Deputy Director
City of South Salt Lake/Promise South Salt Lake
West Valley City, UT
Highlight any employment, volunteer, or other experience relevant to NAA's mission, vision, values, core competencies, and strategic focus areas.
I have over 20 years of experience working with youth and families, primarily in OST programming. I currently work as a Deputy Director with Promise South Salt Lake in Utah, where I oversee 14 OST programs across the City, and I am the outgoing Chair of the Salt Lake Afterschool Regional Network (SLARN). In addition, I work as a freelance grant writer and own a small business, “OST Training That ‘Sticks’”, focused on training and curricula specifically for OST staff. I have also been part of the OST field on a national level through my National Afterschool Matters Fellowship with the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) in 2019-20, where I was chosen as one of hundreds of applicants to complete a yearlong research and writing project, guided by mentors and peers from across the country.
My role as Chair of the Salt Lake Afterschool Regional Network gave me a significant amount of experience leading a large group of OST professionals and advocating for the field on a statewide level. The Network was formed by my local NAA State Affiliate (Utah Afterschool Network/UAN) a number of years ago with the goal of uniting the OST field in Utah through common professional development and networking experiences. Under my leadership, the Network expanded to include over 200 OST leaders in Utah through regular meetings focusing on the topics of advocacy, programming, data, and staffing. Over the past year, the Network influenced frontline staff pay in multiple prominent OST programs, participated in advocacy opportunities such as planning the Afterschool Day on the Hill, and became a strong network of professionals who were able to support each other through trying times.
In my role as Deputy Director, I oversee 14 OST programs and write for and manage $3m+ in grant funding. I also participate in a number of citywide Councils and committees, working in conjunction with the Mayor and the City Council on important issues such as Equity and Inclusion (through the Digital Equity committee, working on bridging the digital divide for residents). I also currently chair the Programs committee for the new citywide Community and Opportunity Center, bringing in programs to benefit South Salt Lake’s diverse population, such as refugee resettlement organizations, job skills development programs, local colleges and universities, and early learning program providers. I have also been the main point of contact between my department and the SSL Police Department, providing trainings and organizing volunteer opportunities for Officers while also navigating the complex roles and perceptions of the police in low-income communities.
I have served on a number of Boards of Directors in the past, including SLARN, the Texas Youth and Child Care Worker Association, the Texas Association Concerned with School Aged Parenthood, Texas Roller Derby, and the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care. While not all of these experiences were directly associated with OST work, the common thread of leadership and networking was a significant part of all of my BOD work. I have found great inspiration from my BOD positions, all of which have required a high level of professionalism, collaboration, and advocacy. This big-picture work has been an excellent compliment to the direct service work I have done.
Another of my great passions is leadership and staff development. I have presented workshops on various topics, including Strengths-Based Leadership and OST Staff Training Strategies, ranging from in-house trainings to statewide trainings through the Utah and Texas Afterschool Networks to national audiences through NIOST. I am a strong supporter of the professional development and networking opportunities that NAA provides; I have nominated 2 past recipients of NAA’s NextGen Leaders awards, and I strongly supported a staff member with her successful application for the Emerging Leaders of Color PLC.
Self-development has also been a focus of mine, as demonstrated through my recent Fellowship with NIOST. What started out as a research and writing project developed into the formation of an entire evidence-informed curriculum for OST staff, and I then formed my own small business around this curriculum. The pandemic hit in the middle of my Fellowship, and while many of my peers were unable to complete their projects due to increased demands and stress brought on by the changing and uncertain work conditions, I thrived under the pressure and challenge. I spent hundreds of hours developing my business and have trained OST professionals in my curriculum model, which is currently being implemented across the country.
Based on your skills, dispositions, and expertise, explain how you see yourself contributing to NAA's strategic focus areas: Field Leadership, Professional Development, Advocacy, Community Building.
Field Leadership - My Network leadership has provided me the opportunity to rally the OST troops to big-picture causes and bring professionals together from around the state. I would love to use this experience with the national OST field! I can also see myself involved in policy-making, PLCs, and speaking roles at trainings and conventions. I am particularly excited about assisting in any way with the International Learning Exchange, as I feel like my experiences working with youth and families in Canada, Texas, Utah, and the United States as a whole have brought a different level of perspective to my career, and I would love to encourage others to explore these types of opportunities.
