MEL ROBERTSON, CPA Greetings, I am excited to submit my application packet for your position. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a current CPA license. I have over 20+ years of varied accounting experience.  Manage operations of department - staff of 13 (direct supervision of 4) (Prior experience includes direct supervision of 9 positions)  Excellent people skills  Excellent customer service skills  Strong problem-solving abilities with demonstrated results  Developed and implemented various policies and procedural changes  Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines Hands-on personal experience:  GL, A/P, A/R, Payroll/Personnel (HRIS)  Investment analysis  Investment portfolio rebalancing and short-term movements  Bank reconciliations  Cost accounting  Budgeting – preparation, presenting and monitoring  Cash flow  ERP/PeopleSoft-Oracle  ERP systems implementation/upgrade/conversion/training staff to use  HR function  Reconciling and analyzing financial accounts and information  Preparing financial statements & annual report  Excel, Word, PageMaker, Access, Rbase, SQL, PowerPoint, Crystal Reports, QuickBooks Pro  Website maintenance  RFP’s – issue, review/evaluate  Coordinate annual audit  Customer accounts and inventory reconciliation  City and State B&O returns  Collections I am definitely one to roll up my sleeves and help work on anything and everything that needs getting done. You will find a sample of my key contributions and accomplishments on the enclosed formal cover letter. I hope that you will consider me for this opening. I have attached my resume and a formal cover letter. Warmest regards, Mel. Resume MEL ROBERTSON, CPA Results-driven management professional and licensed CPA with more than 20 years of experience impacting the performance and productivity of multi-million dollar organizations. Motivated team leader with excellent people skills, outstanding accounting and finance management experience, and proven process improvement abilities. Demonstrated expertise in designing and implementing systems that increase efficiency and reduce costs, overseeing complex benefits administration departments, and managing multi-billion dollar investment portfolios. Accounting  Financial Management/Budgeting  Communication  Process Improvement  Leadership Strategic Planning  Systems Development  Training  Team Building/Leading Human Resources  Benefits Administration  Investment Management  Database Management PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE SEATTLE CITY EMPLOYEES’ RETIREMENT SYSTEM, Seattle, Washington  1992-2009 Retirement system with $2B in assets and 11,000 active and 5,200 retired members. Manager 2 Direct, with full accountability, all aspects of day-to-day operations for city workers’ retirement system, including accounting, administration of retirement benefits, and investment management. Oversee staff of 13 and handle personnel functions including hiring, firing, and evaluations. Maintain general ledger, including monthly and yearly reconciliations and analysis, and produce annual report. Prepare biennial budgets for department, totaling $10.5M for 2009 and $11.7M for 2010. Manage in-house database system, tracking data for active and retired members. Ensure retirement system is in compliance with laws and statutes and provide actuarial advice. Play key role in RFP process when hiring consultants, including reviewing and evaluating proposals, working with investment committee to select candidates to be interviewed, and participating in interview process. Liaise with board members to provide information and assistance and meet with investment managers.  Developed personal computer based system in 1992 to collect, maintain, and provide extensive data, facilitating creation of actuarial studies, annual reports, and numerous other documents, and saving large amounts of time, money, and resources.  Designed and implemented automated function to process annual COLA (cost-of-living adjustments) which includes a compounding COLA, a floor COLA, and lump sum bonus COLA.  Created and instituted systems to monitor daily changes in city payroll system, including verification that a withdrawing member has been terminated, comparing names from daily obituaries with those of retirees, and identifying newly hired, newly terminated, or returning employees.  Assumed lead role in investment management in 1999, working with Investment Committee on planning and investment efforts, leading working sessions with members of the committee, and introducing idea to adopt core/satellite approach for portfolio and for each asset class.  Developed electronic RFP process to streamline and expedite investment manager and investment vehicle selection, slashing review time by 2 months.  Established monthly in-house reports to monitor investment asset allocation and to report monthly transactions and valuations.  Appointed twice by the Board of Administration to serve as Acting Executive Director. (7/99 – 7/00 and 10/06 – 1/08) Resume MEL ROBERTSON, CPA  Page 2  CITY OF SEATTLE, SEATTLE CENTER, Seattle, Washington  1987-1992 City department in charge of cultural events facilities. Principal Accountant / Accounting Supervisor Managed general accounting functions including A/P, A/R, payroll, general ledger, and cost accounting. Supervised permanent staff of 9 as well as work study and temporary personnel. Developed, implemented, and maintained financial policies and procedures. Oversaw operating fund, Seattle Center portion of six capital funds, and Seattle Center portion of gift and donation fund. Prepared and reviewed monthly, quarterly, seasonal, and annual reports. Created and monitored fiscal services operating budget. Liaised with city and state departments, agencies, and auditors.  Played key role in developing cost accounting system and related payroll interface, automating data collection, saving approximately $80K per year, and receiving an award as a result.  Wrote and implemented several programs and applications using Rbase software to automate processes and increase efficiency.  Served as member of team involved in converting mainframe system from CFMS to SFMS. UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, Seattle, Washington  1985-1986 Large state university. Accountant II Managed account maintenance, analysis, reconciliations, and journal entries for student accounts department of university.  Served on team that tested and implemented a new mainframe accounting system.  Developed applications using Rbase software to improve processes.  Played role in instituting more efficient uses of personal computer programs. ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE   Accountant I and General Accounting Supervisor, California State University, Dominguez Hills. Managed general accounting department, supervising 9 employees. Staff Accountant and A/P Supervisor, Time Oil Company. Performed general accountant duties and prepared monthly schedules, supervising 2 accounts payable clerks. EDUCATION Bachelor of Science in Accounting Marian College, Indianapolis, Indiana PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS/DEVELOPMENT Certified Washington State CPA Washington State Society of CPAs Resume MEL ROBERTSON, CPA Dear Sir/Dear Madam: As a results-driven management professional and licensed CPA, I have spent more than 20 years impacting the performance and productivity of multi-million dollar organizations. I am a hard-working leader who has successfully managed all aspects of day-to-day operations and accounting functions, with a knack for developing and implementing systems that improve processes, increase efficiency, and reduce costs. My experience managing budgets and investments, my ability to motivate and lead team members, and my loyalty and commitment to quality, will make me a valued member of your team. My accounting and financial expertise, combined with my collaborative management style and my focus on communication, have resulted in many accomplishments. A sample of my contributions includes:  Developing a personal computer based system in 1992 to collect, maintain, and provide extensive data, facilitating creation of actuarial studies, annual reports, and numerous other documents, and saving large amounts of time, money, and resources.  Designing and implementing automated function to process annual COLA (cost-of-living adjustments) which includes a compounding COLA, a floor COLA, and lump sum bonus COLA.  Creating and instituting systems to monitor daily changes in city payroll system, including verification that a withdrawing member has been terminated, comparing names from daily obituaries with those of retirees, and identifying newly hired, newly terminated, or returning employees.  Designing electronic RFP process to streamline and expedite investment manager and investment vehicle selection, slashing review time by 2 months.  Playing key role in developing cost accounting system and related payroll interface, automating data collection, saving approximately $80K per year, and receiving an award as a result. I bring drive, superb people skills, and business acumen to every project and situation I encounter, as well as a constant desire to improve processes and systems. For a more detailed presentation of my expertise and background, please review the enclosed resume and feel free to contact me to schedule a meeting. I welcome the opportunity to speak with you, and thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Mel Robertson Resume