Summary

An accomplished program director with extensive background in community development, human rights, and grassroots organizing; an experienced researcher and team leader with the ability to initiate and manage cross-cultural teams and multidisciplinary projects; and, a result-oriented administrator with proven ability to implement policies, increase institutional efficiency, and enhance productivity.

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Experience

Executive Director

YES Inc

January 2014 – Present (2 years 11 months)7420 Unity Ave N, Suite 101, Brooklyn Park, MN 55443

Leading YES Inc's (formerly Pro USA) re-branding and development efforts with emphasis on strategic planning, project development, marketing, and fundraising.

Building and sustaining community, partnership, and foundations relationships

Enlisting educational institutions, area businesses, and the non-profit community in program implementation.

Recruiting staff and volunteers to shape short and long term goals, set the development agenda, and nurture opportunities for catalytic growth.

Directing a multi-year budget planning process that supports the strategic vision, including hiring, developing, and retaining a high performing team for exceptional program quality. 

Consulting with the Board of Directors to formulate strategy and provide visionary leadership over all operational aspects of the organization. 

Report timely and effectively to donors and major stakeholders

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Housing and Financial Education Director

African Development Center

August 2005 – December 2013 (8 years 5 months)Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Directed a comprehensive housing education and counseling program that addresses community needs and challenges, increases understanding about homeownership, and promotes financial fitness leading to sustainable homeownership.

Educated 2400 households, 42% purchased homes, tripling the national average of 14%; counseled 1100 families, 56% attained better credit ratings and are bankable.

Facilitated partnerships between established housing developers and financial lenders and grassroots African service providers, and provided these new partnerships with proven, culturally focused technical assistance to increase home ownership within communities of color.

Wrote grant proposals and received consistent financial support from federal, state, foundations, individual and philanthropic sources since 2005, amounting to $2.2m for housing education and counseling, financial literacy, community outreach, capacity building, and technical assistance.

Coordinated the new College-Bound Entrepreneurship Program in Rochester, MN to enable junior and senior high students to pursue their education and enter into the workforce with a working knowledge of business and enterprise.

Trained low and moderate-income households, single headed households, immigrant communities, and communities of color to access information and resources about affordable housing, rental assistance, and community homebuyer programs.

Evaluated periodically all training and service strategies to better serve the clients, and also implements staff training/continuing education to increase performance, output and program impacts.

Trained local partners in the instructional and service delivery methods necessary for them to become the lead agency, with ADC in a consultative role, especially in Greater Minnesota

Was member of a three-person management team.

Received the “Excellence in Service” award from Minnesota Homeownership Center

Achieved certification as a HUD-certified housing counseling agency

Community Engagement Consultant

African Development Center

February 2005 – August 2005 (7 months)Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Created an agency-wide engagement program that included the development of a monthly newsletter and web-based updates, regular email blasts, and client recruitment and outreach. 

Organized both the African community and the local finance community (banks, municipalities and nonprofit lenders, to continually dialogue and act on issues of community economic development in the realms of micro-businesses and homeownership.

Developed partnerships with local agencies already serving emerging markets and built their capacity to provide culturally sensitive homebuyer education, entrepreneurship training, and business financing.

Familiarized African communities with statewide down-payment and closing cost assistance that enable families attain affordable and sustainable homeownership.

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Community Organizer (Apprentice)

Midtown Greenway Coalition

June 2004 – January 2005 (8 months)Minneapolis, MN

Assisted in working with local families to encourage use of the corridor for biking, walking, relaxation, and transportation letting them now that the corridor was for everybody.

Promoted the use of pedometer as a device to track distance and heart rates when biking and running

Helped contact public and private agencies to increase support for and use of the Greenway

Wrote articles about pedometer use and community organizing in the Midtown Greenway newsletter 

Organized roundtable of African immigrant leaders to dialogue on common community issues such as immigration, education, health care, economic development, housing, and employment

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