Monique Sullivan James
Operations Director
Monique Sullivan James serves as the Operations Director at the Center for Regional Strategies (CRS), where she oversees all aspects of fiscal management. Her responsibilities include budget planning, financial reporting, and ensuring effective fiscal systems are in place for CRS and its community-based partners. Monique leads the coordination and administration of all subawards, nonprofit and consultant contracts, as well as financial tracking and reporting to funders. She also provides project-related operational support across a range of initiatives in economic development, workforce development, urban planning, and small business.
Prior to joining CRS, Monique was the Associate Director of Operations at the UB Regional Institute (UBRI), where she managed fiscal operations and provided support for major community-based initiatives, including East Side Avenues.
Her earlier experience includes work with the Buffalo, NY office of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a national community development finance intermediary. At LISC, she successfully wrote and managed over $6.7 million in planning and operating grants, project investments, and consultant contracts. Monique has also held key roles in both the public and private sectors, including with the City of Buffalo, KeyBank, and Kensington-Bailey Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc., gaining extensive experience in accounting, finance, customer relations, and community engagement.
With over 20 years of industry-related experience, Monique brings deep expertise in working with nonprofit organizations, financial institutions, philanthropic organizations, foundations, and government funders.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Buffalo.