Audra brings over 20 years of business operations acumen and a unique background of project administration, customer service, finance, data management, and event planning to her role with GGC.
Before joining GGC, Audra worked for over 10 years as the Franchise Finance Coordinator for KFC Corporation, where, as a franchisee liaison, she managed franchisee accounts and operational support, driving the delinquency rate to almost zero while maintaining 100% engagement with franchisees. In handling defaults, transfer processes, and site registration she worked closely with Yum! Control and KFC Accounts Receivable, and she was the sole liaison with the Treasurer of the National Council and Advertising Cooperative to collect delinquent advertising fee balances. Audra was also a public relations specialist for Yum! Brands, Inc.’s Government and Community Affairs, coordinating all aspects of their corporate and foundation giving to national and local nonprofit organizations. During her time there, she administered the Yum! Brands Foundation’s matching gift program, awarding $800K+ in annual charitable giving on behalf of Yum!’s employees. She was also personally involved in fundraising for Family Scholar House, an organization supporting single parents on their journey to obtain a college degree. When introduced to the SMART® Student Health and Wellness Model, Audra was inspired and excited about the potential for reaching not only one family at a time, but entire school systems and communities. She believes wholeheartedly that education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty and attaining success in life.
As SMART® Operations Coordinator, Audra connects with key GGC and SMART® stakeholders and partners, managing special events; overseeing the CEO’s calendar, GGC travel, and budgets; supporting the CFO and Corporate Counsel’s human resource functions and executing agreements; and overseeing purchasing and invoicing while building the infrastructure required to support GGC during this time of unprecedented growth. In addition, Audra oversees purchasing and invoicing for SMART® FAITHworks and provides administrative support for the SMART® FAITHworks President.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian Studies / Japanese Language from DePauw University and earned a post-baccalaureate Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from the University of Louisville while working full-time as a Public Relations Specialist for YUM! Brands.
