SARAH E.

McELWEE
14719 Desert Sage Drive 913/219-1322
Herriman, UT 84096 sm9f3b9a@westpost.net
Vice President - Customer Service/Operations
PROFILE
High-caliber, seasoned leadership experience as a Customer Champion, Sales Evang
elist and Change Agent in client relations, partner enablement, professional ser
vices, process design and new business growth in deadline-driven, mission-critic
al environments for high-tech and service-oriented US businesses.
* Proficient as a top project manager and cross-discipline team leader in all as
pects of the business growth process, including competitive analysis, brand posi
tioning, resource allocation, requirements identification, sales support and cus
tomer relationship building.
* Unique combination of technical leadership and business acumen with solid conf
idence in translating business needs into technology-based solutions and driving
significant market penetration.
* Innovative development and implementation of successful multiple product intro
duction, and high-impact business plans with a visionary approach.
* Expertise in ensuring delivery of diverse product/service sales, high-growth r
evenue results and corporate management tools; fully familiar with P&L, budgetin
g and margin expansion.
* Effective hiring, management, deployment, and development of top-notch talent
at staff and field levels; motivation of teams to achieve top performance, penet
rate competitive markets, maintain peak quality services and meet aggressive bus
iness objectives.
* Multi-tasking talents in team building, organization, needs analysis, process
improvements and attention to detail in time-sensitive situations
* Extensive background in application and program design for a wide range of ind
ustry segments in enterprise, corporate, consumer and SMB markets.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Strategic Planning * Services Enablement * Cost Controls * Profit Optimization *
Start-Up Operations * On-time Deliverables * Stakeholder Communications * Proj
ect Accountability * Process Improvements * P&L/Budgeting * Operational Streamli
ning * Client Relations * Change Management * Outsourcing
EMPLOYMENT & ACCOMPLISHMENTS

McElwee Management, LLC, Salt Lake City, UT July 2010 - Present

President
Independent consultant providing services to small, medium and large business, f
ocused on improving operations and the customer experience. Current clients inc
lude independent call center providers and financial services firms across the U
nited States. Special expertise includes unit cost improvement and the recruiti
ng of talent to maximize performance, associate and client satisfaction. Work i
ncludes business development and relationship management to provide new leads an
d generate new business for client growth.
SARAH E. McElwee Page Two

H&R Block, Salt Lake City, UT 2002 - 2010

Vice President/Managing Director, 2007-2010
In charge of overseeing all business operations for 869 retail tax preparation o
utlets in an 11-state Northwest Division, representing $289 million in annual re
venue, net profits of $104 million and 35% margin for this $1 billion Fortune 50
0 company. Build and manage a team of 6 regional directors and 6 divisional supp
ort staff with 64 district managers and over 8,000 seasonal associates. Provide
a comprehensive branded customer experience, streamline business processes and c
ontinually improve operating efficiencies. Inculcate a growth-oriented environme
nt to set criteria and achieve the highest levels of customer satisfaction withi
n acceptable levels of cost and productivity. Expertise in sales support, projec
t budgets, cost controls, executive reporting and quality assurance. Fully famil
iar with HR, IT, Operations, Finance, Marketing and Training areas. Primary poin
t of contact for enterprise-wide troubleshooting and problem resolution.
* Succeeded in improving profit margin for the Division by 250 basis points for
every year over 3 straight years by reducing expenses, consolidating processes a
nd eliminating redundant headcount.
* Instituted a wide range of senior leadership development strategies based on t
alent-based theory, including 9-Block review, succession planning and better rec
ruiting policies.
* Greatly enhanced screening, recruiting, hiring and training procedures for all
seasonal tax professional associates from 2006 forward.
Vice President - Tax Professional Experience, 2006-2007
Responsible for directing all aspects of the design and execution to support rec
ruiting, training and compensation programs for 100,000 seasonal tax professiona
ls. Managed 5 managers, 65 full-time associates and a $5 million expense budget,
based at the company HQ in Kansas City, MO.
* Fully revised the entire tax professional compensation plan across all corpora
te locations, orienting all franchisees and streamlining bonus, incentive and co
mmission plans.
* Defined and initiated a strategy to identify and promote high-performing staff
, enhance assessment efforts and facilitate pilots in different districts.
* Established the framework to create and grow the Tax Institute, including webs
ite design, Board approval, resource allocation and pilot execution.
Vice President - Customer Service Centers, 2002-2006
Oversaw all telephone service support for tax retail and digital clients across
the US, representing $10 million in revenue and 3 million calls. Trained, motiva
ted and supervised 5 directors, 40 team leaders, 400 seasonal associates and 2,0
00 employees at 3 outsourced vendor partners.
* Introduced key metrics that significantly enhanced support for business units
in terms of service accountability and cost efficiencies, improving cost-per-con
tact by 300%.
* Consolidated all call from 6,000 retail tax offices to a single IVR platform a
nd created a consistently positive service experience for callers to 1-800-HRBLO
CK.
* Also tasked with helping additional business units, including Tax Cut software
and Online Client services, with new outsourcing contracts and on-boarding 3 ne
w vendor partners, saving $1 million in center costs.
America Online Inc. (AOL), Ogden, UT 1999 - 2002
General Manager - Call Center
Headed up all 24/7 call center operations with 4 department managers, 20 supervi
sors and 1,000 full/part-time associates in a $6 million matrixed organization.
Full coordination of strategic planning, process improvements, and program imple
mentation into very competitive markets. Expertise in the complete project mana
gement process.
* Ranked as the #1 call center nationally in client retention rates in 2000-2001
; first unit in company history to achieve a 90% customer satisfaction rate.
* Expanded the number of calls handled by each associate by 50%, while improving
employee satisfaction survey scores by 20% and reducing staff attrition by 15%.
* Efficiently migrated the call center through a Y2K conversion from 1999-2000 w
ith no issues or downtime in all 6 domestic locations and a remote call center i
n Manila, Philippines.
* Established a talent management process, including quarterly 9-Block reviews a
nd development plans, for all direct reports and all "people leaders" at this lo
cation.
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE
* Employed in progressively higher positions of increasing management impact and
responsibility in retail sales and financial services with Discover Card.
* Initially hired as Management Trainee and gained hands-on expertise in sales t
echniques, customer satisfaction, process improvements, business development and
executive reporting.
EDUCATION
Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH
B.A. Degree in Bacteriology; minor in Economics.
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
* Hold NASD Series 7 & 24 Licenses.
* Member of the National Association of Professional Business Women and the Camb
ridge Who's Who of American Business.