Sarah Thomas, MSECE
La Grange,IL
Summary
An influential leader, seeking an opportunity to grow and enhance operations and outcomes through thoughtful and creative strategic program implementation. Passionate about educating young minds. Committed and engaging Director bringing lecturing skills and expertise in Early Childhood Education. Gifted in engagement and guidance of future teachers, current teachers, and young minds.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Director
Dominican University
River Forest
12.2019 - Current
- Oversaw operations and provided corrective feedback to achieve daily and long-term goals.
- Worked closely with organizational leadership to guide operational strategy.
- Established departmental performance goals and provided feedback for underperforming areas.
- Maintained enrollment and operations through the Pandemic as an emergency center, networking with leading Epidemiologists and local county health care agencies to assess potential outbreaks, create a safe learning and growth atmosphere, and maintain No COVID-19 outbreaks within the school.
- Leveraged over half a million dollars in grant funding to support the school through the Pandemic and fifteen thousand dollars in material grants to enhance the school's curriculum and replace broken and worn furniture.
- Provided student teaching opportunities for new teachers to learn best practices while overseeing their performance and impact.
- Established extracurricular activities, including Spanish, Health, Library studies, and Engineering.
- Partnered with local nonprofits to add a vegetable garden and butterfly garden.
- Secured NAEYC Accreditation and Gold Circle Quality of Care, allowing additional grant opportunities.
- Leveraged professional networks and industry knowledge to strengthen client relationships.
- Spearheaded innovative approaches to resource allocation and strategic planning.
- Optimized operational processes using analytics tools to address client-specific metrics.
- Drafted and distributed reports to assist board members with critical business decisions.
- Monitored expenditures to mitigate risk of overages.
- Remained composed and highly professional in fast-paced and constantly changing environment, effectively handling challenging situations and difficult individuals to achieve objectives.
Education Department Adjunct Professor
Dominican University
7900 Division Street
05.2022 - 08.2022
- Graded quizzes, tests, homework, and projects to provide students with timely academic progress information and feedback.
- Encouraged class discussions by building discussions into lessons, actively soliciting input, asking open-ended questions and using techniques to track student participation.
- Built relationships with students, mentoring on personal, professional and academic goals while providing coaching on effective study habits.
- Evaluated and revised lesson plans and course content to achieve student-centered learning.
Farmers Market Manager
Brookfield Chamber Of Commerce
Brookfield, IL
01.2017 - 10.2021
- Maintained state and local certifications by collecting vendor information, ensuring adherence to vendor-specific requirements, and submitting required information to municipal agencies.
- Rebranded the market and built an online presence with an interactive website, www.brookfield Farmers.org.
- Organized events at the market that appealed to the community and increased public participation by 30%.
- Managed fundraising to grow the market (increasing vendors by 20%) and coordinated all logistics for the inaugural farm-to-table dinner event.
Director
Kensington School
Naperville, IL
07.2019 - 12.2019
- Oversaw operations and provided corrective feedback to achieve daily and long-term goals.
- Worked closely with organizational leadership to guide operational strategy.
- Managed daily operations of a 15-classroom early childhood program.
- Established departmental performance goals and provided feedback for underperforming areas.
- Oversaw implementation of school curriculum.
- Analyzed operational finances and tracked teacher ratios for optimal financial performance.
- Onboarded new families and qualified teaching staff.
- Assured a safe, supportive, and educational environment for families and staff.
Director
Grace Lutheran Preschool
Westchester, IL
04.2012 - 06.2019
- Oversaw operations and provided corrective feedback to achieve daily and long-term goals.
- Worked closely with organizational leadership and board of directors to guide operational strategy.
- Increased attendance and revenue by 100% from the start date.
- Oversaw planning and construction project to grow physical infrastructure and footprint by 600%, adding a children's garden, sensory room, art studio, yoga and music studio, gym, and two classrooms.
- Analyzed operational finances and conducted fundraising endeavors to expand operations.
- Researched proven educational programming and implemented curricular redesign to change the school into an interactive learning place.
- Researched, designed, and executed a wholly revamped curriculum for 2-5 years old, meeting development standards.
- Created a website and online presence to recruit families.
Brookfield Beautification Commission
Village Of Brookfield
Brookfield, IL
05.2014 - 06.2017
- Assessed community needs and collaborated on projects that improved village aesthetics.
- Organized marketing and fundraising endeavors to ensure implementation of projects.
- Collaborated on installation of public art and gateway projects.
Licensing Representative
Catholic Charities
Chicago, IL
01.2002 - 11.2003
- Recruited and licensed individuals to become foster parents for children needing a family.
