Hiab Debessai
One World/Penguin Random House
Brooklyn,NY
14
years of professional experience
Detail-oriented Educator and Editorial Assistant with 14 years of experience in time management and problem-solving within fast-paced environments. Expertise in verbal and written communication, organizational skills, calendar management, travel planning, and expense processing. Seeking Executive Assistant position to support executives in media, publishing, or corporate sectors while contributing to compelling narrative development.
Work History
Editorial Assistant
2 Years 5 Months- Managed communications between authors, editors, and production teams to streamline workflows towards a timely and purposeful book publication
- Developed and maintained comprehensive tracking systems for manuscript submissions, acquisitions, and revisions.
- Read and evaluated multiple fiction and nonfiction submissions for both executive editors I support and provided thorough readers reports breaking them down for clarity, pace, character development/ strength of argument, organization/structure, and overall fitness within our brand/imprint
- Edited manuscripts to maintain consistency in tone and voice while adhering to established style guidelines.
- Enhanced editorial quality by meticulously proofreading and editing content before publication.
- Monitored industry trends and news through regular research, keeping the editorial team apprised of relevant topics for potential acquisitions or imprint outreach.
- Assisted in organizing events such as book launches or panel discussions, increasing exposure for the publication.
- Coordinated with graphic designers to develop visually appealing layouts that complemented written content.
- Scoured online copy to ensure consistency and clarity across all publishers' sites, retailer sites, and author websites leading up to and past the book's on sale date
- Prepared materials such as copy, key selling points, target consumer data, author bio, sample art/text, etc. for sales and publicity/marketing to support growth.
- Prepped agendas for and participated in weekly editorial meetings by contributing ideas on engaging submissions and providing updates on current projects, fostering a collaborative team environment.
- Improved communication between departments by serving as a liaison between editorial staff and other teams within the organization.
- Provided developmental and line edits to multiple authors on both nonfiction and fiction projects contributing to more developed characters and faster paced narratives
- Tracked budgets, contracts, payment schedules, and expense reports for editor-in-chief/publisher and executive editor/VP.
- Scheduled complex and last minute travel for editor-in-chief/publisher and executive editor/VP.
- Handled internal staff correspondence through emails and scheduling.
- Selected and edited photos for use in multiple and diverse projects which required sourcing, obtaining permissions from various publications/historical sites, and liaising between author and internal art designers to ensure optimal positioning and flow of internal art/photographs
- Maintained strong and healthy relationships with authors, agents, and other industry professionals through responsiveness, timely communication, adaptability/advocacy, and being present for author events
Teacher
7 Years 2 Months- Taught as lead 5th Grade English Language Arts Teacher for 7 years and consequently earned Stage 5 status (the highest status) on the AF Teacher Career Pathway as determined by a rigorous and comprehensive analysis of student achievement data, family and peer survey data, as well as classroom observational data as conducted by school leadership.
- Led Reading Intervention courses including both Phonics and Guided Reading which resulted in marked student independent reading gains. For the past four years, my young readers have experienced on average over 1.9 years of reading growth in just one academic school year.
- Led reading intervention courses, including phonics and guided reading, resulting in average 1.9 years of reading growth for students in one academic year over the past four years.
- Designed and implemented a reading buddies system with my co-teacher, pairing strong 8th grade readers with 5th grade readers for independent reading support, leading to 1.75 years of reading growth in one academic year. Students in this program experienced 1.75 years of reading growth in just one academic school year.
- Conducted research on engaging book titles for middle school curriculum. and according author history of potential new books for middle grade curriculum in an effort to boost reading engagement.
- Recorded and assessed student submissions of essays and daily writing samples. student submissions of essays and daily writing samples as determined by the daily objective.
Editor
- Line edited the first pass of a planner designed to assist black women entrepreneurs in the beauty market. Wrote seven pages of editorial notes utilizing Adobe and Google Docs to provide the most effective and clear feedback for the project itself.
- Delivered content edits through an editorial letter to the CEO of a Black Cosmetic Lab and facilitated a meeting to discuss structural revisions aimed at improving consumer clarity and product usability.
