Dr. Wanda Brooks-Long
Atlanta,GA
Summary
Academic leader with over 30+ years of experience in traditional and charter public schools. Provided leadership utilizing mastery knowledge of advocacy, curriculum, instruction, teaching, learning, and parent, community engagement to promulgate immediate and long-lasting growth in student proficiency and post-secondary career and college readiness. Deep understanding of school systems and policies, and their impact on student outcomes. Strong communicator with the ability to create collations with community stakeholders that improve the culture, climate, and learning environment of schools and the communities they serve. Champion for students, parents, teachers, and school leaders who provides educational opportunities that promote, innovation, diversity, equity, and excellence growth opportunities for all. Motivated Academic Advisor with exceptional written and verbal communication skills. Successful at guiding students through course registration steps, course selection and academic planning. Expertise in goal setting and active listening. A focused educational leader with 35 years of success guiding students on academic and career decisions. Skilled at counseling students on methods for forging relationships and helping students navigate school life. Driven to support long-term goal achievement by linking students to outside resources to enhance education and career prospects. Caring Academic Advisor with a 20-year background. Exceptional expertise in academic support techniques, procedures, and plans. Skilled in establishing trust and influence in students. In-depth knowledge of all academic majors and requirements. Adept at identifying optimal curricula, developing lesson plans, and aligning instruction with current learning goals Good planner, problem-solver, and analytical leader with strong attention to detail and sound judgment focused on continuous improvement. Decisive, practical, and strategic in leading operations and teams.
Overview
36
36
years of professional experience
Work History
Chief Academic Officer/Head of Schools
DeKalb Preparatory Academy Charter School
01.2022 - 04.2023
- Oversaw management of one hundred staff members and educational outcomes of 565 Kindergarten – eighth-grade students
- Ensured garnering and strategic utilization of over $2.5M in COVID-19 Relief, Federal, State, and Local Education funding
- Managed budget of $6M+, resulting in improvement of operations, facilities, personnel management, professional development, curriculum, and instruction
- Modernized financial operations by implementing online payment, procurement, and human resource systems
- Invested $100K+ in grant funds to complete major infrastructure renovations on building and school grounds to ensure a healthy and safe environment conducive to learning
- Realigned instructional programming to meet differentiated learning needs of gifted, ESOL, and special education students by providing grade-level-specific instructors for areas identified
- Provided specialized and enrichment programming before, during, and after school for general, gifted, ESOL, and special education students, which increased student proficiency.
- Set ambitious goals and led change process with specific and measurable outcomes to strengthen the overall academic program.
- Worked collaboratively with consultants and strategic partners to align goals.
- Assessed organizational structure quality and impact related to curriculum and instruction, researching best practices and providing actionable feedback to increase faculty and student outcomes.
- Refined and implemented instruction and curriculum vision and mission.
- Reviewed and updated academic frameworks based on goals and student needs.
- Led instructional program by overseeing curriculum, assessment, instructional quality, and data use.
- Met firm deadlines while applying a results-driven and goal-oriented methodology to teaching initiatives.
- Assessed data-gathering methods for validity and reliability purposes.
- Drove continuous improvement related to using new teaching tools, training methods, and online doctoral education instruction improvement.
- Assessed organizational structure quality and impact related to curriculum and instruction, researching best practices and providing actionable feedback to increase faculty and student outcomes
Founder, Program Director and Principal
Newark Board Of Education, Newark Institute Of Culinary Education
08.2016 - 09.2019
- Provided support and guidance to students experiencing academic and personal troubles.
Conducted academic advisement services for students on a reoccurring basis to maintain educational progression.
Assisted students in selecting courses to align with their interests and abilities.
Mentored students, offering advice and support on topic selection, appropriateness, and academic value.
Helped students with an initial adjustment to university academic life and interpreted institutions' policies and requirements.
Consulted with students to advise on topic selection, appropriateness, and academic value.
Investigated complaints and worked with students, parents, and teachers to find positive resolutions.
Received and reviewed transcripts to determine eligibility for admission to college or specific programs. - Fashioned a program brand that created opportunities for behaviorally disabled ninth through twelfth-grade students to pursue culinary careers and post-secondary degrees
- Began the program with ten students and grew the initiative, which transitioned into a District High School that enrolls over three hundred students annually
- Solidified initial $50K in outside funding to be used for instruction and operational cost
- Created opportunity for students to participate in the Newark Wholefoods NAACP High School Cook-out, where students garnered wins providing visibility and awareness of the N.I.C.E program
- Prepared annual budgets with controls to prevent overages.
- Developed and implemented program goals and objectives, establishing specific and measurable outcomes aligned with the organization's overall mission.
- Supervised program staff, managing and evaluating performance to provide high-quality services to program participants.
