Shenna Hayden
Olympia
Summary
Persistent and pragmatic leader eager to lead and grow organizations. Skilled in strategic planning, problem-solving, and communication with good understanding of business principles, project management and team leadership. Collaborative with relentless work ethic and dedicated to building and leading talented and motivated individuals.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Assistant Director Visitor Services Administration
Hands On Children’s Museum
04.2022 - Current
- Reports directly to CEO.
- Manage museum master schedule
- Creation and progress of SOPs, onboarding and training systems for each Visitor Services (VS) department
- Delivers customer service training
- Directly supervises the Museum Operations Supervisor and Front Desk Manager
- Recruited, interviewed and hired employees and implemented mentoring program to promote positive feedback and engagement.
- Developing and managing annual GS budget, including efficient staffing model
- Disciplinary action including warnings, performance improvement plans, dismissals
- Deliver annual reviews for Gallery, Front Desk and Cafe staff
- Payroll approval
- Organizes and determines needed safety training or other professional development for entire museum staff
- Handle visitor concerns, comments and complaints that cannot be resolved at the supervisor or manager level
- Work with Facilities Department to improve safety and security procedures and establish clear division of shared oversight of in-house custodial staff team
- Attend weekly operations meetings, monthly department and manager/director meetings, quarterly all staff meetings. Organize, lead and create agendas.
- Trained and mentored new employees on industry practices and business operations.
- Tracked key business metrics and made recommendations for proactive adjustments to policies and procedures.
- Partnered with Sr. Manager of Education to instruct and mentor informal educators in afterschool programming, outreach and workshops.
- Maintained positive customer relations by addressing problems head-on and implementing successful corrective actions.
- Maintained professional demeanor by staying calm when addressing unhappy or angry customers.
- Opened and closed location and monitored shift changes to uphold successful operations strategies and maximize business success.
- Established team priorities, maintained schedules and monitored performance.
- Evaluated employee performance and conveyed constructive feedback to improve skills.
- Partnered with Assistant Director of Operations to organize and oversee assignments to drive operational excellence.
- Cultivated positive rapport with fellow employees to boost company morale and promote employee retention.
- Established performance goals for employees and provided feedback on methods for reaching those milestones.
- Set aggressive targets for employees to drive membership sales and renewals.
- Succeeded in raising membership levels from 3,782 in 2021 to 5,684 to date, while increasing money spent per person.
- Developed detailed plans based on broad guidance and direction.
- Leveraged data and analytics to make informed decisions and drive operational improvements.
Senior Manager Visitor Services Administration and Front Desk
Hands On Children’s Museum
09.2019 - 04.2022
- Reports to Director of Operations and Education and CEO
- COVID Site Supervisor
- Manage museum master schedule
- Create and track progress of SOPs, onboarding and training systems for each Visitor Services (VS) department: Gallery Services, Front Desk, and Cafe
- Directly supervises the Museum Operations Supervisor and Front Desk Manager
- Managing annual GS budget, including efficient staffing model
- Conducted performance evaluations, compensations and hiring to maintain appropriate staffing requirements.
- Produced staffing matrix to provide adequate coverage of department.
- Implemented disciplinary action including warnings, performance improvement plans, dismissals
- Boosted team member productivity by enhancing performance monitoring and instituting motivational approaches.
- Defined clear expectations for teams and communicated to team members.
- Evaluated employee performance and conveyed constructive feedback to improve skills.
- Payroll approval
- Work with safety officers and Human Resources to ensure VS team is up to date on museum wide training
- Manager on Duty
- Maintained positive customer relations by addressing problems head-on and implementing successful corrective actions.
- Maintained professional demeanor by staying calm when addressing unhappy or angry customers.
- Improved staffing during busy periods by creating employee schedules and monitoring call-outs.
- Cultivated positive rapport with fellow employees to boost company morale and promote employee retention.
