Research Operations
Raleigh
04.2019 - 05.2022
- Collaborated with internal departments to resolve accounting discrepancies or issues related to vendor payments or customer invoicing.
- Maintained up-to-date knowledge of relevant accounting standards and regulations.
- Analyzed accounts to produce financial reports and research variances for professionals.
- Allocated expenses using agency cost-sharing allocations.
- Developed and documented business processes and accounting policies to maintain and strengthen internal controls.
- Collected and assembled financial data to analyze costs on year-to-year basis relative to fiscal planning and budgeting activities.
- Leveraged financial records and reports to develop comparisons of prior year expenditures with current year budget execution plans.
- Coordinated funding requirements with clients and drafted documents while analyzing, tracking and reporting data.
- Verified financial data and identified and made recommendations to prevent and correct financial and accounting errors and inconsistencies.
- Discussed ideas and strategies to improve operational efficiency, adding value and aiding business performance for continuous improvement.
- Supported product change requests to communicate impact on capacity plans.
- Verified completion of legal formalities prior to closing dates through research and process.
Project Supports II
Siemens Healthineers
Cary
08.2018 - 03.2019
- Prioritized and organized tasks to efficiently accomplish service goals.
- Managed inventory and supplies to ensure materials were available when needed.
- Updated and maintained databases with current information.
- Collaborated closely with team members to achieve project objectives and meet deadlines.
- Assisted with customer requests and answered questions to improve satisfaction.
- Identified needs of customers promptly and efficiently.
- Worked effectively in team environments to make the workplace more productive.
- Demonstrated strong problem-solving skills, resolving issues efficiently and effectively.
- Completed day-to-day duties accurately and efficiently.
- Worked with cross-functional teams to achieve goals.
- Worked successfully with diverse group of coworkers to accomplish goals and address issues related to our products and services.
Project Administrator Coordinator
Syndicus/SBM Life Science
Cary
05.2018 - 07.2018
Operations Analyst II-Trade Settlements
Credit Suisse
Research Triangle Park
03.2018 - 05.2018
Executive Assistant-Communications Specialist
Syndicus LLC/Bayer Crop Science
Morrisville
12.2014 - 06.2015
Executive Assistant/Communications Specialist
Randstad/GlaxoSmithKline
Durham
01.2014 - 11.2014
Executive Assistant/HR Manager
Fairfax County Government- VA Department of Information Technology
Fairfax
06.2008 - 08.2013
HR Manager
Fairfax County Government Public Health Department
Fairfax
11.2005 - 10.2007
Finance Specialist II
Fairfax County Government
Reston
10.2002 - 11.2005
Accounting Technician
Government Department of Tax Administration
Reston
01.1995 - 10.2002
Education
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration
University of Phoenix
Manassas, VA04-2014
Associate of Applied Science - Hotel, Motel, And Restaurant Management
New York City College of Technology
Brooklyn, NY01-1987
Timeline
Finance Specialist
The Center for Black Health & Equity
09.2023 - 02.2025
Accounts Payable Specialist (Contract)
Advance Medical Center
04.2023 - 05.2023
Finance Specialist
Barbaric NA (Contract)
01.2023 - 02.2023
Finance/HR Specialist
The Poe Center for Health Education
05.2022 - 01.2023
Finance Specialist II
Bennett Aerospace/Army Research Operations
04.2019 - 05.2022
Project Supports II
Siemens Healthineers
08.2018 - 03.2019
Project Administrator Coordinator
Syndicus/SBM Life Science
05.2018 - 07.2018
Operations Analyst II-Trade Settlements
Credit Suisse
03.2018 - 05.2018
Executive Assistant-Communications Specialist
Syndicus LLC/Bayer Crop Science
12.2014 - 06.2015
Executive Assistant/Communications Specialist
Randstad/GlaxoSmithKline
01.2014 - 11.2014
Executive Assistant/HR Manager
Fairfax County Government- VA Department of Information Technology
06.2008 - 08.2013
HR Manager
Fairfax County Government Public Health Department
11.2005 - 10.2007
Finance Specialist II
Fairfax County Government
10.2002 - 11.2005
Accounting Technician
Government Department of Tax Administration
01.1995 - 10.2002
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration
University of Phoenix
Associate of Applied Science - Hotel, Motel, And Restaurant Management
New York City College of Technology