Accounts Payable Specialist

RITA L. LEFTRIDGE-STEWART

*** ******** ***** / *****, ** / 29615 / (717) 557–7022 / ************@***.***

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

GenesisCare of South Florida Accounts Payable Specialist 09/2022-07/2024

Remote

Fort Myers, FL 33645

Receive and review incoming invoices from vendors and suppliers – high volume

Verify that invoices are accurate, properly authorized, and compliant with company policies

Enter invoice data into the accounting system for payment processing

Prepare and schedule payments to vendors through various payment methods (checks, ACH, wire transfers, etc.)

Maintain payment records and reconcile them with the general ledger

Communicate with vendors and suppliers to resolve invoice discrepancies, payment issues, and inquiries

Establish and maintain positive relationships with key vendors

Maintain organized and accurate records of all accounts payable transactions

Assist with month-end and year-end closing processes by providing necessary reports and documentation.

Generate accounts payable reports and assist in analyzing data to identify trends and potential cost-saving opportunities

Ensure compliance with company policies, industry regulations, and accounting standards

Heights Finance Corporation Credit Bureau Dispute Specialist 10/2020 - 02/2022

Remote

Height Finance - Greenville, SC

•Created adjustable spreadsheet to maintain record of direct letters received and processed.

•Direct and indirect credit bureau dispute processing in e-OSCAR

•Maintained electronic record keeping of all dispute documentation.

•Verified and audited documents to ensure accuracy.

•Checked numerical data against input or reports from all three credit bureaus.

•Conducted investigations and identified potential fraud claims in respect to disputed information.

•Researched credit reporting and fraud issues and followed up with the credit bureau to resolution.

•Participated in technology-related project requests related to credit bureau reporting to ensure compliance.

•Created and maintained processing procedures for direct dispute letters from consumers.

•Certified with CDIA credentialing for duties of Furnishers.

Heights Finance Corporation Accounts Payable Specialist 01/2017 – 10/2020

(Formerly Southern Management Corp) Greenville, SC 29601

Responsible for the complete accounts payable processing for Southern Management Corporation and its branches.

•Account reconciliation, journal entry and other various duties in support of the accounting department.

•Involved with Month-End closing of all Accounts Payable transactions.

•Processing and coding of invoices, expense reports and check requests for payment

•Review and approval of IntelliLink transactions from multiple managers, in and out of the field

•Uploading of financial transactions to the bank for Positive Pay files

•Research outstanding checks

•Manage timing of check runs

Please see attached for thorough listing of all duties.

Regional Finance Management Bank Reconciliation Specialist 11/2016 – 01/2017

Accounting Department – Contractor

•Compare daily bank to book data using current software and reconciling bank to General Ledger totals using Excel spreadsheets, for all accounts.

•Reviewed bank accounts in the event of an absent team member

•Communicate with bank personnel concerning statement errors or questions.

•Handle correspondence with branch locations and supervisors concerning reconciling items.

•Utilize current software and systems such as NLS, Prologue and Treasury to conduct research on unmatchable funds between databases.

•Reconcile selected inter-branch customer accounts.

•Coordinate bank signature forms processes for all centralized accounts

•Responsible for various special projects as assigned by accounting management.

Brock & Scott, PLLC Title Accounting Clerk 07\2016 - 10\2016

Accounting Department

Winston-Salem, NC 27104

•Reconciled recording and trust accounts in SoftPro, ProTrust and Caseware website monthly

•Received incoming monetary wire confirmations from bank and forward to appropriate staff.

•Processed out-going wires requests for payment.

•Provide copies of cancelled checks via on-line bank website upon request

•Processed stop payments requests

•Processed Positive-Pay and fraudulent check investigations for all trust accounts, including sending transactional Positive pay files and researching exceptions daily.

•Performed a daily tally of incoming checks for accounts receivable to balance with cash receipts.

•Cash receipts posting backup.

•Other duties as assigned.

Velocity Technology Solutions Interim Sr. Accounts Receivable Accountant 03\2016 – 05\2016

Finance Department - Contractor

South Charlotte, NC 28211

Cash Operations / Accounts Receivable

•Daily cash applications for all bank accounts - includes all entry for Lockbox deposits.

•Generation of daily customer payment reports for upper management

•Daily bank reconciliations for all bank accounts

•Monthly delivery of all invoices and statements

•Retention of all remittance information

•Customer file retention and maintenance

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Accountant II 02/2012 – 09/2014

Department of Public Welfare

Bureau of Financial Operations

Harrisburg, PA 17105

Financial Review and Payment Section

•Examination and review of County financial reports to ensure accuracy and State compliance.

•Participated in the development of policies and procedures for Grant funding to counties.

•Accurately recorded general ledger entries, processed invoices, and payments in SAP.

•Adhered to established time frames and framework of prescribed Generally Accepted Accounting

Principles (GAAP) and regulations.

•Developed and maintained working relationships with other State and Federal agencies, County Fiscal Officers, Administrators, in-house and independent auditors.

•Analyzed payment allocations, prior payments, expenditures, revenues, budgetary and appropriation structure to ensure the availability of funds and to compute charges.

•Prepared, verified and entered expenditure adjustments for allocation of operating expenses for multiple Commonwealth state buildings.

•Participated in testing program software and working spreadsheets for new grant initiatives to ensure accurate funding to counties for fiscal year 2014-15.

•Performed other ad hoc and accounting duties as needed.

