Engineer Management

Resume for Dawna Clephas, page * of *

DAWNA E. W. CLEPHAS

P.O. Box 118 540-***-**** (h) 540-***-**** (m)

New Castle, VA 24127 ********@*********.***

SUMMARY

Business and technical professional with over 20 years of success in consulting, development, and management. Strong

background in project and implementation management, strategic planning, IT auditing/QA, process improvement, IT

services, and risk assessment. Creative thinker, able to abstract the dynamics of diverse businesses and models.

Experience in a wide range of sectors and functional areas with proven communication and facilitation skills.

EDUCATION

R.B. Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA. M.B.A.,

Hollins University, Roanoke, VA. B.A. in French, cum laude.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

CRAIG COUNTY ENERGY TASK FORCE, New Castle, VA. March 2009-present.

Established and managed a county-wide team of local utilities, administrators and boards to develop a comprehensive

program for energy conservation, risk management, and carbon reduction for public and private facilities. Evaluated

feasibility of heating and water plant reconfiguration, wind/solar installations, and methane capture from wastewater

biosolids. Performed facility walkthroughs, documenting energy-saving and recommissioning prospects. Identified

opportunities for synergies between initiatives in improved energy efficiency, education of residents and students to

encourage sustainability, and job creation, to meet the deadline for 2009 federal stimulus funding.

CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL, Richmond, VA. March-December 2008. Consultant (Strategic Staffing Solutions).

Credit Risk Management Process Engineer: Identified risks and key gaps between corporate and bank credit policies

using interviews and internal documentation review. Worked with Bank directors to develop remediation plans and

achieve compliance with OCC regulations. Performed detailed risk assessments of collateral evaluation and lending

exception/override practices for mortgage origination and HELOCs, using internal, regulatory, and loan purchaser criteria

(Countrywide, Fannie Mae). Audited process controls for functions from account solicitation through collections.

R&K ENGINEERING, Roanoke, VA. 2005-2008.

Led the strategic planning initiative for a 20+ year old DoD contracting company. Facilitated working sessions, coached

teams in the development of recommendations, championed a framework of corresponding cultural changes, and

presented to top management. Selected and trained teams on techniques in SWOT analysis, innovation, communications,

product engineering optimization, and marketing. Investigated business development opportunities and new product

concepts, developed proposals, and managed long-term market research and trend analysis team. Developed policies and

processes for ITIL and PMI process areas. Created copy for web and print marketing and the company newsletter.

Initiated CRM approach and satisfaction measurement tools. Developed and provided training for the Navy on an

Analytical Hierarchy Process-based application for the allocation of facilities sustainment funding. Conducted systems

analysis and verification for the rewrite of the DLA’s Sustainment, Restoration and Modernization program for DESC.

KEANE, Inc., Roanoke, VA. 2004-2005. Contractor.

Project Quality Engineer: Evaluated IT processes and provided improvement recommendations to a national

automotive parts retailer. Coordinated and monitored testing and implementation plans for software development and

production support in the areas of Pricing, Commercial Credit, and others, both web-based and on the AS/400. Developed

and tracked business requirements using TestDirector. Guided IT in the use of the approved project management and

development methodologies, and monitored compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley requirements.

Resume for Dawna Clephas, page 2 of 3

TECUMSEH CORPORATION, La Verpilliere, France. Fall 2004. Consultant (PRI, Inc.).

Sarbanes-Oxley Remediation Auditor: Assessed SOX compliance on-site for Tecumseh Corporation’s French IT

operations as a member of a multinational review team. Reviewed French-language documentation on system and data

security and reporting procedures. Interviewed managers, validated procedures, documented and prioritized deficiencies,

and provided detailed recommendations for achieving compliance and reducing technology risks.

CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL, Richmond, VA. 1999-2002; 2003. Consultant (COMSYS).

Process Engineer: Developed the process framework for Business Information Officer (BIO) interactions through the IT

Planning, Budget and Execution cycles. Interviewed and presented to corporate managers through the VP level.

Analyzed existing models, developed new and hybrid solutions, engaged BIOs for input and approval. Established the

Process Improvement and Optimization practice of the Enterprise Process Management Center of Excellence. Produced

and deployed a process asset framework based on elements of CMM, ITIL, and Six Sigma. Managed engagements to

redesign processes across IT Infrastructure and Production Ops, including Change Control, Problem Management, and

Configuration Management, and facilitated process development sessions. Participated in IT Disaster Recovery Planning.

Created and evaluated metrics programs, audited process conformance, performed gap analyses, and devised

improvement plans. Prepared cost/benefit analyses in support of recommendations.

