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News | March 14, 2019

My DCMA: Maxine Leonard, staff accountant

By Tonya Johnson DCMA Public Affairs

My DCMA showcases the Defense Contract Management Agency’s experienced and diverse workforce and highlights what being a part of the national defense team means to them. Today we meet Maxine Leonard. 

My name is Maxine Leonard, and this is “My DCMA.”

I am a staff accountant at DCMA headquarters.

As a staff accountant in the Financial and Business Operations Directorate, my primary assignment is to the Financial Improvement Audit Readiness, also known as FIAR, team. I lead a process improvement team that involves testing and remediating deficiencies by working cross functionally to implement control and mitigate risk. Within those duties, I provide process management, internal controls and financial improvements for auditability. This is inclusive of creating narratives of end-to-end processes, flow charts, and identifiable risk and controls as the FIAR team engages in testing, especially of the Hire To Retire civilian pay assessable unit. 

Also within my job duties, I initiate reviews, reconciliations of financial executions, and perform an analysis of DCMA’s financial statements. As a whole, it is the basis for engaging audit practices by the alignment of the reports within DCMA’s financial universe. This is done for the purpose of validating and creating solutions for financial business efforts. 

I have been a part of the DCMA team for seven years. Throughout those years, I have witnessed a transformation and the ever-evolving processes for DCMA’s accomplishments that are inclusive of all of the activities. In preparation for the new challenges, DCMA, as a member of the Fourth Estate, has undergone many mock audits, a financial examination, and is currently involved in giving oversight to a systemic audit that involves identifying support of the Complimentary User Entity Controls. Yes, the language sounds foreign to most, but as a member of the FIAR team, it has become all too familiar to me. 

While working at DCMA, I have received and fulfilled many rounds of audit requests to meet the requirements for testing of processes and controls for compliance. This extends throughout the agency, touching many activities within DCMA and the service providers. In many scenarios I am asked the same questions, “What is this for? Why do you need it?” The simplified answer is that it is a part of a formal review of controls, policies and procedures for audit purposes at DCMA. 

As a staff accountant, I like working at DCMA because it is challenging, but also fulfilling. There are always new and exciting developments that require collaboration with the stakeholders, management and peers, to make more productive and informed decisions. I view this as an all-inclusive venture that involves great team support from each staff accountant in the Financial and Business Operations Directorate and the entire FIAR team. 

DCMA is important to America’s warfighters because the agency has opened its doors to active-duty personnel and for returning service members for deployment and employment. As a member of DCMA, I want warfighters to know that we stand with them in providing every effort to ensure that goals set for the agency are met. 

In my spare time, I like to play board games, travel and meet new people.