Lisa Frady-Lawhorn
Elkwood
Summary
Finance leader with extensive experience in strategic financial planning and budget oversight within educational institutions. Expertise in Oracle database management and HFM financial reporting. Drives accountability and enhances performance through mentorship and data analysis, aligning resources with organizational goals.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Chief Financial Officer
Orange County Public Schools
07.2024 - 01.2026
- Directed the fiscal management of the school division, including comprehensive budget development and oversight.
- Oversaw budget planning and execution, ensuring fiscal responsibility across departments.
- Developed strategic financial plans and established clear expected goals for each department, driving financial accountability.
- Delivered timely and clear financial information to Superintendent and board on income, expenditures, and fiscal condition, enhancing financial planning efforts.
- Analyzed financial data to identify trends and inform strategic decision-making processes.
- Developed financial strategies that aligned resources with educational goals, ensuring effective allocation of funds.
- Directed and managed finance managers, emphasizing professional growth to achieve financial goals and support district objectives.
- Collaborated with school board to establish long-term financial goals aligned with educational objectives.
- Collaborated with Facility Services on long-range planning and efficient management, incorporating financial projections for capital projects and maintenance.
- Planned and implemented a system of feedback and evaluation, analyzing data to improve departmental effectiveness and financial performance.
- Served as a key member of the Superintendent's cabinet, actively participating in district-wide planning, development, and evaluation, contributing a financial perspective.
Senior Project Controller
The Maasai Group
08.2023 - 06.2024
- Developed and monitored budgets for projects based on estimates, providing ongoing financial analysis.
- Focused on the financial health of projects, proactively identifying and addressing potential issues.
- Developed forecasting models to improve budget accuracy and optimize resource allocation.
- Developed risk management strategies to mitigate potential project disruptions and ensure timely delivery.
- Monitored project financial and cost/schedule progress, ensuring adherence to budgets and timelines.
- Coordinated all aspects of project accounting, ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant project billing.
- Streamlined reporting processes to enhance visibility of project performance metrics for stakeholders.
- Proactively analyzed complex situations and developed creative alternatives for improving financial results.
- Effectively engaged at client peer-level as well as management and leadership levels regarding project financials.
- Analyzed project variances and provided actionable insights to senior management for informed decision-making.
- Delivered projects on time and within budget by diligently tracking progress and adjusting resources.
Finance Manager
DirectViz
09.2022 - 08.2023
- Formulated and executed financial strategies to optimize budget allocations and improve resource utilization.
- Conducted monthly meetings with project leads and directors to review monthly performance of each project, G&A, and OH monthly/yearly budget against actuals, providing variance analysis.
- Coordinated with project managers to develop quarterly and yearly budgets based on current trends and project pipeline.
- Updated spending plans with actual results, reviewed variances of actual to plan, and forecasted future costs.
- Performed program cost analysis to ensure programs were cost-efficient for T&M and FFP contracts.
- Prepared monthly, quarterly, and yearly estimates of completion for contracts and overhead and general and administrative costs to enhance financial forecasting accuracy.
- Performed monthly close analysis and identified T&E adjustments.
- Analyzed financial data to identify trends, providing actionable insights for decision-making.
Program Financial Analyst
Perspecta/Paraton
02.2021 - 08.2022
- Analyzes financial information to produce forecasts and ETCs of business, industry, and economic conditions for use in making financial decisions.
- Analyzed financial data to support strategic decision-making and identify emerging trends.
- Defined and developed key performance indicators; analyzed financial and operational performance, tracking operational objectives and strategic initiatives to improve efficiency and profitability of business units and projects.
- Tracked actuals versus budget to identify financial risks and enhance project viability.
- Prepared, coordinated, and documented financial analysis projects, including financial and expense performance, rate of return, depreciation, investments, and comparisons of P&L statements and income statements.
- Performs analysis of budgets and schedules needed to meet contractual/project requirements.
- Prepares reports of findings and recommendations to management.
Financial Advisor
Edward Jones
03.2018 - 10.2019
- Established Edward Jones financial services practice, fostering community relationships and trust.
- Identified clients' unique needs to deliver tailored investment solutions that align with their financial goals.
- Guided clients in defining and strategizing financial goals to create actionable investment plans.
- Developed personalized financial plans to meet client investment goals and risk tolerance.
- Present personalized investment solutions for each client. These solutions are designed to help meet lifetime goals.
- Analyzed market trends and economic conditions to offer informed investment advice.
Finance Manager
BAE Systems
01.2009 - 03.2017
- Oversaw annual budgeting process, ensuring alignment of departmental goals with organizational objectives.
- Coordinated input from customers and ESS leadership to develop ESS IT budget of $259M, aligning with financial and service objectives and corporate directives.
- Performs monthly meetings with directors and VP of Finance to review monthly performance of each organization against yearly budget.
- Monitors and reports on Monthly/Quarterly Financial Performance of ESS IT (Enterprise Systems Services).
- Prepared monthly MMR variance explanations for executive leadership, clarifying financial performance of ESS-IT direct charges.
- Collaborated with ESS-IT Account Team and customers to produce accurate and timely forecasts using run rates and historical data.
- Review and approve purchase requisitions for INC and PLC customers, and all ESS-IT capital purchases per policies and procedures.
- Supported Internal Audit with ESS-IT cost and customer charge documentation.
