ELAINE ORTIZ, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, DFAS CLEVELAND

Elaine Ortiz is the Deputy Site Director, Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) Cleveland.  She supports the day-to-day operations conducted by more than 2,500 accounting and finance personnel for the Department of Defense.

DFAS Cleveland personnel pay the operational expenses for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The site provides pay support to 3.6 million people, including active duty, reserve and civilian employees of the Navy, Marine Corps, Department of Energy, Health and Human Services and the Broadcast Board of Governors, as well as military retirees and annuitants from all four Service branches.  DFAS Cleveland processes over 65 percent of all DFAS disbursements in approximately 8M-10M transactions per month, totaling $25.9 billion.

Ms. Ortiz served as the Chief of Staff for the DFAS Cleveland site from December 2018 until she assumed her present position in June 2020. She was responsible for ensuring senior site leadership executed operational objectives in accordance with the Agency’s mission, vision, and goals.  She identified efficiencies/task reductions to ensure budget neutrality in resourcing the Department of Navy’s (DoN) transformation initiatives.

From April 2016 to December 2018, Ms. Ortiz was the Director of Departmental Reporting, Accounting Operations, DFAS Cleveland, where she oversaw 300 personnel and all tasks related to the Department of Navy Budget Execution, Audited Financial Statements, Treasury Reporting, and Field Level Accounting. Under her leadership, DFAS maintained financial records of more than $800B for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps, and provided oversight to annual processing and accounting of $385B in disbursements and collections.  Ms. Ortiz received the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) Financial Management Award for journal voucher reduction efforts totaling $12T.  Additionally, she received the Federal Executive Board Wings of Excellence for establishing a collaborative effort with Navy and Marine Corps customers to increase timeliness and accuracy of financial statements, allowing for a reduction in the Navy reporting timeline.

Prior to this assignment, Ms. Ortiz served as the Deputy Director of Audit Readiness, DFAS Cleveland. In this role, she had oversight responsibility for ensuring support for all U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps audit initiatives and requirements.  She was responsible for advising and consulting senior leaders and operational managers on all internal control deliverables and audit recommendations.  

Ms. Ortiz is an accomplished, results oriented leader that brings over 20 years of experience supporting Department of Defense financial management, as demonstrated through accomplishments in operational management, employee engagement, and improved customer service. She has a Bachelor of Science in Computer and Information Science from Cleveland State University, and is a member of the American Society of Military Comptrollers, holding the CDFM certification.

She entered into the Senior Executive Service in June 2020.