Finance & Administration

We provide finance, information technology, and human resources services for Facilities Management and Campus Services, as well as CUIMC parking communications and billing.

  • Michael Choolfaian

    • Assistant Vice President, Finance and Administration.
    Michael Choolfaian
  • Brandi Bonaparte

    • Assistant Director, Facilities Management

    Brandi Bonaparte joined the Finance and Administration team as the Assistant Director for Human Resources. She has an Executive Master of Science in Industrial Labor Relations from Baruch College and a Bachelor's degree in Human Resources Management. Brandi joined Columbia University in 2010 as Labor Relations Coordinator, and had various labor relations roles within Columbia’s central HR department. Brandi partners with CUIMC HR as well as with Facilities leadership to advance HR initiatives and to perform day-to-day HR processes such as job postings, hiring, discipline, leave management, resolution of employee issues, and more.

    Brandi Bonaparte
  • Michelle Colindres

    • Finance Administrative Assistant, Finance and Administration

    As a financial and administrative assistant, Michelle Colindres processes procurement transactions, including inputting requisitions for purchase orders, submitting invoices to Accounts Payable for payment, and reviewing and uploading supporting documentation. She also addresses vendor inquiries and assists with parking transactions and tracking information used for specific financial reporting.

    Michelle has been with Columbia University Irving Medical Center for more than 12 years. Previously, she worked as a legal assistant and office manager in retail and educational institutions.

    Certifications

    • Notary
  • Mary Ann Egel-Guida

    • Director of Finance and Business Processes, Finance and Administration

    Mary Ann Egel-Guida is a senior financial executive with more than 20 years of diverse experience across many areas of accounting, finance, operations, and information systems. Since joining Columbia University Irving Medical Center in 2014, she has been primarily responsible for the review and approval of all Facilities Management and Campus Services invoices as well as policy development and compliance. She has also been involved in varying aspects of Finance and Administration, along with cross-functional process improvements and system implementations.

    She is an effective cross-functional communicator with hands-on expertise and a proven ability to develop, drive, and implement both short- and long-term strategies that support business and financial objectives. Her mantra is, "Just because it was done that way before doesn't mean it has to be done that way in the future. Together, let's strive to make our process the best and most efficient one possible."

    Projects

    • CUIMC representative, Supplier Management Steering Committee
    • Project Manager, CUIMC Maximo Implementation

    Certifications

    • NYS Certified Public Accountant
    • MBA, Information Systems for Business Managers
    Mary Ann Egel-Guida
  • Christina Garcia

    • Procurement and Payable Analyst, Finance and Administration

    Christina Garcia joined CUIMC Facilities Finance and Administration in late 2017 as part of the newly-structured Facilities Management Procurement and Payable team within CUIMC Facilities Finance and Administration. This team partners with Facilities departmental staff members who are responsible for facilities- and construction-related procurement. She previously worked in Columbia University’s purchasing division and has extensive experience with procurement at Columbia.

    Christina Garcia
  • Laila Ghahramani-Hands

    • Director, Finance and Administration

    Laila Hands serves as the director of finance and administration for CUIMC Facilities Management and Campus Services. In this role, she develops budgets and evaluates financial performance for more than 50 business portfolios while managing forecasts and revisions by closely tracking and monitoring personnel and non-personnel operating expenses.

    Laila also compiles and provides ongoing, periodic, and ad hoc financial reporting to various levels of management within Facilities Management and Campus Services. She reconciles actuals to budgets, including processing ledger entries or revisions to estimates for aligning actuals and budgets. She provides analysis management of all financial activities including campus-wide utilities, which constitute the highest expense for central administrative departments at the medical center. Laila is the main liaison for Controller and Budget offices at the University to determine details of updates to estimates, provide variance analysis, record accruals, and perform monthly, quarterly and fiscal year accounting close.

    Laila has close to 24 years of service at Columbia University. Before her current role, she worked in the CUIMC Budget Office and Columbia University’s Office of Internal Audit.

  • Wendy Jorge

    • Senior Financial Operations Analyst, Finance and Administration

    Since 1999, Wendy Jorge has been a devoted and essential employee of Columbia University Irving Medical Center. As Senior Financial Operations Analyst, she works closely with Capital Project Management's project managers to ensure that their daily tasks run smoothly. She is the point person for any financial capital concerns.

    Wendy is passionate about her work and regularly demonstrates her devotion to ensuring the department succeeds as a whole. In 2016, the division honored her with a Giraffe Award for going above and beyond her role.

    Honors

    • CUMC Facilities Giraffe Award, 2016
  • Jahaira Lopez-Cruz

    • Finance Administrative Assistant, Finance and Administration

    At Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Jahaira Lopez-Cruz performs the day-to-day processing of various financial transactions, including processing and monitoring payments and ensuring that vendors and suppliers are paid within established time limits. She is also responsible for processing and following up on requisitions, purchase orders, and change orders for Capital Project Management.

