Introducing UVAFinance: Angela Coleman & Joey Carls

Introducing UVAFinance is a recurring blog feature created to introduce our team to our team, a couple of members at a time. Every other week, we present readers with a team member or two to get to know. To understand how these colleagues are situated within the greater UVAFinance structure, check out this resource on the UVAFinance website.

NEW Resource: UVAFinance by Department

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What do you do as Director of Payroll Services?

I really am the backup for the managers. What comes to me are exceptions, level 3 type questions from Ask Finance. I'm in the customer service business and I'm here when the Payroll team needs me. I also act as the liaison with other leadership (exec). I work on delivering information back and forth, to and from the Team to leadership.

Who are the people/departments you work with on a regular basis?

If you asked me who we don't engage with, it would be a shorter list! Finance leadership and HR are the two biggest departments we work with, but the reality is, when SOM or Wise or Athletics needs something, it's any and all folks who we can interact with. We touch every department so our client base is the entire institution. Most of those things come up through the team and end up with me when they require some kind of escalation. We also interact with AP (they pay the vendor deductions that come out of Payroll - Fidelity, TIAA, ADP for taxes and garnishments), and Procurement (taxable expenses, gift cards, etc.).

What seasons are busiest, or what rhythms exist in your job?

In my mind, my first gut reaction is the W-2 season, which is huge for our team (we start reviewing and prepping in November, processing in January, then January through April it's a litany of W-2 questions). However, when I reflected a bit more, when the academic year starts in August, faculty and students start coming back and that's a definite peak season for us. So is the end of the academic year - bonuses, the last of period activity pay for wage and temp workers, etc. We have a steady rhythm all year round, but each season has a different focus. 

What might surprise people about the work you do/this role/your department or area?

From a team perspective, I think it would be surprising that we actually don't control compensation. People hear "payroll" an think they should call us. But we don't set salaries or hourly rates; there is an HR compensation team that initiates all of that. Workday does that by design as an internal control. People are shocked when we have to send them to another unit for answers. 

What do you like best about working in UVAFinance? 

It's the people. I really have not met anyone on the team who isn't genuine, invested in being here, and committed to the academic mission. People are here because they want to be - and they STAY! Most have been here 25 or 30 years. That's the best part, but I also enjoy the responses I get when I tell people I work for UVA, even those on the West Coast. I love being proud of where I work. 

How do you connect your work with the UVAFinance Values? 

The value that strikes a chord with me the most, the one we really lean into on the Payroll side, is being an impeccable source of data. When checks are wrong, it impact people at a personal level. Being accurate and timely are non-negotiables in our line of work and we have a stellar team that really leans into that. The message we deliver is the same if you're talking to someone on Lori's team or Marcy's team. We want accuracy, articulate work, and clear and concise data. That whole pillar of being an impeccable source of data is a cornerstone for us. 

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Joey Carls

What do you do as Service Experience Manager?

I see my role as an enabler for both my team's success and the customer's success. My job is to ensure that we're always finding ways to do right by our customers and when things go awry, my job is to do everything in my power to make it right. 

Who are the people/departments you work with on a regular basis? 

Obviously, I lead a team of hardworking service experience associates. My work also entails close collaboration with our training, communications, systems support, and functional teams in UVAFinance. 

What seasons are the busiest, or what rhythms exist in your job? 

Our busiest seasons are fiscal year-end and tax season, but as you might imagine, there are always suppliers looking for payment information or departmental personnel seeking support on routine transactions so the work really does not slow down regardless of the season. 

What might surprise people about the work you do/this role/your department or area?

People may not know that we have established a strong quality control program on my team to enable the team's development and in turn, allow them to provide increasingly high-quality service to our customers. It is so important to me to not only intake feedback, but use it for the good of everyone who interacts with us. 

What do you like best about working in UVAFinance?

I highly appreciate the opportunity to experiment and iterate without fear of failure. Over the past two years in the solution center, we have constantly iterated on our processes and procedures, structure, and systems based on feedback from the team, our customers, and UVAFinance partners. We could not be where we are without the ability to try new things and learn from our successes and failures. 

How do you connect with the UVAFinance Values?

How doesn't our work connect with the UVAFinance vales? The spirit of impeccable information, collaborative partnership, service excellence, continuous improvement, and respect for others runs deep in our processes and evaluative tools. There is not a day that goes by that my team is not living these values. 

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