Wanda Knight
Biography
As a multi-skilled Financial Analyst, Wanda Knight offers over 20 years of diverse expertise in all aspects of Financial and Program Management. As a sub-consultant to Urban Design Center, Ms. Knight was part of the CRA/LA Proposal Team that submitted four multi-modal projects to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (Metro’s) 2009 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Call for Projects. The projects included the Stocker and MLK at Crenshaw Bus Hub Improvements - Phase I project which was successfully awarded $1.3 million.
Along with her work with Urban Design Center, Ms. Knight is a financial and technical consultant for the Department of Defense (DoD) program management and financial management software, Comprehensive Cost and Requirement System (CCaR). She is responsible for providing expertise in government finance including assisting customers in properly structuring financial data; performing reconciliation between several systems; performing daily review of forecasts and accounting data; and otherwise supporting the government financial office.
Prior to her work with Urban Design Center, Ms. Knight spent over eleven years at Metro in the Planning Department managing a staff responsible for Metro’s Los Angeles County TIP, which included the $700 million bi-annual TIP Call for Projects, and was responsible for maximizing local, state and federal funds. As a Transportation Program Manager, Ms. Knight co-led Metro’s 1997, 1999, Abbreviated and 2001 Call for Projects (CFP). She was required to formulate and develop CFP budgets of $500 to $700 million, which involved an analysis of Metro’s long-range transportation plan as well as the state and federal funding allotments for each appropriation. She was also involved in project evaluation, prioritization and the final project recommendations. She performed financial and budget analysis to identify prior funding deobligations available for reprogramming and made recommendations for funding marks based on funding availability estimated by financial models and demand charts developed by my Programming and Policy staff. This also included regular presentations to the Metro Board of Directors, Executive Staff and various local agencies and committees on CFP funding status; and the development the CFP Funding Plan which included the fund source budget recommendations associated with each successful project.
Ms. Knight’s strengths in both financial and budget management, contract administration and compliance, reconciliation and database management have enabled her to provide resourceful solutions leading to new ground breaking developments. She is noted for the following contributions:
§ In the process of becoming a Certified Defense Financial Manager (CDFM)
§ Worked over four years as a “Certified” CCaR Business Analyst/Administrator to DoD program offices
§ Led Metro’s TIP Call for Projects process by providing management, guidance and historical knowledge of over 600 past projects totaling over $1 billion
§ Performed financial/budget analysis for capital projects and developed program guidelines
§ Managed the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) which included developing contract agreements and tracking amendments totaling $525 million
§ Authored a report to Metro’s Risk Management Unit to determine the risks associated with open contracts and purchase orders that could expose Metro to financial loss
§ Authored several contract reconciliation publications for the Air Force’s Titan IV Program
§ Briefed Air Force Titan Commanders and staff at monthly Budget Management Reviews (BMRs) on financial status
Ms. Knight was also responsible for managing $570 million in “funds programmed to others in Metro’s Financial Information System (FIS). This included CFP funds, Proposition C Local Return funds, bus operator formula subsidies and some additional funds given to other local transportation providers. She also managed the processing of all Metro Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), grant agreements and purchase orders (POs) in FIS.
Ms. Knight holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Southern California, and a Bachelor of Arts in Design with Computer Emphasis from the University of California, Los Angeles.
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