Quality Assurance/Test Engineer: Managed large-scale performance test projects and performed test engineering for

components as well as full e-commerce portal-to-backend systems. Developed the process for load and stress testing of

web-based and client-server applications. Performed load testing with Mercury LoadRunner, validated results using SQL

data extracts, and prepared test reports and recommendations. Facilitated Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) sessions to

identify criteria for and evaluate vendors of IT products and services. Conducted risk analyses and requirements

development sessions, and negotiated Service Level Agreements.

WACHOVIA BANK, Winston-Salem, NC. 1995 – 1996; 1997 – 1999. Contractor (METRO Information Systems).

Y2K Test Coordinator: Managed the testing process for Wachovia's Year 2000 (Y2K) Distributed Systems

Infrastructure; coordinated the testing of approximately 1200 software and hardware products. Developed the

methodology for distributed component testing and approval. Worked with multiple IS departments concurrently to guide

the development of test plans, and approved the plans. Assisted with test environment configuration, product testing, and

issue resolution. Evaluated external COTS testing tools and testing organizations and presented recommendations at the

VP level. Researched and documented Y2K issues for products, testing, remediation, contingency planning, and

litigation. As a Test Analyst, retroactively established Wachovia's business requirements for a new loan securitization

system under vendor development. Developed the Acceptance Test Plan, identified test data, and modeled data flows.

MERIDIUM, INC., Roanoke, VA. 1996 to 1997.

Quality Manager: Developed and managed the QC processes in a lean development environment for an integrated suite

of applications performing asset information warehousing, condition monitoring, and reliability analysis for oil refineries.

Designed test databeds in Oracle and Access, used SQL to research data problems and upgrade schemas. Managed

databases and performed data imports and exports using Oracle Instance Manager and Database Administration Tools.

Controlled and enhanced the Problem and Incident Management processes for software defects as well as requests for

enhancements. Supervised staff in defect resolution, test script development and automation, and prioritization of efforts

across multiple product versions. Managed product releases, achieving the first on-time release in the company’s history.

Installed and demonstrated new technology at plants, trained users, and tracked issues and enhancement requests.

AMERICAN MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (AMS), Arlington, VA. 1989 to 1995.

Consultant: Analyzed the contract and functionality for a Class X Port Authority security system across multiple

facilities; established the software value and a project transfer and closure plan. Developed and prioritized strategic and

short-term recommendations for a consolidated marketing system for NYNEX. Tailored AMS' systems development

methodology (SDLC) for Bell Atlantic's IS divisions, managed implementation on 17 client projects. Developed and

implemented QA and Configuration Management procedures on a development project for MCI. Performed billing

system functional requirements analysis across Bell Atlantic's three operating companies. Managed team developing

specifications for interfaces between legacy systems and AMS’ TieLine billing system, and developed testing standards.

Designed specs for IBM’s DB2-based contract maintenance system. Planned and conducted system and acceptance tests,

validated results, identified functional and data defects. Developed components of AMS’ SDLC methodology.

Resume for Dawna Clephas, page 3 of 3

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

BOARDS SERVED

Craig County School Board: Elected member, 2006-present. Vice-chairman. Analyzed and negotiated school system

budget of $7.8 million, defined and prioritized staffing and facilities requirements. Worked with other Board members,

students, faculty and other constituents to resolve a wide range of legal, personnel, curriculum, performance, funding, and

policy issues. Networked with members from boards statewide and other education leaders to develop innovative

practices and improve board performance. Lobbied U.S. and local legislators and executive officers to advance school

system priorities. Developed public-private partnerships to support initiatives in facility improvement and student

learning. Conducted facilities condition and space utilization assessments. Represented the school system on the Craig

County Audit Committee.

Governing Board of the Roanoke Valley Governor’s School for Science and Technology: Elected member, 2009.

Johns Creek VFD Board: Elected member, 2006-2008. Directed development of an equipment grant application and

created the narrative. Raised funding, analyzed expenditures, and procured systems and communication resources.

SPECIALIZED TRAINING & CONFERENCES

Information Systems Infrastructure Library (ITIL), certified in IT Services Management; Mercury LoadRunner and

TestDirector; Lean Development; MS-Office Professional (including Project Server, Visio, PowerPoint); Lotus Notes;

Business Process Reengineering; Expert Choice AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process); full-lifecycle development (SDLC)

methodologies; Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP) coursework; Sportsmind

team and leadership development; VERTEX facilities funding optimization application; Certified ExecuTrain instructor

for MS Office software; Proficient in French (with 2 years of expatriate experience).

Numerous local and statewide wastewater management conferences. Commonwealth of Virginia Energy and

Sustainability Conference (COVES). Go Green Virginia Conference. Conferences at Omega Institute on natural resource

management and sustainability. Roanoke Valley Council for Community Services workshops on Social Solutions for

Sustainability. LEED workshop on Energy & Atmosphere and Indoor Air Quality certification sections. Affiliate of the

Roanoke Valley Cool Cities Coalition.

OTHER INFORMATION U.S. citizen.

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