My Work

Throughout my career, I've tackled complex challenges at the intersection of finance, technology, and organizational change. The projects below represent initiatives where I identified systemic inefficiencies, designed and implemented technical solutions, and delivered measurable business impact. From modernizing decades-old analytical infrastructure to building enterprise-wide platforms serving hundreds of users, these projects demonstrate my approach to turning strategic vision into operational reality.

Project 1: Legislative Budget Intelligence Platform

PROJECT 1

Legislative Budget Intelligence Platform

2020-2025 | Technical Lead & Project Manager

Built enterprise budget intelligence platform transforming how Kansas Legislature analyzes $25+ billion in state spending. Replaced static PDFs and manual spreadsheets with interactive dashboards serving 500+ users across legislative offices and state agencies.

Technologies Used: Power BI, DAX, MySQL, Data Modeling, ETL Development

Budget data was trapped. Kansas legislators needed to make informed decisions on 90+ state agencies, but the information sat locked in static PDFs and disconnected spreadsheets. Simple questions—"How does this agency's request compare to last year?" or "Which programs saw the biggest increases?"—required hours of manual digging through documents. With 165 legislators and staff relying on this information during time-compressed sessions, the organization needed a system that put answers at their fingertips, not buried in file folders.

Launched enterprise platform adopted by 500+ users across legislature and 90+ state agencies—achieving 95% adoption within 6 months
Transformed budget analysis workflow: queries requiring days of manual spreadsheet work now completed in seconds through interactive dashboards
Eliminated 40% of manual ad-hoc reporting requests, freeing analyst capacity for higher-value strategic analysis
Delivered real-time visibility into budget modifications throughout legislative session, enabling more informed committee deliberations
Established platform as authoritative source for budget intelligence, now integral to legislative appropriations process

Spearheaded stakeholder discovery with legislative leadership and committee staff to identify critical decision-making bottlenecks and define platform requirements
Architected interactive dashboard framework balancing intuitive navigation for non-technical users with sophisticated analytical capabilities for power users
Engineered data model integrating disparate source systems (agency submissions, historical appropriations, revenue forecasts) with robust governance standards ensuring consistency
Developed Power BI solution leveraging custom DAX formulas to handle complex budget calculations—multi-year comparisons, fund transfers, and appropriation adjustments
Directed comprehensive training program and change management strategy, building internal champions across legislative offices and state agencies
Established continuous improvement cycle through user feedback mechanisms and quarterly enhancement releases

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Project 2: Budget Analysis Modernization & Timeline Acceleration

PROJECT 2

Budget Analysis Modernization & Timeline Acceleration

2017-2025 | Project Lead

Led transformation of foundational legislative budget publication, enabling 3-month timeline acceleration from February to October hearings. Modernized 50-year-old manual processes through database automation and redesigned workflows, making the impossible deadline achievable.

Technologies Used: MySQL, Database Design, Power Query, Data Automation, Publication Design

Time was the enemy. The Legislature decided to accelerate budget hearings from February to October—compressing preparation time by three months within an already constrained 90-day session. The Budget Analysis, KLRD's foundational multi-volume publication, hadn't fundamentally changed since the 1970s. Its manual production process—analysts hand-entering data, copying tables, formatting hundreds of pages—couldn't accommodate the accelerated timeline. Without transformation, the department would miss the deadline, leaving legislators without critical information when they needed it most.

Achieved the impossible: Successfully delivered Budget Analysis three months earlier, enabling October hearings and maximizing legislators' review time
Collapsed publication preparation from 2 weeks to 3 days—an 85% reduction—while improving content quality and analytical depth
Eliminated 100+ hours of manual data entry per budget cycle, redirecting analyst effort to substantive policy analysis
Enhanced data accuracy through automated validation rules catching errors at source rather than after publication
Modernized 50-year-old document format, setting new organizational standard for publication design and establishing template for future modernization efforts
Demonstrated technical leadership and change management capability driving institutional transformation under pressure

