Project Manager Quality Assurance

KAREN J. HIMMELSPACH, MBA *** South Huron Street Ypsilanti, MI 48197

734-***-**** ***********@*****.***

CAREER

SUMMARY

Financial Analyst with a passion for solving business problems, generating cost savings thru

efficiency improvements and elimination of waste. Extensive financial analysis, balance sheet, profit

and loss, and inventory management. Business planning, budgeting, ad hoc reporting, and costing.

Project Manager with strong analytical and interpersonal skills for collaboration as both team leader

and member. Developed and presented training materials in classroom and one-on-one.

EXPERIENCE

Magna Seating Novi, Michigan 2004 – 2009

Business Analyst & Project Manager

Joint Application Development Project Manager

• Led cross functional team re-write of change management workflows

• Designed data models and new workflows

Established standard system usage among all international users

• Formulated procedures and best practices

• Trained over 400 users; created 8 training booklets

• Developed 300 topics training database; published 40 newsletters in 3 years

Reduced rework and improved cross-functional communication

• Improved quality of bills of material, reducing part

shortages during production

• Enabled tighter cost control and part versioning

Established upgrade quality assurance testing in Agile/Oracle software

• Validated software upgrades and new or improved

process workflows

Menlo Innovations Ann Arbor, Michigan 2004

High-Tech Anthropologist

• Agile software development environment; paired at all times

• User-centered software design

• Job shadows, interviews, iterative design work

• Paper prototype testing, testing with software prototypes

Servant Publications, Inc. Ann Arbor, Michigan 1997 – 2003

Controller and International Rights Manager

Financial system workflow improvements

• Condensed a 5 day month-end reporting process to 1 hour

• Automated author correspondence, reducing a monthly 3 day process to 2 hours

• Automated aspects of annual physical inventory, reducing warehouse downtime by 60%

International Rights Sales and systems improvements

• Increased contract volume by 25% and revenue by 56% in 1 year

• Defined software requirements, implemented and maintained international rights database

• Created and implemented marketing campaigns

• Negotiated subsidiary rights contracts and collected royalty payments

KAREN J. HIMMELSPACH, MBA 2

PAGE

General Motors Powertrain Ypsilanti, Michigan 1996 – 1997

Change Management Coordinator

• Managed planning database with over 200 events covering 2 year forward planning process

• Directed multi-functional meetings and facilitated internal communication

• Reduced error rate from 20% to 1%

Rockwood Farm Adrian, Michigan 1994 –1995

Executive Director

• Coordinated horticultural therapy programs with 2 occupational therapists, 25 volunteers and

30 adults with developmental disabilities

• Facilitated fund raising events with area businesses and organizations

• Keynote speaker to 10 organizations in 1 year regarding autism and the Rockwood Farm

concept

• Researched, developed, wrote, compiled and submitted 3 grants in 7 months

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS, SKILLS, AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Human Factors volunteer work

• Horticultural therapy, Landscape design

• Hope Clinic, Ypsilanti, MI – treasurer, Oasis Café; soup kitchen volunteer; accounting; committees

(12 years)

• Past board member of Michigan Horticultural Therapy; Catholic Social Services (Oakland County);

Respite Center of Lenawee County; Pilgrim Church

Project management, supervisory and coaching

• Developed staff of 13 in a variety of concepts, controls, and goal setting

• Implemented continuous process improvement teams, resulting in 91% reduction of late work in 8

months

International experience

• Ran sales booth solo at Frankfurt, Germany book fair 5 years

• Employed by General Motors France on two separate occasions

• Understanding of global cross-cultural differences

EDUCATION

M.B.A., Masters of International Management, Financial Management

Thunderbird School of Global Management, Glendale, Arizona

Interdisciplinary MBA program requiring bilingual (French) proficiency and cultural, global studies.

B. A., Economics and Management, Albion College, Albion, Michigan

AFFILIATIONS

IIBA (International Institute of Business Analysis)

Michigan Usability Professionals

Michigan Agile Enthusiasts Group

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