Whitfield "Counts" On Roberts In Finance Department

  • Wednesday, November 25, 2015
  • Mitch Talley

When it comes to numbers, Carol Roberts knows her stuff.

In her first year as a member of the Whitfield County Finance Department, she compiled the budget book that went on to receive the prestigious Government Finance Officers Association Excellence in Budgeting Award in 2014.

“She prepared and improved the 2014 budget book in her first year of employment with very little supervision,” Finance Director Alicia Vaughn said.

Impressed with her abilities, Ms. Vaughn successfully nominated Roberts as Whitfield County’s Employee of the Month for October.

The finance department is in the midst of converting to a new software system, and Ms. Roberts has been managing the conversion.

“Carol has shown outstanding initiative and has demonstrated a positive attitude in taking on challenges and looking for ways to improve the budget process and provide communication between the finance department and outside departments,” Ms. Vaughn said. “Carol’s excellent organizational skills have contributed and proved invaluable to the management of our current accounting software/document storage conversion. Carol has a very positive attitude and is very willing to learn and accept additional responsibility.”

Ms. Roberts was instrumental in passing the 2015 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax and accepted the task of maintaining reports for the SPLOST, Ms. Vaughn said.

To allow local residents to get to know her better, Ms. Roberts filled out the following fun survey.

Name:  Carol Roberts
Job: Budget/Accounting Analyst
Time with the county: 1½ years
Where I went to school:  K-12 in Enterprise, Al., and college at University of Tennessee, Knoxville
My role as a county employee: I help build the annual county budget, analyze our progress monthly and work on various special projects as assigned.  Currently I am managing the software conversion.
What keeps my job interesting: My job is interesting because almost every day I am learning something new or working on something challenging.  But even more than that, I enjoy the special projects and working with great people.
What gives me a sense of accomplishment on the job: This sounds corny, but after the annual budget is approved and the budget book comes back from the printers, I feel a great sense of accomplishment when I hold that budget book in my hands.
The most important thing I’ve done on the job: Manage the software conversion
Where I grew up:  Enterprise, Al.
Family:  A husband, a son and his wife, three step kids and their spouses
After work, I enjoy: jogging, time around the fire pit, cooking, and reading.
Community activities: My husband and I are active at our church in Rossville and teach fourth-sixth grade Sunday School.
Favorite TV show: NCIS
Favorite sport: I can’t think of one.  I am not a sports fan.
Favorite music: Contemporary Christian
Favorite Whitfield County restaurant: The Spiced Apple
Favorite Whitfield County event: The annual chili cook-off
Three people (living or dead) I’d invite to dinner: My dad, my grandfather on my mom’s side, and my mom
I’m most proud of: Having raised a son and helped to raise a stepdaughter and stepson.
Pet peeve: People who complain but never try to make things better
If I’ve learned one thing in life, it’s: Circumstances are often beyond my control, but my attitude is a choice.
Who has had the most impact on my life: My mom and Jesus
Personal goals I have accomplished or would like to accomplish: I would like to run a 5k race and I would like to learn Spanish.
If I could have been in any profession of my choosing, I would have been a: psychologist
If I could have two wishes, they would be: I wish my mom had lived longer and I wish my kids lived closer.
You’d be surprised to learn that I: Once played a squirrel in a Knoxville local TV commercial
Anything else you’d like to say:  I am blessed to work with people who are kind, helpful and caring and create an atmosphere that helps me be happy to come into work each day.

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