Amervis Lopez Cobb

Amervis Cobb, MBA, PMP 📞 - | 📧-| Las Vegas, NV 89118 Executive Summary Technology Integration | Transformational Change Leadership | Strategic Planning & EXECUTION    Accomplished executive offering extensive track record of success steering strategy development, project management and service / system implementations within technology, gaming and casino and hospitality. Results-oriented change agent with a diverse background in the private and public sector spanning 3 decades & 20+ years of leadership, transforming companies such as MGM Resorts International, Everi & International Game Technology (IGT). A Project & Portfolio Management (PPM) authority with demonstrated leadership capabilities, specializing in the facilitation of strategic plan optimization, reliable project execution, and continuous process improvements. Expert in navigating across organizations and demonstrating the courage to lead. Strong process orientation and ability to effectively manage multiple competing priorities in a systematic way, providing clarity and focus to achieve results. Skilled in the design and management of frameworks and plans that foster collaboration with business leaders and resource alignment required to drive effective change at all levels, mitigate risks before they turn into issues, and integrate strategy, financials, and operations. Ability to oversee multiple line of business and organization needs, and direct resource teams toward timely and cost-effective goal achievement while ensuring compliance with management practices and regulatory requirements. In depth proficiency with PMI Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) standards, Microsoft Office, Project Visio & CA PPM Clarity. Core Competencies Cost & Expense Control Strategic Leadership Change Management Program & PPM Design Communications RFP & Contract Negotiations Resource Management Legal/Compliance Management Issue & Risk Management Process Engineering Strategic Planning & Execution Request, Change & Problem Mgt. Recent Leadership Experience February 2019 - Present • AMERVIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC • Las Vegas, NV Chief Speaker, Trainer and Consultant October 2017 - February 2019 • Everi Holdings Inc., • Las Vegas, NV Vice President, Project Management Office (PMO) Delivered strategic leadership of the Project Management Office (PMO), built new team to steer planning and execution of all IT deliverables, set scope, schedule, and budget targets and addressed recovery of at-risk projects and technical operations deficiencies. Led the definition, documentation and communication of standard roles and responsibilities. Established a formal PMO including defining PPM methodology and lifecycle, as well as establishing reusable project charters, requirements, testing plans and project plan templates. Introduced an initial high-level requirements stage to address ambiguity in requests for initial feasibility review. Leveraged solid financial management skills to plan and monitor budgets, collaborating with Finance on the submittal and approval of purchase orders after initial feasibility review estimates and concurrence from affected stakeholder resource groups. Collaborated cross-functionally with operations, development teams, engineers, and architects, contributing to new solutions presentations to customers and the Board. Played an integral role in establishing integrated Architecture Reviews & Information Security Risk Assessments prior to scope, schedule, and cost commitments. Deployed PPM system to include full visibility of all IT work, simplifying and automating Business Planning and Project Management Processes. Worked closely with executive leadership team, preparing, and presenting reports addressing new opportunities and PMO initiative updates to the Board of Directors. Facilitated change management and continuous process improvement feedback. September 2016 - October 2017 • Boyd Gaming • Las Vegas, NV Director of PMO Collaborated with IT and Business Leaders to define and implement an IT governance structure and standard core processes. Centralized initiatives in new system used to address new pipeline requests through selection, prioritization and management of initiatives based on business objectives, providing end to end transparency and visibility to drive funding and escalation decisions. Managed budget of >$50M in capital while growing PMO team from four to twenty-eight resources focused on top priorities. Created summary reports and responded to Board of Directors’ concerns at monthly and ad-hoc meetings. June 2016 - September 2016 • Caesar’s entertainment • Las Vegas, NV Senior Director of Marketing Portfolio Managed projects and project teams to ensure strategic alignment with Corporate Marketing business partners. Developed appropriate and measurable objectives as well as project planning estimates to track progress to completion. Gained consensus among resources to build project teams focused on meeting and exceeding customer service expectations. Administered, and reevaluated the marketing portfolio, demonstrating ownership and responsibility for the quality and precision of all project deliverables, and more importantly, collaboration across the organization to meet defined business objectives. Identified opportunities for improvement, illustrated issues, identified root cause, and presented potential resolution and/or mitigation options. April 2013 - April 2016 • MGM Resorts International • Las Vegas, NV Executive Director, Governance & PMO Rejoined MGM and reduced SOX regulatory/compliance deficiencies as well as mentored and resolved employee issues. Defined and instituted financial management for higher ROI, reduced classification errors and increases in project capitalization. Led Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) & Application Rationalization initiatives to reduce capital expenses, support, & administration costs & retain performance, security, & reliability; delivered over 100 projects in 3-year period. June 2011 - March 2013 • International Game Technology (IGT) • Las Vegas, NV Manager of Program Management Played an integral leadership role in directing implementations for major clients that included MGM Macau and Revel, steering domestic and global projects such as those in Asia and NJ. Managed and coordinated geographically dispersed teams from entire supply chain from new business development to accounts receivables. Led teams responsible for development, testing, and support and coordinated with all department heads accountable for evaluating new opportunities and systems delivery. Worked within a matrixed managed organization to lead Sales, Professional Services, Field Services, Product Management, Compliance, Engineering, QA, & Support, remotely steering activities to develop and deliver casino management systems, and meet area specific compliance requirements, driving actions that resulted in recognizing $15 million in revenue. Quarterbacked full project/program lifecycle from initiation to delivery, fostering and strengthening relationships with clients to ensure accuracy in understanding of needs and expectations, and the development of solutions to meet them. Managed all aspects of SDLC from inception to deployment, reducing management interventions by streamlining & standardizing initiation, cost estimation and reporting. Efficiently and strategically managed staffing and resources for programs and projects to optimize progress, quality, and compliance with expectations, while delivering cost-efficiency. Delivered weekly reports to executive teams, updating them on project progress, and issues resolution. October 2006 - April 2011 • MGM Resorts International • Las Vegas, NV Manager of Project Management Office (PMO) Process and Governance Led first implementation of the PMO, introducing SOX compliant stage-gating initiative entrance criteria and management records tracking, directing project managers, IT management, and contractors to establish and ensure project timelines, resources and expectations were clearly communicated and managed. Steered organization on delivery over 200 infrastructure & business initiatives. Implemented robust structures, processes, and tools to optimize the monitoring and tracking of implementations, driving efficiency in meeting, key milestones, budget, quality, and compliance requirements delivered by over 400-800 IT FTE & T&M resources. Facilitated regular meetings with internal IT team, including development, QA, and deployment delivery as well as vendor executives, and MGM Sponsors, ensuring clear communication of project statuses, reporting and issue resolution. Managed IT finances by working closely with Finance teams to ensure efficient cost management policies, processes & SOP. Developed, maintained, trained, and retrained affected IT system users on policy, processes, procedures, metrics, and tools. Established a cross functional team of 20 representing the entire organization, charted to govern and deliver technology projects. Desire for improvement and willingness to grow careers; open to receiving and providing feedback, mentoring, and coaching. Education & Professional Credentials Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in Strategic Management • Regis University, Henderson, NV Project Management Institute (PMI)’s Project Management Professional (PMP®) Certification • #52775 Gartner PPM & IT Governance, CA World & CAMP IT Portfolio Management Conferences 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Signature Program • Stephen Covey, Las Vegas, NV Total Quality Management (TQM) Program • American Management Association (AMA), Philadelphia, PA Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration • Pierce College, Philadelphia, PA