Tesha Long, MBA

Experience

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  National Cheerleaders Assn

  May 2010 - Jul 2012

  Head Instructor

  - Taught students ages 7 to 16, ensuring that cheerleaders who attended camps understood, comprehended, and retained the valuable information I provided them.- Taught values, hard work, dedication, perseverance, and determination.- Effectively communicated, attended to our customers’ attitudes and needs, and always remained positive and professional.- Provided immediate feedback, verbal and written, on several performances throughout the year.- Maintained my technical ability and performance quality. Continued learning and developing skills, teaching cheerleaders the importance of continuous learning and development. Performed and demoed cheers, chants, stunts, and various skills in front of the camp.- Served as an ambassador, spreading the word about our camps and recruiting new teams to annual NCA summer camps and competitions.- Set up NCA store at every camp, organized merchandise, processed payment and shipments, and tracked customer purchases. Show less

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  Curves

  Feb 2012 - Feb 2013

  Administrative Assistant

  • Managed day-to-day operations helping the business to run more smoothly. • Provided excellent customer service, ensuring Curved continued it's reputation of being a positive and professional business• Maintained professionalism while answering phone calls and emails ensuring all needs were met• Handled new member processes, intake forms, payments, and facility your scheduling

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  GymQuest of Plainfield

  Aug 2013 - May 2017

  - Co-created a competitive cheerleading program governed by the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) that increased gym membership and revenue by 20% within the program’s first year. - Taught the basic and advanced fundamentals of tumbling to youth ages 6 to 18. Developed their knowledge of the sport and taught discipline to perform the skills correctly. - Led a team of 21 athletes to over 10 NCA competitions, winning over 5 national championship trophies and multiple 2nd and 3rd place awards.- Used in-depth knowledge of the sport and experience to provide individual and team feedback. Met with parents and students about their emotional and physical development; provided necessary resources and support for the students to succeed.- Offered private cheer and tumbling sessions to individuals who wanted to improve their skills, helping them make their schools jr. varsity and varsity teams. - Designed and managed skill-specific developmental programs, supporting the smooth and successful operation of programs run by other Gymquest coaches. This included understanding individual learning needs and aspirations, understanding NCA’s competency model and metrics for success, creating and implementing developmental programming that catalyzes students’ growth as athletes, promoting programs to attract and engage students, and overseeing daily operations for assigned programs. Show less

  • Front Desk Clerk

    Oct 2013 - May 2017

  • Cheer & Tumbling Coach

    Aug 2013 - May 2017
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  Bolingbrook Park District

  Jun 2015 - Nov 2015

  Head Cheerleading Coach
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  Lewis University

  May 2016 - Aug 2017

  Assistant Cheer Coach

  Served as an ambassador of the university at all internal and external events promoting the University’s mission and recruiting for the sport. Exhibited vital emotional intelligence and communication abilities to lead a team of 22 athletes to a national competition. - Recruited, selected, and trained athletes for the game and competitive teams, ensuring they met the team’s requirements. Successfully led the 2016 team to third place at nationals. - Provided clear and candid communication that built trust and psychological safety for the athletes—met with members individually, providing feedback and improvement take-aways. - Collaborated with the head coach to assess program operations and create an effective program and individual improvement strategies.- Collaborated with National Cheerleaders Association to host the annual NCA Collegiate Camp. Managed event logistics and operations; booked group room blocks and meeting space for average to large-sized assigned groups, adhered to all standards, policies, and procedures of the association and university, and conducted formal pre-and post-event meetings as required to review/communicate group needs and feedback. - Delivered excellent customer service throughout the customer experience and encouraged the same from the team. Identified operational challenges associated with individual groups and determined how to best work with the university staff and customers to solve these challenges and develop alternative solutions. Show less

