Hi, I’m
Dominique Freeman
Hyattsville,MD
Summary
Accomplished and dedicated professional advocate with over 10 years of experience using leadership and authenticity to guide non-profits and public institutions in effectively uplifting and serving vulnerable communities. Expert in trauma-informed care and evidence-based strategies, leveraging strong interpersonal skills and serving as a subject matter expert to navigate organizational complexities and achieve strategic goals. Committed to building community consensus through advocacy, operations and program management, training and facilitation, strategic planning, evaluation, and storytelling. Effective trainer, communicator, and results-oriented leader with a proven history of utilizing exceptional organizational, planning, and communication skills to enhance operational efficiency.
Overview
10
years of professional experience
Work History
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Youth and Young Adult Initiatives Manager
08.2022 - Current
Job overview
- Spearheaded the organization's first-ever young adult mental health advisory program, applying a liberatory design framework to foster a collaborative space where diverse youth voices co-created innovative mental health programs and solutions
- Partner with philanthropic organizations to design youth-led mental health programming and services, including a virtual college guide, an interactive mental health curriculum, and a young adult mental health advocacy community of practice
- Facilitate annual strategic visioning and goal-setting sessions with a 10-person mental health advocacy council utilizing human-centered design to develop products, resources, and campaigns aimed at centering young adult voices to improve mental health well-being
- Oversee organization-wide young adult communications and awareness strategy, resulting in a 50% increase in social media interactions and launching a young adult newsletter with over 1,300 subscribers in its first year
- Lead annual focus groups and needs assessments with caregivers, educators, and young adults to design back-to-school mental health resources impacting over 3,700 + youth and 1850+ adults.
ICF
Youth Engagement Technical Assistance Specialist
01.2022 - 09.2024
Job overview
- Provide consulting, technical assistance, and program support to promote evidence-based solutions for child and family services
- Partner with child welfare agencies and Health and Human Services professionals to develop annual technical assistance plans on matters relating to child welfare policy, continuous quality improvement (CQI), youth engagement, and prevention
- Lead and advise teams on developing products and tools to support child welfare agencies serving youth and young adults
- Support teams in conceptualizing, developing, and delivering national peer-to-peer events and webinars to enrich the knowledge of child welfare agencies
- Serve on a team of data and evaluation experts to lead ongoing participatory research to evaluate the success and impact of young-adult partnerships and lived experience engagement within the child welfare system
- Provide ongoing coaching to consultants with lived experience to execute work plan objectives successfully.
Center for Capacity Building States
Young Adult Consultant, Contract
10.2021 - 12.2022
Job overview
- Provided expert consultation to states, tribes, and jurisdictions on implementing Division X federal funding to provide COVID relief to current and former foster youth
- Contributed to Center publications that guide states on effective implementation of child welfare programs, services, policies, and procedures.
Urban Alliance
Education Project Coordinator
08.2021 - 08.2022
Job overview
- Implemented workforce development curriculum and training to address systemic barriers to economic mobility for young adults of color in DC, Maryland, and Virginia
- Responsible for developing and implementing the Urban Alliance Scholars internship program to support and enhance college, career awareness, and high school completion for DC high school students adversely impacted by poverty, resulting in an 80% college acceptance rate
- Ensured a 95% internship host retention rate through comprehensive liaison support, positive development training, regular site visits, and rigorous monitoring of program goal compliance for both students and supervisors.
FosterClub
Policy Specialist
02.2020 - 03.2021
Job overview
- Managed and oversaw daily operations of four projects aimed at enhancing the child welfare system, explicitly supporting current and former foster youth, LGBTQ/2Spirit foster youth, and youth of color
- Produced various written materials, including issue briefs, op-eds, calls-to-action, and social media campaigns to highlight disproportionality and mobilize youth
- Developed and coordinated technical assistance materials, newsletters, virtual presentations, and policy documents, and facilitated youth engagement training serving over 500 young adults
- Contributed to a national campaign to pass the Foster Youth and Families Through the Pandemic Act (P.L
- 116-260), resulting in increased support and resources for foster youth and families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Education
Howard UniversityWashington, DC
Bachelor of Science from Psychology
05.2015
Skills
- Youth Advocacy
- Techincal Assistance
- Project Management
- Peer Support
- Coaching
- Leadership Development
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Trauma-Informed Leadership
- Strategic Planning
- Presentation & Facilitation
- Conflict Resolution
- Data Management
- Project Implementation
- Research
- Problem-Solving
- Training Facilitation
- Verbal & Written Communication
- CiviCRM
- MailChimp
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Google Suite
- Smartsheet
- Dedoose
Personal Information
Title: Job Title Here (job you’re applying to)
Timeline
Youth and Young Adult Initiatives Manager
National Alliance on Mental Illness
08.2022 - Current
Youth Engagement Technical Assistance Specialist
ICF
01.2022 - 09.2024
Young Adult Consultant, Contract
Center for Capacity Building States
10.2021 - 12.2022
Education Project Coordinator
Urban Alliance
08.2021 - 08.2022
Policy Specialist
FosterClub
02.2020 - 03.2021
Howard University
Bachelor of Science from Psychology
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