Carnegie Mellon University

Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs

Earlham College

User Experience Research & Strategy Design  -   Integrated Innovation for Products & Services @ Carnegie Mellon University iii

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Beneficial State Foundation

Deputy Director leading the Clean Vehicle Assistance Program

As the Director of the SolarCorps Program, I drove program operations with the goal of furthering GRID's mission to train 60 SolarCorps fellows for technical careers in solar and nonprofits. With a focus around accommodating Fellows with radically different backgrounds, I spearheaded the development and execution of the program’s work readiness curriculum, which trains program participants on interpersonal and professional skill development. I also built partnerships with service programs, solar employees, and corporate partners in order to ensure the program’s ongoing success.
Some of my key accomplishments have included:
- I grew the program by 160% across 11 offices nationally, increasing its annual budget by $4.25M and participation by 40 fellows.
- I raised the program’s baseline of funding to $1.6M for 2018 to 2021.
- I managed $5M in annual funding consisting of philanthropic funds and Federal, state, and corporate grants.
- I continuously drove our accomplishment of all major grant and program goals with an 80% job placement rate for fellows and 90% retention rate.
- I introduced “cornerstone events,” such as annual group orientations, graduations, and the mid-year SolarCorps Retreat, to foster a sense of community among the Fellows.
Through our successes, we’ve been able to achieve racial, ethnic, and socio-economic diversity while maintaining the program’s competitive 5% acceptance rate.

GRID Alternatives

SolarCorps Fellowship Program Director

I led the StartingBloc Fellowship in its mission to further the careers of social entrepreneurs and emerging leaders, positioning them for future professional achievement. I was the principal point of contact for the entire program lifecycle, including prospective applicants, accepted applicants, and over 2,300 existing fellows.
In order to encourage and aid under-represented social entrepreneurs, we awarded $50,000 in scholarships in addition to the professional training we delivered.
Some of my most noteworthy contributions included:
- I developed and executed six five-day “Institutes” in different locations across the country and two three-day “ReUp” events to maximize participants’ potential for success.
- I generated $250,000 in operating revenue by recruiting 350 new clients and reengaging 250 former clients.
- I developed marketing materials for communication and outreach in order to promote StartingBloc’s value and impact.

StartingBloc

Fellowship Director

As a seasonal manager for area leaders and lead trainer for new ride operators, I led the team in creating safe, positive experiences for our guests. This included scheduling and managing 50 staff members per day for major ride operations. In addition to spearheading hiring, onboarding, and training, I liaised with guests to resolve their complaints and ensure their ultimate satisfaction.
In order to improve staffing efficiency and standardize training procedures, I redesigned the hiring process for compatibility with larger groups of employees.

Lakeside Amusement Park

Area Leader and Trainer

As an Associate Consultant for the Public Safety Communications Program, I advised program leaders regarding strategic programming and management. The PSCR was an $8M research program housed within the Department of Commerce that aimed to develop national standards for emergency communications. In order to further the program’s mission, I coordinated practitioner groups, managed monthly financial and project updates for funders, and spearheaded quarterly reviews with key sponsors.
Two of my major contributions included:
- I led the internal iThrive program, through which I helped each employee realize and manifest their full potential.
- I helped facilitate an annual stakeholder conference consisting of 50 speakers and over 500 attendees through strategic planning and logistics management.
Finally, I boosted program awareness and outreach by launching strategic communications to broadcast PSCR’s accomplishments, value, and impact for public safety.

Corner Alliance, Inc.

Associate Consultant

The mission of the Hospital Community Linkage Project was to improve care coordination for uninsured patients using grant funds from the Department of Mental Health. I oversaw the project, which connected 11 area hospitals and six community health centers, in addition to creating its first employee handbook and designing a one-year strategic plan during its launch. I also measured the project’s effectiveness and presented its impact to community groups and key stakeholders throughout the region by producing monthly and annual reports based on data from interviews, focus groups and quantitative surveys.
As a result of our efforts, we prepared and established the first regional Housing Needs Assessment and Inventory of Resources for the Eastern Region of Missouri.

Behavioral Health Network of Greater St. Louis

Project Coordinator

As an instructor for this summer youth employment program offered through AmeriCorps, I designed and taught the Service Learning and job readiness curriculum to at-risk adolescents and young adults from low-income communities. To apply these lessons, I mentored and motivated the program participants in designing and initiating community service projects.

Virgil Looney