Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Selected Organizational Development Experience
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Certification
Affiliations
GRANTS
Timeline
Director, Business Planning & Performance Mgmt.

CLEOPATRA J. ALLEN

American Red Cross
Longview,TX
25
years of professional experience
1
Certification

Operations and strategy leader with 20+ years of experience turning ambiguous challenges into operating decisions and measurable outcomes. Builds practical approaches without existing playbooks and aligns cross-functional specialists to execution. Leads implementation and adoption through hands-on involvement across resource-constrained and complex matrix environments.

Work History

Director, Business Planning & Performance Mgmt.

2 Years 10 Months
American Red Cross | Washington, D.C. | 01.2024 - Current

Enterprise strategy and organizational effectiveness leader advising senior executives and leading cross-functional work spanning performance management, organizational design, strategic planning, and governance. Scope expanded in year two to include Business Intelligence & Analytics, reflecting increased responsibility for enterprise performance intelligence and decision support.

  • Lead enterprise annual planning across six business units, translating strategic priorities into measurable commitments and creating greater alignment between enterprise direction and business-unit performance.
  • Broke a four-year executive impasse on incentive strategy by reframing the issue through rigorous analysis and decision-focused recommendations, enabling senior executives to align on and implement a revised payout approach.
  • Lead transformation of executive and management performance intelligence, redesigning dashboards and performance routines to shift leadership discussions from retrospective reporting toward actionable insights, performance intervention, and decision-making.
  • Led a multi-pronged organizational assessment following a complex territory merger, using stakeholder interviews, focus groups, process analysis and performance data to identify root causes across six business and functional areas; translated findings into organizational design, governance, change management and implementation solutions that reduced issues in subsequent realignments.
  • Diagnosed systemic drivers of span-of-control misalignment through enterprise organizational analysis, surfacing root causes and equipping senior leaders to make more disciplined organization-design decisions.
  • Facilitated a high-stakes executive strategy process to redefine the purpose and operating model for 200+ chapter boards, guiding senior leaders with competing perspectives through consensus-building, scenario analysis and strategic decision-making to establish a shared future-state vision.
  • Serve as Humanitarian Services’ HR Relationship Manager, connecting workforce priorities with business strategy and strengthening coordination between senior business leaders and enterprise HR.
  • Earned Exceeds Expectations ratings in two consecutive years—one of only two team members to achieve the distinction both years—while assuming an expanded enterprise portfolio.

Assistant to the Provost

8 Years
Jarvis Christian University | Hawkins, TX | 01.2016 - 01.2024
  • Led university executive cabinet in developing the 2023-2026 strategic plan, including stakeholder engagement.
  • Oversaw development and execution of strategic vision, guiding personnel through successful transformation initiatives that aligned with institutional goals.
  • Established strategic enrollment growth strategy through program expansion, digital marketing, and targeted recruitment efforts.
  • Increased annual revenue by 16% and enrollment growth by 12% through new profitable revenue streams.
  • Led the development of an online program, to include three academic programs, 2 concentrations, and 80 online courses
  • Facilitated partnerships with external agencies, contributing to 200% increase in post-graduate success for participating students.
  • Served as the SACSCOC Liaison and led the college's transition to university status.
  • Earned three promotions due to leadership capabilities and significant value-added contributions.

Director of Outcomes Assessment

3 Years
Southern University at Shreveport | , Louisiana | 01.2013 - 01.2016
  • Directed institutional effectiveness initiatives, achieving operational improvements across the university.
  • Collaborated with division chairs and department heads to advance outcomes assessment initiatives university-wide.
  • Secured approval for SACSCOC fifth-year report without any recommendations noted.
  • Recognized for leading development of interim report deemed best practice by accreditor.
  • Oversaw personnel and teams of 15 members, fostering a culture of high performance.
  • Enhanced personnel capacity through training, leading to quality improvements of 90%.
  • Launched webpages and workshops addressing outcomes assessment strategies for faculty.
  • Provided analytical reports supporting informed decision-making for university leadership.

