Employee Relations Office Staff

Teresa D. Underwood

Mayfield Village, Ohio 216-***-**** ***************@*****.***

PUBLIC SERVICE EXECUTIVE

A visionary leader with over 15 years of progressively responsible experience overseeing human resources, training and development, finance and budget, space and facilities, policy and procedure administration, and information technology in a federal court system.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

United States Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Ohio Clerk of Court/Executive Director 2017-2019

Provided overall management authority for non-judicial components of the court, including budget and finance, human resources (HR), information systems, space and facilities, procurement, policy administration, and case flow management; oversaw a clerk’s office staff of 54 in five fully staffed court locations; interpreted and applied federal statutes, local rules and national guidelines; served as the certifying officer for payroll; prepared financial forecasts and managed an average $5.6 million annual budget; oversaw purchasing, fee collection, expenditure authorization, and fiscal reporting in accordance with statutory requirements and internal controls; represented the court at public functions, served on leadership committees and provided training at national conferences.

Served as the fiduciary for fees totaling $7.1 million, the disbursement of annual payments exceeding

$838,000, and the disbursement of unclaimed funds disbursements totaling $202,500.

Oversaw space and facilities projects, including a $100 million historical courthouse refurbishment project.

Maintained the official record and seal of the court; ensured the integrity of 20,000 case filings per year.

Managed seven director level staff and administrative staff; recommended new hires and separations to judges for approval.

Developed an innovative strategic vision that aligned the court’s practices with audit requirements and significantly enhanced administrative practices, including the implementation of a new financial management system that reduced travel reimbursement processing by 3-4 days; an inventory management system that reduced the physical sighting process by 4-5 days; electronic debtor noticing, which issued notices to pro se debtors via email upon request; and Jira Agile Project Management, which reduced awaiting IT projects by 62% in less than one year.

Enhanced human resources programs and policies, including the revision and development of an automated employee handbook, a revised performance management plan, and the development of community outreach and employee engagement programs (e.g., diversity programs, newsletters).

Revised the telework policy and provided court issued equipment, which led to seamless court operations during the Coronavirus pandemic emergency.

Advised the chief judge on issues impacting court operations and collaborated with five judicial governance committees regarding court policies, programs and services; prepared judge committee meeting reports

(e.g., budget, information technology, strategic planning, space and facilities, disciplinary, rules, clerk’s report); attended judges’ meetings and handled logistics for meetings. Chief Deputy Clerk/Chief of Staff 2013-2017

Served as an executive-level administrator reporting to the clerk of court with full responsibility for clerk’s office in the absence of the clerk: interpreted, developed, maintained and recommended administrative policies and procedures; supervised a seven-member management team; assisted with spending plan preparation and monitoring of financial allocations; established administrative and operational goals in alignment with the clerk’s vision; collaborated with other government offices and personnel to enhance public service; executed the appropriate research for projects/ policies and submitted written analysis and recommendations to judges. Underwood,2

Developed on-line CM/ECF training module with learning assessments to replace classroom instruction; eliminated CM/ECF classroom instruction.

Served as the project leader for the revised internal and external websites.

Collaborated with judges and practitioners appointed by local bar associations to develop biennial Bench Bar Retreat program; created automated logistical processes that reduced overhead by 30%. Human Resources Administrator (concurrently served position with chief deputy) 2013-2016 Served as the sole full-time human resources administrator and Employee Dispute Resolution Coordinator with responsibilities including, personnel budget projections, training and development, on-boarding and separations; compensation (e.g., promotions, discretionary steps), and benefits and retirement planning, employee relations, policy and performance management. Deputy Clerk in Charge 2004-2013

Provided operational oversight of the Cleveland clerk’s office, the largest of five court locations; collaborated with three Cleveland judges regarding docketing matters and services provided; strategically assessed performance and developed training to align work product with performance standards; developed procedures and technology advancements to enhance operational efficiency; ensured compliance with internal controls, handled procurement, administer disciplinary actions, prepared for audits, and amended procedures.

Eliminated 98% of over-the-counter unclaimed funds checks in Cleveland by implementing an automated unclaimed funds submission method; worked with the clerk and chief judge to promote districtwide adoption.

Converted paper forms to electronically generated CM/ECF notices/forms; reduced manual processing time by over 30%.

Administered Emergency Preparedness Plan for the Cleveland office and trained staff each year.

Conducted a formal two-month telework testing period and formally implemented the telework program. Supervisor 2003-2004

Supervised 21 staff; assigned and prioritized workload; assessed performance quality and motivated staff to meet performance standards; administered performance management; opened/closed intake department; ensured compliance with internal controls; assisted with internal audits; proposed and developed the court’s first formal on-site training program, which reduced out-of-office training expenses by over 90%. Cleveland Public School District 1997-2003

Human Resources Administrator- Staffing and Recruitment Managed staffing and recruitment functions for teaching and substitute teaching staff of over 5,000; assisted with the implementation of the substitute teacher electronic assignment module; supervised one administrative assistant and 5-6 part-time summer teacher recruiters; assisted with teacher and administrator interviews; set certified teacher salaries; developed new hire on-boarding and training events. EDUCATION

Master of Public Administration, Public Management, Cleveland State University Bachelor of Business Administration, Human Resources Management, Cleveland State University PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

National Conference of Bankruptcy Clerks (NCBC), Board of Governors (6 yrs): Education Committee Chairman (3 yrs), Scholarship & Awards Committee Chairman (2 yrs), Membership Committee Chairman (1 yr) Federal Judiciary Center (FJC)New Supervisor Development Program, Faculty Coach/ Mentor (2012, 2013, 2019) Provided large-group training for 80-90 supervisors and mentored 5-6 participants 2-3 months thereafter.

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