The Finance Division and its campus partners are celebrating a remarkable year of innovation and collaboration, as evidenced by the outstanding teams nominated for the 2026 IT Community Awards. These nominations highlight the critical behind-the-scenes work that powers NC State’s digital transformation and operational efficiency.

Two major initiatives led by cross-functional teams from across the university have been recognized for their contributions to Operational Excellence: the Cross-functional ServiceNow Team and the Enterprise Application Services (EAS) Financials and University Partners Team.

The Cross-Functional ServiceNow Team: Modernizing Enterprise Service Management

Nominated by Jennifer Domnick, this team has been instrumental in building a future-ready foundation for digital services at NC State. Rather than focusing on a single tool, the team executed four parallel strategies to modernize how the university manages knowledge and data:

• Modern Service Portals: Advancing ServiceNow portals as a consistent digital front door for campus services.
• Knowledge Management Automation: Partnering with the Finance Division to transition approximately 1,200 knowledge articles from WordPress into a governed ServiceNow environment.
• Governance and Community: Establishing a Knowledge Management Community of Practice to ensure consistent standards and shared ownership across campus.
• Analytics and AI Readiness: Creating a repeatable framework for service metrics and building the trusted foundation required for responsible, AI-powered Virtual Agents.

Team Members: Nik Davlantis (TSS), Maria Fister (Finance), Fernanda D’Amorim (EAS), Rashmika Gundu (EAS), Grace Hatterschide (DELTA), Q Peiffer (DELTA). Not in the picture: Raquel Johnson (EAS), Terrence Porretto (Shared Services) and Sarah Clements (OCC).

The EAS Financials and University Partners Team: Transforming Financial Workflows

Nominated by Ron Reed, this massive collaborative effort turned a request for a quick fix into a total system transformation. Under the leadership of Yessy Mendoza-Tate and FJ Kutch, the team addressed systemic inefficiencies in the Financial System that were causing frustration for campus units. 

Key achievements include:

• Process Optimization: Analyzing transaction data to streamline and eliminate redundant steps in the approval process.
• System Redesign: Replacing legacy Worklist tiles and pages with a more intuitive, user-friendly interface.
• Broad Impact: Improving daily workflows for thousands of users across 15 transaction categories, including travel, PCard statements and campus vouchers.

Key Partners: This project involved experts from the Office of Information Technology (OIT) EAS, the University Controller’s Office, Procurement and Business Services, the Office of Post Award Financial Services, the University Budget Office, Foundations Accounting and Investments, the Graduate School, and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Business Operations.

We are incredibly proud of these nominees for their proactive leadership and commitment to delivering immediate value while positioning the university for sustainable innovation. For more information on the awards and a full list of categories, visit the 2026 IT Community Awards page.