Courtesy Photo | NAVFAC Atlantic’s financial conference Aug. 25-29 featured topics ranging from...... read more read more
Program analysts and program managers from NAVFAC (Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command) Atlantic’s four subordinate commands gathered Aug. 25–29 for a five-day conference designed to strengthen teamwork, standardize business practices, and sharpen financial management skills in support of the warfighter.
The agenda centered on Navy Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), the system that underpins financial and program management across the Navy. Training sessions gave participants practical tools to navigate ERP processes to reduce redundancies and improve execution rates. Follow-on breakout discussions focused on using collaboration within ERP to better support fleet readiness and ultimately, the Navy’s broader mission.
Carmen Robles, NAVFAC Atlantic budget officer, said friction decreases when program analysts (PA) and program managers (PM) understand each other’s processes.
“We’re breaking down traditional silos between financial management and program management teams,” she said. “Our processes are interconnected and directly impact customer satisfaction, so we have to operate as one seamless unit rather than separate functions.
The wide-ranging agenda featured retired Rear Adm. Michael Giorgione, former commander of Camp David during the presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and member of the Navy’s Civil Engineer Corps. Giorgione led teambuilding sessions on the first two days, followed by ERP-focused training on people, processes and standardization.
He said openness and trust were key to the success of the conference.
“The entire group met and under the guidance of four PAs, the community agreed to establish a tiger team to focus on the human and working relationships to improve,” he said. “This was a very practical and necessary first step and the tiger team members will be identified and start taking action in the new fiscal year.”
NAVFAC Atlantic Commander Rear Adm. Jorge Cuadros, speaking on the enterprise’s strategic plan and new initiatives underway, underscored the enterprise’s unique value to the Navy-Marine Corps team.
“NAVFAC is focused on the main thing: construction, engineering and contracting,” Cuadros said. “We are aligned with SECNAV, CNO and CMC priorities to enable warfighting. To do this, we’re promoting efficiency and agility. We want you to leverage standard processes while innovating and adopting technology that will make us even better.”
Topics ranged from end-to-end business processes and accountability metrics to workforce development, standardization frameworks, and customer support partnerships. Breakout sessions allowed participants to work through practical issues, such as year-end closeout, project structures, and audit requirements.
A major goal of the conference was improving how analysts and managers see their complementary roles. For PMs, that means end-to-end visibility into financial workflows, enabling them to provide inputs more efficiently and communicate issues proactively rather than working in isolation.
“The key metric we’re tracking is execution rate improvement – essentially, how effectively we spend allocated funds,” said Dewi Suriana, NAVFAC Atlantic supervisory financial management analyst. “When PMs understand “the why” behind financial processes, we eliminate rework, reduce redundancies and maintain the transparency essential for successful audits.”
By week’s end, attendees left with a keener understanding of ERP and each other’s responsibilities and with practical tools to carry standard practices back to their home commands. For financial managers (FM), that meant understanding the operational pressures PMs face with their clients every day; for PMs, it meant fluency in financial tools and accountability.
According to Judith Stewart, NAVFAC Atlantic accounting officer, an overarching goal of the in-person training was reinforcing that people are the strength behind the numbers and processes.
“When we build these personal connections between teams, we create stronger, more effective working relationships that ultimately benefit our customers,” said Stewart.
Attendees said the conference underscored NAVFAC Atlantic’s commitment to investing in its people and processes, investments that directly translate to fleet readiness and warfighter lethality.
“Any time we can get people together to meet face-to-face, the organization as a whole benefits,” said Timothy Covey, NAVFAC Southeast comptroller. “It builds connective tissue and opens lines of communication. To have the members of the PA community and the FM community working together to overcome barriers and share perspectives will pay dividends in the future.”
Fellow comptroller Kirk Densmore with NAVFAC Europe, Africa, Central (EURAFCENT) agreed.
“This event allowed us to address unresolved issues and, more importantly, witness the innovative solutions being developed to strengthen NAVFAC's business and financial foundation,” said Densmore.
Rainy Lowery, NAVFAC Atlantic comptroller, who conceived the conference agenda with the execution of her entire FM team, said that with financial processes in place and a well-trained team at the helm, NAVFAC is well prepared to support the Navy mission.
“ERP provides unprecedented transparency and visibility into our resource allocation. We can quickly determine whether we have adequate funding for planned programs or unexpected fleet requirements,” she said. “More importantly, if resources are insufficient, we identify gaps early enough to reallocate from other areas. Every improvement in how we manage resources and standardize business practices is an investment in the Navy and Marine Corps’ ability to fight and win.”
| Date Taken: | 09.05.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.05.2025 16:14 |
| Story ID: | 547367 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 64 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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