Chief Community Officer

• Jul 2022 - Present

The CCO leads the organization’s external affairs work, overseeing the community engagement department and the newly created Peace & Justice Center team. The CCO is responsible for documenting, reporting and developing agency wide strategies for community engagement amongst a variety of stakeholders. Additionally the CCO helps lead the DEI work within the organization.

Director Of External Affairs

• 2020 - Jul 2022

Promoted to provide leadership and accelerate growth, reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer. Manage a $6.6MIL operating budget and lead the creation and execution of BUILD’s $20MIL Capital Campaign.★ Create a clear and consistent agency branding and messaging strategy, ensuring a coherent representation of BUILD’s capital campaign goals and vision for internal and external stakeholders.★ Raise mission awareness through multi-channel messaging, promotions, and communications. • Expand media presence and build strategic relationships with community partners, including residents, CBOs, churches, businesses, and elected officials.• Manage all public relations, community events, and communications strategies. Collaborating with the CEO and Chief Development Officer to develop and refine messaging content and brand strategy.• Lead community relationship development strategy and cultivate relationships, engaging engage a broad swath of community residents.• Full-life cycle management of mission-critical projects, including scope, planning, updates, and problem resolution. Bringing project’s in on-time and under budget.• Lead talent acquisition and on-boarding, including interviewing, hiring, and managing and overseeing hiring events.• Provide team leadership, monitor KPI’s, mentor, train and manage staff, creating individual success plans, and develop future leaders.

Director of Core Programs

• 2018 - 2020

Member of the executive leadership team. Led, managed, and supervised the Intervention, Prevention, and Education programs and services. Responsible for operational success, team management and development, program delivery, and quality control and evaluation. • Developed and maintained mission-driven sustainable programs and services using varied funding sources. • Guided the development and implementation of annual program work plans including program goals and measurable outcomes consistent with the agency’s strategic plan.• Monitored and evaluated programs, utilizing analytics and metrics to make a data-driven assessment of program effectiveness; adjusting variables as needed to continuously improve program results.• Collaborated with the management team in the development of program, project, and agency budgets. Monitored monthly financial reports, ensuring programs were on target to meet financial projections. • Lead community outreach initiatives and facilitated efforts to strengthen and build partnerships with other organizations, fostering the development of collaborative projects.• Created, developed, and improved policy and procedures, in alignment with company mission and business objectives. Adhering to the NASW Code of Ethics and promoting ethical and professional competency and conduct amongst program staff.• Cultivated opportunities for new funding streams and contracts within the community, by identifying and reporting community and program needs, program and services descriptions, as well as outcomes and achievements, for grant applications, reports, publicity, and marketing.

Director of Community Engagement and Strategic Partnerships

• 2017 - 2018

Led the engagement of stakeholders in both the public and private sectors to help position BUILD to better serve youth. Responsible for strategic partnerships that are mutually beneficial to BUILD, its constituents, and communities. • Established and maintained regular contacts with community organizations, churches, partner schools, businesses, elected officials, and police departments, concerning youth gang problems and community safety.• Represented the agency, broadening community awareness and support, interpreting the agency’s programs and services. • Organized and participated in initiatives that enhanced BUILD’s platform to serve youth through its programs and services • Conducted needs assessments and coordinated action planning to address targeted community issues. • Collaborated with BUILD Program Leadership Team to assess the needs of youth and program and created strategies to meet the needs through strategic community partnerships.• Prepared grant and project funding proposals, budgets, and related reports.• Identified resources (i.e., mini-grants, alternative schools, colleges/universities, in-kind donations, jobs, volunteers, etc.) that enhanced program delivery. • Led and planned agency outreach, recruitment events, and civic engagement activities that advanced the cause of community residents and the mission of BUILD, Inc.

President

• Aug 2021 - Present

I help nonprofits, businesses, foundations, and institutions engage and develop authentic, equity-focused relationships with Chicago’s Black and Brown communities. Its time to change the practice of “bringing the people to the table” and work to bring the table to the people! I help nonprofits, businesses, foundations, and institutions engage and develop authentic, equity-focused relationships with Chicago’s Black and Brown communities. Its time to change the practice of “bringing the people to the table” and work to bring the table to the people!

Fellow

• Dec 2021 - Jun 2022

The Civic Leadership Academy (CLA) is an interdisciplinary leadership development program for emerging and high-potential leaders of nonprofit organizations and local government agencies within the City of Chicago and Cook County. I look forward to partnering with colleagues across sectors to grow our leadership and advance meaningful reform in Chicago.Launched jointly by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and Office of Civic Engagement, in partnership with LISC Chicago and the Civic Consulting Alliance, the program is designed to develop a pipeline of talented leaders nonprofits-profits and government agencies thrive.

Associate Director of Community Engagement

• 2015 - 2017

Promoted to partner with the Executive Director and connect with underserved communities, identify trends, as well as understand needs to inform programming and develop solution-based approaches that effect meaningful change. • Managed the full-time volunteer coordinator, marketing assistant/data-entry clerk as well as interns. • Established strategic alliances and collaborative partnerships with agencies, schools, and organizations that provide prioritized services and relevant resources to enhance programming. • Increased engagement and boosted awareness of SJS’s mission, programs, and events through cultivating relationships across the locale with individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofits. • Served as the media point person, expanding coverage of programs and events, and prompt stories. Succeeding in increasing media presence, enhancing company perception, and changing the narrative of underserved communities.• Developed a community outreach plan to share resources with local schools and community centers, to create more opportunities for at-risk students through afterschool programs. • Project management lead for all events ensuring effectiveness regarding friend-raising and fundraising; contributed to active fundraising appeals and annual campaigns, increasing the financial stability of SJS. • Produced professional-quality collateral and developed content for all publications and marketing initiatives.

Austin Sites Director

• 2008 - 2015

Led the Austin youth program, which grew from serving 100 youth annually to 590 in seven years; managed a team of 22 staff and hundreds of volunteers while elevating team members to leadership roles; created program infrastructure, policies, and procedures; successfully executed programming and events using project management best practices. • Supervised and recruited adult education and youth development staff, facilitating training, and providing development opportunities to form a strong team focused on the SJS mission of empowerment. • Strengthened collaborative partnerships and increased the visibility of educational programs within schools, higher education institutions, government, as well as faith- and community-based partners.• Met targets and measurable outcomes for the program and ensured the timely submissions of all required reports, documentation, and program evaluations.• Developed and managed the budget to maximize resources and mitigate costs.• Advanced communications with clients and staff about economic and educational opportunities, working to build a culture that is supportive of educational achievement.• Developed positive, supportive, and trusting relationships among clients, staff, teachers, volunteers, and community partners. • Contributed to fundraising and grant writing efforts to support ongoing programming.

Call Center Floor Leader

• Apr 2004 - Aug 2006

Supervised telephone-based Prayer ministry, customer service, donor support Supervised telephone-based Prayer ministry, customer service, donor support

Juvenile Counselor/ Youth Development Specialist

• Sep 1991 - Aug 2003