Full Name
Ms. Nikki Cabezas, SES
Job Title
Director, Financial Information Management
Company
U.S. Army
Speaker Bio
Ms. Erika (Nikki) Cabezas serves as the Director, Financial Information Management (FIM). She is charged with building coalitions across the Army in support of the Financial Management (FM) Campaign’s fourth line of effort to “Enhance and Embrace Essential FM Systems.” Ms. Cabezas is responsible for envisioning and delivering the future of FM capabilities through optimizing Army investments in financial information technology. She has taken on this role with a data centric lens leading digital modernization and innovation through artificial intelligence and machine learning initiatives.
Ms. Cabezas also serves as the Acting Director of the Enterprise Business Systems-Convergence (EBS-C) Multi-Functional Capabilities Team (MFCT), a cross-functional team chartered by the Undersecretary of the Army to lead the modernization of core financial management and logistic operations across the Army. EBS-C is the Army’s largest business systems transformation effort that will simplify, streamline, standardize, and unify business operations while improving auditability. Prior to her role as Acting Director, she served as the MFCT Deputy and Chief of Staff starting in March of 2020.
Prior, in January 2018, Ms. Cabezas was hired by the Department of Defense Chief Information Office (DOD CIO) as a Project Manager on the DOD Information Technology and Business Systems Reform Team. In support of the Deputy Secretary of Defense efficiency efforts, Ms. Cabezas led multiple enterprise-wide, transformational initiatives and teams, across a $6B IT portfolio to reduce total number of systems, implement category management best practices, and drive business process standardization. The efficiency effort captured $83 million in savings.
Before joining the DOD CIO as a government civilian, Ms. Cabezas worked for Booz Allen Hamilton supporting the Department of Interior Chief Information Office (DOI CIO). Ms. Cabezas led the DOI CIO’s Data Center Optimization strategy and cost savings team in support of a 6-year effort to consolidate and optimize 400+ data centers. Ms. Cabezas successfully led DOI CIO to report its first cost savings of $13.6 million and successfully raise their Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) scorecard rating from an “F” to a “B+”.
Ms. Cabezas graduated from the College of William & Mary with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. She is a Certified Scrum Product Owner and Knowledge Manager.
Career Chronology:
• Jul 2023 – Present: Acting Director, EBS-C MFCT, ASA (FM&C)
• Sep 2022 – Present: Director, Financial Information Management, ASA (FM&C)
• Aug 2020 – Sep 2022: Chief of Staff, EBS-C MFCT, ASA (FM&C)
• Jun 2019 – Jul 2020: Transformation and Modernization Portfolio Lead, ASA (FM&C)
• Jan 2018 – Jun 2019: Project Manager, United States Department of Defense
• Feb 2015 – Jan 2018: General Management Associate, Booz Allen Hamilton
College:
• Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, College of William & Mary
• Bachelor of Science in Accounting, College of William & Mary
Certifications:
• Certified Scrum Product Owner
• Certified Knowledge Manager
• Certified Change Management Professional Training
• U.S Army Executive Level Business Analytics Program
Ms. Cabezas also serves as the Acting Director of the Enterprise Business Systems-Convergence (EBS-C) Multi-Functional Capabilities Team (MFCT), a cross-functional team chartered by the Undersecretary of the Army to lead the modernization of core financial management and logistic operations across the Army. EBS-C is the Army’s largest business systems transformation effort that will simplify, streamline, standardize, and unify business operations while improving auditability. Prior to her role as Acting Director, she served as the MFCT Deputy and Chief of Staff starting in March of 2020.
Prior, in January 2018, Ms. Cabezas was hired by the Department of Defense Chief Information Office (DOD CIO) as a Project Manager on the DOD Information Technology and Business Systems Reform Team. In support of the Deputy Secretary of Defense efficiency efforts, Ms. Cabezas led multiple enterprise-wide, transformational initiatives and teams, across a $6B IT portfolio to reduce total number of systems, implement category management best practices, and drive business process standardization. The efficiency effort captured $83 million in savings.
Before joining the DOD CIO as a government civilian, Ms. Cabezas worked for Booz Allen Hamilton supporting the Department of Interior Chief Information Office (DOI CIO). Ms. Cabezas led the DOI CIO’s Data Center Optimization strategy and cost savings team in support of a 6-year effort to consolidate and optimize 400+ data centers. Ms. Cabezas successfully led DOI CIO to report its first cost savings of $13.6 million and successfully raise their Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) scorecard rating from an “F” to a “B+”.
Ms. Cabezas graduated from the College of William & Mary with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. She is a Certified Scrum Product Owner and Knowledge Manager.
Career Chronology:
• Jul 2023 – Present: Acting Director, EBS-C MFCT, ASA (FM&C)
• Sep 2022 – Present: Director, Financial Information Management, ASA (FM&C)
• Aug 2020 – Sep 2022: Chief of Staff, EBS-C MFCT, ASA (FM&C)
• Jun 2019 – Jul 2020: Transformation and Modernization Portfolio Lead, ASA (FM&C)
• Jan 2018 – Jun 2019: Project Manager, United States Department of Defense
• Feb 2015 – Jan 2018: General Management Associate, Booz Allen Hamilton
College:
• Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, College of William & Mary
• Bachelor of Science in Accounting, College of William & Mary
Certifications:
• Certified Scrum Product Owner
• Certified Knowledge Manager
• Certified Change Management Professional Training
• U.S Army Executive Level Business Analytics Program
Speaking At