Directed multi-year transformation initiative through structured iteration cycles, progressively modernizing infrastructure while maintaining continuous publication delivery
Designed and implemented MySQL database architecture establishing centralized repository for all budget data—eliminating redundant data entry across systems
Engineered automated pipeline connecting agency submissions directly to publication templates, replacing manual data transfer processes
Redesigned document structure and visual presentation: introduced data visualizations, improved typography, reorganized content flow for enhanced comprehension
Restructured analyst workflows and responsibilities to leverage automation, reallocating time from data entry to analytical content development
Partnered with agency fiscal officers to synchronize data submission schedules with compressed timeline, building collaborative processes supporting mutual success
Led comprehensive training for 15-person team on new systems, methodologies, and quality assurance protocols

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Project 3: Appropriations Report Technical Migration

PROJECT 3

Appropriations Report Technical Migration

2024-2025 | Project Lead

Migrated 1,000+ page annual Appropriations Report from manual OpenOffice production to automated Power BI ecosystem. Delivered dual outputs—interactive digital platform and print-ready PDF—from single data source while eliminating 60+ hours of manual work per cycle.

Technologies Used: Power BI, Power BI Report Builder, MySQL, Data Modeling, Report Automation

The annual Appropriations Report—the definitive 1,000+ page record of legislative budget decisions—was produced using OpenOffice through painstaking manual table creation and data entry. Each budget cycle, analysts spent weeks building hundreds of tables, copying data, ensuring consistency. The process was slow, error-prone, and produced only static PDFs. Leadership envisioned dual outputs: a traditional print document for official records and an interactive digital platform enabling dynamic exploration of budget data. The existing system couldn't deliver either efficiently.

Successfully migrated from legacy platform to modern Power BI ecosystem, delivering enhanced capabilities without disrupting production schedule
Deployed dual outputs serving distinct needs: interactive digital platform for dynamic analysis, print-ready PDF for official archival records
Automated report generation saved 60+ hours per publication cycle—time reallocated to content development and analytical enhancement
Enabled interactive data exploration: users can filter agencies, compare time periods, drill into details—capabilities impossible with static PDFs
Established single-source-of-truth architecture improving data accuracy and eliminating version control issues
Freed analyst capacity from manual production work, enabling focus on higher-value analysis and strategic insights

Conducted comprehensive requirements analysis for both print and digital outputs, identifying technical constraints and user experience priorities
Led technical evaluation comparing Power BI, Tableau, and custom development options—assessing capabilities, licensing costs, team expertise, and long-term maintainability
Selected Power BI ecosystem as optimal solution: Power BI Service for interactive digital platform, Power BI Report Builder for print-quality PDF generation
Designed unified database schema supporting both output formats from single authoritative data source—eliminating redundancy and ensuring consistency
Directed 4-person cross-functional team through migration: database development, template design, automated report generation, testing, and quality validation
Developed automated table and chart generation logic replacing manual creation—encoding business rules for calculations, formatting, and presentation
Created comprehensive documentation and training materials enabling team self-sufficiency for ongoing maintenance and enhancements

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PROJECT 4

Legislative Conference Negotiation Tracker

2021-2025 | Developer & Process Designer

Project 4: Legislative Conference Negotiation Tracker

Replaced pen-and-paper conference committee tracking system with real-time electronic platform. Automated position tracking and recommendation packaging for high-stakes budget negotiations affecting $500+ million in state spending, reducing documentation time by 75%.

Technologies Used: Excel/VBA, Data Integration, Workflow Automation, User Interface Design

Conference committee negotiations are legislative theater at its most intense. House and Senate appropriations committees meet to reconcile differences on hundreds of budget items, often affecting hundreds of millions in spending. Decisions come fast. Positions shift. Compromises emerge. Yet the tracking system was stuck in the 20th century: analysts scribbling positions on legal pads, manually typing recommendation documents, hoping they hadn't missed something. The pen-and-paper approach created delays when speed mattered, introduced errors when accuracy was critical, and provided no version history when positions evolved. High-stakes decisions deserved better infrastructure.

