Andrijana Bilbija
Program Management Consultant at Housing and Neighborhood Development Services (HANDS)- Claim this Profile
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Bosnian Professional working proficiency
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Croatian Professional working proficiency
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Serbian Professional working proficiency
Topline Score
Bio
Elliott D. Lee
It was a rewarding 2 ½-year experience managing and working with Andrijana to advance the community revitalization mission of HANDS Inc., based in Orange, NJ. As an E.D. launching three economic empowerment programs during 2020-21, I needed to add to my small staff a smart, resourceful—and affordable—multi-tasker to coordinate those pilots and fully deploy a robust data management system to assess their impact. I was able to hire Andrijana from a year-long fellowship program offered by Princeton AlumniCorps, a nonprofit that places graduating seniors with nonprofits located in several regions of the U.S. Andrijana’s first-year performance exceeded my expectations. From day one, she began to learn the organization’s history, understand her colleagues’ roles and responsibilities, and cultivate relationships with community stakeholders. Andrijana began to improve the data management system and assist colleagues to use the system’s impact-measurement tools. She began learning about the various aspects of the design, development and implementation of the pilot programs. And she led our efforts to reinvigorate HANDS’ social media presence and website functionality. Andrijana’s steady performance in these areas earned her the respect of her colleagues and our community partners. Near the end of her fellowship year, I offered—and Andrijana accepted-- the opportunity to become HANDS’ Program Manager. Over the course of the next 18 months, Andrijana successfully managed completion of the first phase of two of the pilot programs. The results from the pilots convinced funders to provide another round of support to continue and expand the programs. Since retiring at the end of 2022, I understand that Andrijana has continued to add real value to the organization and to the community.
Khady Ndiaye
I had the pleasure of working with Andrijana during their time at HANDS. From day one, it was clear that she was a dedicated and hardworking individual with a strong desire to learn. Throughout her time at HANDS, she demonstrated exceptional skills in program coordination, data management, and leadership. One of Andriana's greatest strengths is her ability to collaborate effectively with others and her willingness to learn. She always brought a positive attitude to the team and worked well with colleagues of all levels. She is a talented and dedicated individual who would be a valuable addition to any team.
Elliott D. Lee
It was a rewarding 2 ½-year experience managing and working with Andrijana to advance the community revitalization mission of HANDS Inc., based in Orange, NJ. As an E.D. launching three economic empowerment programs during 2020-21, I needed to add to my small staff a smart, resourceful—and affordable—multi-tasker to coordinate those pilots and fully deploy a robust data management system to assess their impact. I was able to hire Andrijana from a year-long fellowship program offered by Princeton AlumniCorps, a nonprofit that places graduating seniors with nonprofits located in several regions of the U.S. Andrijana’s first-year performance exceeded my expectations. From day one, she began to learn the organization’s history, understand her colleagues’ roles and responsibilities, and cultivate relationships with community stakeholders. Andrijana began to improve the data management system and assist colleagues to use the system’s impact-measurement tools. She began learning about the various aspects of the design, development and implementation of the pilot programs. And she led our efforts to reinvigorate HANDS’ social media presence and website functionality. Andrijana’s steady performance in these areas earned her the respect of her colleagues and our community partners. Near the end of her fellowship year, I offered—and Andrijana accepted-- the opportunity to become HANDS’ Program Manager. Over the course of the next 18 months, Andrijana successfully managed completion of the first phase of two of the pilot programs. The results from the pilots convinced funders to provide another round of support to continue and expand the programs. Since retiring at the end of 2022, I understand that Andrijana has continued to add real value to the organization and to the community.
Khady Ndiaye
I had the pleasure of working with Andrijana during their time at HANDS. From day one, it was clear that she was a dedicated and hardworking individual with a strong desire to learn. Throughout her time at HANDS, she demonstrated exceptional skills in program coordination, data management, and leadership. One of Andriana's greatest strengths is her ability to collaborate effectively with others and her willingness to learn. She always brought a positive attitude to the team and worked well with colleagues of all levels. She is a talented and dedicated individual who would be a valuable addition to any team.
