TAMIU Employee Earns CPP Designation

A Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) employee, Denisse Garza, intermediate budget analyst, has earned designation as a Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) after successfully passing a rigorous exam. 

She is the second TAMIU employee to earn the prestigious designation, joining a select group of more than 10,000 CPP professionals who bring a high level of experience and knowledge to strategic payroll management to better facilitate overall goals.

Garza said she was impressed and encouraged by her colleague Christy Martínez, senior budget analyst, the first TAMIU employee to pass the CPP exam.

“When I first started in the Office of Budget, Payroll & Fiscal Analysis, Christy, then a Payroll Analyst, had just taken and passed the CPP exam.  Because I was so impressed at the level of knowledge she had and how she was able to apply it to make our office more efficient and, more importantly, compliant -- I knew the CPP certification was something I wanted to pursue.  As soon as I became eligible to take the exam, my director, Fred Juarez, TAMIU Office of Budget, Payroll and Fiscal Analysis, encouraged me to start studying,” Garza explained.

Juarez said having two members of his staff CPP-designated distinguishes his office.

“Both Denisse and Christy have demonstrated their keen understanding of the dynamics of payroll and are at the leading edge of our profession.  We believe that they may be the only such recently designated professionals in our immediate area,” Juarez said.

Garza studied  “The Payroll Source” for three months and took a one-week long course recommended by the American Payroll Association (APA). A four-hour, 190 question online exam followed.

She said the experience has expanded her abilities and enhanced her understanding of the dynamic world of payroll.

“Over the last couple of years, I have learned that payroll encompasses so much more than what people think.  It can be very complex, and regulations are constantly changing. In order to remain in compliance and up-to-date on the latest payroll and tax trends, it’s very important to seek opportunities to enhance your knowledge.  With the CPP designation, I feel I’m better able to play an active role in assisting our office with complex payroll issues while remaining within tax compliance,” she noted.

She said this positive experience would prompt her to seek other opportunities for professional advancement.

“I am always looking for ways to better my professional career, as well as my department and the University, so I am open to any opportunities that come my way,” she said.

For additional information, contact the TAMIU Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at 956.326.2180, email prmis@tamiu.edu, click on tamiu.edu or visit offices in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, Suite 268.

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