CIO / CTO / (S)VP / DIRECTOR of IT
High impact senior IT leader who partners with senior/executive management to align technical resources and investment with strategic business initiatives to achieve growth and improve profitability. Expertise in business and technology integration, business application development, and operations management. Astute visionary adept at building effective business centric IT culture.
__________________________________________________
EXPERIENCE
2006-Present
SENIOR CONSULTANT
New Vista Group, LLC – Chicago, IL
Joined this privately held consulting organization as Senior Consultant assisting Aurora Loan Services of Aurora, Colorado to establish and implement Sarbanes-Oxley compliant Systems Development Life Cycle processes. Having successfully completed initial assignment, assumed Project Manager role on Aurora Loan Services Image-to-Image project.
• Implemented Sarbanes-Oxley and Lehman Brothers ACM compliant procedures, creating System Development Life Cycle workflow processes for Document Workflow Systems team, eliminating audit exceptions.
• Automated Loan Submission process, creating external counterparty Image-to-Image interface, reducing manual loan document scanning and classification workload by 30%.
2003-2005
VICE PRESIDENT, BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP MANAGER
Ameriquest Mortgage Company - Orange, CA
Joined this $35 Billion specialty mortgage lender as VP, Business Relationship Manager (Applications Development Manager) to stabilize and significantly enhance mission critical loan origination system. Met initial objectives within 6 months. Responsibilities expanded to include lead management, point-of-sale and pricing systems. Appointed to ASAP Board of Directors (strategic initiative to build next generation origination system) where I contributed to application architecture, directed development of two critical subsystems and built ASAP Quality Assurance program. In conjunction with corporate & IT reorganization, responsibilities expanded to include Ameriquest's B2C and internal B2E websites. Managed outsourced development (on shore and off shore India) for Ameriquest systems. Directed activities for network infrastructure, servers, data repositories and help desk functions supporting Ameriquest Mortgage Company. Role evolved into Division Information Officer. Staff of 320; $55 Million budget.
• Collaborated with key business leaders to streamline mission critical business and system processes. Initiated Change Control Board aligning technical initiatives with business objectives optimizing IT effectiveness. Reduced Loan Operations annual operating expense $8.4 Million.
• Optimized critical systems reliability and availability. Launched Zero Defect initiative including quality assurance/control and configuration management processes. Reduced development and deployment errors to less than 1% achieving 99.9% uptime enabling annual loan volume growth from $18 Billion to more than $35 Billion.
• Decreased appraisal costs. Partnered with Loan Operation Continuous Improvement Team to implement AVM and automated full appraisal ordering processes in point-of-sale and origination systems. Reduced appraisal orders per loan from 1.6 to 1.1 saving annually $84 Million.
• Reduced loan origination cycle time. Implemented quick title and centralized automated title ordering process. Decreased title order cycle time more than 50%.
• Improved point-of-sale to origination system interface. Redesigned integration architecture. Increased availability and reliability from 80% to 100%.
• Enabled business response to rapid change in market conditions. Added several Interest Only, 5/25, and FHLMC loan products to point-of-sale and origination systems. Enabled immediate loan volume increase of more than 30%.
• Created next generation loan origination system, providing architectural design concepts, directing Vendor Management & Document Management subsystem on-shore/off-shore development, creating Quality Assurance program, meeting subsystem budget and completion objectives.
2001-2003
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT and CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER
Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors / The Trident Group -Devon, PA
Recruited to this privately held $12 Billion real estate brokerage and financial services organization to identify and resolve operational deficiencies and turn technology into a “strategic weapon” in company markets. Appointed member of Senior Leadership Group to bridge the gap between business needs and technology strategy / investment decisions. In 2002, appointed to Business Excellence Team as member of inaugural Steering Committee. Quick resolution of debilitating problems impacting mission critical systems contributed to PFR ascending from 8th to the nation’s 4th largest combined real estate brokerage and financial services firm. Managed staff of 29 and $6.2 million budget.
