Finance Matters

Join us as we listen in on a conversation with Urmila Bajaj, UVA's Director of Post Award, and her team, as they discuss what their department does, how their work impacts research at UVA, and how they're ultimately part of helping UVA fulfill its mission.  Thank you to Christa Albanez, Kelly Mays, Catina Seitz, Mike Priddy, Alpana Gautam, and Christine Estes for joining the conversation!   Resources Mentioned: OSP Website Post-Award Financial Management Contact OSP

Jared Lathrop, Communications Specialist for Safety & Security, joins Patty and Brandi to discuss the wide breadth of areas covered by Safety & Security at UVA.  Listen in to discover more about the services they offer and how you can be safer on Grounds.   Resources Mentioned:  Safety and Security Website: https://safetyandsecurity.virginia.edu/  Clery Reporting: https://safetyandsecurity.virginia.edu/fire-safety/clery-reporting UVAReady Mobile App:  https://safetyandsecurity.virginia.edu/mobile-safety-app/mobile-safety-apphttps://safetyandsecurity.virginia.edu/fire-safety/clery-reporting Safety Ambassadors: https://ambassadors.uvapolice.virginia.edu/about Reach out to Safety & Security:  safety@virginia.edu Resources and training: https://safetyandsecurity.virginia.edu/resources  

In this episode of "Finance Matters," hosts Brandi Van Ormer and Patty Marbury chat with Caroline Walters, head of UVA’s Records & Information Management Department, about how good records management saves time, money, and resources. Caroline explains how well-organized records make information easy to find and accessible to the right people, while formal retention policies simplify audits and reduce legal risks. She also shares how effective records management preserves the University’s historical records, helps eliminate unnecessary duplicates, and frees up space. Don’t underestimate the power of a well-managed system!   Resources Mentioned:  Carruthers Hall Cleanup Story RIM'S Website / RIM's Training Resources / More about URMA Contact RIM: records@virginia.edu  Just for fun:  The Lord's Release

What's the difference between UVA's Audit & Compliance department and UVAFinance's Compliance Team?  What do they do, how do they work with people across Grounds, and how can we best work with them?  Carolyn Saint and Gary Nimax from Audit & Compliance, along with JJ Sullivan and Christine Kennedy-Tyburski of UVAFinance Compliance, join Patty and Brandi to give answers and insights into these two vital functions.    Resources Mentioned:  Staff Senate Podcast Office of Audit and Compliance website  Audit Charter Compliance Charter For the UVA Compliance Helpline, online reporting mechanism, and the Commonwealth's Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Hotline and online form:  https://audit.virginia.edu/resources-and-references  UVA Compliance Helpline and Subject-Specific Reporting Portals What are Internal Controls? Compliance Network Seven Elements of an Effective Compliance Program UVA Policy Directory GOV-002:  Reporting and Investigation of Fraudulent Transactions GOV-003: University Institutional Compliance

Amanda Meares and Reshma Gali, UVAFinance's staff senators, drop by to talk about the importance of Staff Senate and how the UVAFinance Team can interact with them to everyone's benefit.     Resources Mentioned:   Staff Senate Website: https://staffsenate.virginia.edu/  Form to share feedback: https://staffsenate.virginia.edu/contact-us  

Patty and Brandi talk with UVAFinance's 2nd cohort of summer interns:  Hayden Peper, Audrey Hanger, Jeffrey Zhang, and Lillian Durden.  This impressive group shares what they've learned and what's next.  

The relaunched version of Finance Matters is back for installment number two of our Values Series.  This time, Patty and Brandi focus on Collaborative Partnership with guests Joey Carls and Kellyn Morris of the Finance Solution Center.  Resources Mentioned:  Service Excellence podcast UVAFinance Values Symbiotic Relationship between Ants & Acacia trees      

Finance Matters returns, this time with a focus on the UVAFinance values.  Each quarter, Brandi and Patty will bring you guests from UVAFinance who have demonstrated the value.  This first episode focuses on Service Excellence, with guests Danielle Hancock and Kevin Crabtree.    Resources Mentioned:  UVAFinance Vision, Mission, Values: https://uvafinance.virginia.edu/about-uvafinance Finance Team Page (for Service Excellence, Collaborative Partner stories) https://uvafinance.blogspot.com/p/finance-team.html  

Patty and Brandi discuss Ryan Holiday's book Stillness is the Key, a NY Times bestseller that describes how to stay steady and draw on inner peace while the world is anything but quiet.  We go over the book's main concepts, historical examples, and practical applications, in the hopes that you'll find at least two or three ways that you can increase your own clarity, calm, and happiness.  We learned much from Holiday's book and hope you will, too! See also:   Stillness is the Key (summarized by the author) Stillness is Key (on the Daily Stoic)

Vice President for Finance Melody Bianchetto will retire from UVA on February 3 after 26 years of service. She sat down with Patty and Brandi to reflect on her career and her pursuit of diversity, equity, and inclusion in UVAFinance.   Resources Mentioned:  UVAFinance Mission, Vision, Values Melody's Brown Bag Series (under "Resource Library") Melody's Career Reflections Podcast  

Vice President for Finance Melody Bianchetto will retire from UVA on February 3 after 26 years of service.  She sat down with Patty and Brandi recently to reflect on her career.    Resources Mentioned:  UVAFinance Mission, Vision, Values Melody's Brown Bag Series (under "Resource Library") Melody's DEI Podcast