Replaced outdated pen-and-paper tracking with real-time electronic system—bringing conference negotiations into the digital age
Automated recommendation packaging eliminated manual transcription errors and formatting inconsistencies plaguing prior process
Reduced negotiation documentation time by 75%—freeing staff to focus on substantive policy analysis rather than administrative tasks
Improved accuracy and version control during critical negotiations where precision matters and mistakes are costly
Established system as standard infrastructure for conference committee process, now integral to annual appropriations workflow
Successfully supported negotiations affecting $500+ million in expenditures with zero system failures or data issues

Conducted process analysis documenting existing workflow pain points, time bottlenecks, and error introduction vectors
Designed electronic tracking system capturing real-time negotiation positions: House position, Senate position, competing proposals, agreed items
Built automated document generation tool packaging positions into formatted recommendation documents—eliminating manual typing and formatting
Integrated system with authoritative budget database ensuring accurate baseline numbers and calculated impacts
Developed streamlined user interface requiring minimal training—essential for high-pressure, time-constrained negotiation environment where learning curves aren't tolerated
Stress-tested system through simulated negotiation scenarios, identifying usability issues and performance bottlenecks before live deployment

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PROJECT 5

State General Fund Forecasting Tool

2023-2025 | Lead Analyst & Developer

Project 5: State General Fund Forecasting Tool

Transformed static 10-year fiscal forecast into dynamic, real-time tool updating automatically as legislative committees modified budgets. Enhanced forecast accuracy through historical data integration and reduced manual update time by 80%.

Technologies Used: MySQL, Data Visualization, Statistical Forecasting, Automated Reporting

Fiscal forecasting is both science and art—especially when budgets are moving targets. The State General Fund Profile provides the 10-year fiscal outlook guiding legislative decisions, but it was produced as a static document frozen at a moment in time. As committees modified budgets throughout the session, the forecast grew stale. Analysts manually updated projections, but the process was slow and the document lacked historical context for trend analysis. Leadership needed a dynamic tool: one that updated automatically as decisions were made, incorporated historical patterns for better accuracy, and enabled scenario modeling for strategic planning.

Transformed static document into dynamic, real-time forecasting tool responding to legislative actions as they occurred
Enabled automated forecast updates within hours of committee decisions—providing current information when timing matters most
Improved forecast accuracy through data-driven historical trend analysis—reducing projection error and strengthening strategic planning foundation
Reduced manual update time by 80%—freeing analysts from repetitive calculations for higher-value scenario modeling and sensitivity analysis
Delivered on-demand forecast profiles for executive and legislative leadership—supporting time-sensitive deliberations with current information
Enhanced strategic planning capabilities through scenario modeling features enabling "what-if" analysis of policy alternatives

Redesigned forecast model architecture incorporating 5 years of historical data—providing empirical foundation for trend analysis and improving projection accuracy
Engineered live data connection linking expenditure projections to MySQL database tracking real-time legislative committee actions
Developed automated update mechanism triggered by committee budget modifications—refreshing forecasts within hours rather than days
Created interactive data visualizations surfacing trends, variances, and year-over-year comparisons—making complex fiscal dynamics comprehensible
Implemented version control system tracking forecast evolution throughout session—enabling analysis of how projections changed as decisions crystalized
Modernized document formatting and presentation aligning with contemporary design standards while enhancing readability

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Project 6: Enterprise Budget Data Architecture

PROJECT 6

Enterprise Budget Data Architecture

2018-2024 | Database Architect & Lead Developer

Architected centralized MySQL database establishing single source of truth for all KLRD budget data. Connected 10+ publications to unified infrastructure, eliminating data consistency issues and duplicate entry across the organization.

Technologies Used: MySQL, Database Design, ETL Development, Data Governance, Documentation

Data chaos was undermining quality. Ten different publications pulled budget information from overlapping but disconnected sources—spreadsheets, databases, agency submissions, each maintained separately. The same numbers appeared differently across documents. Analysts entered identical data multiple times. When source information changed, cascading updates were manual and error-prone. As the department modernized publications, the fragmented data architecture became untenable. Without unified infrastructure, consistency was impossible, maintenance was unsustainable, and scaling was unthinkable.

