Domenico Ruggerio

Executive Director at We Are Family
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us****@****om
(386) 825-5501
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Sarah Ann Snipes

It is a privilege and a pleasure to work alongside Domenico on the Education Advocacy and Systems Transformation Team at TFA - SC. Despite his hectic schedule executing two brand new programs, in the past year, he has gone out of his way to take me under his wing and guide me through the organizational structure and processes, sharing any and every resource, including his personal time and energy to help me learn the ropes. He is talented, kind, a team player to the core, and a natural leader and mentor.

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Credentials

  • Certification in Social Justice Mediation
    Social Justice Mediation Institute, UMass (50 credit hours)
    Aug, 2010
    - Nov, 2024

Experience

  • We Are Family
    • United States
    • Non-profit Organizations
    • 1 - 100 Employee
    • Executive Director
      • Jun 2021 - Present

      We Are Family (WAF) is a Southern Grassroots non-profit organization that provides affirming spaces for LGBTQI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, etc.) and ally youth up to the age of 24 through direct support, leadership development, and community engagement. Services include social support groups for youth, parent support groups, Mental Health Assistance program, GSA Coalition support, a queer prom and more. Additionally, the organization also operates the Closet Case Thrift Store, a social enterprise offering a gender-inclusive shopping space. The Executive Director leads the organization by establishing a vision for WAF that is achieved through the efforts of a diverse team of high performing leaders, staff, and volunteers. The Executive Director is the Chief Mobilizer and leverages the power of relationships, networks, and resources across private and public sectors to achieve the organization’s mission.

  • Transformative Teaching Collective
    • United States
    • Business Consulting and Services
    • Co-Founder, and Facilitator
      • Jun 2015 - Present

      The Transformative Teaching Collective is a worker-owned cooperative founded to promote social justice education in the South Carolina Lowcountry and beyond. We design and facilitate interactive workshops that invite participants to co-create a deeper understanding of concepts related to human diversity, oppression, solidarity and liberation. We offer customized sessions to meet the needs of schools, community groups, corporations and other organizations looking to deepen the unity, vision and collective development among co-workers. We are especially interested and equipped to work with teachers who desire to embrace more liberatory, holistic and inclusive forms of pedagogy. We are dedicated to practicing cooperative principles that allow us to educate, learn and grow from one another. As we transform ourselves we aim to dismantle and transform the interlocking systems of oppression that keep us divided.

  • Teach For America
    • United States
    • Education Administration Programs
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Director of Education, Advocacy and Systems Transformation
      • Jul 2020 - Jun 2021

      Strategic Planning- As part of the Education Advocacy and Systems Transformation (EAST) team, developing the strategic vision and goals to activate and maximize the influence of TFA’s partners and alumni in SC to bring about the systemic change necessary for our students to achieve at the highest level.- Identify and create opportunities to leverage our partner base to help our teachers and alumni connect their passion for and work in education and their future career goals.- Developing relationships among community organizations, corporate partners, alumni and current teachers.Program Management- Executing strategic plan, achieving goals, and operationalizing the management of two signature programs:1. Second Tour Fellowship: a two-year fellowship program that enables TFA alumni to commit to two additional years in classrooms across the state and provides a unique opportunity for them to expand their skills through targeted professional development.2. SC Mentors: a mentoring program that pairs teachers with mentors in the state’s TFA alumni and business communities to promote connection, network, and professional development intended to cultivate their leadership skills and mindsets, and inform career decisions in the region’s efforts to One Day.- Facilitating powerful and effective leadership development opportunities to support the organization’s goal of creating pathways to career development and school and system leadership. - Leading other related initiatives as needs arise on the EAST team.

    • Director of Mentoring and Strategic Initiatives
      • Apr 2019 - Jul 2020

      Strategic Planning - In collaboration with the Educational Advocacy and Systems Transformation (EAST) team, developing the strategic vision and goals for the successful implementation of a corps member mentorship program and corps member/alumni internship program.- Executing strategic plan, achieving goals, and operationalizing the management of the mentoring and internship programs.- In collaboration with the marketing and alumni engagement teams, developing a process for marketing the internship program to corps members and alumni to achieve full placement capacity.- Managing a network of corporate partners to be leveraged for the mentoring and internship programs and other initiatives related to the corps member and alumni leadership development.Program Management- Developing and managing relationships with corporations and community organizations to strengthen the volunteer pipeline for the success of the mentoring program.- Developing and managing relationships with corporations and community organizations to strengthen our opportunity pipeline for the success of the internship program.- Creating and managing a communications system for corporate and community partners to ensure transparent and accurate information exchange.- Relying on past experience and judgement to develop priorities and a timeline for the execution of programs in accordance with established project goals.- Leading other related initiatives as needs arise on the Educational Advocacy and Systems Transformation (EAST) team.

