The Sedgwick County Division of Finance is at the epicenter of the COVID-19 response in Kansas. Led by Chief Finance Officer, Lindsay Poe Rousseau, the Department of Finance serves a population of about 500,000 with approximately 2,800 employees. The County spends roughly $330 million annually to provide a full range of public services. In addition to that tall order, Poe Rousseau's office faces the challenge of managing over $99 million more in federal COVID-19 Relief Funding allocated as part of the CARES Act.

Mandy Estes is the revenue manager for the Sedgwick County division of finance, where her team of finance and public administration professionals track requests, vet expenditures and maintain accurate reporting.

When asked about the challenge of managing this task, she replied, "We brought on consultants to help advise us, and because the federal regulations on the use of CARES money are very complicated and seem to be changing all the time, it was a good move, but we still need more help."

Estes, a Wichita State alum, said she thought it would be a great opportunity for Wichita State students to discover what the county is going through during these unique times, so she reached out to Lance Minor, with the Wichita State Shocker Career Accelerator.

“With the coaching and additional training students receive from the Shocker Career Accelerator, I knew we were going to get high-quality candidates who are serious about what we are doing,” Estes said. “It saved us time because we don't have to focus as much on bringing the interns up to speed."

Estes and the division of finance needed students with accounting backgrounds, strong initiative and exceptional organizational skills to fill two positions—a Finance Reporting Assistant and a Purchasing Assistant.

She noted, "We are working remotely almost 100%, so I need to know our applied learning interns can handle working on their own. I also need them to be accurate because there will be audits, and we want to do things right."

They selected graduate student, Yiqing Lin, and Junior, Rondalee Winship, from the Wichita State Barton School of Business.

When asked why they were excited about joining the team, Lin replied, "My family runs a small business, and we've applied for the Paycheck Protection Program, so I know how hard it is to navigate that process. I think it's a great chance to get involved in the process, and I'm sure it will add to my accounting experience."

Winship explained, "I interned at Envision and enjoyed working with accountants in the Accounts Payable department. This position will be similar to the work I've done before, but more challenging. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to learn and get hands-on work experience."

Lance Minor, Employer and Student Coordinator with the Shocker Career Accelerator, said he is excited about the partnership with Sedgwick County.

"Sedgwick County employs thousands of people who work in a wide range of professional and technical areas,” Minor said. “I'm excited about our partnership with them because it opens up a large population of our students to participate in the applied learning work model. We want to expand chances for all Wichita State students to earn while they learn."

Other departments within Sedgwick County are participating in the applied learning work model too. 

"We are working to place additional students with the Central Plains Area Agency on Aging, including the Sedgwick County Department on Aging,” Minor added. “They have designed opportunities for our students to help with quality assurance and marketing and community outreach.”

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Learn more about Sedgwick County and Applied Learning with the Shocker Career Accelerator.

Wichita State's applied learning program gives students hands-on, paid experience with industry partners, helping them build careers before graduation.

For more information, contact the Shocker Career Accelerator at (316) 978-3688, SCA@wichita.edu, or visit wichita.edu/Career. You can also stop by in person at the Marcus Welcome Center, Suite 139, on the Wichita State campus.