As one of the largest units at McGill, FMAS is fortunate to count on dedicated teams to perform important administrative functions, such as finance, procurement, and human resources.
Today, we introduce you to the Financial Services for Facilities Management (FSFM) team. They play an essential role in the support of our units by overseeing the operating budget and expenditures as well as the capital expenditures, which include expenses falling under project management such as construction and renovation.
The team monitors and approves operating funds, validating that our units’ spending is in accordance with McGill policies and regulations.
“You can see us as the financial ghostwriters of FMAS,” says Luana Sorella, Director, FSFM. “There is a financial side to all our operations, and we are making sure that these transactions tell the right story, matching the obligations of our FMAS units.”
FMAS is required to submit financial reports to the federal and provincial governments, as well as internally, as part of the University’s governance processes. FSFM’s role is to ensure reporting is done timely and accurately.
The FSFM team is located on the 11th floor of 1010 Sherbrooke and is proud to have recently achieved the Silver-level Sustainable Workplace Certification. “We strongly support the University’s goal to reach the highest sustainability rating and we are doing our part to help achieve it,” says Sorella.
Luana Sorella
Director
Joined McGill in July 2009 and FSFM in March 2018
Luana provides strategic short- and long-term plans for the FSFM team so the unit can best support FMAS regarding operating and capital expenditures. “Although our unit reports into Financial Services, we feel so welcomed and appreciated by our surrogate FMAS family,” she says.
Fun fact(s): On August 28, 2012, Luana, along with many other McGillians, entered the Guinness Book of World Records by creating the largest fruit salad, weighing 11,197 lbs. (about 5078.87 kg). Half of the fruit used was grown at the Macdonald Campus farm.
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Tara Wilkins
Associate Director
Joined McGill in September 2013 and FSFM in August 2021
Along with Luana, Tara oversees the FSFM team. She compiles multiple internal and external financial reports while ensuring the accurate recording and reporting of the University’s financial position.
Fun fact(s): Tara played rugby when she was younger and continues to be a big fan of the sport. She has attended three editions of the Rugby World Cup. “In 2023, I’m going to a fourth World Cup, this time in France,” she says.
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Marc Leroux
Supervisor
Joined McGill in August 1993 and FSFM in 1995
Marc supervises the accounts payable, payroll and billings functions for all FMAS units except Project Management. “I also take care of various accounting functions for FSFM like quarterly and year-end accruals and the annual energy report to the Quebec government,” he says. In addition, his team works together with the Facilities Call Centre (FCC) to ensure that the FAMIS functions operate properly to capture all possible billings transactions.
Fun fact(s): (Well, maybe not so fun for us...) After almost 30 years at McGill, Marc will be retiring at the end of March 2023. “I also enjoy fruit salad when available,” he adds.
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Linda Augello
Supervisor
Joined McGill in 2005 and FSFM in March 2023
Linda is the newest member of the FSFM team; she will replace Marc when he retires.
Fun fact(s): Linda enjoys spending time outdoors and has recently taken up Nordic Walking in her Pointe Claire neighbourhood. “I also enjoy baking and creating special treats for my little grandson,” she adds.
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Rosella De Stefano
Supervisor
Joined McGill in September 2003 and FSFM in September 2022
Rosella manages the team of accounts administrators working on FMAS’ capital projects. She participates in the financial administration of the projects and analyzes, prepares, and reviews financial data for internal and external reporting.
Fun fact(s): Rosie enjoys listening to many genres of music, but glam/hard rock and heavy metal is what she always gravitated to. “I still have all my concert ticket stubs to prove it!” she says.
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Karen Brown
Senior Accounts Administrator
Joined McGill in May 2009
Karen is the liaison between the administrative coordinators and FCC. She ensures that vendors’ invoices are processed, and any inquiries are resolved. She is also responsible for the reconciliation of all FMAS PCard expenses, credit cards assigned to a few authorized McGill employees.
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Yooklin Wong
Fund Administrator
Yooklin is part of the team supporting Project Management. She creates and administers funds for capital projects and capital equipment in Unifier, the online platform McGill uses to manage project portfolios. Each project has a project number and corresponding fund in the finance system to track all expenses related to the projects.
Fun fact(s): “I enjoyed some of the fruit salad from Luana’s entry in the Guiness Book of World Records,” she says. “As well as many other tasty and memorable events over the years.”
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Rizana Saif
Accounts Administrator
Joined McGill in 2017 and FSFM in February 2020
Rizana processes invoices for payment and manages financial tasks related to Project Management in Unifier such as approving changes in purchase orders and purchase requisitions. A change order can mean a change in price or additional services that need to be added to the order.
Fun fact(s): Rizana likes trying out new recipes and often likes to share her cooking.
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Nazanin Alimohamadi
Accounts Administrator
Joined McGill in November 2022
Nazanin is part of the team working on the operating budget and expenditures. She validates billing through FAMIS and prepares reports for the different units regarding their billing. She also processes invoices.
Fun fact(s): Nazanin loves cooking and baking as well. “I have two little assistants who help me in the kitchen,” she says.
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Roxana Araujo
Accounts Administrator
Joined McGill in December 2022
Roxana is responsible for managing payroll relating to overtime and premiums for the powerhouse and Building Services employees. She also processes energy invoices and supports the handling of invoices of other FMAS units.
Fun fact(s): In her spare time, Roxana used to crochet, which she taught herself. She likes making things to wear like cardigans and ponchos and hopes to pick it back up when she has more time.
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Tania Lacroix
Accounts Administrator
Joined McGill in December 2022
Tania works with Project Management. She processes invoices and changes in purchase orders, for example by updating the purchase order with extra funds to process additional invoices. She also supports the handling of invoices for the other FMAS units.
Fun fact(s): Tania has a lot of plants at home. “I want my apartment to look like a jungle,” she says. “Hopefully this summer I will succeed in doing so!”