Lenisa Daniels
Dearborn Heights,MI
Summary
Higher education professional with a proven ability to orchestrate large-scale programs and drive successful outcomes. Expertise in strategic planning ensures alignment of project objectives with overarching business goals, enhancing institutional effectiveness. Strong track record of fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders and effectively managing risks contributing to sustained program success. Committed to leveraging innovative solutions to advance educational initiatives and improve student and staff experiences.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
Work History
Lead Program Manager
University of Michigan–Dearborn
03.2025 - Current
- Manage scholarship and financial aid operations supporting approximately $7–8M in funding across 16 departments.
- Utilize Salesforce CRM to manage student and departmental cases, communication workflows, and issue resolution.
- Lead process improvement and automation initiatives supporting scholarship and financial aid operations.
- Redesigned federal work-study tracking methods to improve budget oversight, payroll accuracy, and eligibility management.
- Develop training materials and support process adoption across scholarship and financial aid initiatives.
Lead Program Specialist
Wayne State University
02.2019 - 02.2025
- Led enterprise transition of scholarship operations into centralized AcademicWorks supporting 200+ scholarship opportunities and a $10M+ portfolio.
- Conducted audits of scholarship, donor, endowed, and annual funding data for migration and standardization.
- Designed taxonomy structures, metadata tags, and standardized language frameworks.
- Trained and supported 30+ departments and managed governance for 100+ internal users.
- Partnered with IT, Marketing, Institutional Advancement, and academic stakeholders.
- Developed onboarding materials, training videos, and documentation.
- Created governance procedures, workflows, and quality controls.
- Contributed to increased scholarship utilization supporting approximately $500K–$750K in additional award distribution.
- Utilized Salesforce CRM extensively for case management and communication workflows.
Financial Aid Advisor
Wayne State University
11.2017 - 02.2019
- Managed student advising, case management, and issue resolution supporting financial aid operations.
- Utilized Salesforce CRM for communication workflows and service delivery.
- Identified process improvement opportunities supporting student success.
Education
Master of Arts - Educational Leadership And Management
Wayne State University
Detroit, MIMaster of Science - Human Development & Family Community Services
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MISkills
- Knowledge Management
- System Migration & Implementation
- Change Management
- Cross-Functional Leadership
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Salesforce CRM
- Taxonomy & Categorization
- Workflow Design
- Training & Documentation
- Governance Development
- Process Improvement
Timeline
Lead Program Manager
University of Michigan–Dearborn
03.2025 - Current
Lead Program Specialist
Wayne State University
02.2019 - 02.2025
Financial Aid Advisor
Wayne State University
11.2017 - 02.2019
Master of Arts - Educational Leadership And Management
Wayne State University
Master of Science - Human Development & Family Community Services
Michigan State University