Three employees in Finance and Administration have been selected as participants in the fifth year of the F&A Fellows Program. The fellowship offers the opportunity to rotate through two different finance and administration divisions over a six-month period (spending three months in each section). The first cycle began Sept. 1.
The 2009-2010 Fellows and their placements are: Victor Babson, an IT manager in his eighth year with Physical Plant, who will be serving in auxiliary and administrative services and the controller’s office; Brad Langford, a grants accounting specialist in his sixth year with contracts and grants in the controller’s division, whose placements will be in Human Resources and the Architects Office; and Andre Simmons, a senior accountant in his fourth year with the accounts payable department of the controller’s office, who will rotate to the Physical Plant and auxiliary and administrative services.
“I’ve always felt like one of the key indicators of a healthy organization is that it has people in place who are prepared, ready, willing and able to move into ranks of further responsibility and leadership once those open up,” said Tim Burgess, senior vice president for finance and administration. “I think it is incumbent upon the leadership team to be focused on succession planning. The fellows program is a key piece of our efforts to do just that.”
During the six-month rotation, participants broaden their knowledge of the functions of finance and administration; build their individual knowledge, skills and abilities; and forge connections for potential career growth and advancement. Senior leaders in the participating divisions work with the fellows to create intense work/learning opportunities. They also are responsible for observing, mentoring and evaluating each F&A Fellow. In addition, a few days are set aside for shadowing opportunities in other finance and administration and university-wide departments. This exposure provides constructive feedback to participants to prepare them for future career growth opportunities within finance and administration and the university as a whole.