- Provided ongoing direction and leadership for program operations.
- Scheduled and supervised staff meetings to discuss new ideas and update participants on program details and milestones.
- Monitored program performance to identify areas for improvement.
- Recruited and trained staff and volunteers to upgrade collective team skills.
- Collaborated with various teams to uncover issues, identify applicable solutions, and offer guidance.
- Coordinated budgeting, scheduling and resource allocation to facilitate smooth flow of operations.
- Established program policies and procedures to comply with regulatory requirements.
- Communicated regularly with stakeholders, updating on progress to build support for program.
- Developed and implemented marketing strategies to promote program awareness and participation.
- Developed and implemented program evaluation systems to assess program impact.
- Developed program from ground up, laying out framework, and defining roles.
- Created an initiative allowing students to start their own catering business (N.I.C.E Catering), which promoted entrepreneurial skills and leveraged connections with post-secondary educational and culinary institutes to provide scholarships after graduation
- Ensured students were provided the resources to receive a Newark high school diploma and industry-standard culinary certification (Serv-Safe)
- Developed strong partnerships with other businesses to allow for collaboration and more significant opportunities for growth.
- Created the organization's mission and vision statements for use by employees.
- Conducted target market research to scope out industry competition and identify advantageous trends.
- Secured sufficient funds to cover business obligations by tracking expenses and budgeting accurately.
- Developed strong partnerships with other businesses to allow for collaboration and more significant opportunities for growth
Leadership Coach
New Jersey Department Of Education
04.2015 - 08.2016
- Oversaw management of over 600 staff members and educational outcomes of 3000 Kindergarten – eighth-grade students
- Supported Principals of underperforming middle schools by assisting them with the creation and rollout of school improvement plans which focused on curriculum and instruction, culture and climate, family engagement, use of data, teacher evaluation, and supervision
- Provided weekly coaching and feedback meetings, budget and finance training as well as conducted a monthly review of school performance data and recommended actionable next steps for improvement
- Created an evaluation and observation cycle process and template that provided Principals with tools to promote clear and effective feedback on instruction when evaluating their staff
- Provided professional development on the effective use of data and assessment systems to monitor the implementation of curriculum by teachers
- Assisted principals in leading the school turnaround effort which resulted in reduced absenteeism and suspension rates.
- Utilized positive communication to encourage team and promote integrity and respect.
- Collaborated with other coaches to create and execute game plans.
- Monitored team practices to establish high level of performance.
- Encouraged everyone to cultivate strong work ethic by demonstrating diligence, patience, and respect for others.
- Analyzed and evaluated team performance metrics to identify areas of improvement.
Special Assistant of Leader Quality
Newark Board of Education, Newark Public Schools
08.2012 - 04.2015
- Oversaw management of 800 hundred staff members and educational outcomes of 40000 Kindergarten – twelfth -grade students supported Assistant Superintendents of School Leadership Teams II and III with school leader supervisory responsibilities including principal evaluations, coaching, professional development, and monitoring school improvement plans
- Supervised the professional development of six principals and monitored the operations of six schools with a combined staff and student population of 3,600 people
- Assisted Principals with the development of annual budgets and provided tools to monitor spending
- Used online observation platforms, including Zoho and Bloom Board for recording, analyzing and reporting evaluation data
- Created transformative reflective practice cycles resulting in Principals and Vice Principals completing more than 3,000 classroom observations during the school term.
- Managed a variety of timelines and multiple projects.
- Maintained confidentiality of company information.
- Arranged development and delivery of updated training for staff.
- Earned trust of others through open, honest communication and reliable follow-through.
- Coordinated and supervised staff and continuously evaluated performance.
- Optimized customer experience by delivering superior services and effectively troubleshooting issues.
- Trained and mentored new coaches on the fundamentals of coaching to apply best practices and strategies.
Provided feedback to coaches to improve teaching techniques and increase the drive to succeed.
Developed relationships with clients to provide ongoing support and encouragement.
Facilitated group coaching sessions and provided individual coaching support.
Facilitated team-building activities and workshops to improve communication, collaboration, and productivity.
Assisted clients in setting and achieving personal and professional goals.
Provided guidance to clients in overcoming challenges and identifying opportunities.
Established clear benchmarks for performance and monitored individual and team progress.
Analyzed client feedback to adjust coaching sessions accordingly.
Researched the latest industry trends and developments to keep abreast of best practices.
Encouraged clients to find creative solutions to problems and maintain motivation.
Developed and delivered presentations to educate clients on topics related to coaching.
Developed and maintained a network of professional resources to refer clients to.
Identified workflow inefficiencies to formulate and implement operational improvements at the network level.
Monitored and analyzed clients' progress, results, and overall satisfaction to implement process improvement initiatives.
