Barbara Pawson | Leadersfortuscany

Hello!

My name is Barbara Pawson,

“I believe Directors are elected to represent homeowner wishes in the most cost-effective and best way possible. That can only be done by asking what they want & need.”

Candidate Statement

Barbara Pawson

Almost exactly a year ago, I drove across country from New Jersey and moved to Nevada. As soon as I was settled here in Tuscany, I began investigating the HOA to identify areas where I might be of service. My first intention was to support the Board of Directors. However, since then I have written three times to the Board, identifying areas where they might consider improvements and offering my support and assistance to tighten financial controls and better utilize resources while focusing on informed decision-making by the Board. I have never received an acknowledgement or response.

I retired in 2010 and began a second career with multiple not-for-profit organizations including Habitat for Humanity of New Jersey, where I served as CFO for several years. I also served on the Board of Directors for three different HOA associations in central New Jersey, where I performed various tasks such as handling all aspects of the legal Transition from Builder management to a resident-run Board, reviewed and negotiated supplier contracts for ongoing operations, and designed/published a newsletter for communication with the HOA population.

Prior to retirement I worked almost 30 years for IBM Corporation, starting as an entry-level accountant and ending in staff positions for two IBM top Executives - Doug Elix (President of their Global Services Division) and Ginny Rometty, the first female CEO in IBM's history. During these years, I worked on many different projects - Negotiated the inventory sale of IBM's BioMedical Services subsidiary, performed the analysis required to consolidate national laptop service centers and warehouse locations, acted as the Corporate global manager of IBM's $100M+ IT technical budget, designed/implemented the process used globally to manage human resource planning and hiring on the basis of skills rather than bodies, and created/implemented an online system which eliminated duplicate equipment purchases and reduced spending by $30M with no reduction in service levels. I worked as a "fixer" - Performing analyses, solving issues, and designing processes to correct problems - and I'd like to do the same for Tuscany.

I was helped by a strong educational background which was begun after my children started school. I received a BS undergraduate degree from a small university in central New Jersey with a double major in Accounting and Decision Sciences/Computers and a 3.97 cum, followed by an MBA as well as both CPA and CMA degrees, which were allowed to lapse in 2010 when I retired.

I feel strongly that the Board of Directors members are elected to represent the needs and wants of Tuscany's residents, and we can't know what our homeowners want without asking and listening. I have the skills and expertise needed to reduce expenses, improve service levels, implement communications, and protect Tuscany from the legal ramifications of business and financial mistakes. I am asking for the opportunity to use those skills here in Tuscany to enhance our community and help spend our pennies wisely.

-Barbara

Barbara Pawson

629 Viale Machiavelli Ln, Henderson, NV 89011

Experience:
IBM Corporation
Accountant – Corporate Global Executive Staff
March, 1982 – April, 2010

Summary:
Corporate “Jack of all Trades” with extensive expertise. I literally spent my entire professional life at IBM, from college graduation to retirement, serving in the areas of Finance, Information Technology, Customer Satisfaction, Process Design, and Business Strategy Implementation. Once retired, I also enjoyed HOA Board of Directors experience on both coasts with focus on Transition, Contract Management, and Communications. “Give me a problem and I’ll make it disappear!”

Most of my career was spent managing financial spending. I discovered that “outside-the-box” thinking and technology can frequently be used to reduce expenses and save money, without reducing the satisfaction of our customers. I consolidated and managed IBM’s global technology budget, and reduced spending 30% in the first year. I developed and globally implemented a new way to plan human resources based on skills rather than headcount which reduced paying people to sit on the bench, and designed online applications to track equipment requests and eliminate duplicate spending. As an internal auditor, I saved a major contract by designing and documenting over 140 processes used to run their business. I have a lifetime of experience in “spending pennies wisely” and a million ways to do it.

Less than a year after hiring, I sat at a table negotiating the sale of a wholly-owned subsidiary on behalf of IBM, and generating invoices for their parts inventory using an application which I personally designed. The skills learned there helped enormously when I negotiated the Transition agreement between my last HOA and their builder and have supported the processes I use whenever Contract Management is required.
I was also working for IBM when new competitors forced them to abandon their “No Layoffs” policy and consider furloughing employees for the first time. I was asked to help design and implement the

Top Skills

Accounting/Finance
Technology
Organization
Communication
Interpersonal
“The best way to identify what your customer needs and wants is to ask them.”

Corporate programs used to reduce the workforce while still maintaining the Corporate policy of respect for the individual. That experience showed me that good business people can accomplish difficult goals while still treating others with dignity and compassion, and I’ve used that lesson many times since.

Volunteer Experience:

Habitat for Humanity, New Jersey
Designed desktop application for tracking and reporting donors and donations. Served 4 years on Board of Directors, including 3 years as CFO.
HOA Management

Served on Board of Directors for 3 separate Associations in the central New Jersey area. Managed all activities associated with Transition from Builder to homeowner control including engineering studies, builder negotiation, Reserve analysis, and legal aspects. Routinely managed supplier contracts and competitive bid process. Wrote and published Association Newsletter designed to communicate news, Board actions, rationale, and outcomes to condominium owners.
Education:

• BS in Commerce from Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ with double major in Accounting and Decision Sciences/Computers

• Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ

• Certified Management Accountant (CMA), allowed to lapse at retirement in 2010

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA), allowed to lapse at retirement in 2010

Speaking Engagements:

Extensive public speaking at business gatherings in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania on the subject of Customer Satisfaction.

Contact
rebusmom@gmail.com609-379-9411