Curriculum Fellow
1 Year 11 Months- Wrote curriculum for four novels under minimal supervision ranging from Level T-Z by reading and evaluating each text and developing a scope and sequence for each novel. These curricula all successfully published and are now accessible for teacher use at all Achievement First Schools. Met stringent deadlines for the publication of each novel's curricula.
- Reviewed and selected four novels for curriculum use, collaborating with Network leaders to ensure representation, including three novels by black authors featuring black characters.
- Completed a thorough read of assigned novels and conducted research to ensure that each novel's curricula aligned with Fountas & Pinnell's Guided Reading Framework (GRF), and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
- Expanded novel curriculum base significantly, providing rigorous educational context and structured lessons for every title.
Elected Student Governance Council Teacher Representative
1 Year 9 Months- Acted as a liaison with teachers, leadership, and key stakeholders such as families at Windham Middle School.
- Responsible for representing the teachers voice, concerns and opinions in an advisory capacity to the parents and administration when making programmatic or operational changes that affect student achievement.
- Reviewed the proposed budget for the next fiscal year in order to give counsel on preferred allocation and prioritization of resources in order to enhance instruction at WMS.
- Increased council transparency by taking minutes of each week's meetings in order to hold a public record of our weekly agendas as well as decisions on proposed items.
- Assisted in improving student and teacher engagement by drafting policy recommendations that addressed current challenges.
Instructional Team Leader
2 Years- Organized and facilitated data-team meetings through delegation of tasks across 12 teachers in order to run effective meetings. Such tasks included taking minutes, setting agenda items, planning action items, and facilitating discussion on said agenda issues.
- Facilitated meetings around student data between 12 content teachers in order to track student achievement across multiple measures/assessments and consequently saw marked growth across 6th, 7th, and 8th grade student performance on the NWEA.
- Enhanced communication and group productivity through collective use of Google Docs, live documents and shared folders on the school's database.
Teacher (Teach for America)
3 Years 6 Months- Taught as lead 8th grade reading language arts teacher at Windham Middle School for four years, extending commitment to TFA by two additional years.
- Instructed 60+ students, achieving an average passing score of 90% while enhancing student proficiency through targeted whole-group and small-group instruction.
- Led after-school Enrichment course on Feminism and Beyoncé which enhanced student engagement in social justice issues as well as boosted student ability to engage with mainstream media critically.
Member
1 Year 11 Months- Finalized the proposal that consequently received the Ford Foundation District Grant and led to the changed structure of our school day in the next academic year (an additional 30min to the school day, an enrichment and acceleration block, smaller class sizes, increased resources etc.) and noticeable improvement in school culture and climate as well as notable increased student reading achievement.
- Drafted and presented two formal versions of a 25-page proposal for extended learning day to Center for Time and Learning Collaborative, aiming to secure district grant.
- Recorded minutes for 18 planning and implementation sessions focused on extending school learning day and restructuring staff and student schedules for next year.
Education
Masters in the Art of Teaching (MAT) - Education
Bachelor of Arts - English Literature and Screen Arts and Cultures (Film)
Bachelor of the Arts in English Literature Ann Arbor, MI
Skills
Content Management
Google Docs
Microsoft Word
Google/Microsoft PowerPoint
Excel
Time Management
Organization
Team Collaboration
Communication
Relationship building
Editorial Feedback
Growth mindset
Timeline
Editorial Assistant
One World/Penguin Random House
04.2024 - CurrentRead More
Editor
Freelance
05.2022 - 05.2022Read More
Curriculum Fellow
Achievement First Apollo Middle School
01.2020 - 12.2021Read More
Teacher
Achievement First Apollo Middle School
07.2016 - 09.2023Read More
Elected Student Governance Council Teacher Representative
Windham Middle School
09.2014 - 06.2016Read More
Instructional Team Leader
Windham Middle School
06.2014 - 06.2016Read More
Member
Time Collaborative Committee
01.2013 - 12.2014Read More
Teacher (Teach for America)
Windham Middle School
12.2012 - 06.2016Read More
University of Michigan, School of Literature
Bachelor of Arts from English Literature and Screen Arts and Cultures (Film)
Read More
Relay Graduate School of Education
Masters in the Art of Teaching (MAT) from Education
Read More