Established authoritative single source of truth for KLRD budget data—eliminating inconsistencies and version control nightmares
Connected 10+ publications to centralized database—Budget Analysis, Appropriations Report, SGF Profile, Committee Reports, and more
Eradicated data consistency issues across publications—same numbers now appear identically everywhere because they're drawn from same source
Eliminated duplicate data entry organization-wide—analysts now update once rather than maintaining multiple disconnected systems
Built scalable infrastructure supporting future publications without additional data management overhead
Created reusable data model supporting multiple use cases—from publications to ad-hoc analysis to interactive platforms

Architected comprehensive MySQL database schema establishing centralized repository for all budget-related data—appropriations, revenues, FTE positions, capital improvements
Developed enterprise data governance framework: standardized definitions, validation rules, update protocols, quality standards ensuring organizational consistency
Engineered ETL (Extract-Transform-Load) processes automating agency data submissions—replacing email attachments and manual data entry with structured automated feeds
Built multi-layered data validation and quality control mechanisms catching errors at ingestion rather than after publication
Established granular security and access control protocols protecting sensitive data while enabling appropriate access for analysts and stakeholders
Created comprehensive database documentation and conducted hands-on training enabling team self-sufficiency in querying, maintaining, and extending the system

Project 7: Performance-Based Budget Reporting Automation

PROJECT 7

Performance-Based Budget Reporting Automation

2019-2020 | Team Member (Automation Specialist)

Automated performance-based budget reporting for 90+ state agencies by implementing standardized R-based collection system and Power BI reporting templates. Reduced analyst cleanup time by 70% and accelerated publication timeline by 3 weeks.

Technologies Used: R, Power BI, Data Validation, ETL Automation, Process Design

Performance-based budgeting sounds simple: tie funding to measurable outcomes. The reality was messier. Ninety state agencies submitted performance data in wildly inconsistent formats—some in Word, some in Excel, some in PDF, each with different structures and varying levels of completeness. KLRD analysts spent countless hours manually cleaning, reformatting, and standardizing submissions before analysis could even begin. The labor-intensive process delayed publication of performance reports legislators needed for oversight. Worse, manual handling introduced errors and inconsistencies. The system needed intelligence: automated collection, validation, and reporting that freed analysts from data janitorial work for actual analysis.

Automated entire collection-to-publication pipeline—eliminating manual intervention for routine processing while preserving analyst capacity for exception handling
Reduced analyst time on data cleanup by 70%—reallocating effort from formatting spreadsheets to substantive program analysis and policy evaluation
Improved data consistency and quality across 90+ agencies—standardized templates and validation rules preventing common errors at source
Accelerated publication timeline by 3 weeks—providing legislators with performance information earlier in session when most useful for deliberations
Established reusable automation framework applicable to other analytical workflows—demonstrating methodology adaptable beyond single use case
Enhanced legislative oversight capability through timelier, higher-quality performance reporting supporting evidence-based appropriations decisions

Collaborated with cross-functional team designing standardized data collection framework—uniform templates, defined fields, clear submission protocols
Implemented R-based data collection system with embedded validation rules automatically checking submissions for completeness, consistency, and logical errors
Developed Power BI reporting templates transforming collected data into consistent, professional outputs—standardizing presentation across 90+ agencies
Engineered automated data cleaning and transformation workflows handling common issues: formatting inconsistencies, unit mismatches, missing values
Coordinated change management with agencies transitioning to new submission process—providing training, troubleshooting issues, building collaborative relationships
Built comprehensive quality control checkpoints identifying data issues early—enabling resolution before publication rather than after

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SW

My Work

PROJECT 1

Legislative Budget Intelligence Platform

2020-2025 | Technical Lead & Project Manager

PROJECT 2

Budget Analysis Modernization & Timeline Acceleration

2017-2025 | Project Lead

PROJECT 3

Appropriations Report Technical Migration

2024-2025 | Project Lead

PROJECT 4

Legislative Conference Negotiation Tracker

2021-2025 | Developer & Process Designer

PROJECT 5

State General Fund Forecasting Tool

2023-2025 | Lead Analyst & Developer

PROJECT 6

Enterprise Budget Data Architecture

2018-2024 | Database Architect & Lead Developer

PROJECT 7

Performance-Based Budget Reporting Automation

2019-2020 | Team Member (Automation Specialist)