- Conducted social assessment interviews of children and families, analyzing social and personal attributes against established psychological and social criteria.
- Organized foster parent training that enabled non-parents and first-time foster parents to welcome challenged youth into their homes.
- Managed ongoing monitoring visits of licensed foster homes to ensure regulatory compliance; coordinated investigations of foster family homes where appropriate.
- Performed routine data entry or document management
- Stayed up-to-date on DCFS licensing requirements to complete accurate and efficient reviews
- Worked closely with applicants to determine eligibility and verify accuracy and integrity of application data
- Responded to in-person and telephone requests for information from general public, attorneys and other involved parties
Child Welfare Specialist III
Catholic Charities
Chicago, IL
06.2000 - 01.2002
- Contributed to court proceedings, advocating for family's best interests and recommending balanced solutions.
- Intervened in crisis situations and counseled children experiencing emergencies and disruptive incidents.
- Completed comprehensive assessments of families to identify needs and develop treatment plans.
- Maintained detailed case histories, metrics and reports to meet strict standards.
Children's Counselor
South Suburban Family Shelter
Homewood, IL
05.2000 - 07.2001
- Delivered individual therapy to clients who witnessed or fell victim to abuse.
- Maintained safe, orderly and therapeutic environment for clients.
- Assisted with completion of client intake assessments.
- Helped manage daily schedule of appointments.
- Developed treatment plans to address abuse and behaviors that developed due to abuse.
- Created safety plans to prepare children for potential future abusive situations.
Hospital Advocate
South Suburban Family Shelter
Homewood, IL
04.2000 - 03.2001
- Provided emergency room support, information, and services provided to victims of domestic violence.
- Sheltered women who needed safety and support from abusive relationships.
- Served as agency public relations advocate, providing overview of services.
- Protected patient rights by overseeing employee HIPAA education program
- Collaborated with healthcare providers to drive continuity of care
Licensing Representative
Seguin Services
Cicero, IL
06.1999 - 06.2000
- Recruited and licensed individuals to become foster parents for children needing a family.
- Conducted social assessment interviews of children and families, analyzing social and personal attributes against established psychological and social criteria.
- Organized foster parent training that enabled non-parents and first-time foster parents to welcome challenged youth into their homes.
- Managed ongoing monitoring visits of licensed foster homes to ensure regulatory compliance; coordinated investigations of foster family homes where appropriate.
- Performed routine data entry or document management
- Responded to in-person and telephone requests for information from general public, attorneys and other involved parties
- Responded to requests for information from public, other municipalities or state and federal legislative offices
- Worked closely with applicants to determine eligibility and verify accuracy and integrity of application data
Education
Learning Behavior Specialist 1 - Education
Dominican University
River Forest, IL05.2024
Master of Science - Early Childhood Education
Erikson Institute
Chicago, IL 05.2004
Bachelor of Arts - Psychology
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN05.1999
Skills
Process-oriented – Designed and implemented internal tracking and reporting systems to improve the school's educational outcomes and elevate market attendance and vendor participation
Detailed – Adept at evidence-based, data-driven decision-making that affects pragmatic results
Mission Driven Leader – Currently running operations for an Early Childhood Center, directing diverse teams of stakeholders, creating and managing budgets, and drafting external communications
Collaborative – Cultivated a culture of supportive inclusiveness that highlights individuals' strengths
Certification
- Early Childhood Teaching License
- Completing Learning Behavioral Specialist 1 Endorsement
- Member of the Collaboration for Early Childhood Education
- Member of the International Association for Laboratory Schools
- Member of NAEYC
- Member of the Illinois Association for Infant Mental Health
Timeline
Education Department Adjunct Professor
Dominican University
05.2022 - 08.2022
Director
Dominican University
12.2019 - Current
Director
Kensington School
07.2019 - 12.2019
Farmers Market Manager
Brookfield Chamber Of Commerce
01.2017 - 10.2021
Brookfield Beautification Commission
Village Of Brookfield
05.2014 - 06.2017
Director
Grace Lutheran Preschool
04.2012 - 06.2019
Licensing Representative
Catholic Charities
01.2002 - 11.2003
Child Welfare Specialist III
Catholic Charities
06.2000 - 01.2002
Children's Counselor
South Suburban Family Shelter
05.2000 - 07.2001
Hospital Advocate
South Suburban Family Shelter
04.2000 - 03.2001
Licensing Representative
Seguin Services
06.1999 - 06.2000
Learning Behavior Specialist 1 - Education
Dominican University
Master of Science - Early Childhood Education
Erikson Institute
Bachelor of Arts - Psychology
Saint Mary's College