• Re-engineered e-business strategy and created .NET internet / intranet websites, organizing / leading multi-faceted team (key business leaders, internal staff, external service providers and outsource developers) consolidating six disparate websites into a single highly integrated marketing and operations platform, providing content rich listing / community information through robust feature / functionality, seamless B2B-2C services, just-in-time cross-selling of financial services, plus agent personal websites and advanced listing management capabilities including customizable agent-to-customer, agent-to-agent, and company-to-agent communication. Gained additional operating efficiency, integrating legacy systems using SOAP / XML technology. Website currently provides 20% of buyer leads with 50%+ projected growth in 2003 and 2004. Website is cornerstone of business expansion strategy.
• Envisioned and managed development of industry leading wireless website, raising agent’s customer service level by virtually eliminating dreaded “I don’t have that information, I’ll get back to you” statement to customer. I formulated concept as a result of personal experience as PFR customer. Developed prototype and demonstrated capabilities at 2001 Masters Conference to enthusiastic agent reviews. Provides competitive advantage, giving PDA access to proprietary web services when and where needed.
• Eliminated mission critical systems failures, migrating from central servers to distributed processing architecture, increasing availability / reliability from 60% to 100% and improving response time over 150 fold. Architecture change stopped loss of revenue (exceeded $4 million in 2001) from agent turnover caused by persistent system failures. Agent MLS listing searches reduced from 20+ minutes to less than 8 seconds.
• Eliminated network stability issues, re-architecting and directing implementation of LAN / WAN / broadband networks, boosting performance 350% and increasing reliability from 83% to better than 99.9%. Drove more than $1.8 million of costs related to lost productivity out of the bottom-line.
• Eliminated server downtime in mortgage, title insurance and relocation companies, implementing n-tier clustered server, SQL, and storage area technologies, improving availability / reliability from 60%-70% to better than 99.9%. Put an end to server related delays in processing / closing customer home purchases.
• Reduced total-cost-of-ownership 33% for servers, desktops, and laptops, negotiating Compaq Direct contract, saving $180,000 in acquisition costs and reducing 2002 maintenance expense $135,000. I inherited a portfolio of equipment that was essentially 4+ years old and woefully inadequate to meet current demands of the business. Implemented asset management program to replace and continually upgrade aged equipment with state-of-the-art systems. Three year cycle allocates newest equipment to mission critical functions.
• Reduced customer complaints while expanding customer base from 850 to 3,500, restructuring help desk and field technical support into teams, reducing complaints from 27% to less than ½ of one percent. Reduced geographic territory of teams, raised skill level of customer support staff, implemented remote support tools, created IS purchasing function / procedures, and improved call tracking / follow-up procedures. Our help desk problem resolution increased from 35% to 62% and field tech problem resolution time decreased 40% to 3 days.
• Eliminated copyright infringements, negotiating enterprise license agreements for 35+ “shrink wrap” software titles while spreading capital requirement over 3 years and saving $400,000. Brought company into compliance updating licenses from 90% Windows 95 genre software to 2000/XP versions. Implemented enterprise wide software standards eliminating more than 100 software variants reducing support / maintenance costs.
1998-2000
DIRECTOR INFORMATION SYSTEMS, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER
Kaufman and Broad Home Corporation - Los Angeles, CA
Recruited to this $2 Billion Fortune 500 homebuilder to orchestrate technical strategies to facilitate Kaufman and Broad becoming the nation’s largest homebuilder. Shortly after joining the company I was appointed Chief Information Officer for Kaufman and Broad Mortgage Company and Director of the firm’s international Y2K initiative. I was also appointed to the enterprise IT Steering Committee. As CIO, chaired the mortgage company IT Steering Committee. Directed IS operations in 3 corporate data centers and 35 regional IS centers supporting more than 180 offices. Staff of 210 consisting of 65 operations personnel, 20 application developers, and 125+ Y2K personnel. $12 million annual budget plus $4.1 million Y2K budget.
• Integrated mission critical systems, initiating and directing implementation of application integration plan, facilitating sales, construction scheduling, ERP, and mortgage systems interoperability. Identified need then led team in formulating changes to facilitate electronic interchange of data between core applications eliminating manual processes used to synchronize systems. 36 business unit staff re-assigned to new duties.
• Implemented data warehouse, directing creation of 8 data marts, delivering cost / revenue analysis capability, improving per unit margin ½-to-1% enabling annual revenue of $9 million. I inherited this year-and-a-half old $1.5 million project that had not delivered a single solution. I quickly identified root causes and within 90 days delivered first data mart while instantiating process to deliver future data marts within 45 days of approval.