Associate Director for Institutional Research, Planning, Assessment and Effectiveness

8 Years
Wiley College | Marshall, TX | 01.2005 - 01.2013
  • Analyzed student outcome data to guide targeted continuous improvement initiatives.
  • Developed robust assessment processes for academic programs and institutional operations.
  • Collaborated with faculty team to define student competencies and develop a comprehensive assessment plan.
  • Administered educational and climate assessments to support data-driven decision-making.
  • Co-led reaccreditation effort, resulting in no recommendations or follow-up required.
  • Implemented strategic initiatives that enhanced organizational effectiveness and streamlined processes.
  • Played key role in designing signature program for QEP development.
  • Worked with cross-functional team to integrate planning and budgeting processes effectively.

Admissions Counselor and Office Manager

2 Years
Our Lady of the Lake College | Baton Rouge/Shreveport, LA | 01.2002 - 01.2004
  • Managed admissions processing for licensed practical nursing program at satellite location, enhancing student enrollment experience.
  • Provided assistance with financial aid to facilitate student access.
    Delivered instruction for basic computing course, improving students' digital literacy.
  • Provided assistance with financial aid to facilitate student access.Delivered instruction for basic computing course, improving students' digital literacy.

Education

Ph.D. - Organizational Leadership

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology | Chicago | 08-2023

Research: Allen, C.J. (2023). The impact of succession planning in higher education on organizational performance and employee intentions to quit: A hierarchical linear regression analysis (Publication No. 30527075) [Doctoral dissertation, The Chicago School]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

Master of Arts - General Counseling and Guidance

Louisiana Tech University | Ruston, LA | 01-2004

Bachelor of Arts - General Psychology

Grambling State University | Grambling, LA | 01-2002

Skills

Performance management and improvement
Strategic planning
Governance frameworks
Organizational design
Operational improvement
Change management
Program design
Cross-Functional workstream leadership
Stakeholder engagement & alignment
Leadership development
Group facilitation and consensus building
Problem framing & decision support

Selected Organizational Development Experience

  • Working Collaboratively, University All Staff Meeting (2025)
  • Creating Team Synergy, City of Shreveport (2024)
  • Strategic Planning Workshop for a University Division (2021)
  • Planning and Evaluation Training for a University Division (2020)
  • Contracted Facilitator for an Executive Retreat (2019)

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

  • Southern New Hampshire University, Online, 2025 - 2026 (Course: Business Strategy, Measuring Success)
  • Colorado Technical University, Online, 2024 (Course: Theories of Personality)
  • Jarvis Christian University, Hawkins, Texas, 2017-2020: Assistant Professor of Business Administration and Social and Behavioral Sciences (Course: General Psychology (PSYC 2301))
  • Wiley College, Marshall, Texas, 2010-2013
  • Our Lady of the Lake College, Shreveport, Louisiana, 2003-2004

Certification

  • Strategy Execution Certificate of Completion: Harvard Business School Online (Issued: 2023)
  • Quality Matters Certifications (Issued: 2020)
  • Assessing Learners, DACUM Facilitator, Certified (Issued: 2014)

Affiliations

  • UNCF Trendsetting Strategist Award (2023)
  • SACSOC Evaluator, Reaffirmation Committee, Institutional Effectiveness (IE) (March, 2023)
  • SACSOC Evaluator, Reaffirmation Committee, IE (February, 2023)
  • SACSOC Evaluator, Substantive Change Committee, IE (September, 2022)
  • SACSOC Evaluator, Reaffirmation Committee, IE (March, 2022)
  • UNCF Visionary Award (2018)
  • Shreveport Mayors Women Commission, Member (2012-2014)

GRANTS

  • Council on Independent Colleges: $13,000.00; Intergenerational connections: Students serving older adults, 2017-2018
  • Black and Native Family Futures Fund: $75,000; Ascend, 2022-2026
  • HBCU Transformation: $1,000,000; United Negro College Fund, 2022-2026

Timeline

Director, Business Planning & Performance Mgmt.

American Red Cross
01.2024 - CurrentRead More

Assistant to the Provost

Jarvis Christian University
01.2016 - 01.2024Read More

Director of Outcomes Assessment

Southern University at Shreveport
01.2013 - 01.2016Read More

Associate Director for Institutional Research, Planning, Assessment and Effectiveness

Wiley College
01.2005 - 01.2013Read More

Admissions Counselor and Office Manager

Our Lady of the Lake College
01.2002 - 01.2004Read More

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Ph.D. from Organizational Leadership
Read More

Louisiana Tech University

Master of Arts from General Counseling and Guidance
Read More

Grambling State University

Bachelor of Arts from General Psychology
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CLEOPATRA J. ALLEN