UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
JAYHAWK GLOBAL
FOUNDING A NEW DIVISION
Due to my ability to grasp the big picture while breaking it down into detailed, actionable steps, and my relentless problem-solving mindset, I was invited to help establish Jayhawk Global—the University of Kansas’ new education innovation center. This department aims to deliver innovative, accessible, and flexible learning solutions for individuals at every stage of their educational journey.
Foundational Strategic Plan
I collaborated with the Founding Vice Provost to write the vision, mission, and guiding principles for Jayhawk Global, and then used these to author the foundational strategic plans that set the long-term direction for the organization.
Operational Excellence
I established workflows defining roles and responsibilities for Jayhawk Global and its partners, supported by visual aids and a project management system to enhance efficiency. I also collaborated with key units to design and implement targeted recruitment and marketing strategies.
Jayhawk Global
In Progress
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WELFARE
Vision Redefined
In 2016, the School of Social Welfare undertook an important initiative—rethinking what we stood for and what message we wanted to communicate to the world and our students. To ensure our identity aligned with stakeholder perceptions, we held a retreat with all internal stakeholders to begin the discovery process.
The outcome of the retreat was a guiding statement, “Transformational Social Work: Educating and Research to Change the World,” which would help unify all the work to follow.
Visioning Team: Leading Change
I was honored to be selected as part of the Visioning Team, alongside the Associate Deans for Research and Academic Programs. Our mission was to guide the school toward a refreshed vision that would strengthen our image and move us forward.
helped guide our visioning and mission revision process.
Discovery Phase
Our goal was to gather data from all stakeholders that would vet the Transformational Social Work statement and provide insights and inform the creation of the Value Star. This framework distilled the school’s strengths and weaknesses into a clear, one-page layout.
We gathered insights from three key sources: a new stakeholder survey, past surveys conducted over the prior three years, and stakeholder focus groups.
Leadership Role
Collaborating with the team, we planned the focus group structure and approach. I led the design of PowerPoint presentations for all seven focus groups and facilitated three of them. Additionally, I helped draft survey questions and created the electronic survey in Qualtrics, distributing it to alumni.
Data Analysis & Reporting
I collected and summarized all previous research for the committee, ensuring we had a comprehensive understanding of past findings. Working closely with a researcher, I analyzed the data gathered from the focus groups and alumni survey. Together, we synthesized the findings into a report and summary that informed the next steps for the school’s vision and strategic development. I developed the PowerPoint presentation and presented the results to stakeholders.
Innovations
As a member of the Visioning Team, I contributed by mapping the innovations from the focus groups to the Transformational Social Work diagram and Value Star framework. I then created customized PowerPoint presentations to clearly show how each group’s ideas connected to the broader vision. I customized each presentation to match the specific audience, making sure the content was relevant and clearly showed how each innovation aligned with our strategic goals.
Mission Revision
The Visioning Team also participated in the Mission Revision Committee, which included members from all levels of the organization, selected through nomination and election processes led by the Visioning Team. During this phase, we revised the vision, mission, and guiding principles based on feedback from the visioning process. After the committee drafted a revision, it was reviewed by the same focus groups involved in the discovery phase. Once finalized, the draft was approved by the faculty governing board, and I was responsible for ensuring its widespread distribution and adoption throughout the organization.
Strategic Plan & Designs
CITY OF OVERLAND PARK
OVERLAND PARK FIRE DEPARTMENT (OPFD)
OPFD Strategic Plan
I had the privilege of supporting the Overland Park Fire Department with their branding and strategic planning, offering my expertise pro bono. In this collaboration, I provided guidance on their SWOT analysis and helped them refine their research into key tasks aligned with clear strategic initiatives, goals, and objectives. I also designed the visual layout for their strategic plan and developed templates for additional documents, like the Standard of Cover, to complement the plan. Additionally, I trained one of their employees to use InDesign, equipping them to apply the templates and maintain consistent design in future documents. This project expanded my experience beyond the university, allowing me to strengthen their brand identity while guiding them through focused, actionable planning. Attending their Commission on Fire Accreditation International candidate hearing, where they secured reaccreditation, was a powerful moment to witness the culmination of our work. It was a meaningful opportunity to broaden my professional reach.
Design & Training
