Ashley L. Thompson
Chicago,IL
Summary
Resourceful education & career development advocate with over 10 years’ experience in guiding college students and early career professionals through leadership, post-secondary planning, and financial awareness looking to transition knowledge and skills into Human Resources. Exceptional verbal and written communication skills along with program management skills; brings passion and strong work ethic into project goals.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Work-Based Learning Specialist
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago, IL
02.2022 - Current
- Office of Career & College Success, Early College, , Work-Based Learning
- District-Wide Work Based
- Lead in the expansion of Work-Based Learning (WBL) initiatives for option & non-CTE schools throughout the district
- Create and manage project processes to support WBL programs supported by the WBL calendar
- Develop and implement a working plan which targets student and teacher engagement in WBL initiatives
- Recruit and manage relationships with community and corporate partners to engage students in WBL programs
- Liaised with CPS and City Colleges of Chicago stakeholders to develop and implement a comprehensive action plans to fulfill goals inspired by Chicago Roadmap Domains 3.2, 4.1, & 4.2 to provide WBL programs for students attending option schools
- On-board, train, and manage payroll for high school students participating in the Work-Based Learning summer internship program
- Manage relationships with partners to coordinate guest speaking engagements, site-visits, and summer internship opportunities
- Upload WBL program data and notes to Salesforce CRM
- Adhere to CPS’ risk management procedures and child labor practices
Education Navigator/Education Program Specialist
Chicago Housing Authority
Chicago, IL
05.2017 - 02.2022
- Managed SOAR caseload of over 200 public housing youth to increase college access and career-pathway planning
- Enriched relationships with FamilyWorks external contract providers to coordinate post-secondary and resident support initiatives
- Created and conducted in-person and virtual college planning, career readiness, and financial literacy presentations for Chicago Housing Authority residents, including adults and youth involved in the Summer Youth Employment Program
- Designed 2 youth friendly career-readiness guidebooks to provide accessible post-secondary planning best practices for residents
- Administered Partners in Education program with City Colleges of Chicago to financially support residents attending CCC
- Assisted in the planning and resident recruitment for annual “Take Flight: Networking & Recruitment” event alongside Springboard 2 Success to provide professional opportunities for residents attending college
- Captured data reflecting youth education engagement including individual counseling, FAFSA completions, and group participation
- Utilized Salesforce CRM to review data and gather reports regarding Education initiatives
- Produced SOPs to document workplace procedures and optimize productivity through standardization
Operations Manager-South Side High Schools
Junior Achievement USA, High School Programs, Southside Chicago High School
Chicago, IL
03.2015 - 05.2017
- Established partnerships with 23 high schools by nurturing relationships with administrators, teachers, and post-secondary teams
- Coordinated over 400 personal finance, career awareness, and entrepreneurship sessions for high school and elementary school youth
- Measured and reviewed performance via KPIs and metrics highlighting programming outreach and impact
- Managed corporate sponsors such as AT&T and Accenture by securing Job Shadow events for high school Juniors and Seniors
- Recruited, trained, and nurtured relationships with corporate and community-based volunteers for JA curriculum presentations
- Gathered volunteer, school administrative, and student program assessments to analyze data of programming impact
- Reported and maintained program requests, completion, and volunteer engagement on Blackbaud CRM
- Implemented Junior Achievement's Program Implementation Standards and Policies to manage program quality, customer service, and logistics
- Oversaw JA Scholarship programs with committee
Program Manager
Best Buddies International, School
Chicago, IL
01.2014 - 01.2015
- Managed Promoter chapters to build disability awareness in middle schools & high schools without special education programs
- Trained student leadership in event planning, fundraising, & awareness for disability support activities within schools
- Collected data by completing Program Visit Evaluations
- Closed and opened new Promoter chapters according to Best Buddies regulations
Community Planning Intern
University of Illinois
Springfield, IL
08.2012 - 06.2014
- Organized Region 6- Champaign, Illinois Young Men of Color Men Sleeping with Men (MSM) focus groups for the HIV/AID Section of the Illinois Department of Public Health
- Liaised between planning teams and outside departments to build solid partnerships and accomplished shared goals by planning 3 HIV Planning Group (ILHPG) community stakeholder engagement meetings throughout Illinois
- Utilized document management system to organize company files, keeping up-to-date and easily accessible data.
