UVAFinance is pitching in to help schools and units in the necessary cleanup of financial transactions before the end of the fiscal year by creating the Clean-Up Squad. We've onboarded a talented team of temps who have taken up the task of spring-cleaning thousands of financial transactions for you! You can read more about this effort here.
We thought you’d like to get to know the team who is tidying up your financial transactions. Plus, the Clean-Up Squad members are seeking permanent positions at UVA after the Great Clean-Up project has ended. Today we’re introducing you to five of these fabulous individuals. Meet four previous team members in Part One.
Check out this report on the team’s progress so far (it’s kind of staggering!).
Niranga Subasinghe
Tell us about your background:
I am a graduate with over twelve years of experience in finance and administrative work. Throughout these years, I have gained diverse experience in financial accounting, financial reporting, cash handling, corporate income tax computing, and administrative work.
What interested you in this position?
I wanted to grow my experience in accounting, build on my financial background more and use my education and previous experience. UVA has afforded me great opportunities to develop professionally and grow my skills.
What’s been interesting about the work so far?
Doing cleanup of financial transactions may look simple, but you have to learn how the systems work, and I’ve learned the financial transaction reporting system as a part of the job. I’ve enjoyed the wide opportunities to learn the system and put my financial education, and professional experience to use. The team is very helpful, too, and has assisted with identifying issues and quickly resolving transaction issues.
What would you like to do more of in the future?
My personal preference is always in the financial realm, but I do enjoy administrative work as well. I have enjoyed the detailed work involved in arranging meetings, workshops, and managing programs. Taking on responsibility has always felt comfortable for me.
What do you get up to when you’re not working?
I like hiking and exploring the area parks with my husband Indika who’s a Biostatistician in UVA School of Medicine, and my two toddlers Devin, and Shevon. I also enjoy cooking and trying new dishes.
_______________________________________________________________
Hemlata Saha
Tell us about your background:
I graduated with my bachelor's and master's in business administration and then paused to start a family while my husband focused on his Ph.D. and career. Now that my youngest child is in school, it’s time for me to focus on my career. My family has relocated from Bangladesh to the United States, and I’m currently enrolled at Piedmont Virginia Community College in an accounting course. I enjoy anything related to mathematics!
What interested you in this position?
Definitely the focus on analytics and mathematics; as I said, from childhood, that has been my interest. The people at UVA are amazing and I feel it’s a great match for me.
What’s been interesting about the work so far?
My boss is amazing, and my coworkers are so helpful; it’s a good environment in which to work. I enjoy the work I’m doing every day and if I have questions I can ask with no worries.
What would you like to do more of in the future?
I am open to possibilities! There are so many options; I am simply interested in any financial work that matches my background.
What do you get up to when you’re not working?
I enjoy spending time with my family, mostly. We enjoy being outside, especially here in Virginia. We have all four seasons. My husband is a senior scientist at UVA in cancer research, and we have two sons, Sagnik and Saptak.
______________________________________________________________________________
Nicole Ramirez
Tell us about your background:
I’ve lived in Virginia for 14 years after moving here when my husband Freddie was transferred here. Previously, I had worked for the court systems in Missouri. From my arrival here until just recently, I had worked at the same small company, growing with it from bookkeeper to general manager. I realized I was ready for a change and started looking for something different.
What interested you in this position?
I went to the Piedmont Virginia Community College job fair and Hollie Lee from UVA’s Pipelines & Pathways program recommended the temp program – I’d never thought of temping as an option! I applied for the position because any job I’ve ever had involved accounting and bookkeeping; even before I started my first “official” job, I helped out in my family’s business, doing payroll and a little bit of everything. I don’t like to change jobs a lot, so the idea that I could use temping to find something that was a good fit for me was really appealing.
What’s been interesting about the work so far?
The amount of stuff I’ve learned in two weeks is amazing! I’m a quick learner, but still, Salesforce and Workday – it’s a lot of interesting information! The volume means we’re always busy and I like that. I really appreciate how much assistance we’ve gotten to help transition us into full-time positions!
What would you like to do more of in the future?
I always thought I would be interested in administrative work, but this job has proven to me that I may prefer the financial side more. I’m starting to consider the financial roles that I hadn’t seriously considered before because of what I’ve learned and enjoyed in this role.
What do you get up to when you’re not working?
My husband works for Southwest Airlines, so he travels frequently, but we do enjoy traveling together. I still love watching Cardinals baseball, and I’m getting into yardwork and gardening. Our daughter Allison is a teacher at Albemarle High School.
