Ineisha Williford
Brooklyn,NY
Summary
Global Social Impact Leader and Community Engagement expert with over 15 years of experience in community engagement, cultural affairs and governmental relations. Expert in crafting strategic campaigns that amplify messages about access and economic equity. Skilled at managing and developing initiatives that connects stakeholders and enhance community relations, with a proven track record of executing strategies to increase partnerships and access to critical resources. A visionary leader dedicated to promoting economic and workforce equity for marginalized communities with a vision to create social good.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Political Campaign Manager Consultant
Brooklyn Democratic Party
01.2024 - 06.2024
- Stefani Zinerman 56th Assembly District Re-Election and State Committee Member Dionne Brown- Jordan. Directed campaign team to lead events, raise donations, and promote positive PR for Democratic State Assembly Candidates.
- Orchestrated the "100 Women for Zinerman" campaign by developing a robust community engagement strategy to increase voter turnout and donations amongst women by creating a coalition of esteemed women in leadership from elected officials, executive directors, CEOs, and coordinated rallies alongside the NYS Attorney General Letitia James to kickoff the coalition and raise money.
- Supervised a team of seven and collaborated with diverse teams to produce compelling content, manage event logistics, and monitor campaign performance metrics for continuous improvement and field plan.
- Formulated and executed comprehensive marketing and communication strategies, including data analysis and press outreach to pinpoint key demographics for outreach efforts, boosting customer engagement and visibility by 20%.
- Devised and executed strategic campaign plans to project a 15% increase in voter turnout in targeted precincts.
- Worked alongside community leaders and stakeholders to coordinate successful campaign events and fundraising activities, surpassing donation targets by 10%, secured $60,000 in matched and private donations to date.
- Created the Changemaker Awards to launch community legislative coalitions and roundtables, which inform legislative and state policy decisions.
- Planned and executed events with public and private donors.
- Implemented creative brand and communication strategy to include robust digital and social media marketing, leading to a 90% open click rate and increasing donor appeals for Dionne Brown-Jordan.
- Enhanced campaign performance by developing and implementing targeted marketing strategies.
- Provided strong leadership to enhance team productivity and morale.
- Developed policy positions and wrote public statements outlining stances.
Senior Manager of Communications and Marketing
Youth Design Center
11.2021 - 09.2023
- Senior Manager, thought leader, developing marketing strategies, operational and organizational excellence. Recognized Anthem Award for Excellence in Community Engagement, 2023.
- Influenced organization's strategic direction and expansion through thought partnership, key stakeholder engagement, and strategic day-to-day operations, increased cross-departmental communication, team productivity, and efficacy.
- Rebranded agency to external constituents to reflect innovative program offerings, such as economic workforce apprenticeship model; increased visibility and growth to the public, attracted stakeholders, donors, and education clients.
- Restructured the organization’s internal marketing strategy to include an in-house marketing and communications team, championing innovation, collaboration, and creativity, established teams Key Performance Indicators.
- Hired, trained, and developed an in-house creative team of seven (7) FTE graphic designers, A/V productions, Social Media and Public Relations Specialists, provided professional development training to align with employee growth plans.
- Oversaw creation and development of content for six (6) multi-year integrated marketing projects, protecting digital and audio/visual assets, coordinated creative team production and budgets while maintaining project integrity and producing 100% timely deliverables with a client satisfaction rating of 90%.
- Managed large-scale projects and introduced new systems, tools, and processes to achieve challenging objectives.
- Analyzed market trends and competitor activities to identify new business opportunities and drive continuous improvement through marketing campaigns, resulting in two renewable grants totaling $500,000.
- Mentored administration leadership across three different NYC public schools on diverse outreach techniques and best practices, achieved 100% capacity for registration, 75% event attendance led to increased engagement.
- Achieved significant growth on the Instagram platform, increasing IG followers from 100 to 3500 through innovative digital marketing and community engagement strategies.
- Achieved a 70% open rate on email marketing campaigns to donors and partners, resulting in increased engagement.
Communications and Development Manager
Youth Design Center
11.2021 - 05.2022
- Successful Communications and Development Manager launched and implemented integrated communications and development strategy to support the success of five diverse youth-based programs serving 1,000 underserved and diverse youth, ages 14-21, and leveraged relationships to increase partnership contributions by 150%.
- Oversaw a $1.2M operating budget comprised of multi-year grants, annual in-kind donations, and private donor contributions; implemented CRM management, financial reporting, and budgeting.
- Implemented all policy, program, political, public relations, and media strategies to advocate for the work of the agency and its workforce development efforts.
