FACES {People who make UNC Charlotte a great place to be}
Name: Anne-Marie Mills
Title: Administrative Associate, Advanced
Department: Urban Institute
Location: Colvard Building, Room 1043A
Numbers, statistics, demographic research – virtually any type of data fascinates Anne-Marie Mills.
As a student at Wake Technical Community College, the Iredell County native “fell in love” with research methods and data collection. After obtaining an associate’s degree in criminal justice, Mills transferred to UNC Charlotte to complete a bachelor’s degree.
Following graduation, Mills worked for Unison, a local company that manufactured power transformers. She helped manage a database that tracked production and shipment. In 1992, Mills joined the University, first in the Belk College of Business. After about three years, she noticed an opening with the Urban Institute. Because of her fascination with demographic data and research, Mills thought the Urban Institute would be a perfect fit. She applied for the job but wasn’t hired. She repeated the process a few months later – same result. A third opening at the institute proved to be the charm.
“At this point, I swear they must have said just give her the job. We’re tired of her applying,” said Mills.
During the next 10 years, Mills served as a research associate doing work for a range of client agencies and organizations on a variety of research projects. Some of the work involved continuing projects and centers like RENCI at UNC Charlotte, transportation information management systems (TIMS) and the Center for Transportation Policy Studies.
Three years ago, Mills assumed her current position within the institute. She deals with the financial aspects of research grants and contracts.
“I’m a numbers nerd,” Mills stated jokingly. “I develop spreadsheets and databases that crunch the figures to see how much money we have in grants and contracts.”
Mills, together with Marsha Armes, business manager, and Lisa Shepherd, a fellow administrative associate, oversees all financial aspects of the institute. “Just like on ‘Deal or No Deal,’ we’re the bankers.”
Given the scope and complexity of the institute’s projects, Mills said it is a challenge to track all the financials and adhere to the various policies and procedures, but technology is making it easier.
“With the funding agencies, we have to read and review the contracts closely to ensure that the money is allocated properly,” stated Mills. “Each agency has different requirements and stipulations on how funding is spent. We have to be very careful with every project – no two are the same.”
Mills really enjoys being part of the Urban Institute. Given the nature of the work – which is project-driven, there is a great deal of scheduling flexibility to accomplish the job. “This is such a great group of people to work with – we’re quite the cast of characters.”
When she’s not crunching numbers or delving into data, Mills is an avid reader. Her favorite genre is horror stories, especially the works of Stephen King. An insulin-dependent diabetic, Mills also is active with the American Diabetes Association. Each year, she helps the local chapter with fund-raisers.
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