Sponsored Projects Accounting & Compliance

Employees of the Quarter

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• Manager of the Quarter

  Janel Williams

       You may be familiar with Janel as being the manager of SPAC’s CAR Team (Collections and Accounts Receivable) or as a recipient of A&F’s 2024 Service Excellence award. Janel has been with SPAC for about three years this past March.
       Janel has led her team in bringing down collection numbers to historic lows. “I am proud of the process improvements the CAR Team has achieved since she joined in 2022. We've made significant strides in enhancing efficiency and effectiveness across our operations.”
       “I strive to embody all core values, but the one that resonates with me [the] most is Respect and Integrity. To me, this means treating others with kindness, valuing diverse perspectives, listening actively, and communicating respectfully. It involves acknowledging others' contributions, respecting personal and professional boundaries, and holding myself accountable for my actions."
       If she could have any superpower, she says it “would be to help those in need by providing access to food, clean water, and healthcare; to protect the innocent; and to ensure equal rights and opportunities for all…” 
       Janel says, “The nature of our work requires us to provide exceptional customer service and adapt to a wide range of needs and responsibilities. Each team member plays a vital role, and our diverse input holds us to a high standard of performance and accountability.”
      Her empathy extends beyond people—Janel loves nature and various animals. “…some of my favorites are lions, wolves, horses, ducks, and sheep,” she shares. She is currently binge watching the Nature Channel and The Twilight Saga series (because, technically, there are wolves in that too).
       She also admits that she “loves brain games.” Some of her favorites are escape rooms, Sudoku, Word Roundup, Logic, and crossword puzzles. Unsurprisingly her, “…favorite part of working at UMB is the opportunity to continuously learn new ideas, tackle challenges, break down barriers, and improve processes—particularly in grant payment collections.”

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• Employee of the Quarter

  Natalia Sproul

       Having been with SPAC for just about 11 months, Natalia is a welcomed addition to the Quality Assurance/FFR Team. She says, “The culture is unique because while we are remote which provides flexibility, we are all still connected.”
       She says her favorite part of working here “is the transparency.” After coming from working in the private sector, Natalia is happy to see the open communication with leadership regarding current issues, and says she feels that the Quarterly Meetings in A&F are a “nice reminder that we are all real and there’s a face behind the emails…”
       Natalia’s Core values she most identifies with are Respect and Integrity. “It’s important for me to have a team spirit and harbor relationships because we all need each other eventually.” Natalia has a real ‘growth mentality' when it comes to integrity. She believes its important to learn from mistakes and “work on what I lack in professionally and personally.”
       Regarding working on things, Natalia wants to run a full marathon in the next 5 years. In fact, some might be surprised to hear she has run a half-marathon in the past.
      If Natalia could have any superpower she would forgo super speed for marathon running, Natalia thinks “shapeshifting could be cool.” She even has ideas on how to use it to reduce spending. She says, “We would save hundreds on traveling if I could shapeshift into a carry on or a heron [Yes, the bird] when there’s traffic.” Who needs Concur when you have creativity like that?
       While she can’t really become a carry-on, if she’s on a plane she might be listening Taylor Swift or rocking out to Red Hot Chilly Peppers. Although, it should be noted that she does like all types of music including country. “I’ve also grown fond of country music because married a country man and we listen to a lot of country music when we are hosting friends and family.”
       In real life traveling Natalia says, “One thing on my bucket list is to travel to Europe at least once.  Especially Portugal or Spain because I love red wine and trying new foods.”
       Right now, she is finishing up the last few seasons of Lost (2004-2010). “I think it has been contributing to my nightmares...  But I can’t stop watching it because I love all the twists.” Please no one spoil the ending for her. Sometimes smoke monsters and polar bears are just what we need to keep us going.
       Hobbies are also important in helping us stay happy and healthy. Natalia likes to keep active with walks after work and Pilates at home. “I enjoy that because its helps with my balance and core.” She also loves gardening. “… this is my third year with a small plot and hopefully the first year I get to use my canning supplies that have been collecting dust for the past two years!”