  • Grace Morillo

    • Finance and Administration Analyst, Finance and Administration

    Grace Morillo joined the Finance and Administration team as a finance and administration analyst in late 2018. In this role, she assists with processing budget transactions in Columbia’s financial system, compiles reports and reconciliations, enters data, reviews results, and processes corrective entries for the department's budget portfolio. Previously, she was a bookkeeper for Environmental Health Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health.

    Grace Morillo
  • Brian McNamara

    • Associate Director of Capital Budgeting, Finance and Administration

    Brian McNamara is associate director of capital budgeting, a dual reporting position to CUIMC Facilities Finance and Administration and the CUIMC Office of Budget and Finance. Brian works with schools and departments to formulate their plans and track closely capital funding and spending. Ultimately, Brian helps improve the efficiency and accuracy of the capital planning process.

    Brian has also served in the finance office at Mailman School of Public Health.

    Brian McNamara
  • Susann W. Miles

    • Procurement and Payables Analyst, Finance and Administration

    As a procurement and payable analyst, Susann Miles partners with Capital Project Management on grant funds capture. Her role includes analyzing bid and procurement documentation; spearheading government grant applications for construction projects; fulfilling grant requirements; and establishing ongoing strategies to maintain capital project-related grant commitments.

    Susann serves as CUIMC’s liaison for Columbia’s minority-, women-, and locally-owned business enterprises (MWLBE) and works to implement MWLBE policies. She also is a member of the Ascend Regional Program (NY-NJ-LI), which aims to develop strategies and greater access for MWL inclusion. Additionally, she participates in various University committees, including the supplier onboarding process sub-committee and supplier diversity (trade/commodity) committee. Susann also served as a panelist for the 2021 CU Grow: Vendor Development Program.

    Before joining CUIMC in 2016, Susann served as director of special events and communications and controller of a large Harlem non-profit; vice president of administration at an urban fashion technology firm; senior financial analyst for the YWCA of the City of New York; and chief financial officer working to establish a 501(c)(3) crisis-intervention organization in East Harlem. She served on the NYC Empowerment Zone application process and the pre-conference activities for the White House Conference on Aging.

    Susann Miles
  • Carmen Nava

    • Finance and Administration Analyst, Finance and Administration

    As a finance and administration analyst, Carmen Nava assists with processing transactions in Columbia University Irving Medical Center's financial, human resources, and payroll systems. She compiles reports and prepares reconciliations, processes data, prepares accruals files, reviews results, and processes corrective entries. Carmen is responsible for analyzing a large volume of data, budget tracking, audit research and investigation, and financial reporting. She tracks multiple types of expenses, reviews and processes utility payments, and processes vouchers. She maintains and updates multiple backup files on a daily basis.

    Before joining Columbia University, Carmen worked in the real estate and property management industry. There she performed as a senior accountant and an accountant/analyst for internal audits, accounts payable, and accounts receivable.

  • Nathalie Padilla

    • Manager of Finance & Information Systems, CUIMC Facilities Finance & Administration

    Nathalie Padilla joined CUIMC Facilities Finance and Administration in March 2020 as manager of Finance and Information Systems. Serving the teams under CUIMC Facilities Management, Nathalie manages various processes/applications to facilitate purchasing, accounts payable, payroll (Kronos), parking, and Unifier. Before joining Columbia University, Nathalie worked in investment banking.

    Nathalie Padilla
  • Janet Salinas-Vasquez

    • Senior Procurement and Payables Analyst, Finance and Administration

    As the Senior Procurement and Payables Analyst for Finance and Administration, Janet Salinas-Vasquez ensures that daily finance activities run smoothly. She processes requisitions, purchase orders, and invoices within the Engineering, Custodial, Compliance, and Parking departments of Columbia University Irving Medical Center's Facilities Management and Campus Services. She also oversees CUIMC Parking, which includes managing the parking database, inputting applications, processing monthly payroll deductions for employees, and making sure customer accounts are up to date. She played a crucial role in assisting the department's transition to the new Maximo work order system.

    A dedicated and valued team member at CUIMC since 2000, Janet is known for wearing many hats and serving as the go-to person for her colleagues. In 2016, the division honored her efforts with a Giraffe Award, for going above and beyond.

    Honors and Certifications

    • CUMC Facilities Giraffe Award, 2016
    • Notary
  • Daisy Wen

    • Senior Analyst, Reporting Analytics, Finance and Administration

    As the senior analyst, Daisy Wen is responsible for collecting data from various University and departmental systems in order to develop and generate management and operating reports for the department. This includes the transitioning of reports into PowerBI. She also helps in the maintenance, enhancement, and end user training/support for all CUIMC Facilities Management systems. Previously, Daisy has held positions at nonprofit organizations, media companies, and her university’s athletics department.

    Daisy Wen