YETU ROBINSON
Little Rock,AR
Summary
As a certified Grants Administrator and Manager, I have a proven track record of successfully managing complex federal grant programs and ensuring compliance with regulations. My experience in overseeing multi-million dollar budgets and leading teams to achieve programmatic and fiscal compliance has equipped me with the skills necessary to drive operational efficiency and deliver impactful results.
In my role as a Grant and Program Manager at the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment, I spearheaded the successful implementation of the new BIL $8M formula grant for the Weatherization Assistance Program. Through strategic planning and meticulous oversight, I was able to optimize the program's operations, resulting in substantial cost savings and improved customer satisfaction.
Additionally, my tenure as a TANF Block Grant Program Monitor showcased my ability to manage a diverse portfolio of subrecipient monitoring and auditing, ensuring the effective delivery of services to thousands of families in need.
My expertise in federal grant writing, administration, and compliance monitoring, coupled with my strong leadership and project management skills, positions me as a valuable asset to any organization seeking to drive operational excellence and achieve sustainable growth.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Grants Program Manager
Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment
North Little Rock, AR
05.2021 - 12.2023
- Secured a new $8M discretionary grant to fund the new Bipartisan, Infrastructure Legislation (BIL) Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP)
- In partnership with a large international government consulting firm, built and executed a data-driven strategy for the new BIL initiative ramp up and execution for Subgrantees and program clients, expected to save unprecedented dollar amounts in marketing, customer experience expenses while improving customer satisfaction
- Partnered with 6-12 Subgrantee stakeholders to oversee day to day WAP operations and monitored their compliance with local, state and federal laws, rules and regulations and reported progress and findings to federal stakeholders and where necessary, issued corrective actions to ameliorate non-compliance, inefficiencies, fraud, waste and abuse wherever discovered
- Wrote, issued, and Implemented policy changes based on Weatherization Policy Memoranda issued by the US Department of Energy (DOE (Grantor)) and incorporated policy updates into the latest Subgrantee Operations Manual to ensure all policy changes were accurately reflected in the guide, saving hundreds of labor hours annually
- Led a team of 5 project management professionals and conducted semi-annual performance evaluations and fostered a mentoring environment between myself and staff
- Wrote annual formula grant application and once approved by DOE, drafted Annual State Plans for approval by the advisory council, public comment, adoption by DOE, and administration by myself and professional staff
- Managed an annual program budget of $5M that grew to $8M annually and provided quarterly and annual progress reports to federal cognizant agency and state legislature
- Via MS DevOps and TEAMS, managed the service delivery of the agency's proprietary software vendor, involving routine testing of bug-fixes, data dumps or new scripts; led weekly backlog meeting with agency stakeholders and software developers to prioritize work tickets and resulting in a 100% reduction in the backlog queue, 2 successful system-wide updates, and a 90% increase in software satisfaction by stakeholder users.
Barista Promoted to Shift Supervisor
Starbucks
Atlanta, GA
04.2015 - 06.2023
- Developed creative recipes for signature coffees or blended drinks unique to the cafe.
- Provided excellent customer service by responding to inquiries quickly and professionally.
- Ensured all equipment was maintained in proper working order according to manufacturer's instructions.
- Prepared specialty coffee drinks such as lattes, cappuccinos, macchiatos, mochas, and Americanos.
- Trained new baristas on company policies and procedures regarding food handling safety standards.
- Monitored inventory levels of supplies and restocked when necessary.
- Placed orders with suppliers for delivery of products required for daily operations.
- Actively managed restaurant floor, driving the service vision within Starbucks to build guest loyalty and outstanding service results.
- The only Focused on creating revenue driving ideas and opportunities to engage and innovate with both the local market and in-house guests.
- Awarded partner of the quarter for four at three different stores.
