Dr. Vanessa Nelson-Reed is the Director of The Education Support Services Unit. Vanessa has over 25 years of experience with federal grants and program management. Recognizing the need for additional technical assistance for entities that manage education federal funds, J.A. White & Associates, Inc. created the unit to provide in-depth assistance to federal agencies, state agencies, local municipalities, and community based organizations to ensure compliance with the guiding federal policies affecting those funds. Anecdotal evidence indicates that entities either do not understand specific federal program compliance or are not knowledgeable of specific OMB supplements, guiding policies and procedures, or rules that govern education funds management. These knowledge gaps are increased by the necessity for personnel changes and overtime, an entity may be challenged with meeting requirements for having a cleared audit. The Education Support Services Unit of J.A. White & Associates, Inc. fills this knowledge gap by providing services before annual audits are conducted to ensure compliance.

J.A. White & Associates, Inc. has also identified the need to for providing direct technical assistance to state agencies, local municipalities, and community based organizations that seek to acquire discretionary grants from the U.S. Department of Education. Education Support Services Unit will provide organizations with direct assistance in writing proposals according to RFPs and assist with submission. J.A. White & Associates, Inc.’s Education Support Services Unit provides services that ensure state agencies, local municipalities, and community based organizations manage federal funds appropriately in order to avoid non-compliance with federal policies. Our organization will provide technical tools and on-site review to evaluate systems for internal control and risk management.

Activities:

Education Funds Compliance

‒>Conduct pre-audit services using industry standard rubrics for audit compliance.
‒>Make recommendations for program improvement.
‒>Assist clients in defense of audit findings.

Education Funds Acquisition

‒>Grant proposal writing assistance
‒>Grant proposal review for submission
‒>Peer reviewer services for awarding competitive grants
‒>Grant compliance and evaluation activities

Education Funds Management

‒>Review and evaluate existing policies and procedures for internal control and risk management as they apply to specific federal     policies.
‒>Develop policies and procedures for internal control and risk management where none exist in accordance with specific federal     policies.
‒>Provide technical assistance in the area of pre-audit counseling and assessment for preparation for A-133 or A-87 audit.
‒>Provide a completed evaluation tool used for J.A. White & Associates, Inc. continuous improvement process.
‒>ESSU can provide your organization with assistance in report writing, analysis and follow up once grant activities are completed.     ESSU will use experience in quantitative and qualitative methods to ensure that grant objectives and goals are met.

 

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