Professional Development - In addition to my love of public speaking and training, I love to provide the training and encouragement to others to learn skills in this area. I have many ideas for unique PD opportunities, such as how to be an effective advocate in the field, forming a support network for leadership-level OST staff, and providing opportunities for OST staff to learn various higher-level skills such as giving presentations and speeches.
Advocacy - I have comprehensive knowledge of funding opportunities for OST programs, and due to the many years I have spent in the field, I have a deep understanding of the needs that youth-serving nonprofits have. I would love to participate in a leadership role in the advocacy events NAA currently offers related to funding and other important issues, in addition to seeking out additional opportunities for advocacy.
Community Building - Something that has greatly benefitted me over the last year has been my connection to a network of leadership-level OST staff to bounce ideas off of and share challenges with. Many current OST opportunities are targeted towards direct service staff, and I would love to expand community-building opportunities for OST leaders from around the country to share ideas, successes, and challenges. We are not alone, and we are stronger together!
Review the NAA Board Job Description. Using the job description as a guide, describe your experience, skills, and dispositions that prepare you to be an effective board member of a national professional association.
I have a significant amount of leadership experience, through my current role with Promise South Salt Lake (a City department), my role in the Salt Lake Afterschool Regional Network, and my past BOD positions. I thrive under pressure and give 110% to everything I do. My public speaking skills have been honed through a significant amount of workshop and keynote presentations, and I am an articulate and persuasive speaker, particularly when it comes to advocacy.
I have experience collaborating with high-stakes partners, such as the Mayor, the City Council, the Chief of Police, and other government officials; this year, I had the opportunity to advocate for vaccines for OST staff with the Governor’s Advisor on Education. I am comfortable in these settings and have always looked forward to opportunities that allow me to spread the word about all of the great work that is happening with OST programs in Utah and beyond.
I have also managed large budgets, and through my freelance grant writing work I have had the experience of collaborating with newer non-profit organizations to find and write for grants on their behalf. My clients have typically never received grant funding before, so I also assist in program design, evaluation, budget creation, and strategic planning; I practice building and funding organizations from the ground up on a monthly basis.
I have been involved in equity work throughout my career, from leading an Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity committee in a previous workplace to leading efforts in providing equitable access to vaccines and bringing programs and organizations into the City that meet the diverse needs of our community. As a member of a marginalized population myself, I have a personal connection to this work as well.
My passion for this work is the thread that ties all of my skills and experiences together, and I think my unique background would be a great fit for the NAA Board of Directors! Please take a look at the various references included in my campaign video (you’ll probably need to pause it to read them), as they all speak to the points I have mentioned. Georgia Hall from NIOST, someone that I have deep respect for, described me as a “tireless champion”, and I feel like this accurately represents who I am as a professional and what I bring to the table.
Why are you interested in being a member of the NAA Board of Directors?
I would love to be part of the networking, leadership, advocacy, and development that is happening through NAA on a national level, because I feel like now, more than ever, the voices of the OST profession need to be strong, come together, and be heard.
This past year has been extremely challenging in many ways, particularly for OST professionals. When schools closed their doors in March 2020, many OST programs opened their doors even wider to meet the needs of the communities they serve. Staff risked their health and their lives to provide for youth and families, navigating through all of the unknowns that the pandemic created. Leadership through this time has been extremely challenging, and my connection with my statewide and regional OST networks kept me strong and inspired despite the obstacles that I was faced with. I would be so excited to contribute to this strong sense of community on a national level! “We’re in this together” is such a powerful message, and I feel like my passion and experience allow me to incorporate this concept into everything I do.
Another source of inspiration for me this year were the professionals I was able to meet from across the country. I wrote grants for OST programs in Illinois, Florida, Georgia, California, and New Jersey. I provided and attended professional development sessions with professionals in North Carolina, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Montana, Massachusetts, and New York. The pandemic brought me closer to OST professionals and programs nationwide, and these experiences brought out my sense of purpose and mission more than I have ever experienced in the past. I have such a deep appreciation for OST work, and I hope to use my leadership experience to further improve the field as a whole through NAA’s strategic framework.