Elliott D. Lee
It was a rewarding 2 ½-year experience managing and working with Andrijana to advance the community revitalization mission of HANDS Inc., based in Orange, NJ. As an E.D. launching three economic empowerment programs during 2020-21, I needed to add to my small staff a smart, resourceful—and affordable—multi-tasker to coordinate those pilots and fully deploy a robust data management system to assess their impact. I was able to hire Andrijana from a year-long fellowship program offered by Princeton AlumniCorps, a nonprofit that places graduating seniors with nonprofits located in several regions of the U.S. Andrijana’s first-year performance exceeded my expectations. From day one, she began to learn the organization’s history, understand her colleagues’ roles and responsibilities, and cultivate relationships with community stakeholders. Andrijana began to improve the data management system and assist colleagues to use the system’s impact-measurement tools. She began learning about the various aspects of the design, development and implementation of the pilot programs. And she led our efforts to reinvigorate HANDS’ social media presence and website functionality. Andrijana’s steady performance in these areas earned her the respect of her colleagues and our community partners. Near the end of her fellowship year, I offered—and Andrijana accepted-- the opportunity to become HANDS’ Program Manager. Over the course of the next 18 months, Andrijana successfully managed completion of the first phase of two of the pilot programs. The results from the pilots convinced funders to provide another round of support to continue and expand the programs. Since retiring at the end of 2022, I understand that Andrijana has continued to add real value to the organization and to the community.
Khady Ndiaye
I had the pleasure of working with Andrijana during their time at HANDS. From day one, it was clear that she was a dedicated and hardworking individual with a strong desire to learn. Throughout her time at HANDS, she demonstrated exceptional skills in program coordination, data management, and leadership. One of Andriana's greatest strengths is her ability to collaborate effectively with others and her willingness to learn. She always brought a positive attitude to the team and worked well with colleagues of all levels. She is a talented and dedicated individual who would be a valuable addition to any team.
Elliott D. Lee
It was a rewarding 2 ½-year experience managing and working with Andrijana to advance the community revitalization mission of HANDS Inc., based in Orange, NJ. As an E.D. launching three economic empowerment programs during 2020-21, I needed to add to my small staff a smart, resourceful—and affordable—multi-tasker to coordinate those pilots and fully deploy a robust data management system to assess their impact. I was able to hire Andrijana from a year-long fellowship program offered by Princeton AlumniCorps, a nonprofit that places graduating seniors with nonprofits located in several regions of the U.S. Andrijana’s first-year performance exceeded my expectations. From day one, she began to learn the organization’s history, understand her colleagues’ roles and responsibilities, and cultivate relationships with community stakeholders. Andrijana began to improve the data management system and assist colleagues to use the system’s impact-measurement tools. She began learning about the various aspects of the design, development and implementation of the pilot programs. And she led our efforts to reinvigorate HANDS’ social media presence and website functionality. Andrijana’s steady performance in these areas earned her the respect of her colleagues and our community partners. Near the end of her fellowship year, I offered—and Andrijana accepted-- the opportunity to become HANDS’ Program Manager. Over the course of the next 18 months, Andrijana successfully managed completion of the first phase of two of the pilot programs. The results from the pilots convinced funders to provide another round of support to continue and expand the programs. Since retiring at the end of 2022, I understand that Andrijana has continued to add real value to the organization and to the community.
Khady Ndiaye
I had the pleasure of working with Andrijana during their time at HANDS. From day one, it was clear that she was a dedicated and hardworking individual with a strong desire to learn. Throughout her time at HANDS, she demonstrated exceptional skills in program coordination, data management, and leadership. One of Andriana's greatest strengths is her ability to collaborate effectively with others and her willingness to learn. She always brought a positive attitude to the team and worked well with colleagues of all levels. She is a talented and dedicated individual who would be a valuable addition to any team.