TANF Block Grant Program Monitor
Arkansas Division of Workforce ServicesWorkforce Development Program Management
Little Rock, AR
05.2019 - 05.2021
- Ensured programmatic and fiscal compliance through programmatic evaluations and audit reviews of high-profile Arkansas Temporary Assistance for Need Families (TANF) community investment initiative Subrecipients through application of current state and federal statutes and regulations Governing the TANF Program including 45 CFR Part 260 and the PRWORA Act
- These reviews resulted in an annual return of approximately $1.6M in disallowed costs
- Fostered a culture of robust and comprehensive documentation
- Issued several annual monitoring reports that were chosen as standard formatting sample documents for annual monitoring reports
- Developed comprehensive monitoring of risks, issues, dependencies, contingency plans, and resources to remove roadblocks to enable optimum contract performance by eight (8) assigned not-for-profit or religious organizations pursuant to active Arkansas TANF Grant subaward terms and conditions
- Managed an annual Subrecipient monitoring/auditing portfolio totaling $31M+ annually yielding the successful delivery of TANF services to thousands of needy families across the state
- Under the direction of the program operations manager, implemented monitoring unit changes from inception to successful implementation, resulting in the production of a how-to-monitoring-guide entitled 'How Subrecipients Survive and Thrive throughout the Grant Monitoring Life-Cycle.' The how-to-guide potentially increased subrecipient satisfaction with the grant monitoring process by 85% and increased annual subrecipient retention by 44%.
Hearing Officer
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration
Little Rock, AR
03.2019 - 05.2019
- Investigated disciplinary appeals, interviewed complainants, and reported findings on investigation
- Conducted disciplinary hearings, deliberated, and determined final judgment
- Maintained grievance files and received and prepared appeals for hearing
- Explained complex driver laws and the consequences for disobedience to the lay-public; provided training on disciplinary hearing procedures and performed other duties as assigned.
Service Representative
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration
Little Rock, AR
12.2017 - 02.2019
- Examined evidentiary records including proof of identity, residency and citizenship status to verify the accuracy, as well as ensure compliance with Arkansas licensing laws and regulations for the issuance of State Identification Cards, Permits, Real IDs, Non-Commercial Licenses (NCL), and Graduated Licenses (Underage)
- Explained applicable licensing laws or statutory requirements to Arkansas Drivers, law enforcement personnel, or revenue agents; provided on-demand, AIRS and SAVE technical assistance to DSMV service representatives across the state to remove road blocks to smooth issuance of licenses, identification and related collateral documentation
- Assisted office supervisor to achieve operational efficiency by leading weekly, engaging 'AIRS Best-Practices' dialogues and training sessions; observed the work activities of other personnel and trained both new representatives and underperforming representatives by providing technical assistance
- Updated the 'Issuance Unit Operations Manual and Guide to AIRS' complete with official citations to related regulations, statutes, software documentation or other computerized files
- Liaised with AIRS software developers and performed annual software beta-testing of bug/data fixes, script revisions and new functionality to ensure the successful release of new service packs or subsequent versions.
Front Desk Lead Associate
Hilton Hotels and Resorts
Marietta, GA
10.2015 - 12.2016
- Assigned rooms, issued keys, and provided information on hotel services.
- Reviewed daily shift assignments for accuracy prior to start of shift.
- Monitored inventory of supplies used at the front desk.
- Maintained an organized front desk area including lobby area and reception counter.
- Communicated effectively with other departments within the hotel as necessary.
- During interim period where the hotel did not have a full-time front desk manager, reported directly to the general manager on guest satisfaction metrics.
- Coached teams to achieve the highest guest satisfaction scores in the Greater Atlanta Region.
Senior Law Clerk (25 Hours/Week)
LAW OFFICES OF CHARLES HULL AND STEVEN SCARBOROUGH
ATLANTA, GA
01.2014 - 01.2016
- Collaborated with team members on strategy development for upcoming litigation matters.
- Assisted attorneys in preparing for hearings, trials, depositions and mediations.
- Evaluated cases by researching case law or statutes relevant to specific facts of the case.
- Reviewed pleadings, motions and other documents for accuracy, completeness and compliance with court rules and regulations.
- Guided by federal and state guidelines regarding document retention, reduced in-house files by over 50% by either destroying documents retained longer than judicial requirements or moving lowest priority files to an off-site facility.