____________________________________________________________________
Sean Peavey
Tell us about your background:
You might say I have an odd skillset. I’ve been a Marine, and have worked in cybersecurity, finance, and disaster response. I’ve had different roles in a variety of fields, and though they’re different from one another, they’ve given me skills in leadership and team building, management, decision-making, and learning on the job.
What interested you in this position?
At first, it was proximity – my fiancé works in emergency management at the UVA Medical Center. I’ve just moved here to be closer to my family after traveling frequently with the disaster response team, and this seemed to be a good way to find out what roles I am a match for and how things are structured before I jump into something that isn’t actually a good fit. I haven’t worked in accounting for a while, and in this job, I get to see the chart of accounts and get to know the systems.
What’s been interesting about the work so far?
In previous roles, I’ve seen people’s responses to system implementations, and it’s always been inflexible – they’d just say, “Well, this is what we have, and we can’t change it.” It’s interesting to me that here, people talk about development and ideas and are open to feedback. That’s cool.
What would you like to do more of in the future?
Because of my varied background, I have a lot of options, and the UVAFinance team has been supportive of exploring those options. I’ve been getting to know people in different departments and seeing if there’s a cultural fit and a team environment that’s a good match for me.
What do you get up to when you’re not working?
Tell us about your background:
I graduated from UVA in 2005 with a graduate degree in Public Health Services Research, focusing on the quantitative side, data analysis of healthcare analysis. My undergraduate degree is in Business Management and Accounting from my nativeTiruchirappalli, India. In 2007, I completed intermediate financial accounting and managerial accounting classes once more at Piedmont Virginia Community College.
We thought you’d like to get to know the team who is tidying up your financial transactions. Plus, the Clean-Up Squad members are seeking permanent positions at UVA after the Great Clean-Up project has ended. Today we’re introducing you to five of these fabulous individuals. Meet four previous team members in Part One.
Check out this report on the team’s progress so far (it’s kind of staggering!).
Note: If your unit needs help from the Clean-Up Team, send your request to Ask Finance. You can send your request in parts!
_________________________________________________________________________ |
| Niranga and family |
Tell us about your background:
I am a graduate with over twelve years of experience in finance and administrative work. Throughout these years, I have gained diverse experience in financial accounting, financial reporting, cash handling, corporate income tax computing, and administrative work.
What interested you in this position?
I wanted to grow my experience in accounting, build on my financial background more and use my education and previous experience. UVA has afforded me great opportunities to develop professionally and grow my skills.
Doing cleanup of financial transactions may look simple, but you have to learn how the systems work, and I’ve learned the financial transaction reporting system as a part of the job. I’ve enjoyed the wide opportunities to learn the system and put my financial education, and professional experience to use. The team is very helpful, too, and has assisted with identifying issues and quickly resolving transaction issues.
What would you like to do more of in the future?
My personal preference is always in the financial realm, but I do enjoy administrative work as well. I have enjoyed the detailed work involved in arranging meetings, workshops, and managing programs. Taking on responsibility has always felt comfortable for me.
What do you get up to when you’re not working?
I like hiking and exploring the area parks with my husband Indika who’s a Biostatistician in UVA School of Medicine, and my two toddlers Devin, and Shevon. I also enjoy cooking and trying new dishes.
_______________________________________________________________
Hemlata Saha
Tell us about your background:
I graduated with my bachelor's and master's in business administration and then paused to start a family while my husband focused on his Ph.D. and career. Now that my youngest child is in school, it’s time for me to focus on my career. My family has relocated from Bangladesh to the United States, and I’m currently enrolled at Piedmont Virginia Community College in an accounting course. I enjoy anything related to mathematics!
 |
| Hemlata and family |
Definitely the focus on analytics and mathematics; as I said, from childhood, that has been my interest. The people at UVA are amazing and I feel it’s a great match for me.
What’s been interesting about the work so far?
My boss is amazing, and my coworkers are so helpful; it’s a good environment in which to work. I enjoy the work I’m doing every day and if I have questions I can ask with no worries.
What would you like to do more of in the future?
I am open to possibilities! There are so many options; I am simply interested in any financial work that matches my background.
What do you get up to when you’re not working?
I enjoy spending time with my family, mostly. We enjoy being outside, especially here in Virginia. We have all four seasons. My husband is a senior scientist at UVA in cancer research, and we have two sons, Sagnik and Saptak.
