Sonya Matos-Flores
San Juan,Puerto Rico
Summary
Accomplished leader at USDA Rural Development with a strong background in partnership building and strategic planning. Successfully spearheaded initiatives that enhanced community engagement and optimized service delivery, demonstrating exceptional multitasking and relationship-building abilities. Notable achievements include significant milestones in nonprofit management and community program development, all aimed at delivering impactful results. Committed to driving positive change through innovative approaches to community development.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Community Program Specialist- East Region
USDA Rural Development
04.2023 - Current
- Serve as an advisor under the Supervisory Community Liaison to the State Director.
- Identified rural communities and nonprofit organizations serving the Southwest and East Networks.
- Work with various sources of alternative or supplemental funding from federal, private, and philanthropic entities.
- Coordinated projects along with federal and private partners that benefited distressed communities.
- Identified resources to support grassroots organizations in the development of capacities for financial and operational purposes.
- Create and deepen partnerships with community-based and nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and other stakeholders.
- Collaborated in the convening of 12 nonprofit organizations that are currently providing technical assistance and capacity building, resulting in the RPN Puerto Rico Support Ecosystem.
Program Manager and Community Liaison- PR/USVI
Hispanic Federation
02.2023 - 04.2023
- Assisted in the USDA Farm and Food Workers Relief (FFWR) Grant Program pilot in North Carolina.
- Created basic training material for team members such as training decks and reference material.
- Supported partners during the deployment process of the FFWR program in Puerto Rico.
- Supported partners in the completion of the required documentation for deployment.
- Identified technical assistance needs.
- Organized monthly meetings to share information, provided training, and collected feedback from the partners.
- Supported leadership in administrative tasks.
- Updated trackers related to the program's implementation.
Development Coordinator
Fundación Kinesis
09.2022 - 02.2023
- Assisted in the donors' stewardship process implementation.
- In charge of data management and report creation.
- Created policies and processes for proper data management and collection.
- Created and maintained report templates, and reporting calendars.
- Assisted in grants and proposals management.
- Collaborated in planning fundraising events.
- Collaborated in the creation of the volunteer program.
- Sought partnerships with other nonprofits to receive technical advice on the management of volunteer programs.
Coordinator, Knowledge and Evaluation
Generation USA
07.2020 - 06.2022
- Primary areas of work included managing student testing, graduate outreach, stipend payments, staff training on data systems, and on-demand data analysis for staff inquiries.
- In charge of professional certification testing for over 2,000 learners from 2021 to 2022, including the purchase and distribution of study materials and tests, cost analysis, and data collection of results in Salesforce and Power BI.
- Served as the lead account manager for eight different testing providers across six programs.
- Provided on-demand data analysis for Generation staff, which included pulling data from Salesforce, PowerBI, and other sources, and documenting findings on programmatic questions for internal audiences.
- Provided orientation to over 100 prospective candidates, evaluated and approved applications, monitored the stipend payment process, and assisted in the collection of data for reporting purposes.
Partnership Manager
Generation USA
04.2019 - 07.2020
- Primary representative of Generation in the partnership with a local nonprofit organization.
- Ensured that the program met Generation USA’s target metrics on recruitment, graduation, placement, and job retention, aligned to the implementation of strategic plans.
- Created and deepened 30+ employer partnerships through a business development strategy, based on local workforce needs and demands.
Project Director - SCSEP
AARP Foundation
07.2015 - 04.2019
- Directly and solely responsible for the administration and operation of the U.S. Department of Labor's Senior Community Services Employment Program, San Juan site activities at the local level.
- Provided leadership and oversight to project office staff in daily activities, including interviewing applicants, enrollment, orientation, and bi-weekly payroll for an average of 100 participants.
- Provided training and training opportunities to further the skills and knowledge of all the program participants.
- Partner with different employers located within the San Juan Project's service area to identify possible placement opportunities for the program participants.
- Monitoring an average of 50 host agencies to ensure their adherence to program training, supervision, and safety rules, and maintaining compliance with federal regulations, grant requirements, and program policies and procedures.
Education
MAED - Adult Training and Education
University of Phoenix
MBA - Global Management
University of Phoenix
BA - Management
Columbia Central University
Skills
- Leadership Training
- Multilingual abilities
- Workshop facilitation
- Stakeholder management
- Attention to detail
- Professional demeanor
- Time management
- Strategic planning
- Project management
- Team building
- Service optimization
- Documentation management
- Multitasking Abilities
- Community outreach
- Relationship building
- Community engagement
- Workshop delivery
- Nonprofit management
- Partnership building
Certification
- OSHA General Industry Certification
- Fundamentals of Agile Project Management
- Grant Seeking Essentials Certificate
- Establishing Effective Partnerships
- Confluence Fundamentals
Timeline
Community Program Specialist- East Region
USDA Rural Development
04.2023 - Current
Program Manager and Community Liaison- PR/USVI
Hispanic Federation
02.2023 - 04.2023
Development Coordinator
Fundación Kinesis
09.2022 - 02.2023
Coordinator, Knowledge and Evaluation
Generation USA
07.2020 - 06.2022
Partnership Manager
Generation USA
04.2019 - 07.2020
Project Director - SCSEP
AARP Foundation
07.2015 - 04.2019
MAED - Adult Training and Education
University of Phoenix
MBA - Global Management
University of Phoenix
BA - Management
Columbia Central University
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