Experience
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Housing and Neighborhood Development Services (HANDS)
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United States
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Non-profit Organizations
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1 - 100 Employee
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Program Management Consultant
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May 2023 - Present
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Program Manager
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Aug 2021 - May 2023
I design, implement, manage, and evaluate projects and programs that align with and have advanced key organizational strategies. These include economic development programs in a low-income immigrant community, including a home repair, grant-supported small business coaching, and financial capabilities program with a ~$350,000 budget for 2021-22 and a ~$430,000 budget for 2023.I help lead and create high-impact and community-led neighborhood plans. These plans focus on key areas of neighborhood improvement and the projects, programs, and policies that could address them. My management of neighborhood plans led to their state approve, which could result in up to $10 million over 10 years. That investment could leverage millions of additional investment in affordable-housing, economic-development, and resident empowerment projects. As Program Manager, I regularly use data-driven analysis to assess programs and client satisfaction. I use Salesforce to help the organization actively capture data that highlight project and program impact on the people and communities served. I design and distribute surveys to capture client satisfaction and evaluate program effectiveness. I plan and implement community engagement and leadership events, conduct interviews with clients, and captivate our network by sharing high-impact success stories. Show less
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Self-employed
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Real Estate
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1 - 100 Employee
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Co-Author of "When We Walk By:…the Role We Can Each Play in Ending Homelessness in America"
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Sep 2020 - Present
Along with Kevin F. Adler, Donald Burnes, and Amanda Bahn, I co-authored "When We Walk By: Forgotten Humanity, Broken Systems, the Role We Can Each Play in Ending Homelessness in America." This book reveals the role each of us plays in perpetuating (and ending) homelessness in America through a unique lens, including the role of relational poverty, paternalism, stigma and shame, exclusion, and individualism. When We Walk By recasts homelessness in the United States as a byproduct of twin crises that are quietly ravaging our cities, towns, and rural areas: the devastating ways in which both our nation’s social service systems and our own basic humanity have failed. This book is neither an academic analysis nor an activist manifesto. Rather, When We Walk By offers an intimate look at how and why we unwittingly treat those without stable housing as problems to be solved rather than people to be loved, and how our service systems have failed to address basic needs. Unforgettable personal stories from neighbors experiencing homelessness make visible what is all too often invisible, showing what happens when we choose to “walk by.” Despite its raw depiction of discomfiting realities, When We Walk By is ultimately an optimistic book, illustrating how the problem of homelessness is solvable, and how each of us can make a profound difference in the lives of our neighbors experiencing homelessness. We close with a vision for America in which homelessness truly becomes rare, brief, and non-recurring, in which no one experiences homelessness alone, and in which no one feels helpless about this issue. When We Walk By will be published by North Atlantic Books in the fall of 2023. Show less
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Miracle Messages
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United States
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Non-profit Organizations
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1 - 100 Employee
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Fundraising & Partnerships Team Intern
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Sep 2020 - Jan 2021
I engaged in the donor cultivation process, helped write grants, and assisted in the development of corporate sponsors and contracts. I assisted with project management and design aimed to reunite homeless individuals with family. I engaged in the donor cultivation process, helped write grants, and assisted in the development of corporate sponsors and contracts. I assisted with project management and design aimed to reunite homeless individuals with family.
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Research Intern
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Jun 2020 - Sep 2020
I researched stigma, discrimination, and relational poverty faced by people experiencing homelessness and compiled a evaluation of 20+ studies into a 100-page literature review. This literature review was translated into a comprehensive book proposal aimed to elucidate the complexity of homelessness in America, including themes of social isolation & exclusion, access to housing, and wealth inequality. I researched stigma, discrimination, and relational poverty faced by people experiencing homelessness and compiled a evaluation of 20+ studies into a 100-page literature review. This literature review was translated into a comprehensive book proposal aimed to elucidate the complexity of homelessness in America, including themes of social isolation & exclusion, access to housing, and wealth inequality.
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Education
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2016 - 2021
Princeton University
Bachelor of Arts - BA with Honors, Psychology -
2012 - 2016
Hillwood High School
Valedictorian
Community
