Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Certification
Projects
Timeline
Hi, I’m

Lena Brown

Chicago,IL
Lena Brown

Summary

Results-driven professional with expertise in identifying and implementing process and procedural improvements to enhance program efficiency and effectiveness. Skilled in engaging and managing cross-functional stakeholders at various leadership levels, ensuring clear and consistent communication throughout project lifecycles. Experienced in supporting program managers with milestone development, documentation, and adherence to organizational standards. Adept at facilitating collaboration and delivering tangible outcomes while maintaining strong stakeholder relationships and driving continuous improvement initiatives.

Overview

8
years of professional experience
1
Certification

Work History

Alternatives Inc.
Chicago, IL

Project Manager, Community Financial Program
04.2024 - 03.2025

Job overview

  • Contributed to cross-functional teams, delivering innovative solutions for complex community program challenges.
  • Ensured timely completion of projects by maintaining open communication with stakeholders regarding goals and budgets.

BMO Bank
Remote

Project Associate, Customer Contact Center
12.2022 - 12.2023

Job overview

  • Facilitated seamless integration of over 2,000 associates during bank acquisition by optimizing onboarding through Workday, Microsoft Suite, SharePoint, and Zoom.
  • Worked alongside subject matter experts to create customized training materials, demonstrating effective teamwork.
  • Oversaw multiple departmental training initiatives, maintaining adherence to scope and organizational objectives.

The Federal Savings Bank
Chicago, IL

Operations and Training Specialist
10.2016 - 09.2022

Job overview

  • Executed small-scale process improvement initiatives aimed at optimizing training and operations.
  • Created and updated documentation, including training manuals and SOPs aligned with project needs.
  • Analyzed operational metrics and KPIs, providing actionable insights for leadership decision-making.
  • Conducted cross-departmental training sessions, enhancing stakeholder engagement and collaboration.

Education

Western Governors University

Master of Science from IT Management - Project Management

University Overview

Additional Coursework in Power, Influence and Leadership; Current and Emerging Technology, and Managing Technology Operations and Innovation.

University of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign

Bachelor of Science from RST Management

University Overview

Member of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Football Recruiting and Office Assistant

Skills

  • Project management
  • Cross-functional collaboration
  • Process improvement
  • Verbal and written communication
  • Continuous improvement
  • Training development
  • Operational reporting
  • Stakeholder engagement
  • Process optimization
  • Data analysis
  • Project evaluation
  • Meeting facilitation
  • Project development and lifecycle
  • Deliverable tracking
  • Milestone tracking
  • Processes and procedures
  • Progress reporting
  • Task prioritization

Certification

  • Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), 08/2025
  • Atlassian IT Service Management (ITSM) Professional Certificate, 7/2025
  • Lean Six Sigma White Belt, 01/2024

Projects

Customer Contact Center Integration - Bank Acquisition

Contributed as a project team member in onboarding 2,500+ international customer contact center employees during a major bank acquisition.

  • Supported planning and execution of training activities to transition employees to new systems, tools, and service standards.
  • Collaborated with cross-functional teams (HR, Operations, IT) to ensure alignment with integration timelines and compliance requirements.
  • Assisted in coordinating training schedules, communication rollout, and system access provisioning across multiple sites.
  • Helped track onboarding progress and employee readiness metrics, contributing to successful Day 1 operations with minimal customer disruption.
  • Played a key role in ensuring a smooth transition for customer-facing teams, enhancing post-acquisition service continuity.

Processing Operations Optimization

Pioneered and led a newly created Operations & Training Specialist role to streamline processes, improve team efficiency, and support a 40-member Processing Operations team.

  • Defined and established the scope of a new role to bridge training, process support, and operational readiness across the department.
  • Automated the analyst onboarding checklist, reducing manual tracking and increasing processing consistency..
  • Partnered with cross-functional teams (e.g., Training, Workforce Management, IT, Compliance) to align onboarding operations with business objectives and regulatory timelines.
  • Led a team of two specialists at Research Solutions to scale onboarding support operations, conducted research to identify areas for improvement, maintained comprehensive process documentation, and implemented continuous improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency and consistency.
  • Utilized business intelligence (BI) and data visualization platforms to locate critical information, analyze performance metrics, and drive improvements in individual analyst productivity.

Timeline

Project Manager, Community Financial Program

Alternatives Inc.
04.2024 - 03.2025

Project Associate, Customer Contact Center

BMO Bank
12.2022 - 12.2023

Operations and Training Specialist

The Federal Savings Bank
10.2016 - 09.2022

Western Governors University

Master of Science from IT Management - Project Management

University of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign

Bachelor of Science from RST Management