Career Highlights

With over 15 years of professional experience, I have perspectives that can help your organization solve its most complex problems. I am a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). I am also Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC) and I sit on the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Audit Committee.

Throughout my career, I have been the catalyst behind the development, enhancement, advancement, and monitoring of key organizational activities including:

• Providing advisement regarding California’s Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) requirements for managed care plans (MCPs), including minimum performance levels of care, administrative and financial sanctions, corrective action plans, etc.

• Overseeing audit and consulting engagements in accordance with guidance from Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS), the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) Enterprise Risk Management Framework, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

• Establishing and executing business continuity and reconstitution plans for the City of Beverly Hills as the lead for strategic planning on the Emergency Management Team activated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Overseeing multiple City entities such as Finance, Municipal Airports, Parks and Recreation, Public Utilities, and Real Estate, activities that include transportation operations and funding, contract monitoring, procurement, and vendor management, and investigations of suspected improper activity related to fraud, waste, abuse, and employee misconduct.

• Extensive experience presenting in high-pressure environments to boards, city councils, audit committees, executives, staff, and other stakeholder on key observations, analyses, recommendations, and corrective actions. To that end, in these environments, I have built rapport and maintained relationships while maintaining independence.

Resume

Owner

Hour by Hour Healthcare and Government Consulting, Southern CA / January 2024 to Present

• Remains updated on local, state, and federal healthcare regulations to educate healthcare entities about their compliance requirements and risk areas that may increase the likelihood of civil and monetary penalties. Also provides healthcare, government, and other entities with research, analysis, and recommendations related to business opportunities and improving internal operations.

SANDAG Audit Committee Member

San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Audit Committee, San Diego, CA / January 2024 to Present

• Assists the SANDAG Board of Directors in providing oversight of the Independent Performance Auditor by recommending internal control guidelines, providing recommendations for the annual audit plan and annual financial statement audits, and monitoring the implementation of corrective actions arising from the audits. Recommendations of the Audit Committee are forwarded to the Board of Directors for action.

Management Consultant

Macias Gini & O’Connell LLP, San Diego Del Mar, CA / November 2021 to Present

• Oversees and maintains a book of business of over $1.5M in revenue-generating clientele in the firm’s State and Local Government (SLG) Advisory Practice. My expertise, client rapport, and deliverables secures and maintains SLG clientele including transportation entities with budgets collectively exceeding $5 billion, whistleblower hotline investigations with findings that reduce waste of taxpayer funds, reviews that identify noncompliance with applicable regulations and laws, and enterprise-wide risk assessments to identify additional opportunities for business revenue.

• Provides thought leadership regarding internal audit practice, including presentations at annual conferences and authoring white papers, such as Defense Wins Championships – Why Your Government Needs Internal Auditing on Its Team: https://www.mgocpa.com.

Principal Performance Auditor

City of Beverly Hills, Office of the City Auditor, Beverly Hills, CA / July 2019 to November 2021

• Increased the City’s revenue-generating potential of its approximately $17 million commercial leased properties real estate portfolio by recommending development of an asset management plan and identification of and collection of lessee late fees and charges.

• Lead the City’s Emergency Operations Center’s strategic planning activities by developing and implementing the business continuity and reconstitution plans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Provided direction to City management and departments including, but not limited to, the Mayor, City Council, Fire, Police, Public Utilities, and Human Resources overseeing over 1000 employees and impacting over 35,000 residents.

• Oversaw multiple City operations within, but not limited to, Policy and Management, Public Works, Finance Departments, and the Division of Real Estate. Investigated suspected improper activity related to fraud, waste, abuse, and employee misconduct. Also, developed and executed the internal audit handbook, fraud manual, and audit policies and procedures to ensure compliance with applicable standards and regulations and to provide guidance for day-to-day audit operations.

Principal Performance Auditor

City of San Diego, Office of the City Auditor, San Diego, CA / April 2012 to July 2019

• Led quality of life audits with a direct impact to the health and safety of the residents and visitors of the Cityincludingbutnotlimitedto,evaluatingtheSanDiegoOfficeofHomelandSecurity anditsemergency response operations, resulting in an organizational reorganization necessary to improve coordination between relevant agencies, departments, and executives during emergencies, which proved timely for the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, evaluated the Public Utilities Department’s Water Billing Operations in response to resident complaints and Mayoral and City Council requests, about unwarranted increases in residents’ water bills. This review led to reforms in establishing billing error thresholds, meter reading route efficiencies, and improved customer communications.

• Oversaw multiple City operations within, but not limited to, the Convention Center, Municipal Airports, Communications, Human Resources, Parks and Recreation, Personnel, and Real Estate. Additionally, investigated suspected improper activity related to fraud, waste, abuse, and employee misconduct.

Auditor Evaluator I

California State Auditor, Bureau of State Audits, Sacramento, CA / 2011 to 2012

• Oversaw California’s Workforce Investment Act Title 1 funding (receiving approximately $1.7 billion in federal funding), recommended the California Workforce Investment Board develop a strategic plan with performance metrics to monitor eligibility for incentive grant funding and avoid continued losses of up to $3 million. Also recommended that it pursue available grants to avoid missing $10.5 million in additional funding opportunities.