______________________________________________________________________________
Nicole Ramirez
Tell us about your background:
I’ve lived in Virginia for 14 years after moving here when my husband Freddie was transferred here. Previously, I had worked for the court systems in Missouri. From my arrival here until just recently, I had worked at the same small company, growing with it from bookkeeper to general manager. I realized I was ready for a change and started looking for something different.
 |
| Freddie and Nicole |
I went to the Piedmont Virginia Community College job fair and Hollie Lee from UVA’s Pipelines & Pathways program recommended the temp program – I’d never thought of temping as an option! I applied for the position because any job I’ve ever had involved accounting and bookkeeping; even before I started my first “official” job, I helped out in my family’s business, doing payroll and a little bit of everything. I don’t like to change jobs a lot, so the idea that I could use temping to find something that was a good fit for me was really appealing.
What’s been interesting about the work so far?
The amount of stuff I’ve learned in two weeks is amazing! I’m a quick learner, but still, Salesforce and Workday – it’s a lot of interesting information! The volume means we’re always busy and I like that. I really appreciate how much assistance we’ve gotten to help transition us into full-time positions!
What would you like to do more of in the future?
I always thought I would be interested in administrative work, but this job has proven to me that I may prefer the financial side more. I’m starting to consider the financial roles that I hadn’t seriously considered before because of what I’ve learned and enjoyed in this role.
What do you get up to when you’re not working?
My husband works for Southwest Airlines, so he travels frequently, but we do enjoy traveling together. I still love watching Cardinals baseball, and I’m getting into yardwork and gardening. Our daughter Allison is a teacher at Albemarle High School.
____________________________________________________________________
Sean Peavey
Tell us about your background:
You might say I have an odd skillset. I’ve been a Marine, and have worked in cybersecurity, finance, and disaster response. I’ve had different roles in a variety of fields, and though they’re different from one another, they’ve given me skills in leadership and team building, management, decision-making, and learning on the job.
 |
| Alex, Amber, and Sean |
What interested you in this position?
At first, it was proximity – my fiancé works in emergency management at the UVA Medical Center. I’ve just moved here to be closer to my family after traveling frequently with the disaster response team, and this seemed to be a good way to find out what roles I am a match for and how things are structured before I jump into something that isn’t actually a good fit. I haven’t worked in accounting for a while, and in this job, I get to see the chart of accounts and get to know the systems.
What’s been interesting about the work so far?
In previous roles, I’ve seen people’s responses to system implementations, and it’s always been inflexible – they’d just say, “Well, this is what we have, and we can’t change it.” It’s interesting to me that here, people talk about development and ideas and are open to feedback. That’s cool.
What would you like to do more of in the future?
Because of my varied background, I have a lot of options, and the UVAFinance team has been supportive of exploring those options. I’ve been getting to know people in different departments and seeing if there’s a cultural fit and a team environment that’s a good match for me.
What do you get up to when you’re not working?
My fiancé Amber and I have a son, Alex, who’s in high school. We also have a very active black lab puppy. We’re very into camping and outdoor activities – we have a garage full of camping gear that could outfit a group of 20 or so!
______________________________________________________________________
Chree Suppramaniam
Tell us about your background:
I graduated from UVA in 2005 with a graduate degree in Public Health Services Research, focusing on the quantitative side, data analysis of healthcare analysis. My undergraduate degree is in Business Management and Accounting from my nativeTiruchirappalli, India. In 2007, I completed intermediate financial accounting and managerial accounting classes once more at Piedmont Virginia Community College.
What interested you in this position?
I have worked in banking, tax preparation, and retail for the past 10 years. This position gives me the opportunity to use my education and a further opportunity, 18 years after I graduated from UVA, to work for the University.
What’s been interesting about the work so far?
This role has allowed me to learn about the systems UVA uses, including Workday Financials and University Business Intelligence. I'm glad to become proficient in these systems.
What would you like to do more of in the future?
I am happy to be working in UVAFinance in a temporary position. I hope through this experience to find a full-time position at UVA that will allow me to use the skills I am trained on and the education I have gained.
What do you get up to when you’re not working?
My son, Vishnu, Annamalai Muthiah, is a 2016 graduate of UVA. In my spare time, I enjoy learning new things; I have been learning Vedic Sanskrit, an ancient and traditional language of India.
I have worked in banking, tax preparation, and retail for the past 10 years. This position gives me the opportunity to use my education and a further opportunity, 18 years after I graduated from UVA, to work for the University.
What’s been interesting about the work so far?
This role has allowed me to learn about the systems UVA uses, including Workday Financials and University Business Intelligence. I'm glad to become proficient in these systems.
What would you like to do more of in the future?
I am happy to be working in UVAFinance in a temporary position. I hope through this experience to find a full-time position at UVA that will allow me to use the skills I am trained on and the education I have gained.
What do you get up to when you’re not working?
My son, Vishnu, Annamalai Muthiah, is a 2016 graduate of UVA. In my spare time, I enjoy learning new things; I have been learning Vedic Sanskrit, an ancient and traditional language of India.