- Leads and/or participates in special projects for process improvements.
Finance Manager - Program Control – Healthcare Sector
BearingPoint
11.2006 - 01.2009
- Managed and mentored Health Care program control team of 5 with financial oversight responsibility for approximately 200 Time & Materials, Firm Fixed Price, and Cost-Plus Fixed Fee engagements valued at $251M.
- Updated spend plans with actual results, reviewed variances of actual to plan, and forecast future costs.
- Worked with project managers to ensure accurate revenue recognition.
- Performed a timely and thorough review of working papers and reports ensuring that all significant accounting, auditing, and reporting matters had been identified, resolved, and documented in accordance with policies.
- Established and met quarterly deadlines with quarter-over-quarter improvements in timelines and ETC accuracy.
- Proactively assisted in updating new program control standards as new program control and firm-wide tools were implemented.
- Worked with Management team committee to establish and implement new PCO roles.
Lead Financial Specialist – ATS
General Dynamics
05.2005 - 11.2006
- Primary point of contact for financial analysis of the ATS ledger.
- Managed Hyperion input and submissions, enhancing corporate reporting and conducting detailed result analysis to support strategic decision-making.
- Prepared monthly financial results package, analyzing Balance Sheet accounts, P&L activity, contract reserves, and unallowable items to provide actionable insights.
- Led preliminary close meetings for ATS to identify any risks or issues with sales, costs of sales, or earnings.
- Reconciled monthly close upload to internal financial statements and Oracle general ledger.
- Input monthly and quarterly data into Hyperion for submission to corporate consolidation.
- Created monthly reports using Hyperion for financial analysis.
- Supported preparation and input of strategic plans and budgets.
- Liaised with internal and external auditors to ensure compliance and accuracy in financial reporting for ATS.
Senior Project Accountant
TITAN Corporation (SIS)
08.2003 - 05.2005
- Subcontractor management: Prepared monthly accruals by analyzing funding, actual costs, and outstanding invoices. Worked with the contracts department to approve additional funding as required. Implemented and maintained subcontractor funding file to monitor invoicing against inception-to-date funding and level of effort.
- Compiled and delivered monthly customer reports detailing current and anticipated funding, actual monthly costs, and future estimated costs to inform financial planning.
- Ensured accuracy of new funding received on modifications by cross-referencing with government-issued task delivery letters.
- Analyzed and verified invoicing charges against project support reports and funding sources to ensure accuracy before submission to the government.
- Worked with project managers to develop quarterly/yearly budgets from current trends and the pipeline.
- Streamlined budgeting procedures, enhancing accuracy in forecasting and resource allocation.
- Addressed government inquiries related to funding and financial reports to ensure clarity and compliance.
Business Series Analyst
EDS
08.2000 - 09.2003
- Prepared monthly and yearly outlook/forecasts for Information Assurance. Forecasted taking into consideration run rates, historical data, and the contract terms. Entered the forecasts into SIFT.
- Estimated preliminary close detail, providing management insight into unanticipated costs from monthly and yearly forecasts.
- Prepared analysis for monthly close, explaining variances of plus or minus 3 percent on various cost elements.
- Conducted monthly analysis to allocate internal costs.
- Developed and maintained reports tracking key performance indicators and operational metrics.
- Developed and maintained a model to track monthly shadow revenue (commercial revenue), account contribution, and hours worked on each project.
- Analyzed business processes to identify areas for improvement and efficiency gains.
Advance Financial Analyst
EDS
09.2000 - 08.2003
- Performed monthly close variance analysis on direct and indirect costs to identify discrepancies and ensure budget adherence.
- Developed cost estimates and proposals, considering field labor, yearly escalations, and profitability to ensure accurate financial planning.
- Analyzed monthly subcontractor costs for accuracy, contributing to effective cost management and financial reporting.
- Prepared monthly forecasts and input them into Deltek MPM.
- Ensured timely maintenance of monthly funding reports to support budget management.
- Performed invoice reconciliation to compare actuals from MPM to the General Ledger.
- Provided monthly pipeline for the D/SIDDOMS Business Operations group.
- Reviewed general ledger and timecard reports. Initiated timecard and J/E corrections.
Education
Bachelor of Business Administration - Management
Strayer University
ManassasSkills
- Financial forecasting
- Budget management
- Cost analysis
- HFM Financial Reporting
- Cognos and Munis
- Costpoint ERP System
- Oracle Database Management
- Data visualization
- Microsoft Office Suite
Clearance
Secret
Timeline
Chief Financial Officer
Orange County Public Schools
07.2024 - 01.2026
Senior Project Controller
The Maasai Group
08.2023 - 06.2024
Finance Manager
DirectViz
09.2022 - 08.2023
Program Financial Analyst
Perspecta/Paraton
02.2021 - 08.2022
Financial Advisor
Edward Jones
03.2018 - 10.2019
Finance Manager
BAE Systems
01.2009 - 03.2017
Finance Manager - Program Control – Healthcare Sector
BearingPoint
11.2006 - 01.2009
Lead Financial Specialist – ATS
General Dynamics
05.2005 - 11.2006
Senior Project Accountant
TITAN Corporation (SIS)
08.2003 - 05.2005
Advance Financial Analyst
EDS
09.2000 - 08.2003
Business Series Analyst
EDS
08.2000 - 09.2003
Bachelor of Business Administration - Management
Strayer University