•Performed Excel functions such as Pivot Tables, V-Lookups, Macros to create spreadsheets, reports, graphs, and PowerPoint presentations for Section Chief as needed for conferences.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania-Contractor Financial Program Specialist 2/2007 – 01/2012 Office of Long-Term Living

Rate-Setting Division

Bureau of Finance

Harrisburg, PA 17105

•Researched and maintained up-to-date knowledge of State regulations and statues governing financial reporting for the Pennsylvania Nursing Home Assessment Program.

•Reviewed and commented on drafts of program policies, procedures, and regulations for operations as well as any proposals of program changes to improve cost effectiveness.

•Reviewed submitted financial records from over seven hundred nursing facilities to ensure compliance of the Department’s financial assessment reporting and payment requirements. Compliance issues were discussed with Nursing Home Administrators, Chief Financial Officers, or legal representative to reach resolution.

•Posting all payments to customer accounts correctly and in a timely manner using the correct payment codes

•Balancing/reconciliation of all activities related to manual and electronic payment processing and posting • Data entry of account payments.

•Monitored calculation and timing of supplemental payments to nursing homes in accordance with financial participation requirements as instructed by the Federal Government in collaboration with the State Treasury office.

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•Responded to incoming calls, Right-To-Know request and other inquiries from the Provider community, State and Federal department personnel, and the public.

•Performed other accounting and administrative duties such as; Account Payables, Account Receivables, adjustments, daily bank deposits after posting of payments to provider accounts, monthly transaction reconciliations and the preparation of consolidated balance sheets for senior management.

•Performed ad hoc projects as needed by State agency Comptroller’s Office while maintaining all required confidential financial records, reports, and files.

EDUCATION & TECHNICAL SKILLS

ASSOCIATES of ARTS, BUSINESS MANAGEMENT with ACCOUNTING CONCENTRATION

Harrisburg Area Community College

Member of: Phi Theta Kappa, International Honor Society, 2006 – present

Account Payable Duties and Responsibilities

For Southern Management Corporation

As submitted by: Rita Leftridge-Stewart, Accounts Payable Specialist

Daily:

Print invoices sent via e-mail and hand delivered from multiple departments

Ensure invoices are approved by appropriate personnel

Sort, Code and Enter Vendor Invoices into Financial Database (Dynamics)

Research and process W-9 submissions for new vendors using Government website and online resources such as Google

Once a new vendor has been verified via TIN# check, Set-up new vendors in database

Follow-up of invoice discrepancies and vendor data

Process and Run Checks for Vendor Invoices and Check Requests (Weekly and Special Check Runs)

Print (Cut) and Mail checks upon obtaining Signatures from Vice-President’

Process Non-Scheduled Checks (Special Check Runs) upon request from office personnel

Upload Positive Pay Files to Wells Fargo bank account and Check for any Exceptions Daily

Research any Exception Reports received back from Bank

File and maintain all AP invoices, generated reports and back-up documentation Research Outstanding Checks

Process Void and Re-issue of Checks upon Request from HO reps and Vendors

Manage timing of Checks to be printed each week

Ensure expense reports are filled out according to company policy

Code Employee Expense reports and enter into Financial System (Dynamics) for Payment Processing

Using banking website Review and approve Corporate Card expenditures as submitted by staff

Review Corporate Expense reports to ensure coding is correct as uploaded into bank database- if not follow procedures to have staff correct entries

Create and maintain legal files, i.e., Settlement and bankruptcy filings maintaining strict confidentiality

Use of Customer Service skills in relation to office and branch personnel and vendor requests and/or needs

Reconciles monthly processed work by verifying entries and comparing system reports to balances for Month-End Close

Maintaining and updating of vendor database and historical records

Generally responding to all vendor enquiries regarding payments Generate all reports as needed for each of the above processes

Weekly:

All the above plus:

Paying vendors by scheduling pay checks and ensuring payment is received for outstanding credit; generally responding to all vendor enquiries regarding finance

Generate all reports as needed for each of the above processes

Process and Run Checks for Vendor Invoices and Check Requests

Print (Cut) and Mail checks upon obtaining Signatures from Vice-President

Monthly:

All of the above plus-

Create Sales (Use) Tax spreadsheet consisting of invoice expenditures for certain vendors for Accountant

Conduct Month-End AP Closing procedures

Ensured all AP entries were posted to the General Ledger

Generated reports to reconcile banking accounts with financial records

Reconciled Check Register with relating Workbooks

Balanced Checking Account records with bank account balances for month-end close

Year End:

Identify payables for accrual

Process 1099 Filings

Enter Vendor Invoices into Financial Database

Purge financial database and set parameters for new year

1099 Maintenance and Governmental Filings

Reconciling processed work by verifying entries and comparing system reports to Bank balances

Maintaining historical records

Preparing analyses of accounts and producing monthly reports

Continuing to improve the payment process

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

•Using Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) statues and guidance, researched and created Record Retention policy (along with corresponding naming conventions for electronic financial file guide) for Accounts Receivable department at Piedmont Manufacturing.

•Created and published an End-User manual for the Pennsylvania Nursing Home Assessment Program and the corresponding financial database in the Office of Long-Term Living. The purpose of this manual was to serve as a resource for current management and accounting staff in program operation. This manual is still used today.

•Served as the sole accounting liaison to the State Comptroller’s Office in the formatting and generating all financial data requested by federal auditors such as the Center for Medicaid/Medicare Services.

•In collaboration with the Comptroller’s office and outside contractors, streamlined the bank deposit and reconciliation process by drastically reducing the all-day job of manually entering payments for each of 700+ nursing home facilities through a more automated and computerized system.

•Managed all aspects of general accounting operations including preparation of financial statements, variance analysis, cash forecasting, and inter-company billing using SAP and other accounting tracking systems.

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