• Implemented strategic infrastructure, designing LAN / WAN and negotiating contracts, improving stability from 60% to better than 99.9% while reducing annual operating costs $1.5 million. Integrated 18 disparate regional networks increasing capacity 10 fold igniting 100% growth in enterprise wide use of technology. Provided intra-office connectivity while extending e-mail and internet access to every desktop.
• Increased customer call center productivity, implementing IS quality control procedures and directing development of application enhancements, improving system availability / reliability from 68% to 99.9%. Rectified bugs plaguing stability of proprietary call center system since inception and added functionality eliminating need for manual call records reducing call cycle time 80%. Call center staff reduced 21%.
• Directed international Y2K initiative, leading 125+ domestic and international staff across 13 projects, bringing enterprise into Y2K compliance while beating $4.1 million budget by 11%. Planned, organized, and staffed 14 month program to resolve Y2K technical issues and prepared contingency plans for more than 180 offices in the United States and France. Insured every business unit plus 300+ suppliers, and over 620 business partners were Y2K compliant.
• Designed and directed implementation of fault-tolerant e-mail system, using Microsoft Exchange / Outlook and clustered server technology, providing domestic and international message delivery in less than 3 seconds. I inherited a batch e-mail system that took more than 5 days to deliver a simple e-mail message and frequently lost messages / attachments. Exchange / Outlook e-mail system was 100% reliable with 99.9% uptime. Enterprise wide productivity gains were so significant (e.g. cut model home development cycle time 17%) that CFO declared system mission critical within 90 days of implementation.
• Enhanced KB2000 business initiative, creating B2C / B2B e-commerce strategy using leading edge technology to establish competitive advantage, improving sales and enabling new partnerships / sources of revenue. Gained CEO approval to pursue strategic alliance with Intel to prototype use of virtual technology to dynamically apply buyer selected structural options to model home plans, then generate 3D model of customized home and allow buyer to virtually tour the model. Interior builder options and e-partner supplied furnishings can be dynamically selected / applied during tour. Digitally signed / secured purchase schedules are prepared and integrated with sales, construction scheduling, ERP, and e-partner systems. Due to executive reorganization, system was not deployed.
1996-1997
VICE PRESIDENT, ACCOUNT MANAGER
Great Western Bank - Northridge, CA
Recruited to this Fortune 500 thrift institution to manage relationship between Information Technology and the $40 Billion Real Estate Services Division. As recognition for achievements during my first four months, I received an unexpected 6% salary increase plus stock options. Shortly thereafter I was appointed to the Technology Architecture Committee to ensure infrastructure is aligned with business needs. Also appointed as co-chair of new IT Change Control Board. As a result of a hostile takeover attempt in late 1997 by H.F. Ahmanson & Company, Great Western Bank sought and found a “white knight” in Washington Mutual. The merger resulted in the elimination of senior Information Technology leadership positions.
• Improved Real Estate Services Division systems reliability, defining and implementing stringent application testing standards / procedures, reducing system failures 99%.
• Established Service Level Agreements, defining / negotiating IT systems and services performance criteria plus instituting application / infrastructure change control processes, reducing complaints 75%.
• Selected loan origination system, organizing / co-leading cross-functional RESD Origination System Team, distilling 13 systems to 1, meeting $40 Million office consolidation and process re-engineering objectives.
1996
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER
Clearview Capital Corporation - Huntington Beach, CA and
Prime Financial Corporation - Costa Mesa, CA
Recruited to this closely held $300 million Title I mortgage originator / servicer as member of the Executive Management Team to establish synergistic policies, procedures, and operating environments in both companies. After six months I resigned my position when I discovered on-going use of highly unethical and potentially illegal business practices. Subsequent formal investigations resulted in the Board of Directors restructuring the companies. Managed 28 staff consisting of 12 client / server application developers plus 16 operations, network and telecommunications people. $1.5 million budget.
• Reduced cost of delinquent accounts, implementing collection system and developing predictive behavior call queuing algorithms, increasing calls per collection hour 300% and decreasing delinquency ratio 45%.
• Improved customer service, replacing / implementing telephone, voice mail and interactive voice response systems, reducing annual operating expense $18,000.
• Increased office productivity, re-engineering and stabilizing LAN / WAN networks, increasing reliability / availability from 15% to 99.9%.