- Recruited, interviewed and hired employees and implemented mentoring program to promote positive feedback and engagement.
- Work with Facilities Department to improve safety and security procedures and establish clear division of shared oversight of in-house custodial staff team
- Co-Lead and create agendas for weekly operations meetings, monthly department and manager/director meetings, quarterly all staff meetings.
Owner/Operator
Hayden Homestead Co.
04.2018 - 08.2019
- Lead Chef - create menus for food truck and catering jobs, cook, plate and serve meals
- Assessed income and expenses and adapted plans to improve profit levels.
- Developed business plan, processes and procedures to provide superior food experiences to customers.
- Marketing - Social media campaigns featuring online sales of coffee, food truck locations, and baked goods delivery
- Event Coordinator - plan menus, create ambiance, coordinate schedules and entertainment.
- Operated with safety and skill to avoid accidents and delays.
- Obtained necessary permits and licenses to operate various commercial vehicles legally.
Adventurer/Blogger/Tour Manager
Owner/operator
10.2016 - 04.2018
- My husband (a musician) was going on tour for his latest album release and we did not want to spend that much time apart with our new son and wanted flexibility to spend time in Colorado with my parents, so we bought an RV and took the whole family on tour
- We toured 60,000 miles across the western United States and Canada
- Booked tour dates
- Published regular pieces about life on the road, our spiritual life and the joy of raising a rambunctious boy to Everything But the Music Blog.
- Customized brand message to reach and capture target audience interest and drive engagement.
- Promoted and marketed works and music through social media platforms.
- Built, established and maintained relationships with investors and venues.
Director of Public Programs
Witte Museum
11.2015 - 10.2016
- Management - create Program Interpretive Schedules; create department budget; reconcile budgets and visa bills, maintain databases for reporting to the Department for Culture and Creative Development; train and supervise department volunteers and interns; participate in planning meetings for the construction and content development of the New Witte (a $100M project); be department lead in the absence of the Vice President of Public Programs
- Administrative - participate in team meetings for construction and content on New Witte (Open in March 2017); work with Vice President of Public Programs to create and distribute bi-yearly publication, the Educators’ Guide; interview, recruit and train new program presenters, volunteers and interns
- Program Development and Implementation - work with educators and curriculum coordinators to enrich the museum experience for school children and educators (Field trip programs, camp programming, continuing professional education courses); develop and implement family day and adult programming; correlate programming to Texas Education Standards- TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills); supervise, schedule and train Program Presenters and volunteers.
Manager of Public Programs
Witte Museum
05.2012 - 11.2015
- Management - create Program Interpretive Schedules; reconcile budgets and visa bills, maintain databases for reporting to the Department for Culture and Creative Development; train and supervise department volunteers and interns; participate in planning meetings for the construction and content development of the New Witte; be department lead in the absence of the Director of Public Programs
- All responsibilities of South Texas Heritage Educator
- South Texas Heritage Educator - Program Development and Implementation - work with educators and curriculum coordinators to enrich the museum experience for school children and educators; develop and implement South Texas History, family day, camp and adult programming; correlate programming to Texas Education Standards- TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills); supervise, schedule and train Program Presenters and volunteers; maintain programming and relationships with SAISD for Every Fourth Grader Initiative
- Education Outreach - organize and implement outreach throughout San Antonio, maintain relationships with museum partners and schools
- Gallery Theater - Interview, audition, hire, and train InterActors; work with Gallery Theater director to create and direct new plays; write and evaluate demonstrations for InterActors
- Administrative - participate in planning meetings for construction and content of the Kleberg South Texas Heritage Center (Open May 2012); work with Director of Public Programs to create and distribute bi-yearly publication, the Educators’ Guide; interview, recruit, and train new program presenters and volunteers; create South Texas Heritage Initiative budget; evaluate programming, employee engagement.