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  YMCA - Safe n Sound

  Sept 2016 - Sept 2017

  Site Coordinator

  Implemented program curriculum, providing leadership and guidance to site staff and parents, and ensuring the program followed DCFS and YMCA standards. Coordinated with teachers, principals, and other staff at the school to ensure program success.- Cultivated an effective learning environment by engaging students at multiple levels with new and rigorous content - Created and implemented daily lessons on various subjects using a variety of holistic learning strategies throughout lessons - Coordinated with the program director and other site staff to offer and maintain a diverse scope of educational activities; implemented Black History Month activities into the site’s curriculum and continuously sought out areas of improvement where diversity was lacking. - Organized a wide variety of extra-curricular activities for students in grades K-5 in art, character development, science and technology, service learning, conflict resolution, health wellness, and fitness. Developed a group of forward-thinking mini entrepreneurs, leading and teaching them about business, marketing, and fundraising through site activities and events. - Develop and maintain individual relationships, use emotional intelligence skills to address social and emotional concerns, provide support, and report to the Director of Programs when necessary Show less

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  University of Chicago

  Dec 2017 - Jul 2022

  Promoted into this role to train, develop, and lead a team of development professionals to support departments division-wide and ensure Alumni Relations & Development meets its fundraising and participation goals. Develop, design, and implement innovative programs and avenues to develop a diverse ARD talent pipeline.Highlights/Accomplishments- Source, recruit, and track qualified candidates for job vacancies within the following units: Talent Management and HR, Prospect Research, Career Development, Student Advancement, Physical Sciences Division, Data Analytics, and Strategic Events. - Created and facilitated "Explore ARD + Meet the Manager," a virtual and in-person program highlighting development and fundraising as a potential career for recent graduates, young professionals, and career changers. The program served as a recruiting strategy and increased candidate applications by 5%. - Planned and executed Talent Managements’ second-year retreat in collaboration with the Director, Talent Acquisition & Development, and the Associate Vice President, Development, focusing on identifying appropriate development experiences and solutions to improve individual and team effectiveness while remaining aligned with the organization's culture, strategy, and goals. While at The University of Chicago, I've successfully contributed to ARD's commitment to building an inclusive culture, improving team engagement through innovative programs, and providing a fresh perspective to Talent Management recruiting and onboarding. Show less Hired to gain a holistic understanding of the 450± person Alumni Relations & Development department; work cross-functionally with ARD units (clients) on different projects, provide development assistance to support business activities for a specific timeframe during a vacancy, ad hoc projects, or an increased workflow.Highlights/Accomplishments- Served as Liaison between Development Associate Team (contractors) and various ARD units (clients). Manage client projects, define deadlines, provide status updates, and delegate assignments to DA Team. - Established and maintained policies and training for continuous improvement. Improved processes for managers for ease of project transition, decreasing project training by 25%. - Conducted follow-up meetings with ARD unit managers and the DA Team to confirm work quality, accuracy, and integrity.- Facilitated strengths assessments as part of the DA Team onboarding. Identified areas of greatest need within the department. Reviewed and interpreted results with the Director, Talent Acquisition & Development, and offered insight on utilizing individual strengths within the organization, making it easier for client project placement. - Landed the role as interim Assistant Director, Events & Programs. I earned this expanded responsibility while the AD was on maternity leave after showcasing my organizational leadership, management, and event planning experience. - Consulted with human resources providing insight on incorporating health and wellness opportunities for staff, and planned and implemented a CPR/AED workshop for a group of 15 people in collaboration with The University of Chicago Medicine. Show less

  • Assistant Director, Talent Pipeline Development

    Aug 2021 - Jul 2022

  • Development Associate

    Dec 2017 - Jul 2021
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  FreeWheel

  Oct 2022 - now

  Product Support Engineer

  Work remotely as a member of the media-buying team, delivering product technical support and solutions to FreeWheel clients around the globe while advocating for customer needs. Facilitate customer relationships through support, effective communication, and meeting company client expectations.- Act as subject matter expert, providing technical support via phone and electronic means regarding using our media-buying software products for FreeWheel's high-profile and political clients; provide visibility, advanced technical support, troubleshooting, and resolutions. - Adopt and contribute to new processes, submitting product enhancement requests to the development team. Create documentation, templates, quick text, and training materials, and enhance existing processes for internal and external use for smoother and more efficient workflows and resolutions. - Respond and resolve customer issues within key performance indicator targets, effectively triage, troubleshoot, and escalate service requests to respective departments logged by customers through Salesforce, and proactively contribute to support according to product support strategy and guidelines. Show less