SAMUEL J.

TIAH
26 Greenwood Avenue * Hyde Park, Massachusetts 02136
781-956-7230 *

Dynamic technology professional with more than 15 years extensive experience ele
vating organizational productivity, efficiency and technical operations through
skillful development, implementation and management of advanced systems, platfor
ms and software applications. Accomplished in all phases of the project developm
ent lifecycle, including planning, solution development, implementation and on-g
oing management of business goals and objectives. Excel in creating and improvin
g business processes that help companies operate more efficiently. Recognized by
vendors, peers and clients as a valuable team member who consistently delivers
value-added solutions. Ability to communicate complex technical and business iss
ues clearly and manage the complications of integrating new technology across bu
siness units and gaining their support. .

AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Operational Effectiveness * Systems Analysis & Improvement * Project Lifecyc
le Management
Agile Processes * Systems & Network Management * Data Warehouse * Problem
Resolution
Customer Service * Waterfall SDLC * Budgeting & ROI * Project Reporting *
Change Management
Resource Management * Team Building & Staff Development * Vendor Relations M
anagement * Data Masking * Multi-Department Teams * ITIL * IT Asset Manag
ement * IT Service Management * Outsource & Remote Team Management * PMO
* Consulting * Business Process Improvement & Management * Facilitation *
?System Audit

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Business Owner * Boston, Massachusetts * 2008 * Present
* Started a financial services business to provide assistance to merchants in
the processing of financial transactions and credit cards payments at low rates.
FFUSA guarantees the low rates working with various banks.
* Part-time online market research with an online marketing company to provide
assistance to companies wanting to bring new products to market.
* Independent project management
ASCEND CONSULTING * Waltham, Massachusetts * 2006-2008
Business consulting firm with 200 employees.
Manager * Project Management and Business Process Improvement
Directed all aspects of technical, strategic and tactical business process impro
vement, system implementation, outsourcing, and report automation projects for m
ajor clients such as Fidelity Investments, and TIAA CREF. Managed large projects
across business units and technology department and was responsible for managem
ent of resources, cost, planning, delivery, and implementation of projects in a
matrix environment with competing priorities. Consulted with clients, vendors, I
T developers and other stakeholders to identify best strategies and coordinate i
mplementation of projects to meet business goals and objectives within budget. E
valuated existing processes for streamlining and cost reduction opportunities. C
reated customized client solutions for system implementation and conversion. Dev
eloped project scope, managed financial and human resources, and controlled sche
dule. Reported projects status projects sponsors and senior management and made
presentation on strategic direction of project to steering committees, IT Govern
ance Committee and senior management.
* Slashed 30% from investment quarterly and monthly reporting time by implemen
ting automated processes and creating a data warehouse.
* Reduced errors by 15% with the development of improved quality assurance pro
cesses.
* Managed the successful outsourcing of product and creation of reporting syst
ems for compliance and financials.
* Salvaged project timeline by leading a workshop with stakeholders of diverse
and competing interests to gain consensus and identify requirements for investm
ent and analysis reporting.
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS IT DIVISION * Boston, Massachusetts * 2005-200
6
State government organization with more than 10,000 employees.
Director * Development and Operations
Supervised 34-person team including remote staff in redeveloping, re-engineering
and managing a new technology warehouse for the entire Commonwealth, developing
systems, processes and protocols to ensure optimal functionality while maintain
ing data security. Responsible for staffing, developing, motivating, and improvi
ng the delivery of service provided by the Warehouse. Worked with multiple depar
tments and state agencies to resolve competing needs and identified and negotiat
ed resources matrix to the project. Implemented programs that allowed department
s to view only approved data. Provided training on new technologies to all affec
ted departments and state agencies. Provided monthly progress reports to executi
ve-level management on progress, challenges, and milestones.
* Secured highly guarded financial resources for an entirely new information t
echnology warehouse system by developing a proof of concept plan that include re
lied on data comparisons to demonstrate significant cost savings and operational
improvements.
* Diagnosed technology deficiencies and process flow bottlenecks and persuaded
departments to adopt recommended changes.
* Successfully implemented PMO and business process improvements to efficientl
y service Commonwealth.
* Cultivated successful relationships with all departments of State Government
to deliver improved service.
* Enhanced system performance 40% by integrating new technologies that process
ed queries that used to take 7-8 hours in less than 10 minutes.
* Replaced old technologies that only allowed one query to run at a time, impl
ementing a system that enabled multiple queries to run simultaneously while pres
erving data security though gated access.

KEYPORT LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY * Boston, Massachusetts * 1999-2005

Full-service life insurance company with 600 employees. Previously Liberty Mutua
l Company and SunLife Financial.
Senior Manager * Information System / Project Management
Oversaw all applications in the production environment, provided batch reporting
, ensured system maintenance and maintained 24x7 operation, supporting and maint
aining the integrity of test, pre-production and production environments. Monito
red the process of rate entry for fixed products and managed relationships with
pricing vendors to ensure accuracy. Maintained the interactive voice response sy
stem with updated customer policy information, including value. Supervised 33 de
velopers and business analysts in 2 locations.
* Developed business case that gained support and financial commitment from se
nior management to automate manual rate entry process.
 * Initiated an automated rate entry process that eliminated manual entry of fi
xed rated, decreased completion time from 5 days to 1 hour and slashed error rat
e by 95%.
* Prevented extensive delays and mistakes during transition to NAVISYS LifeCad
System by requesting and justifying employee training that had not been planned
.

* Managed staff in a matrix environment with competing priorities to automate

the rate entry process and development for the NAVISYS LifeCad System.
* Promoted from Senior Manager, Application Support and Technical Support with
authority for 20 technical and application support personnel providing 24x7 ass
istance for technical operations.

EQUISERVE * Boston, Massachusetts * 1998-1999

Financial Service Company providing management in 401k, stock option and proxy s
tatements.
Project Manager / Senior Business Systems Analyst
Directed large-scale projects for European clients, focusing on new processes an
d systems to support stock option plans, employee pension plans and employee sto
ck purchase plans. Worked closely with clients at all levels to identify needs a
nd customize solutions that met requirements.
* Led the conversion from a standalone PC system to a centralized networked sy
stem, securing financial and customer personal data, providing easy access to da
ta and allowing for 100% backup and recovery of data.
* Established methods and standards to transfer European files to US-based sys
tems, reducing data transmission errors and increasing speed by 40% with the dev
elopment of a detailed file layout that accommodated different layout types.
* Developed data and systems controls to support backup and updating, ensuring
that all stock options data was secure and easily recoverable in case of a disa
ster.

Career Note: Additional employment includes Project Manager with Career Enhancem
ent International and Senior Systems Analyst with Research Institute of America
Group. Full details available on request.

EDUCATION / PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Master of Business Administration * Suffolk University * Boston, Massachuset
ts
Bachelor of Science in Economics and Management * University of Liberia * Mo
nrovia, Liberia

Technical Skills
COGNOS PowerHouse * Microsoft Project * Microsoft Access * Microsoft Offic
e * Microsoft Visio * SQL
* Crystal Reports * Lotus Notes * Brio Query * UNIX * Oracle