Fostered positive, proactive, professional relationships to achieve short- and long-term business goals.
Troubleshoot, brainstormed and collaborated with fellow coaches on ways to make coaching more impactful for clients.
Analyzed and evaluated training effectiveness and program outcomes.
Conducted needs assessments to identify gaps in performance and develop targeted learning solutions.
Coordinated training schedules across sites with supervisors and managers to optimize training initiatives and work-flow management
Facilitated virtual, in-person, and blended learning sessions.
Developed job-specific competencies and performance standards.
Utilized a variety of instructional design methodologies to create effective learning experiences.
Developed lesson plans, instructional materials, and written practice tests for training courses.
Designed and delivered web-based, self-directed learning materials.
Education
Master of Divinity - Community Transformation and Counseling
Mercer University
Atlanta05.2023
Doctorate - Educational Leadership – Urban Leadership
Kean University
08.2012
Master of Education - Supervision
St. Peters University
05.1992
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration and Management
Kean University
06.1987
Bachelor of Arts - British Literature
Kean University
06.1987
Skills
- Community Engagement
- Relationship Building and Management
- Strategic Human Resource Recruitment Development and Administration
- Performance Improvement and Accountability
- Vision, Mission, Strategic Planning
- School Teaching, Financial, Management, and Technology Software (Microsoft Office, Google Classroom, Teams, Zoom, Workforce, Oracle)
- Budgeting
- Fund Raising
- Academic Advising
- Internship Opportunity Referral
- Post-Counseling Needs Review
- Course Planning
- Vocational Training
- Curricula Selection
- Academic Performance Evaluations
- Student and Parent Relations
- At-Risk Student Intervention
- Student Recruitment Knowledge
Accomplishments
PUBLICATIONS & AWARDS
Brooks-Long, W. (2012). “The Impact of Reflective Walkthroughs.” Institute of Education Sciences, 132 – ISBN: 978-1-3034-7183-4
Brooks-Long, W. (2016). “It’s Time for Schools to Consider New Ways of Communicating Their Narratives.” New Jersey: RAC Reporter
2019 Letter of Commendation United Sates Senator Bonnie Watson Coleman for Outstanding Community and Educational Leadership
2019 Somerset County Outstanding Woman’s Award in Education
Certification
ADVANCED TRAINING
Georgia Charter School Association: Finance, Board Relations, Community Relations, Operations
Relay Graduate School: Effective Coaching and Feedback
Center for Creative Leadership: Executive Coaching
Harvard Principals Center: School Accountability and Urban Leadership
Princeton University – Principal’s Center for the Garden State: Business of Change
Cambridge Conflict Management, Inc.: Negotiation and Process Training
CERTIFICATIONS
New Jersey & Georgia State Certifications
School Business Administrator-CE
School Administrator-Standard
Principal
Supervisor
Teacher Elementary
Ministry and Community Transformation
Timeline
Chief Academic Officer/Head of Schools
DeKalb Preparatory Academy Charter School
01.2022 - 04.2023
Founder, Program Director and Principal
Newark Board Of Education, Newark Institute Of Culinary Education
08.2016 - 09.2019
Leadership Coach
New Jersey Department Of Education
04.2015 - 08.2016
Special Assistant of Leader Quality
Newark Board of Education, Newark Public Schools
08.2012 - 04.2015
Master of Divinity - Community Transformation and Counseling
Mercer University
Doctorate - Educational Leadership – Urban Leadership
Kean University
Master of Education - Supervision
St. Peters University
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration and Management
Kean University
Bachelor of Arts - British Literature
Kean University
CERTIFICATIONS
New Jersey & Georgia State Certifications
School Business Administrator-CE
School Administrator-Standard
Principal
Supervisor
Teacher Elementary
Ministry and Community Transformation
ADVANCED TRAINING
Georgia Charter School Association: Finance, Board Relations, Community Relations, Operations
Relay Graduate School: Effective Coaching and Feedback
Center for Creative Leadership: Executive Coaching
Harvard Principals Center: School Accountability and Urban Leadership
Princeton University – Principal’s Center for the Garden State: Business of Change
Cambridge Conflict Management, Inc.: Negotiation and Process Training
PUBLICATIONS & AWARDS
Brooks-Long, W. (2012). “The Impact of Reflective Walkthroughs.” Institute of Education Sciences, 132 – ISBN: 978-1-3034-7183-4 Brooks-Long, W. (2016).
“It’s Time for Schools to Consider New Ways of Communicating Their Narratives.” New Jersey: RAC Reporter 2019
Letter of Commendation United States Senator Bonnie Watson Coleman for Outstanding Community and Educational Leadership
2019 Somerset County Outstanding Woman’s Award in Education
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