- Generated excel spreadsheets for evaluation of ILHPG focus groups, engagement meetings, and planning meetings
- Handled confidential forms including HIV statuses in compliance to the AIDS Confidentiality Act
- Maintained the HIV/AIDS section’s Resource Inventory of prevention-based agencies funded by the section & other funding sources
- Delegated meetings as Prevention Track Co-chair for 2013 “The Time is Now!” HIV/AIDS Conference
- Developed the 2013/2014 “Save Lives Condomize” Condom Campaign with committee
College Adviser
Illinois College Advising Corp, Manual High School
Peoria, IL
- Counseled over 400 students and families on post-secondary goals: college admission and career planning
- Organized and presented
- Workshops on Texas Guaranteed Financial Literacy, FAFSA, and the college applications processes
- Coordinated 2 “We are College Bound!” spring college fairs & 2 “Be the CHANGE…” Decision Day luncheons
- Developed relationships & collaborated with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) Corp for Financial Aid workshops
- Connected students to post-secondary, academic support though the Harvesting Dreams program at Illinois Central College
- Collected and reported data on daily student interaction and post-secondary presentation attendance
- Utilized National Student Clearinghouse data to collect students’ college enrollment for retention support
- Maintained confidential student files regarding college applications, standardized testing scores, and transcripts
Education
Master of Education - Instructional Leadership- Educational Studies
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, IL12.2017
Master of Public Administration - Nonprofit Management Certificate
University of Illinois at Springfield
Springfield, IL05.2014
Bachelor of Arts - Communication
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, IL05.2010
Skills
- Enrichment Activities
- Multidisciplinary Team Collaboration
- Social Skills Development
- Job Readiness Training
- Active Listening
- Organizational Skills
- Conflict Resolution
- Training & Development
- Planning & Organizing
- Hiring & Onboarding
- Program Optimization
- Conference & Convention Planning
- Administrative Recordkeeping
- Critical Thinking
- Creativity and Adaptability
- Service Oriented
- Clear Communication
- Multitasking & Prioritization
Certification
Google- Project Management, Professional Certificate
Chicago Jobs Council- Chicago College & Career Advising Credential
Franklin Covey- Project Management & Presentation Advantage
Counselors Academy- College Counseling 101 & 201
Interests
LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE
, Toastmasters International, Chicago, IL 2017-Present Vice President Membership, 2021
Area Director, 2021
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, Chicago, IL 2010-Present
Pillowcase Project Co-Chair, 2021
America Needs You (ANY), Chicago, IL 2019-2021 Career Coach, Mentor Coach
Big Brothers Big Sisters, Chicago, IL 2019-2020 Volunteer-Big Sister Springfield, IL 2013-2014
Timeline
Work-Based Learning Specialist
Chicago Public Schools
02.2022 - Current
Education Navigator/Education Program Specialist
Chicago Housing Authority
05.2017 - 02.2022
Operations Manager-South Side High Schools
Junior Achievement USA, High School Programs, Southside Chicago High School
03.2015 - 05.2017
Program Manager
Best Buddies International, School
01.2014 - 01.2015
Community Planning Intern
University of Illinois
08.2012 - 06.2014
College Adviser
Illinois College Advising Corp, Manual High School
Master of Education - Instructional Leadership- Educational Studies
University of Illinois at Chicago
Master of Public Administration - Nonprofit Management Certificate
University of Illinois at Springfield
Bachelor of Arts - Communication
University of Illinois at Chicago