- Manage all intergovernmental relations and community affairs initiatives and outreach efforts for the organization.
- Presented project updates during executive meetings to maintain transparency around progress towards key objectives while addressing any concerns raised by leadership stakeholders.
- Led cross-functional teams in the planning and execution of five successful program launches with high-valued clients, resulting in a 33% increase in student participation within the first year.
- Cultivated and maintained relationships with key partners and stakeholders to secure sponsorships and funding for various marketing initiatives, totaling $653,000 from sponsors like DoorDash, Resource Group, Brooklyn Community Foundation, Regional Administration of HUD, Alicka Ampry-Samuel, Comic Relief, and others.
- Developed partnership with Start Up Africa, an international nonprofit organization serving 500 youth globally, and launched International Youth Day with partner Starbucks Reserve, hosted 60 students from Kenya to access YDC offerings around Entrepreneurship and Technology.
- Established a partnership with Central Brooklyn to create a pipeline for YDC apprentices to work as teaching artists in CBED's entrepreneurship program serving 300-low income students.
- Created infrastructure and framework for expanded revenue for strategic partnering of NYC Public Schools.
- Advocated for civic efficacy funding by establishing partnerships with LISC NY for community revitalization projects and collaborated with NYC Planning Commissioner Leah Goodridge to collaborate on urban design planning for housing justice project.
Education Coach and Specialist
Central Brooklyn Economic Development Corp
09.2020 - 06.2021
- Consultant for CBEDC to improve program operations and ensure NYC regulatory compliance.
- Fostered quality improvement through data-informed decision-making, led curation and design of public programming and culminating events, and community engagement outreach strategy, resulting in an increase of student participation by over 60%.
- Executed professional development to 15+ school leadership team members and line staff around DYCD's frameworks, DOH compliance, and regulations, reviewed all lesson plans, and aligned curricula to best practices per DYCD and DOE standards.
- Oversaw budgeting and financial planning for program initiatives, managing a $1 million budget focusing on cost containment and maximizing ROI.
- Evaluated program performance through data analysis and stakeholder feedback and implemented continuous improvement initiatives to drive program success and sustainability.
- Managed Department of Youth and Community Development compliance for contract ROP, Rate of Enrollment, staff-to-student ratio, and class ratings, ensuring Dept of Health compliance for medical clearances, licensing, and space.
- Led professional development sessions for fellow educators, sharing best practices and innovative teaching strategies to enhance instruction across the school community.
- Participated in ongoing professional growth opportunities through workshops, conferences, or online courses that expanded personal subject matter expertise or pedagogical knowledge base.
Program Director
Central Brooklyn Economic Development Corp
09.2018 - 09.2020
- Strategic leadership curated partnerships to advance economic opportunities and social change for underserved youth.
- Crafted and executed a community relations and engagement strategy that enhanced partnerships with key stakeholders and elected officials, bolstering the agency's collaborative efforts.
- Spearheaded the Program Management and Development of CBEDC's inaugural Youth Entrepreneurship Program, managing a $400,000 budget allocation
- Created and implemented training programs resulting in a more cohesive and high-performing team, including the Circle of Courage Framework, designed for project-based teaching artists focusing on social change and entrepreneurship.
- Successfully managed a 90-student cohort at Charter School Brownsville Ascend, achieving an 85% rate of participation in the DYCD contract and securing a two-year extension contract.
- Partnered with Zoom Communications at the onset of COVID-19 Pandemic to transition from a full-time in-person student afterschool program to a fully remote program.
- Hosted virtual events with global partner Start-Up Africa, emphasizing skill-building and international business education in marketing and digital industry through a social justice lens, serving 90 students globally.
- Orchestrated leadership communications, recruitment strategies, and all marketing initiatives targeting parents and school audiences to meet 100% enrollment goals using media buys, print, and digital media.
- Secured a $100k grant for 90 students to participate in a 3-year National Initiative with Lemonade Day, an entrepreneurship curriculum for underserved youth to operate independently and community-infused ventures.
Community School Director
CAMBA Brownsville Academy
03.2015 - 06.2018
- Mayoral Initiative to oversee and implement multi-year community grant to improve high school student outcomes.
- Established community linkages for students and families centered on vocational training, higher education, and workforce development workshops, enhancing access to emerging industries, job opportunities, and social services.
- Oversaw operations for a $380k school-based yearly community grant, implemented quarterly community-school framework training for DOE leadership and staff on capacity building, grant resources, and programmatic design, assessment.