1992-1995
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Victoria Mortgage Corporation - Irvine, CA
Formerly: Western Bank Mortgage
Recruited to this $1.2 Billion mortgage bank as member of the Executive Management Team by Mr. Larry Koppelman, Managing Director and co-founder / owner of this joint venture between Mr. Koppelman and Western Bank. Mr. Koppelman increased my salary 25% and my performance-based bonus 100% as incentive to assist in positioning the division for sale or merger. On time completion of my initial objectives contributed to the division being sold in October 1993. Shortly thereafter, rapidly deteriorating economic conditions and a failed second merger forced the firm to downsize 75%. Reorganization included drastic reductions in MIS investment negating, by Mr. Koppelman’s reluctant acceptance of my recommendation, the need for my position. Shortly thereafter, I was re-hired as consultant to drive rapid re-expansion of branch network. Victoria Mortgage collapsed in early 1996. Managed 28 staff and $2.1 Million budget.
• Enhanced loan origination system, directing alterations to custom and licensed application programs, enabling existing staff to increase sales volume over 12 months from $750 million to more than $1.2 billion.
• Modernized / streamlined LAN / WAN networks, developing integrated open systems architecture for key applications and office automation technologies, enabling pre-merger expansion of 66%.
• Instituted electronic procedures to fund loans, directing development of programs to initiate bank wire transfers, increasing control over cash flow and reducing processing time 50%.
• Opened 12 offices in 12 weeks, acquiring and implementing networks, computers, and voice systems, expanding branch network 80%.
1977-1992
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, DATA PROCESSING
Shearson Lehman Hutton Mortgage Corporation - San Bernardino, CA
Formerly: Shearson American Express Mortgage Corporation
Formerly: Western Pacific Financial Corporation
Recruited to this mortgage bank as Sr. Project Leader by my former manager to meet aggressive growth objectives. Over 14+ years I was promoted to Assistant Vice President, Vice President, and finally Senior Vice President, Data Processing. Continually played vital role in growing company from 27th to 8th largest mortgage bank with annual originations of $13-$15 Billion and servicing portfolio of more than $25 Billion. Repeatedly awarded bonuses for high impact contribution to key business initiatives. Grew staff from 4 to 48 while expanding responsibilities to encompass all aspects of department (essentially CIO). $5.6 Million budget.
• Created Mortgage Conduit Division, co-leading multi-faceted team and designing B2B e-business system, business processes and legal agreements, acquiring $3.2 Billion of master servicing while avoiding annual personnel costs of $4 million.
• Re-engineered telemarketing operations, selecting and customizing lead tracking system, increasing conversion ratio from 3% to over 5% expanding annual origination volume $1.5 billion.
• Improved quality of customer service, identifying need, designing, and implementing follow-up / messaging system, realizing annual savings exceeding $1 million.
• Created $500 million warehouse lending operation, defining business processes and directing development of tracking / margin call system, facilitating business expansion and increasing annual revenue $9 million.
1972-1977
APPLICATIONS SYSTEMS SUPERVISOR
Title Insurance and Trust Company - Los Angeles, CA
Joined company as Programmer Trainee. Over five years, I was promoted to Programmer, Programmer/Analyst, Senior Programmer/Analyst, Project Leader, and Application Systems Supervisor. Received special recognition award and bonus from CEO for my contribution to the Personal Trust project. Managed staff of 12 supporting 22 financial systems.
• Assisted in creation of TICOR Mortgage Company, designing and developing Private Mortgage Insurance system, enabling multi-billion dollar business / launch of new industry segment.
• Improved title operations profitability, designing and building Title Operations Statistical Analysis system (data warehouse), enabling policy pricing adjustments based on revenue versus claims analysis, increasing annual revenue 5%.
• Assisted in automation of $375 Million Personal Trust Department, customizing licensed Personal Trust Accounting system, eliminating manual book keeping for more than 250 clients saving annually $250,000.
EDUCATION
MBA, Technology Management - University of Phoenix, 1998
BS, Business Administration - Colorado State University, 1972
Specializing in Management Science and Information Systems
e-Business Technology for Professionals - University of California Irvine, 1999
e-Business Certification courses - University of California Fullerton, 2000
California Real Estate Salesperson License, 2005 |