Our fight or flight response kicks in when we perceive a situation as potentially dangerous or threatening.  It's an automatic and unconscious impulse that stems from caveman days (thanks, evolution!) and could be causing you to burn out, make bad decisions, and all around feel pretty crummy at work and at home.  Patty and Brandi talk to Augie Maurelli, James Gorman, Gretchen Kriebel, Sarah Fleming, Addie Coe, and Stacey Rittenhouse about what they've learned about managing this response and prioritizing competing demands without letting their brains kick into overdrive.  Resources mentioned:  The Eisenhower Matrix Steven Covey Time Management Matrix More about Fight or Flight

Two of the Business Analysts who joined the Change Management team during Finance Strategic Transformation share their perspectives on change, big projects, and what sets UVA and FST apart from other projects they've been a part of.  Featuring guests Derrick Carter and Detria Thomas.   Resources Mentioned:  The Change Curve

Six members of UVAFinance's first summer intern cohort are here to talk with Patty and Brandi about their experience in Central Finance at UVA.  Thank you to Luke Blair, Samyukhtha Venkateswaran, Karly Fuentes-Parades, Raymond Costa, and Amanda Lin (all UVA students), and Maheswar Ghimire (Piedmont Virginia Community College student) for taking the time to join us.  What an inspiring group!

In this episode, we welcome members of UVAFinance's Inclusive Excellence Committee and Equity Action Team to discuss the trajectory of diversity and inclusion efforts in UVAFinance.  Our guests are Melody Bianchetto, ToShun Campbell, LaVerne Harris, and James Cobb. Resources Mentioned:  More on the UVAFinance blog about Inclusive Excellence activities: http://uvafinance.blogspot.com/search/label/Inclusive%20Excellence More on the UVAFinance Website about DEI (scroll down and click on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion): https://uvafinance.virginia.edu/about-uvafinance DEI at UVA: https://dei.virginia.edu/inclusive-excellence  Previous Pods featuring Inclusive Excellence and Brave Space discussions: https://uvafinance.blogspot.com/2020/10/new-on-finance-matters-brave-space-in.html A Sampling of Previous Sprint Discussion Topics:  Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man, ft. White Allergies Rioting for Injustice, ft. Trevor Noah addressing protesting and rioting, plus Kimberly Jones interview Co

We've got a panel of creative folks from the UVAFinance team in today's episode, talking about the benefits of creative pursuits on them as individuals and also as professionals on the Finance team.  Join Patty and Brandi as they talk with Jay Gallimore (musician), Matt Bonham (photographer, graphic artist), and Mary Wagamon (artist, writer), and get inspired to pursue your own creativity! Resources Mentioned: https://lillstreet.com/7benefitsofcreativity https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2018/07/25/heres-how-creativity-actually-improves-your-health/?sh=7f1d199313a6 Hear Jay in action:  https://profile.virginia.edu/jpg8x See Matt's Work:  www.bonhamcreative.com and www.mattbonham.com  

There are now FIVE generations in our workforce, ranging from our Traditionalists in their 70s to the newest members, Gen Z, in their early twenties.  (And all the Millenials cheer, because they're no longer the babies!)  Today we have UVAFinance's Jack Sherwood, a rising UVA 4th year and member of the FST project team and Gen Z extraordinaire, for a discussion on how his generation participates in the workforce.   Resources Mentioned:  Intergenerational Workforce discussion with Lisa Harris:  https://everydaygrace.podbean.com/e/bridging-the-generation-gap-in-the-workplace-finance-matters/ Info on Gen Z: https://www.purdueglobal.edu/education-partnerships/generational-workforce-differences-infographic/ Read more about Jack Sherwood: https://uvafinance.blogspot.com/2021/08/jack-sherwood-joins-fst-change.html   

Change Team Leader Angela Knobloch visits to discuss practical tips for managing yourself during times of change, including the dreaded "valley of despair."     Resources Mentioned: Gartner Report Engage for Change:  Clarify Purpose, Honest Reflection, Assess Opportunities, Note progress, Grow Skills, Exhibit Flexibility

How confident are you that you won't be retaliated against if you admit to a mistake at work?  The answer to this question is one of the biggest indicators of psychological safety in the workplace.  Listen in to learn more about psychological safety and its role in creativity, belonging, and productivity. Resources Mentioned:  Fifteen Ways to Promote Psychological Safety in the Workplace (Forbes) Deloitte's 2020 Global Human Capital Trends Report Amy Edmonson's Work on Psychological Safety:  https://web.mit.edu/curhan/www/docs/Articles/15341_Readings/Group_Performance/Edmondson%20Psychological%20safety.pdf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhoLuui9gX8 

Do you ever look back on your past self and think about how much you didn't know then?  We all learn as we go through life, and we should get comfortable with the fact that we'll never know as much as we think we know.  Being aware of how much you don't know can actually make you a better manager and human being.  Listen in as Patty and Brandi discuss a book they admittedly haven't read full of good ideas on this very topic! Resources Mentioned: The Dunning Kruger Effect Think Again:  The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant Adam Grant Interviews:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbqqIYTHuwM https://www.goodlifeproject.com/podcast/adam-grant-think-again/ https://www.ted.com/talks/adam_grant_what_frogs_in_hot_water_can_teach_us_about_thinking_againhttps://www.wsj.com/articles/think-again-review-moderately-condent-11612480886 Finance Matters:  Crucial Conversations (4 part series)