- Provided thought leadership, strategic direction, and direct supervision of the team's internal and external communications, marketing strategies, and brand campaigns for 20+ program launches and outreach events.
- Analyzed program data for community impact, enhanced overall school performance by increasing retention rates by 85%, attendance rates by 5%, and student participation by 20% in two years.
- Cultivated relationships with 50+ NYC area programs partnering with vital cultural institutions and businesses to facilitate career pathways for out-of-school youth, resulting in a 75% internship placement rate.
- Secured $100,000 in funding for STEM equipment through capacity-building grants from the local State Senator and local State Assembly Member.
- Spearheaded a robust Mental Health and Wellness Initiatives, developed strong partnerships with the Jewish Board and Interborough Hospital, trained staff in restorative justice practices, and commissioned the first-ever student meditation room in collaboration with Youth Design Center to combat high suspension rates, which was reduced by 90%.
- Evaluated program effectiveness using performance metrics, making adjustments as needed to ensure desired outcomes were achieved.
- Directed the curation and project management of innovative Cultural Arts and Media-driven programming for 500+ students.
Youth Programming & Community Engagement Director
New York City Council
04.2012 - 03.2015
- Designed and spearheaded a robust public affairs and engagement strategy, including an outreach plan for a City Council Member's district office, aimed at strengthening partnerships and community ties for more than 12,000 constituents. This involved organizing town hall events, public programs, workshops, and monthly district meetings.
- Delivered constituent services by representing residents interest through collaborations with key city agencies and CBO's by facilitating access to essential resources, services, and updates on legislative policies, rezoning and Land Use updates, and discretionary funding information.
- Secured essential funding resources and opportunities for public schools in the district and collaborated with prominent cultural and workforce institutions to develop youth programming workshops.
- Launched the "Greg Jocko Jackson" Community, Media and film Initiative in collaboration with Central Brooklyn Economic Development Corp (CBEDC) as an economic development project aimed at enhancing partnerships with prominent cultural and media institutions. Providing access to job training and employment opportunities through a year long-series of monthly workshops and programs. Additionally, it supported the enhancement of the community's "Old Timers Day" festival, which drew over 10,000 visitors.
- Recruited trained, and managed a diverse group of volunteers to support various community initiatives effectively.
- Expanded community outreach efforts by identifying and engaging underrepresented groups in the area.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Public Relations
SUNY Oswego
Oswego, NY08-2012
Skills
- Executive Leadership
- Community Relations and Government Affairs
- Project & Event Management
- Media relations
- Strategic Partnerships
- Public Relations
- Supervision, Training & Coaching
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Grant Management
- Grassroots organizational structures
- Compliance
- Business Development
- Community engagement
- Strategic Planning
- RFP Administration
- Operations
- Community Engagement
- Digital & Brand Marketing
- Program Development, Implementation, Evaluation
- Financial reporting
- CRM Management
- Project Management Tools
- Digital Media & Content Curation
- Social Media & Data Analytics
- Copywriting
- Zoom Communications
- Microsoft Suite
- Coalition building
Certification
- Certified Media Producer, Bric Arts, 2023
- Anthem Award Winner, Youth Design Center (YDC), 2023
- ICF Credentialed Life Coach, International Coaching Federation, 2019
- International Marketing Certification, CAPA University, London, UK, 2008
Affiliations
- Stefani Zinerman, NYC, Campaign Manager, 2024
- CBEDC, Vice President, 2016-2019
- NYC Council 41st District, Director of Community Engagement, 2012-2015
- SUNY OSWEGO, Arts Programming Board Member, 2009-2012
- City Council Proclamation, Youth Development, 2014
- New York State Assembly Candidate, 2014
- Reelection Campaign Council Member Darlene Mealy, Field Coordinator, 2013
- BRO Experience Foundation, Development Consultant, 2022
- Vice President of Membership and Outreach, Vanguard Independent Democratic Association, October 2024 to Present
Timeline
Political Campaign Manager Consultant
Brooklyn Democratic Party
01.2024 - 06.2024
Senior Manager of Communications and Marketing
Youth Design Center
11.2021 - 09.2023
Communications and Development Manager
Youth Design Center
11.2021 - 05.2022
Education Coach and Specialist
Central Brooklyn Economic Development Corp
09.2020 - 06.2021
Program Director
Central Brooklyn Economic Development Corp
09.2018 - 09.2020
Community School Director
CAMBA Brownsville Academy
03.2015 - 06.2018
Youth Programming & Community Engagement Director
New York City Council
04.2012 - 03.2015
Bachelor of Arts - Public Relations
SUNY Oswego
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