Science Programs Specialist
Witte Museum
02.2009 - 10.2010
- Program Implementation - Field trip programs, Camp - Summer and Spring Break, Family Days, Adult programs
- Work with Science Programs Associate to - create and implement new science programming; correlate Science programming to the TEKS; create and balance Science Initiative budget; create and implement family day programs including: National Chemistry Week, National Science and Engineering Week, TIER Robotics competitions and Amazing Skies
- Administrative - supervise Program Presenter staff of 4-7 people; participate in planning meetings for construction and content of the H-E-B Body Adventure; manage supplies for Science programs.
Program Presenter
Witte Museum
04.2008 - 02.2009
- Program Implementation
- Ensure positive learning experience for visitors
- Create weekly schedules for Program Presenters and weekly work orders for school programs
- Manage supplies.
Pre-School Teacher and Camp Teacher
Primrose Schools
05.2006 - 01.2007
- Worked cooperatively with other teachers, administrators, and parents to help students reach learning objectives.
- Kept students on-task with proactive behavior modification and positive reinforcement strategies.
- Supported student physical, mental, and social development using classroom games and activities.
- Incorporated multiple types of teaching strategies into classroom.
- Incorporated exciting and engaging activities to achieve student participation and hands-on learning.
- Communicated frequently with parents, students, and faculty to provide feedback and discuss instructional strategies.
Education
Master of Arts - Museum Studies
University of Oklahoma
Bachelor of Arts - Anthropology
Baylor University
05.2005
Skills
- Data Analysis
- Operations Management
- Strategic Planning
- Team Operations
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Staff Coordination
- Team leadership
Certification
- Certified teacher/leader for Certified Tourism Ambassador program, Olympia, Washington 9/2023
- Certified Tourism Ambassador, Olympia, Washington, 07/2023
- Certified Tourism Ambassador, San Antonio, Texas, 06/2014
Board Memberships
- Texas A&M San Antonio History Advisory Board, San Antonio, Texas, 05/2014, 10/2016
- Land Heritage Institute, San Antonio, Texas, 10/2010, 10/2016
- San Antonio Living History Association, San Antonio, Texas, 10/2011, 2014
Professional Member Associations
- Association of Children’s Museum
- Northwest Alliance of Youth Museums
- American Alliance of Museums
- Texas Association of Museums
- Mountain Plains Museum Association
Related Work Experience
- Leadership Thurston County – Class of 2023
- Coordinator for Northwest Alliance of Youth Museums 2023-2024
- Smithsonian Visiting Professionals Program - June 2015
- Rock Art Foundation Guide – October 2010- April 2017- Volunteer with Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Rock Art Foundation to guide tours in Seminole Canyon to explore ancient Rock Art
- Texas Association of Museums- 2013 Annual Meeting presentation- “Night at the Museum: Delivering Overnight Programs in the Museum”
Timeline
Assistant Director Visitor Services Administration
Hands On Children’s Museum
04.2022 - Current
Senior Manager Visitor Services Administration and Front Desk
Hands On Children’s Museum
09.2019 - 04.2022
Owner/Operator
Hayden Homestead Co.
04.2018 - 08.2019
Adventurer/Blogger/Tour Manager
Owner/operator
10.2016 - 04.2018
Director of Public Programs
Witte Museum
11.2015 - 10.2016
Manager of Public Programs
Witte Museum
05.2012 - 11.2015
Science Programs Specialist
Witte Museum
02.2009 - 10.2010
Program Presenter
Witte Museum
04.2008 - 02.2009
Pre-School Teacher and Camp Teacher
Primrose Schools
05.2006 - 01.2007
Master of Arts - Museum Studies
University of Oklahoma
Bachelor of Arts - Anthropology
Baylor University
- Certified teacher/leader for Certified Tourism Ambassador program, Olympia, Washington 9/2023
- Certified Tourism Ambassador, Olympia, Washington, 07/2023
- Certified Tourism Ambassador, San Antonio, Texas, 06/2014
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