Executive Assistant / Office Manager

Tara S. Cook

W**** Hidden Valley Road

Holmen, WI 54636

Cell Phone (PRIMARY): 608-***-****

Email: **********@*****.***

OBJECTIVE

An experienced, highly motivated, detailed and organized professional eager to join and support your organization that will offer me an opportunity to utilize my extensive administrative and office management skills.

QUALIFICATION SUMMARY

Extensive executive office managerial and project management experience. Planning and coordinating corporate meetings, educational events and seminars, tours for visiting government officials, tours and arrangements for domestic and international customers.

Senior meeting and events planner working with executive leadership teams at manufacturing locations throughout the United States. Responsible for the complete project management of their corporate events. Determine leaderships’ goals and the expected multiple outcomes for both the corporate and local offices with renewed energy, knowledge, and higher expectations for the next major business development. Interpret the leaderships’ goals and expected outcomes create a successful event working within the requirements and budget constraints determined by the leadership team

Supervisory experience (internal staff and external staff) as a lead senior meeting planner preparing for the event at work and hiring staff support while onsite at the events. Supervision of eight work study students and management of projects for departmental staff.

Budgets and expense reports management, inventory control, process development and improvements.

Supporting administrative assistance to multiple leadership team managers, instructors, and multi-tasking while meeting required deadlines.

Microsoft Office Applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, StarCite web development.

Planning meetings within the required goals and meeting budget of the executive team, and still focusing on the desired outcome and goals of the company, and providing attendees a positive and productive experience.

Strong verbal and written communication with executive management, instructors, students, internal staff, customers, associates, and vendors. Act as front line staff for executive leadership, the Dean and Department Chair of the Math & Stats Department in addition to the 22 faculty that I provide support to.

Detail oriented, organized, flexible, and effectively able to handle multiple priorities/tasks with little to no direction and delegation to team members.

High tolerance for stress, long hours and changes in work priorities.

Research and coordination skills, communication with all levels of the business i.e. state university campus environment, manufacturing business, educational offerings for insurance and securities, CFA and CFP educational requirements, and license renewals. Extensive knowledge and understanding of state specific compliance reporting for all types of professional licenses.

CAREER HISTORY

Winona State University, Winona, MN: Aug. 2014 – Mar. 2018

POSITION: Office Manager & Executive Assistant

Management of offices in the Mathematics and Statistics Department, and the University Advancement Department.

Responsible for all accounting, finance, credit card reconciliation for the departments and the vice president.

Supervisor of eight work-study students; managing projects and work requests for 27 staff members in the department.

Coordinate town hall meetings, legislative visits and meetings at the campus.

Responsible for all travel requests, air travel, hotel arrangements for staff and vice president.

Schedule meetings at executive level; attend meetings, take minutes, communication to high level executives and board members.

Handling high level and confidential information on daily basis.

High-level written and verbal communication with administration, board members, governmental and legislative personnel, community members, etc.

Coordinate and facilitate executive events, dinners, offsite meetings and entertainment.

Coordinate and attend executive foundation board meetings, take minutes and distribute; provide organized and time efficient events and details for upcoming meetings, events, etc. to foundation board members and alum.

Kaplan Professional, La Crosse, WI: Dec. 2008 – July 2014

POSITION: National Classroom Operations Coordinator

Coordinate all domestic, Canadian and international CFA and CFP public and private classes, Securities and Insurance private classes.

Research and select hotels/conference centers at the most competitive price for all classes to meet the budget requirements of the company.

Negotiating with vendors for lowest possible prices for meeting space, AV, catering, etc.

Communication with hotel/conference center sales and catering staff, instructors, and CFA/CFP executive management teams in the planning process.

Communication to all CFA/CFP students, instructors, and internal departments providing class details, important notices, etc.

Knowledge of compliance requirements for all states to ensure that all filing requirements are met for students and instructors.

Coordinate all class details with instructors and provide them with all the necessary teaching tools, exams, etc.

Budgets, monthly accruals, cost comparison analysis for class locations.

Work well under pressure and able to handle multiple priorities under high stress level.

Flexible to work additional hours to meet the needs of the department.

Trane Company, La Crosse, WI: 2005 – Dec. 2008

POSITION: Senior Meeting and Events Planner

Project management for all departments in the planning and implementation of meetings, educational seminars, and incentive trips.

Coordinated logistics for large corporate business meetings and incentive trips for all divisions of Trane including: site selections; contract negotiations with hotels/conference centers; airlines and ground suppliers; menu planning; meeting room set-up arrangements; AV coordination; promotional and imprinted merchandise selection for attendees; meeting logo/theme development; teambuilding and social activities; entertainment selections, etc.

Communication and meeting planning coordination with executive staff.

Onsite supervision of Trane staff, and hiring and supervising staff through temporary work agencies at meeting locations.

Consulted with clients and provided appropriate suggestions to ensure meeting success.

Researched and implemented cost savings initiatives while focusing on customer service.

Maintained budget versus actual costs to support management reporting and accruals.

Database management including hotel and city resources, and attendee registration.

Accounting and bookkeeping responsibilities, including review of monthly B&E, processing vendor invoices, event expenditure and credit card reconciliation, and attrition and payment due date schedules.

Created theme event documents to enhance conference experience for attendees, i.e. brochures, name badges with event schedules, social and entertainment events.activities.

Created, developed and maintained online conference websites and registration forms for electronic attendee registration through StarCite website software.

Developed Small Meetings Hotel Program on an annual basis to provide meeting owners and meeting planners with hotels that offered a competitive rate for small meetings held by all Trane divisions. Created and maintained an internal portal for Trane divisions to access when searching for meeting locations.

Trane Company, La Crosse, WI: 2001 – 2005

POSITION: Administrative Assistant

Provided administrative support to the general manager and vice president of Trane La Crosse Operations, the operations manager, and the La Crosse Operations leadership managers.

Facilitated corporate plant visits and tours for domestic and international customers.

Planned and coordinated all-employee meetings.

Created PowerPoint presentations, charts, graphs for executive and all-employee meetings.

Development of Access database programs.

High-level exposure and communication to executive and corporate leaders.

Worked closely with HR coordinating interviews for executive positions.

Facilitated and coordinated relocation package for new executive managers hired, i.e. residential housing, medical care, schools, childcare, city tours, etc.

Coordinated all HR functions for the La Crosse Operations leadership, i.e. performance reviews, performance development, etc.

Assisted with budget process and financial reporting.

Planned and facilitated annual off-site staff meetings for La Crosse Operations leadership team and spouses to include: executive meetings, dinners, entertainment, social events for spouses, etc.

EDUCATION

2002 -2004 Viterbo University, La Crosse, WI

B.S. Degree in Organizational Management (Deans List all semesters)

2015 Stephen Ministry Certification at Holmen Lutheran Church

* References available upon request *

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