E. Blakely Bell
St. Thomas,VI
Summary
A relationship centered educator and division level student support leader with experience working across grades 6–12 to strengthen advisory structures, academic access, and collaboration among faculty, students, and families. I partner with Middle and Upper School leadership teams to support alignment of student-support practices across departments and contribute to grade-level coordination that promotes student independence and readiness for Upper School expectations. As a teacher and advisor, I work within both classroom and advisory settings to support decision making, organization, and engagement while contributing to the broader systems that help divisions function cohesively. My work reflects a systems-thinking approach to student life and academic support grounded in relationship centered practice and whole child education.
Overview
2027
2027
years of professional experience
Work History
Resource Coordinator (Grades 6–12)
Antilles School
St. Thomas, VI
08.2023 - Current
- Partner with Middle and Upper School leadership to strengthen advisory systems, coordinate accommodations implementation, support student-support-team decision-making, and contribute to division-level planning related to student culture, discipline coordination, and academic readiness across grades 6–12.
- Teach middle and high school Health and serve as an Upper School advisor supporting academic planning, student belonging, and increasing independence over time.
- Collaborate with division leadership and faculty through student-support-team structures that inform grade-level intervention planning, discipline responses, and communication with families.
- Support course-planning readiness conversations with students and families and assist with AP and standardized-testing coordination.
- Design and facilitate structured student leadership panels and reflection processes examining peer communication and belonging to inform advisory-level programming and division culture initiatives.
- Work closely with faculty to implement accommodations and executive-functioning supports and contribute to alignment of senior research expectations culminating in independent Upper School projects.
- Contribute to drafting and refinement of student-support and instructional-alignment policies, including participation in schoolwide conversations around responsible AI integration in classrooms.
- Assist with division operations including exam-proctoring coordination, course-comment review, assembly and advising schedule support, parent conferences, and logistics for division programs and events.
Contracts & Grants Consultant
Independent Consultancy
Remote
06.2016 - 06.2020
- Supported 30+ nonprofit and education organizations through strategic planning, proposal development, program evaluation alignment, and implementation coordination informed by graduate training in public and nonprofit leadership.
- Evaluated program budgets and conducted financial analyses using organizational financial statements to assess feasibility, strengthen funding alignment, and support leadership decision making across grant supported initiatives.
- Partnered with organizational leaders to translate complex funding and compliance requirements into practical workflows, strengthen cross-sector collaboration, improve reporting and budgeting alignment, and support data-informed decision-making processes that enhanced program effectiveness, accountability, and long-term operational sustainability.
Federal Grants Sub-Award & Compliance Manager
McConnell & Jones
St. Thomas, VI
2020 - 2023
- Coordinated cross-agency education stabilization initiatives funded by the U.S. Department of Education, supporting implementation oversight for federal education resources exceeding $215 million during a period of rapid institutional transition.
- Partnered with government agencies, school systems, and community organizations to strengthen program alignment, budgeting oversight, and regulatory readiness across complex stakeholder environments.
- Contributed to reduction of U.S. Department of Education specific grant conditions from 28 to 9 through strengthened monitoring structures, documentation alignment, and implementation coordination.
- Identified approximately $2M in cost savings through escrow structuring and funding-alignment strategies supporting effective deployment of federal education resources.
- Increased eligible vendor pool by 62%, expanding implementation capacity across education-supported initiatives.
- Conducted financial and budget analyses identifying additional operational savings opportunities exceeding $30K.
- Delivered technical assistance and training supporting implementation coordination across 3 government agencies and 18 nonprofit organizations.
Contracts & Grants Specialist
Fintrac
St. Thomas, VI | Washington, DC
2016 - 2019
- Managed award lifecycle for sub-awards supporting international education and food-security initiatives serving diverse communities across Latin America, the Caribbean, and East Africa totaling $539.8 million
- Developed training supports strengthening implementation of compliance expectations across distributed project teams
- Collaborated with cross-functional staff supporting program delivery in complex operational environments
Education
Master of Public Administration - Public And Nonprofit Management
Cornell University
Ithaca, NYPost-Baccalaureate Certificate - Project Management
Cornell University
Ithaca, NYPost-Baccalaureate Certificate - Non-Profit Management
University of North Carolina At Greensboro
Greensboro, NCBachelor of Arts - Psychology
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NCSkills
Upper School Student Support
Advisory Program Coordination
Student Discipline Collaboration
Faculty Implementation Support
Executive Functioning Integration (Grades 6–12)
Course Planning & Academic Pathway Support
Parent Partnership & Conferences
Division Scheduling & Event Logistics
Student Culture Initiatives
Policy Development & Change Leadership
AI Readiness in Schools
Timeline
Resource Coordinator (Grades 6–12)
Antilles School
08.2023 - Current
Contracts & Grants Consultant
Independent Consultancy
06.2016 - 06.2020
Federal Grants Sub-Award & Compliance Manager
McConnell & Jones
2020 - 2023
Contracts & Grants Specialist
Fintrac
2016 - 2019
Master of Public Administration - Public And Nonprofit Management
Cornell University
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - Project Management
Cornell University
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - Non-Profit Management
University of North Carolina At Greensboro
Bachelor of Arts - Psychology
North Carolina State University