Business Specialist (Full-Time 50hrs/week)
The Apple Store
Memphis, TN
10.2012 - 10.2014
- Developed strategic business development plans for expanding into new markets by analyzing competitor's activities. Through agressive market segmentation and forcasting, my plans led to an overall 70% increase in Apple B2B sales for 5 consecutive quarters.
- Collaborated with internal stakeholders on apple technology conversion projects related to process optimization and cost reduction initiatives.
- Planned and executed engaging and product demonstrations with appropriate stake holders. Followed up successful business pitchges with pursuasive proposals while adhering to Apple Business standards concerning technology p proposals to prospective clients.
Owner and Principal Consultant
Allied Innovation, LLC
Chicago, IL
12.2009 - 10.2012
- Ensured compliance with applicable laws and regulations related to business operations and advised client organizations of the same.
- Organized high impact and visibility marketing events such as trade shows, conferences media campaigns, press events with photo opportunities.
- Oversaw budgeting and financial management of own business and advised client organizations of the same.
- Managed daily operations of own business, including hiring and training staff and advised client organizations of the same.
- Developed policies and procedures for client organization.
- Analyzed industry trends to develop competitive strategies.
- Created marketing campaigns to attract new customers and maintained relationships with existing clients by providing superior customer service.
- Communicated with clients' employees, reviewed documents and watched day-to-day business operations to understand what problems existed and why.
- Devised thoughtful, well-received reports on all phases of work performed for clients.
- Formed innovative, data-driven solutions to their business problems and presented analysis and proposed solution concepts to C-Suite Excecutives.
Education
JD (Pending) -
Stanford University Law School
Palo AltoBachelor of Science -
Northwestern University
Evanston, ILSkills
- Business Administration
- Pubic Administration & NonProfits
- Task Ownership and Project Management
- Conference Planning
- MS Office Suite
- Dev Ops
- AIRS
- AASIS
- SAVE
- ACCESS
- EASE
- SAP Success Factors
- ECOS
- PAGE
Certification
- Certified Code of Federal Regulations Compliance Monitor
- Certified State Procurement Officer (Arkansas OPM)
- Certified Grants Administrator and Manager (Management Concepts)
Personal Information
Title: Program Manager
Timeline
Grants Program Manager
Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment
05.2021 - 12.2023
TANF Block Grant Program Monitor
Arkansas Division of Workforce ServicesWorkforce Development Program Management
05.2019 - 05.2021
Hearing Officer
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration
03.2019 - 05.2019
Service Representative
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration
12.2017 - 02.2019
Front Desk Lead Associate
Hilton Hotels and Resorts
10.2015 - 12.2016
Barista Promoted to Shift Supervisor
Starbucks
04.2015 - 06.2023
Senior Law Clerk (25 Hours/Week)
LAW OFFICES OF CHARLES HULL AND STEVEN SCARBOROUGH
01.2014 - 01.2016
Business Specialist (Full-Time 50hrs/week)
The Apple Store
10.2012 - 10.2014
Owner and Principal Consultant
Allied Innovation, LLC
12.2009 - 10.2012
JD (Pending) -
Stanford University Law School
Bachelor of Science -
Northwestern University
Similar Profiles
Carter ReynoldsCarter Reynolds
E&E Inspector II at Arkansas Department of Energy and EnvironmentE&E Inspector II at Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment
Jacob D. HarperJacob D. Harper
Events and Program Coordinator at Arkansas Game and Fish FoundationEvents and Program Coordinator at Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation
Carrie JacksonCarrie Jackson
Grants Coordinator at Arkansas Department of Energy & EnvironmentGrants Coordinator at Arkansas Department of Energy & Environment
ReNyiah JohnsonReNyiah Johnson
Newk's Eatery at Fast FoodNewk's Eatery at Fast Food
Oma QuirozOma Quiroz
Teacher: English I, Creative Writing, Oral Communication at Sylvan Hills Junior High CampusTeacher: English I, Creative Writing, Oral Communication at Sylvan Hills Junior High Campus