  • College of Charleston
    • United States
    • Higher Education
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Associate Director, Center for Civic Engagement
      • Dec 2014 - Mar 2019

      - Directed the operations and oversight of the Bonner Leader program, a four-year access to education civic leadership program primarily for students of color, first-generation students, and/or those with high financial need. Students are partnered with Charleston area non-profit community partners where they serve 300 hours per academic year. - Developed and facilitated weekly leadership development trainings and social justice curriculum. - Oversaw an $80,000 budget with an additional $30,000-90,000 in annual funding from private donors and grants. - Selected and supervised professional staff persons and student interns. - Created and sustained campus-community partnerships with 15 non-profit community partners, including ongoing communication and regular site visits. - Established mentoring relationships and academic monitoring and guidance for all Bonner program participants. - Planned and facilitated yearly domestic and international service immersion experiences. - Managed outcomes based assessment activities for the Center as a whole and serves as a resource to office staff in creating accountability measures, evaluating assessment data, and strategic planning. - Facilitated social justice trainings and workshops at the College, including: a moderated panel complicating narratives of mutually exclusive caring between law enforcement and communities of color with Multicultural Student Programs, Public Safety, and the Office of Sustainability; an identity and intersectionality workshop with the Office of Sustainability student interns; a three day, six-hour social justice 101 and allyship training for Residence Life’s RA orientation; a training at the Higdon’s Fall Leadership Conference on activism, service, and political engagement; a privilege workshop for Fraternity and Sorority Life’s Greek Emerging Leaders series; and a session for the South Carolina College Personnel Association State Conference on supporting mixed race students.

  • Bard College
    • United States
    • Higher Education
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Academic Advisor, Bard Educational Opportunity Programs
      • Jun 2013 - May 2014

      - Provided academic, personal, and career advising to individual and groups of BEOP student scholars, consisting of low-income and first generation students from diverse backgrounds. - Developed and implemented intellectual programs and skill-building workshops to students, including those on college level writing, time management, wellness, and accessing college resources, to name a few. - Designed and implemented a series of workshops entitled the Senior Conference Series to help students navigate the demands of senior year and beyond, including those on graduate school, entrance exams, the job search, and staying connected to Bard as alumni/ae. - Participated in the admissions process for prospective Bard students, including conducting extensive interviews, compiling information from the Common Application, scoring admission files, and organizing visit days for admitted students. - Conceived and facilitated an all-campus weekly discussion group entitled Beyond Check One around notions multiracial identity, social justice, and their intersections. - Selected and supervised seven student staff interns to meet programmatic goals and provide peer mentorship. - Monitored students through ongoing outreach and advising, making appropriate referrals and interventions. - Maintained confidential records and provided student information for institutional and federal databases.

  • Vassar College
    • United States
    • Higher Education
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Director of Campus Life for ALANA (African American/Black, Latinx, Asian, Native American) Programs
      • Aug 2011 - Dec 2012

      Acting Director, Campus Life for LGBTQ+ Programs, November 2011 - June 2012 - Directed the operations of both the ALANA Cultural Center and LGBTQ+ Center, including facilities, academic, and social programming. - Managed and oversaw the Campus Life/ALANA Cultural Center and Campus Life/LGBTQ Center budgets. - Selected and supervised seventeen student staff interns and shared administrative assistant. - Served as the primary staff advisor to eleven ALANA-affiliated student organizations and six LGBTQ-affiliated student organizations. - Initiated outreach programs and leadership opportunities for ALANA students, LGBTQ+ students, and their intersections. Developed and implemented programming through peer education, intergroup dialogues, workshops, and leadership forums to address broader issues of social justice and wellness on campus. - Developed, planned, and marketed major annual programs such as the ALANA Festival, Leadership Retreats, Sistah Power! Program, and the IMAGES publication, among others. - Worked with students, parents, faculty, staff, and alumni to negotiate numerous difficult moments for the community by helping them develop strategies to frame concerns in ways that empower them and the institution to find solutions by working together. - Provided students with significant informal advising and mentorship around a range of academic, activist, and personal matters, as well as more formal advising on course work, programs of study, fellowship and internship applications, and job/career plans. - Modeled the building and bridging of communities by being highly visible and accessible at events from athletic competitions, theater and music performances, social and cultural programs, and academic lectures. - Served on committees beyond Vassar College, including the Consortium on High Achievement and Success (CHAS) Black and Latino Male Conference Steering Committee.

  • Oberlin College
    • United States
    • Higher Education
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Assistant Director, Multicultural Resource Center
      • Jul 2008 - Aug 2011

      Asian/Pacific American Community Coordinator, Multicultural Resource Center, 2008 - 2010 - Collaborated with partners to create more than 300 MRC supported programs and workshops each year that build and bridge personal and intellectual communities for everyone. - Collaborated to strengthen and expand existing programs like Black History Celebration, Latinx, and Asian American Heritage Months, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and the MRC’s Indigenous Women’s Series. - Created new initiatives such as The Sexualized Other: A Symposium on Asian Sexuality and Gender Identity, the Collaboreat Initiative, and the primary organizer for the MRC’s annual My Name is My Own: Queering the Intersections of Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality Speakers Series. - Collaborated with faculty in the program planning and execution of numerous academic symposia. - Worked with alumni, especially alumni of color and LGBTQ+ alumni, on events on and off campus such as area club events, on-campus reunions, and visits during alumni council weekends and commencement. - Sponsored programs during new student orientation including five major new and returning student events, Many Voices: Building Communities – one of two required events for first year students, and community building events during the fall semester for first year students. - Supported, chaperoned, and co-presented with students at numerous regional and national conferences each year. Examples include the National Association for Chicana/o Studies, GLCA Students of Color Leadership Conference, Conference on Asian American Studies, and Critical Mixed Race Studies Conference. - Collaborated with offices inside and outside the Division of Student Life and academic stakeholders such as Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies, Comparative American Studies, and African American Studies, in order to support student retention and academic success. - Served as a certified mediator and member of the Oberlin College Dialogue Center.

Education

  • Colgate University
    BA, Sociology; Anthropology
    2003 - 2008
  • SUNY New Paltz
    Master’s Degree, Humanistic/Multicultural Education
    2012 - 2014

Community

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