Background: I earned a BA and an MBA from USC. I was a Carolina Scholar and was in the Honors College. I was also inducted into Phi Beta Kappa as an undergrad. I worked for Colonial Life & Accident after graduating and earned my MBA then. I started there in customer service and ended up in financial reporting after six years. I then moved to Beaufort and was the senior accountant for the Technical College of the Lowcountry for a little more than a year, then went to USC Beaufort in 1998 and was vice chancellor for finance until May 2004. I moved to Columbia last year and worked in Regional Campuses and Continuing Education until moving to the University’s budget office in February.

Tell us about your job. The budget office prepares the annual budget document for consideration by the Board of Trustees and completes the state budget and various reports to state agencies. We prepare analyses throughout the year to ensure that the University maintains a sound financial status and operates within the budget limitations established by the General Assembly and the Board of Trustees. My office works on more than one fiscal year at a time—we are reporting on the year that has ended (2004–05), implementing the current year (2005–06), and developing next year’s budget (2006–07) at the same time.

What's the most challenging thing about managing a budget that is so
large and has so many components? Because there are different University budgets, providing relevant information to the people who need it both internally and externally in a timely and consistent manner is probably the greatest challenge.

What's the one thing that you wish everyone could understand about USC's budget? That the budget is a tool for planning the use of limited resources.

When you're not crunching numbers, what do you do for fun? I have two small children, Eli, 7, and Lucy, 3, who keep me busy. We're a family of avid Gamecock fans, so there is always something to do. Right now we're planning our bowl trip.

12/05